Font Size:
The story of the wild boar that Old Tan’s family caught somehow made its way to the He family, who were related to Wan Chunmei’s fourth brother-in-law.
The He family lived on the southern side of Fengping Village. It wasn’t too far from Old Tan’s house, but it wasn’t exactly close either.
The night when Old Tan’s family went around delivering meat, they just so happened not to deliver any to the He family.
Of course, the bigger reason was that Old Tan was still angry over the previous incident.
If the neighbors hadn’t treated them well, it would have been one thing, but Wan Family’s child’s wife was Wan Chunmei’s sister. Though they were half-siblings, they were still close family.
Just looking at their the family fall to such a state without doing anything, Old Tan couldn’t help but feel resentment.
However, the He family didn’t think the same way.
Old Man He was sitting in the yard, scribbling and painting. He turned to his eldest son and asked, “Have you heard of your wife’s older sister?”
The eldest son nodded. “I’ve heard. Her older sister cut ties with her family to marry a poor country man.”
Old Man He, admiring his scribbles, scowled and said, “A poor country man is just a poor country man. They caught a wild boar and didn’t even send any to their own sister’s house. Instead, they gave it to some insignificant people.”
The eldest son had known about this for a while. That night, the village had been filled with the smell of meat, yet his family and Wan Family’s third son’s family hadn’t received any. How could they not feel tempted?
The He family, though descended from officials who had retired and returned to their hometown, had long since lost their fortune after several generations.
Old Man He’s knowledge was ordinary, and he was no good at farming. He spent his days indulging in scholarly pursuits and pretending to be cultured, but in reality, it was all useless.
The He family now depended entirely on farming to make a living, with the eldest and second sons doing most of the work.
On the surface, the He family appeared prosperous, but in reality, they hardly got a decent meal of meat throughout the year.
This was why Old Man He was so particular about everything.
The eldest son of the He family explained, “Father, Huaixiang has never gotten along with her older sister since childhood. Perhaps that’s why she didn’t want to send any.”
Huaixiang was the name given to Wan Family’s fourth son’s wife after she married into the He family.
Old Man He tossed his brush aside and gruffly said, “The Wan family marrying into our He family was already an act of reaching above their status. No matter how they’ve fallen out, they can’t look down on our He family like this.”
Not sending the meat was an insult to the He family.
The eldest son of the He family agreed with this, frowning. “Father, since they’re no longer in contact, don’t get angry about it.”
“This isn’t just about contact! It’s about not taking us seriously!” Old Man He retorted, raising his hand as if to slam the table.
The eldest son wisely remained silent.
In the He family, no one dared to argue with the old man.
Old Man He stood up and declared, “Send someone to the old Tan sister’s house. Tell them to come visit us. I need to have a serious talk with them.”
“Father, do we really have to go this far?” The eldest son, still cautious, asked.
Old Man He twirled his mustache and snapped, “Why aren’t you going yet?”
The eldest son of the He family was startled. “Alright, alright, I’ll go right away, right away.”
Not far away, Wan Family’s fourth son’s wife happened to witness this scene and felt a sense of satisfaction. She had always disliked her older sister, envying her beauty since childhood, and had sworn to live a better life than her.
Now, not only had she married well, but even her in-laws were backing her up. She was determined to show her older sister a lesson.
She had always believed that the miscarriage of the third son last time was cursed by her older sister, and she had held a grudge ever since, eager for revenge.
At that moment, Wan Chunmei, who was feeding little Qiyue, suddenly sneezed loudly and rubbed her nose. “Which scoundrel is cursing me?”
Little Qiyue, holding her little hands, had a hint of a smile in her eyes.
Seeing the soft, adorable expression on her face, Wan Chunmei immediately forgot the discomfort she had just felt. “Little Qiyue, did mother scare you just now?”
Little Qiyue waved her hands, as if saying no.
Wan Chunmei was delighted and hugged her tightly, pressing her cheek against the baby’s. She smiled and said, “My little Qiyue, you must grow up quickly!”
Afterward, she slowly stood up and walked to the side of her pickle jars. She turned around, muttering to herself, “Just wait a little longer, just wait a little longer.”
During the process of making pickled vegetables, one could never open the jars before the pickling was complete.
She had been holding back, waiting and waiting.
“Mother!”
Tan Yiliang returned from the vegetable garden, carrying several baskets of vegetables.
“Mother, there are so many vegetables in the garden, it feels like I can never finish picking them all.”
Wan Chunmei smiled and replied, “Yes, it’s too much. It’s not good to have too many. If we have just enough to eat, that’s fine.”
In Fengping Village, every household grew vegetables, so it wasn’t practical to sell the excess.
There were enough vegetables for pickling, and any more would just go to waste.
Little Qiyue in her arms seemed to understand, blinking her eyes a few times.
Tan Yiliang washed his face and smiled at Wan Chunmei, saying, “Mother, when will Second Brother go to the county?”
Wan Chunmei responded, “Once I’m done with the pickled vegetables, I’ll send Erqian to the county. We’ll also give some pickles to shopkeeper Bai then.”
Tan Yiliang nodded and smiled, “Alright, during these days, I’ll help Second Brother. We’ll find a way to bring those trees we found on the mountain down.”
Wan Chunmei warned, “There are many wild animals on that mountain. Last time, we were lucky— the wild boar killed itself. But who knows if we’ll be so lucky next time! It’s better for you to avoid the mountain. I heard that Liu from the Li clan fell into a thicket of thorns while chasing a wild boar, and her face was ruined.”
She had gone to see for herself out of curiosity. Liu’s face now looked like a chessboard, with deep, red scars crossing in all directions. It was enough to make one’s scalp tingle, and the doctor said it was unlikely to heal completely.
In the future, if she ever tried to scold someone, she might not even dare to step outside.