Chapter 3

What? The burden is eating white flour steamed buns?

Inside the house, Grandma Lu thought she had misheard and replied irritably:”Mutou, what did you say? Who’s eating white flour steamed buns?”

“Grandma! Why can Old Third’s burden and that girl eat white flour steamed buns, but I can’t?”

Lu Mutou mumbled unhappily.

Old Third’s burden and that girl

Aren’t they little Shitou and Moli?

Grandma Lu was stunned for a moment when she heard this. Didn’t Old Third’s wife dislike these two little brats? Why are these two suddenly eating white flour steamed buns?

Could they have stolen them?

When Grandma Lu thought of this, she suddenly remembered that the steamed buns she had just made yesterday were left in the kitchen, and it was likely these two little brats had stolen them from her!

Realizing this, Grandma Lu jumped up and shouted:

“Well! Old Lu Family has a thief! These two little brats dared to steal our white flour steamed buns!”

“Jiang Chunzao‘s wild brat!”

At this time, the only people in the Old Lu Family were Grandma Lu and Lu Mutou. The others had gone to work in the fields to earn work points.

Lu Mutou, spoiled by Lu Ershan and his wife since childhood, was acting up. Hearing his grandma scolding, he jumped up and said:

“Why should we let a hanger-on eat our Old Lu Family’s steamed buns?”

“Grandma, beat him!”

After Lu Mutou said this, Grandma Lu became even angrier. Isn’t it true? The steamed buns from Old Lu Family, even pigs wouldn’t get them, but now Jiang Chunzhao’s two little brats are eating them!

Grandma Lu was fuming with rage. She stormed into the Third Family’s yard, grabbed the two Little Brats who were eating the buns, and slapped the buns out of their hands, tossing them onto the ground. With a sharp look in her eyes, she scolded:

“You little brats dare to steal our Old Lu Family’s white flour steamed buns! Let you eat! Eat what, huh?”

Xiao Moli had been hungry, and when she got home, the buns Jiang Chunzao had steamed earlier were still sitting in the pot. Jiang Chunzao had washed their hands, given them each a large bun, and then went back to work.

The two little ones had always been hungry and never had enough to eat, so they were delighted by the warm, delicious buns. They were eating them happily.

But unexpectedly, Grandma Lu suddenly appeared and not only scolded the two little ones but also grabbed their buns and threw them away.

Xiao Moli watched as her delicious buns rolled across the ground, and when she looked up, she saw Grandma Lu’s fierce, angry face. The little one was so scared that she immediately started crying.

Grandma Lu saw Moli crying and snapped:

“Why are you crying, you little brat?!”

Xiao Shitou, who had always been protective of his younger sister, immediately stepped in front of her when he saw Grandma Lu being so fierce. He shouted:

“Don’t bully my sister!”

Grandma Lu looked at Shitou’s angry face and nearly laughed from the irritation. This little brat really was useless, protecting a worthless little girl.

Who gave him the nerve!

Grandma Lu sneered: “Bah! You orphaned little brat, eating my son’s food and drinking my son’s drink, you’re just a shameless hanger-on!”

“That’s right, Mom said you’re just a little brat nobody wants, and you’re not even part of our Old Lu Family!”

Lu Mutou, standing by, cheered on Grandma Lu.

Xiao Shitou had grown up listening to the village gossip, and although he didn’t care much about it, he was still just a six-year-old child. After hearing Grandma Lu and Lu Mutou’s words, his bright eyes dimmed with sadness.

Though Xiao Moli was small, she could tell who treated her well and who didn’t.

At this moment, Xiao Moli saw Grandma Lu speaking harshly to her older brother. Ignoring the big white steamed bun, she waddled over like a little duck, standing in front of her brother. In her tender voice, she said:

“That’s not right. Brother is not a burden, Brother is Moli’s real brother!”

Hey, when did it come to this that a little girl from Old Lu Family would speak up!

Grandma Lu was so angry at Xiao Moli’s little act that she reached over and grabbed her:

“You little troublemaker, get out of my way!”

At just three years old, Xiao Moli was small and short-legged. When Grandma Lu yanked her, she immediately fell to the ground.

The little one hurt her bottom, and tears welled up in her beautiful big eyes.

When Grandma Lu saw the two Little Brats like this, hands on her hips, she felt a sense of triumph. She was about to say something when she suddenly heard Jiang Chunzao’s cold voice from behind.

“Who says Xiao Shitou isn’t part of my family?”

Grandma Lu and Lu Mutou instantly froze: “……….”

“Hey! Jiang Chunzao, you wild woman! You dare to hit your mother-in-law! Wait until Old Third comes back and let him deal with you!”

“Deal with me! That’ll be when your son comes back from the army!”

