Chapter 424: Chapter 219: Resting Daughter-in-law_2
Wu Lang just laughed.
"Brother Jiaxing went too?" Lian Manman showed a bit of surprise. Wu Jiaxing was slightly older than Wu Lang, still a very young boy, yet he always acted maturely. It was hard to imagine that he would go play on the ice.
"Mm," Wu Lang nodded, "Brother Jiaxing skates even better than we do."
Wu Jiaxing seemed a bit embarrassed, while Wu Jiayu, sitting there, smiled at Wu Jiaxing.
"Then you should quickly take a seat on the kang to warm up," said Lian Manman.
Wu Jiaxing only sat on the edge of the kang, unwilling to sit further inside, so Wu Lang had to accompany him.
Lian Zhizhi came in from the outer room to get something. Lian Manman climbed down from the kang and whispered to Lian Zhizhi.
Lian Zhizhi glanced at Wu Jiaxing and the two younger brothers, nodded, picked a few eggs from the Chinese basket, and went out.
In a short while, Lian Zhizhi brought in a large tray. On it were three medium bowls and two small bowls, each brimming with a full bowl of syrup. White rice floated in clumps on top, and in each bowl of syrup lay a poached egg.
"Sweet fermented rice with eggs!" Xiao Qi immediately recognized it.
Before the New Year, Lian Manman bought two jins of glutinous rice and got a bit of yeast cake from the liquor store. When she got home, she steamed the rice, mixed in the yeast cake, sealed it in a pottery jar. After a few days, the jar fermented into sweet fermented rice. Sweet and fragrant with alcohol, Lian Manman originally planned to cook tangyuan with it for the Lantern Festival. But after opening the jar, she first made eggs for everyone to try, and everyone loved them so much that half the jar had already been eaten.
Hot sweet fermented rice with egg is especially good for invigorating the blood and warming the body.
"...Mother said to warm you up a bit," Lian Zhizhi said as she brought over the sweet fermented rice with eggs.
Wu Lang took a medium bowl first and handed it to Wu Jiaxing, Lian Manman took a small bowl and gave it to Wu Jiayu, Wu Lang and Xiao Qi each took a bowl for themselves, and the last bowl was brought to Lady Wang by Lian Zhizhi.
To those two bowls of Wu Jiayu and Lady Wang, Lian Zhizhi added an extra bit of brown sugar.
After dinner, Wu Yugui came to take Lady Wang and her son back home. From then on, the relationship between the two families grew even closer.
Early the next day, Lady Zhang and Lian Zhizhi were making a fire to cook food when Lian Manman, carrying a basin of water from inside the house, saw Lian Yeye waving at her from the Upper Room’s doorway.
Lian Manman put down the water basin and walked over.
"Yeye, what is it?" Lian Manman asked.
Lian Yeye pointed toward the eastern room, gesturing to Lian Manman to speak softly.
"On the third day of the lunar month, the Old Zhao family had guests, and Sister-in-law Xiu E didn’t come back. She was actually helping with the cooking in town. Grandma asked Brother Erlang, and we got it out of him. Now they’re asking Sister-in-law Xiu E about it," Lian Yeye whispered.
Outside the Upper Room, Lady Gu, Lady Zhao, and Lady Chiang were busy cooking, but it was apparent that they were also paying close attention to the sounds coming from inside the room.
Lian Manman, who also enjoyed the excitement, pretended to have some business and lifted the door curtain to enter the eastern room.
"Grandma, who did you hear this from? There’s absolutely no truth to it," Zhao Xiu E stood at the foot of the bed, defending herself forcefully.
"Even Erlang has said it; how can you still deny it?" Lady Zhou sat on the bed, seemingly struggling to control her anger, "Wasn’t your parental family hosting guests on the third day? Didn’t Erlang come back from your parental home after having drinks? Now you are a daughter-in-law of the Lian Family; there are matters at home you ignore, and you are always running off to your parental home. What are you trying to do?"
Lady He was sitting not far from Lady Zhou on the edge of the bed, with Erlang standing beside her.
Zhao Xiu E glanced at Erlang, who hung his head.
Zhao Xiu E slightly curled her lips.
"Grandma, Erlang is your grandson, and you know his temperament. He never has his own opinion; he echoes whatever others say," said Zhao Xiu E, "On the third day, I really wasn’t feeling well. Later, when I felt a bit better, I wanted to come back. But by then, it was already midday, and I thought, coming back now, I wouldn’t be of any help, and the sister-in-laws might say I’m just coming to enjoy the ready-made feast, so I didn’t dare come back. I just had a quick bite at my parental home. Maybe someone saw me and started spreading rumors that I was helping cook at my parental home."
"Grandma, you are a wise person. Even if I’m ignorant of etiquette, I wouldn’t neglect my husband’s family hosting guests and go help at my parental home. I’m not that kind of person. Even if I inadvertently forgot, my father and mother wouldn’t let me do such a thing," Zhao Xiu E continued, "Grandma, when I first entered this family, I was naive and may have offended others without realizing. Grandma, you can’t be deceived by others. Everyone within ten miles knows that you are the wisest, treating your daughter-in-law like your own daughter. My parents agreed to my marriage with Erlang largely because of you. They trusted you enough to be at peace with marrying me off to this family."
Lian Manman was dumbfounded by what she heard. Zhao Xiu E was truly talented. She had been caught red-handed, yet she was able to deny it with a straight face. She didn’t confront Lady Zhou directly, she simply refused to admit it, and even managed to flatter Lady Zhou naturally.
"Daughter-in-law Erlang, I have treated you well. I’m old enough to have eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice. Don’t try to pull one over on me; I see everything as clearly as a mirror," Lady Zhou said with an ominous expression.
"Grandma is the wisest person. Before I left home, my mother told me to listen to everything Grandma says when I got here," Zhao Xiu E said with a fawning smile.
"Daughter-in-law Erlang, are you treating me as a senile old woman?" Lady Zhou sneered, "Our Lian Family cannot afford a daughter-in-law like you. Erlang, go, take the Zhao Family’s Daughter back to the Zhao Family. Leave now and you can still make it back in time for dinner."
She didn’t put on a show like with the other daughters-in-law; instead, she resorted to this harsh measure! Lady Zhou was formidable; the daughters-in-law had their own sons and daughters, so they couldn’t be simply dismissed with a word. But this newly entered grandson’s wife was different; she could be sent away just like that.
Moreover, regarding the incident on the third day, there was indeed a reason to send Zhao Xiu E away.
Of course, Lady Zhou didn’t say to divorce her; she only said to send Zhao Xiu E back to her family. If you love being at home that much, then you just stay home.
"Grandma, you are the one sending me back," Zhao Xiu E first froze, then spoke indifferently, and turned to leave the room.
***......***
Here’s an update, asking for your likes. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.com to vote with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
