Chapter 18 Men… They definitely have that need

“Don’t go over there for the next couple of days!”
“If you do, you’ll just be walking right into her trap and get bullied!”

Tang Feng yanked Yuan Meilin by the arm, and the two of them started heading toward the supply co-op. On the way, Tang Feng recounted everything that had just happened. The more she spoke, the angrier she became. By the end, she was gritting her teeth and fuming, “No! We absolutely cannot let that girl keep walking all over us!”

After that, she furrowed her brows and suddenly poked Yuan Meilin hard on the forehead.
“Meilin! Can’t you use that brain of yours for once? I’m telling you, that little vixen has seduction written all over her face! If you don’t start working on Fu Yingzhang soon…”
“In a little while, the two of us will be packing our bags and kicked out for real!!”

“But… how am I supposed to get close to him?” Yuan Meilin was panicked too. That Fu Yingzhang was always walking around with a stone face, never even cracked a smile. She honestly didn’t know what to do!

Tang Feng was so annoyed by her daughter’s cluelessness that she started panting with frustration. After a long pause, she finally stopped walking and said,
“Meilin, listen, you’ve got to know what advantages you have!”

“That little hussy Jiang Wan might look fresh-faced and delicate, but she’s totally inexperienced! She doesn’t know anything—especially not how to please a man!”

“You, on the other hand, you’ve already been married once… And you’ve seen Fu Yingzhang’s physique. He’s a man, after all—of course he has certain… needs.”

“You get what I mean, don’t you?”
Tang Feng deliberately lowered her voice, her tone dripping with innuendo.

Of course Yuan Meilin understood—she was no stranger to this kind of thing. Her tanned cheeks flushed beet red in an instant, and she raised her thick arm to give her mom a shove.
“Ah, Ma~~ What are you saying! That’s so embarrassing!”

Tang Feng clutched her chest, nearly coughing up blood from that one push. She scowled and continued walking.
“As long as you understand! But you better act fast!”

“All right, stop following me now. I’ve got to hurry back to the Fu house, cook dinner, and get out of there quick. I can’t stand the sight of Jiang Wan’s smug little face!”

Tang Feng stomped off, still grumbling. Yuan Meilin stayed where she was, her face red and deep in thought. After a while, she clenched her fists and turned toward the bus stop at the edge of the village.
She needed to go into town and buy herself a pretty new outfit—to seduce Brother Jingchuan!

Hmph! That Jiang Wan or whatever—so what if she’s a little fairer and more delicate?

When Yuan Meilin dressed up, she wasn’t any less attractive!
Her mom was right: what could some inexperienced young girl possibly offer a man? A woman with experience like her was way more appealing!

—

Back at the Fu house, Jiang Wan was enjoying her rare bit of peace and quiet. After having just put that cranky old woman in her place, she was in an excellent mood.

Right then, a familiar voice came from the front gate.

“Jiang Wan mei-zi! Are you home?”

“Yulan-jie?!” Jiang Wan immediately recognized the voice—it was Zhao Yulan. She quickly stepped outside.

“Ah, Jiang Wan mei-zi, I was wondering if I could borrow a sickle from your house,” Yulan said with an apologetic smile. “It’s time to harvest the winter wheat, but ours broke.”

“Don’t worry, I know you’ll be needing it too! It’s just me and my husband harvesting, so we’ll be done quickly. I promise I’ll bring it right back before you need it!”

“…???”
Harvesting wheat? Jiang Wan was momentarily confused.
Oh, right. In this era, lots of rural families still farmed their own land.

Northern City was dry, so it produced a lot of wheat.
But… if the Fu family had land too, why hadn’t she seen any flour in the house?

Maybe because Fu Jingchuan couldn’t cook, he just sold it?

“Hold on a sec, Yulan-jie. I think I saw one somewhere!”
Jiang Wan recalled something from the previous night. When she helped the drunken Fu Jingchuan back to the firewood shed, she thought she’d seen two sickles in a corner.

She walked into the shed, pausing for a moment at the doorway.
For some reason, just thinking about how that man often slept here made her feel a little strange.

She didn’t linger, though. After glancing around, she spotted the two sickles by the wall and picked them up—heavy!

She brought them out and handed one to Yulan.

“There are two here.”

“Oh, I just need one!” Yulan took it and peered inside the courtyard. “Eh? That housekeeper, Aunt Tang, isn’t around?”

“What about the kids?”

“They haven’t eaten yet, have they? Why don’t you bring them to the fields with me and my man? They love coming along to help!”

Jiang Wan blinked, thinking that was actually a great idea!
She was still “boss” of the two little beans today—they had to listen to her!

She pressed her lips together in thought, then said,
“Sure, Yulan-jie. I’ll bring the kids over in a bit!”

If this could help the two kids make some friends, that would be perfect.

Making friends with normal peers was the only way those two kids would eventually realize just how ridiculous the things Tang Feng and her daughter had taught them were!

Zhao Yulan smiled, waved her hand in thanks, and then left.

Jiang Wan turned around and headed for the side room. As soon as she reached the door, she saw the two little kids with their heads pressed together, staring at the bag of snacks.

“Ge, I still want to eat another crispy noodle snack!”

“…Don’t eat anymore! Xiaoyan, we’ve eaten way too much today already!”

“…But if we don’t eat it today and that woman regrets it tomorrow, what if she takes the snacks back? Then we won’t get to eat them!”

Seeing how much the two kids cherished the bag of snacks, Jiang Wan couldn’t help but feel a slight pang in her heart.

She cleared her throat on purpose and coughed a couple of times.

“What do you take me for? Only little dogs go back on their word!”

“I said I’d give it to you, so it’s yours!”

“We even pinky-promised, didn’t we?”

The two kids jumped when Jiang Wan’s voice suddenly appeared behind them.

Fu Chen quickly turned around, his little face full of panic.

How did this woman walk without making any noise?!

“Oh right~ I’m still your boss, remember?”

“Now! Listen to my command! I order you two to come out with me for a bit. Just think of it as… going for a walk!”

Jiang Wan figured going out for a walk would be good for them. The two kids usually ate very little, and now that they were suddenly full, it’d be good to move around and help with digestion! After all, raising kids should be scientific!

“Go… go where?”