Chapter 51: Feeding

Group Trip to the Capital

Wei’s father thought that the family’s life was good enough now. They weren’t lacking in food or necessities, so there was no need to take risks and get involved in such speculative business ventures.

However, Wei’s mother thought the idea was pretty good. If it were in the past, she would’ve agreed with her husband’s viewpoint. But after staying in the capital for over half a year and seeing how her daughter and son-in-law made money through their business, she wasn’t as scared anymore.

Another reason was that after seeing how her daughter lived, and comparing it to the life back home, the gap was so obvious. There was a huge difference between just getting by and living well.

She didn’t mind herself; after all, she was getting older and wasn’t sure how many more years she had left. But her son and grandchildren still had long lives ahead of them. Since there was an opportunity for them to live a better life, why not try it?

The old couple didn’t come to an agreement, so Wei’s mother decided to let her sons make the decision themselves.

Wei’s eldest brother was straightforward. After hearing all the details, he only said one thing: “I’ll listen to father and mother.”

He knew he wasn’t as smart as his second brother and wasn’t as quick-witted as the third. The only thing he had was strength, which was fine for farm work, but he didn’t understand business.

However, honest people also have their own thoughts. He knew his younger sister’s idea was good, and it was probably better than farming in terms of making money. He didn’t mind that he wasn’t living as well as his younger brothers, but he couldn’t bear the thought of his nieces and nephews eating meat while his own two sons had to watch hungrily from the sidelines.

So, he chose to go along with the majority. If his younger brothers thought it was a good idea, he would follow suit. If they didn’t, he knew that he alone wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Thankfully, Wei’s mother understood her eldest son’s nature. She hadn’t expected him to come up with a decision, so she turned her attention to the other two sons.

Wei’s second and third brothers, especially the third, were very excited when they heard their mother’s plan.

When they saw their mother looking at them, they immediately expressed their opinions: “Father, mother, my younger sister wouldn’t harm us. I’m willing to try.”

“I’m also willing to try.”

Wei’s father didn’t expect all three sons to be so bold, and he was so angry that he immediately asked, “Aren’t you all afraid of getting caught?”

The brothers exchanged glances. “We’re not afraid.”

Actually, they were afraid, but they couldn’t back down. If they didn’t sound confident, how would their father stop them?

Wei’s father was momentarily speechless, and in the end, it was Wei’s second brother who spoke up: “Father, didn’t younger sister say we could go to the capital to check things out first? We’ll go see it, and if it’s not clear from the letter, we can decide after discussing it face to face.”

“Hmph, you all have grown wings, and now my words don’t matter. Do whatever you want,” he said, storming off in anger.

The three brothers and their wives looked at each other, unsure of what to do next.

“Alright, don’t listen to your father’s nonsense. Just do what you think is right. But there’s one condition: think carefully before making any decisions. Don’t rush into it just because of excitement. The most important thing is that you’re making the decision yourselves. If anything goes wrong, don’t blame your younger sister. Otherwise, don’t blame me for cutting ties,” Wei’s mother said.

“Understood, mother.”

After speaking, Wei’s mother left, leaving them to discuss things on their own. The old man was right about one thing: the children had grown up, and it was time for them to make their own decisions.

When their mother left, Wei’s second sister-in-law was the first to speak up: “Third brother, if you and your wife were planning to replace younger sister’s role, were you going to hide it from us if mother hadn’t mentioned it today?”

“Yeah, third brother, that’s not very fair,” Wei’s second brother added.

Wei’s third brother quickly begged for forgiveness. “Ah, second brother, second sister-in-law, don’t hold this against me. The thing hasn’t been settled yet. Besides, mother didn’t agree to it, so it didn’t matter if I mentioned it.”

“Hmph,” Wei’s second sister-in-law didn’t believe his excuses, but this wasn’t the time to argue about that. Going to the capital to see younger sister was the main thing, so she was the first to suggest, “I’m going to the capital too.”

“I’ll go as well,” Wei’s eldest sister-in-law quickly added. Her husband was too honest, so she wanted to go along to make sure the other two families didn’t take advantage of the situation.

“Dear, you don’t need to make things more complicated. Younger sister said in the letter that it’s just for us brothers to go,” Wei’s husband said.

Wei’s second sister-in-law wasn’t happy about this. “Well, it didn’t say we couldn’t go!”

“Yes, that’s right, Second Sister-in-law is right.”

When Wei’s second brother saw that his eldest sister-in-law was also joining in on the fun, he glanced at his eldest brother, hoping he would say something to stop it. However, Wei’s eldest brother just moved his feet slightly to avoid his gaze.

“See, even Big Brother didn’t say anything.” Wei’s second sister-in-law said triumphantly.

Wei’s second brother was exasperated. It wasn’t that he didn’t want his wife to go, but with so many of them, their mother would definitely not agree.

As expected, when Wei’s mother heard, she frowned. “You all going to buy tickets for free, huh? And with so many people, I’ll have to figure out where to put them to sleep—how troublesome!”

Before Wei’s second sister-in-law could say anything more, her mother-in-law made a final decision: “Alright, one person from each family can go.”

In the end, Wei’s eldest and second sister-in-law stayed at home, and Wei Xuan went with her three brothers.

Mainly, Wei’s second sister-in-law understood that she couldn’t compete with her own younger sister compared to her older brothers. There were some things she couldn’t say, so she decided to let her husband go instead.

As for going to the capital, once the family made money, she wasn’t worried about not having the chance.

Wei’s eldest sister-in-law was even simpler in her thinking. She simply didn’t want to go alone with the two younger brothers. Besides, with both of them going, leaving only Wei’s eldest brother at home seemed off.

