Chapter 39 1/3

The gate of the Shen family’s courtyard closed, but the noise inside couldn’t be shut out. Now it wasn’t just Shen Jin and Shen Tian crying; even Shen Yin and Shen Tie, who had been half-dragged and half-pushed inside, were frightened and crying.

Around the Chen family’s center, one side was the lively atmosphere of the villagers discussing while eating, and the other side was the quartet of crying children in the Shen family’s courtyard amidst Mrs. Li’s scolding.

The old man Chen and his group had spent half the morning cutting trees in the mountains. At this point, they had already entered the Chen family’s courtyard, leaving only four children standing outside. They turned their heads to listen to the cries of Shen Jin and the others inside, feeling somewhat unable to move forward.

Mrs. Li didn’t know if she had lost her face, but she whispered to stop the children from crying. But once children started crying out of anger, how could they stop just because they were told to?

Shen An and the others outside heard their third aunt’s voice rise again, feeling even more worried for Shen Jin. Fortunately, Shen San heard the commotion and felt that causing more trouble would only bring more shame, so he came out to stop Mrs. Li and asked the four children to return to the main hall to eat.

While Shen Tian was carried in by Mrs. Li, Shen Yin and Shen Tie went to see Shen Jin.

Shen Jin was the most aggrieved today. He didn’t understand why he was suddenly being punished.

Being pulled by his ear and slapped by his mother in front of so many people was completely different from his usual fake crying to beg for food. It was extremely embarrassing.

He was truly aggrieved today, crying uncontrollably with each sob.

Shen Yin and Shen Tie went to comfort him, but he pushed their hands away and continued to stand in the courtyard, wiping away his tears.

Shen An and the other young ones were crouching quietly by their third uncle’s courtyard gate, witnessing the scene.

When Chen Erlang patted their shoulders, indicating it was time to go home for dinner, they stepped back a bit, and once they were a bit farther away, the little girl asked softly, “Big sister An Ning, why did Third Aunt hit Shen Jin?”

Shen Ning was also puzzled, not knowing how things had escalated.

She shook her head. “I don’t know, but Third Aunt’s beatings are particularly painful.”

The Xiao Chen girl remembered how An Ning had also been beaten before and shuddered. “My mother never hits me or my older brother.”

The third aunt was really fierce.

Shen An had guessed part of the situation but kept silent, tightly pressing his lips together.

…

Inside the kitchen, Mrs. Chen was busy. Suddenly, she heard the sound of children crying outside, followed by Mrs. Li’s scolding and Shen Jin’s wailing, causing her to pause in her cooking.

Just then, her husband and son, along with Shi Erlang and the Lu brothers, entered. She quickly composed herself and went to the window with a smile to greet them. “Back already? Wash your hands and have some water first. Dinner will be ready soon.”

Shi Erlang and the Lu brothers all smiled shyly and agreed.

Lu Sanlang, the youngest of the Lu brothers who had just come of age, was still unmarried and stuck his head in through the kitchen window. “Aunt Chen, did you make braised pork with preserved vegetables today? I could smell it from far away.”

Mrs. Chen smiled. “Yes, A’Lie’s wife sent money over yesterday, saying that building a house is hard work, so she wanted me to make something nice for you all.”

Then she asked, “What’s happening outside? I could hear Shen Jin and Shen Tian crying loudly.”

Lu Sanlang replied awkwardly, “Shen Jin wanted some meat. When he saw Shen An, he ran over. With so many people smelling the meat, Uncle Shen’s wife probably couldn’t save face.”

He laughed and didn’t continue.

The whole village knew about the situation between the two Shen families, including how the Chen family had taken the lead in helping with the construction of the main house this time. The villagers had discussed it, and their families had talked about it when they were together.

Shen Jin was just unlucky and ended up in trouble. It was really pitiful; he had taken a beating unjustly.

Mrs. Chen didn’t know what else to say, so she just smiled and said, “Go wash up and rest for a bit. Dinner will be ready soon.”

As she spoke, Chen Youtian had already put down his axe and entered the kitchen to fetch some water for washing hands.

The Lu brothers went to wash up, and Mrs. Chen glanced outside the courtyard gate for a while before finally seeing her grandson leading Shen An and the other youngsters in. She felt a slight sense of relief.

It was good they were back. At this moment, whether it was the main house of the Shen family or their own Chen family, being outside might agitate Mrs. Li. Unfortunately, it was Shen Jin who had inadvertently ended up in trouble.

Children were mischievous, but what bad intentions could they have? Shen Jin sounded so pitiful, having been implicated and beaten like that.

…

Mrs. Chen worked swiftly, and her timing was impeccable. Just as Shi Erlang and his companions were struggling to conceal their uncontrollable drooling, Chen Youtian brought the steaming rice cooker from the kitchen into the main room, while Chen Erlang prepared the utensils, indicating that it was time for dinner.

As the lid of the rice cooker was lifted, the aroma of rice, meat, and preserved vegetables, accompanied by the rising steam, filled the room.

Compared to the slight scent that had escaped from under the lid before, the overwhelming fragrance now made the men, who had just been mindful of their manners as guests in someone else’s home, lose all composure.

Gurgle~

Gulp~

Who was making those sounds of desperate swallowing?

Oh, it was themselves.

Glancing around, it was fine. Everyone, young and old alike, was in the same boat, and no one would ridicule anyone else.

Chen Youtian, with his rough hands, didn’t bother with a cloth and simply lifted a steaming bowl of braised pork with preserved vegetables from the cooker and placed it on the table.

Old Man Chen hurriedly invited everyone to the table. As they approached, they saw the substantial portion of braised pork with preserved vegetables, and Shi Erlang couldn’t help but swallow hard. “Uncle, this dish is too generous. It must have been costly.”

Old Man Chen couldn’t help but praise Sang Luo, the rightful owner of the dish.

Mrs. Chen, leading Chen Erlang and Chen Youtian back to the kitchen, brought out four more plates of vegetable dishes and a soup. Hearing the comment, she smiled and said, “A’Lie’s wife is generous. Although she’s young, she’s practical and fair in her dealings. You’re helping out this time, and in the future, my daughters-in-law and nieces can learn from her example. You’ll see that my words aren’t empty.”

Shi Erlang and Lu Dalang nodded repeatedly.

The fact that the Chen family was helping so much indicated that Sang Luo truly had the Chen family’s support.

Both men made up their minds to go back and tell their families about this. In the future, if their families met Sang Luo in the village, they would also be more friendly. Starting with this collaboration, they might even become friends.

With all the dishes served, Chen Youtian set the tableware, and everyone was ready to eat.

For this first meal of the construction project, Mrs. Chen had put in some extra effort. Although building a house didn’t require much meat, Sang Luo had provided so much money, even giving Mrs. Chen sixteen cents to buy some tofu to sell. As she had earned an extra eight cents while buying vegetables, Mrs. Chen was more than happy to arrange such a good meal for Sang Luo.

So, of the eighteen cents she earned yesterday, she spent sixteen cents on meat and one cent on bamboo shoots. She chose the best piece of pork belly, costing fifteen cents per catty, and cut it into perfect pieces.

Most of it was used to make braised pork with preserved vegetables, and the remaining portion would be added to the vegetarian dishes for the evening meal. With such a hearty meal on the first day, everyone would put in extra effort for the construction project, ensuring that the rammed earth walls they built would be solid and durable.