Jiang Chunzao, fuming with anger, waved the feather duster in her hand, swinging it and slapping Grandma Lu, who cried out in pain with every hit.

Grandma Lu was getting hit on the backside by the feather duster and was hopping around, shouting and running out of the Third Family’s small courtyard.

Lu Mutou had long since hidden back in the old Lu Family courtyard. Jiang Chunzao chased Grandma Lu out of the door, slammed it shut with a loud bang.

Grandma Lu, hit by the dust from the door, coughed several times, her old face turning red from the effort.

After Grandma Lu finally calmed down, she angrily kicked the solid wooden door of the Lu Family, cursing as she made her way home.

Jiang Chunzao, having sent Grandma Lu out, tossed the feather duster aside and turned to the two Little ones with a serious expression: “Shitou, Moli, don’t pay attention to what others say. In Mom’s heart, Shitou is the biological son of our Old Lu Family. Do you two hear me?”

Xiao Shitou looked at Jiang Chunzao’s beautiful eyes, which were full of sincerity. It felt like something had caught in his throat.

“Mm.”

Mom, I understand.

Xiao Moli, with her little face covered in dirt, chimed in with her sweet, childish voice: “Mm, Mom, Moli knows.”

Jiang Chunzao looked at her daughter’s little dirt-covered face and couldn’t help but laugh, then picked up Moli with one arm and Xiao Shitou with the other. She smiled and said: “Mom’s little babies are so good!”

“Alright, you two go wash your faces. Mom’s going to steam some eggs for you.”

The two Little Babies, hearing that they’d get delicious steamed eggs, were immediately happy. They thanked their mom in sweet voices and hand-in-hand went to wash their faces.

Jiang Chunzao watched them, smiling, as they went to wash up. She then picked up the white flour steamed bun that Grandma Lu had thrown on the ground and sighed with pity.

Grandma Lu really was a piece of work—such good buns, and she just tossed them on the ground.

That’s food, after all.

Jiang Chunzao broke off the dirty part of the bun and tossed it to the chickens in the coop. Then, she pulled out two eggs and put them in the big pot to steam. In no time, the delicious smell of boiled eggs filled the kitchen.

In summer, the days are long, and the villagers of Lujia Village had worked in the fields all day. By late afternoon, as it was getting dark, they carried their hoes and headed home.

The Old Lu Family, too, followed the other villagers home. When they entered the house and saw the empty courtyard, they were a bit surprised.

“Hey, what’s going on? Why is there no food in the house?”

Liu Hongyan, carrying a hoe, asked loudly.

“Mom!”

“Where are you? Why isn’t the food ready yet? My stomach is already growling.”

Hearing this, Grandma Lu, who was lying on the kang (a traditional heated platform), got so angry that she slammed the scratching tool down with a loud bang and yelled:

“Eating! Eating! All you think about is eating!

Can’t you survive without one meal? I, this old woman, was born to serve your Old Lu Family!

Oh, I was just born to serve others, you know! Since I married into your Old Lu Family, I’ve been too tight-fisted to eat or wear properly, and now, when I’m old and can’t move, my daughter-in-law still looks down on me!

God, I can’t live anymore!”

Grandma Lu’s lamentations, delivered dramatically as if on stage, were heard by the Lu Family members, and Eldest Sister-in-law and Liu Hongyan both changed their expressions.

Eldest Sister-in-law Wu Caixia was an honest rural woman, having married into the Old Lu Family to work and have children, never daring to speak out of turn.

Now, hearing her mother-in-law’s words, Eldest Sister-in-law’s face turned pale, while Liu Hongyan wasn’t as intimidated as her sister-in-law. She muttered quietly:

“This old woman really knows how to talk nonsense. I’ve been working all day, and you expect me to cook when I get home?”

Grandpa Lu, who had been carrying a hoe, was the last to enter the house. As soon as he stepped inside, he heard the commotion and entered with a serious look on his face. He looked at Grandma Lu, who was still wailing on the kang, and shouted angrily:

“What’s going on now?”

“What’s going on?! Isn’t it because that wild woman from Old Third’s house, Jiang Chunzhao, hit me! She hit me with that thick feather duster!”

“Old man, hurry up and go to the team leader. Tell him to punish that wild woman, Jiang Chunzhao!”

Grandma Lu continued to shout from the kang.

Grandpa Lu was no fool. He looked at her suspiciously and asked: “Why would that wild woman from Old Third’s house hit you?”

“Why else? It’s all because of those two little brats from Old Third’s house!”

Grandma Lu raged, unable to hold back her frustration, and blurted out everything that had happened earlier.

As Grandma Lu went on in her rant, she didn’t notice that Grandpa Lu’s face was getting darker and darker.

“Enough of this nonsense!” Grandpa Lu shouted angrily, cutting Grandma Lu off mid-sentence.