Even though her husband was honest, as the eldest brother, his younger sister would definitely make sure he didn’t lose out.

When the three brothers arrived at the door, Wei Xuan was in the middle of cooking while dealing with Yuan Yuan, trying to keep her entertained.

She had been delayed this morning while tidying up the vegetable garden, causing Yuan Yuan to wake up before lunch was ready. There was no choice but to move the small bed into the kitchen and cook while trying to soothe her.

Halfway through preparing the meal, she heard someone knock on the door. She put down the spatula, wiped her hands, and went to open the door while holding Yuan Yuan.

“Coming, coming, stop knocking!” She wondered who would come visiting at noon.

The door opened, and Wei Xuan exclaimed in surprise, “Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, what brings you here so soon?” She thought they wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow at the earliest.

“Of course, we received your letter yesterday, and we’re here today,” Wei’s second brother replied, then shook Yuan Yuan’s little hand, smiling as he asked, “This is Yuan Yuan, right? She’s really adorable.”

“Yes, this is her first time meeting her uncles. Oh, by the way, don’t just stand at the door. Come in and sit down.”

She ushered them into the yard.

As they walked in, Wei’s third brother looked around and commented, “Little Sister, this place is nice. It’s quite spacious.”

Wei Xuan replied, “Yes, this yard was really rundown before, but I managed to get it for a good deal. Third Sister-in-law lives next door; it’s just a five-minute walk, but she should be at work now.”

“No rush, we’ll wait for her to get off work,” Wei’s third brother said, though he was eager to see his wife. They were here for a serious matter, though, so he wasn’t going to act irresponsibly.

Wei’s eldest brother also said, “Yes, Little Sister, why don’t you tell us about the matter you mentioned in your letter?”

“That can wait. You guys sit down and rest first. You must be starving after coming all this way. I haven’t eaten yet either. Once we fill our stomachs, we can talk,” Wei Xuan said, glancing at the child in her arms. She then turned to Wei’s third brother and said, “Third Brother, could you hold Yuan Yuan for a moment? I’ll cook a couple of dishes, it’ll be quick.”

Before Wei’s third brother could react, Yuan Yuan was placed into his arms. Yuan Yuan, seeing the somewhat unfamiliar uncle, grinned.

“Hey, this little girl isn’t shy at all. Aren’t you afraid I’ll sell you off?” Wei’s third brother teased her, pretending to be fierce.

However, as soon as he made that face, Yuan Yuan smiled even more happily.

Wei’s third brother wasn’t about to give up, still wanting to continue, but Wei’s eldest brother interrupted him, saying, “Alright, Third Brother, you’re all grown up, don’t make her cry. Who’s going to comfort her then?”

“Exactly, exactly! Look at how sweet Yuan Yuan’s smile is. Much prettier than your sister’s!” Wei’s second brother joined in, criticizing Wei’s third brother and stepping forward to take Yuan Yuan from him.

As long as her mother wasn’t around, Yuan Yuan didn’t mind who held her.

Without her daughter causing any trouble, Wei Xuan was able to cook much faster.

She had made rice for lunch, but with the addition of three more people, it definitely wouldn’t be enough. Plus, there wasn’t enough time to cook more. So, she decided to use the already prepared pork bone soup and cook some noodles in it, along with slicing the braised meat she had set aside this morning. She would also make some cucumber slices and add the stir-fried green beans she had made earlier. That should be enough.

In less than twenty minutes, the noodles were done. Wei Xuan even set aside a bowl of pork bone soup noodles without salt for Yuan Yuan. The noodles were cooked soft, perfect for her to eat.

After calling the brothers to the kitchen to help serve the noodles, Wei Xuan grabbed her own bowl and Yuan Yuan’s bowl, and they all went to the main room.

Wei’s eldest brother helped move the small bed from the kitchen. Wei Xuan folded the blanket on the bed and let Yuan Yuan sit back against it.

After having some complementary food for a while, Yuan Yuan knew that a bowl meant something delicious, so she was very well-behaved, doing whatever Wei Xuan asked her to do without fuss.

After tying on the bib, Yuan Yuan stared intently at the small bowl in her mother’s hand, her little mouth “ah ah”ing, signaling that she was ready to eat.

“Little glutton,” Wei Xuan teased with a smile, picked up a strand of noodles, shook it a bit, and when she felt it wasn’t too hot, she fed it to Yuan Yuan.

After feeding her one bite, Wei Xuan quickly leaned down and took a bite from her own bowl of noodles. She had no choice, the noodles were getting mushy quickly, and if she didn’t eat them now, they wouldn’t taste good later.

Seeing his little sister struggling just to eat, Wei’s eldest brother hurried up. In less than two minutes, he had finished the bowl of noodles, both eating and drinking until it was all gone.

He set the bowl down, wiped his mouth, and said to Wei Xuan, “Little sister, give me the bowl. I’ll feed her.”

Seeing how quickly he finished, Wei Xuan was surprised. “Big Brother, are you still hungry? I can cook some more for you.”

“No, no need. I’m full,” Wei’s eldest brother quickly explained. “I just wanted to finish quickly to help you out, so you can eat in peace.”

Wei Xuan smiled when she heard that and didn’t hesitate, handing him Yuan Yuan’s bowl and utensils. “Then thank you, Big Brother.”

Yuan Yuan, seeing that she was eating happily, but the person feeding her suddenly changed, let out a reluctant “yi yi ya ya” sound. But Wei’s eldest brother, being a father of two, was skilled at feeding. He swiftly and precisely fed a strand of noodles into Yuan Yuan’s mouth, and she was instantly comforted.

Well, whoever feeds her, it’s still eating, right? As long as she gets to eat the good food, that’s all that matters!