Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As the saying goes, "Good news doesn't leave the house, but bad news travels a thousand miles." Daliushu Village was close to Hongye Town, and many villagers did business or worked odd jobs there.

In less than half a day, the news that Jiang Chun had beaten up his uncle and his grandmother spread to Daliushu Village.

Jiang Chun had just steamed a pot of buns and was transferring them to a bamboo mat.

The buns were too hot, scalding her mouth as she hissed in pain.

Song Shian happened to come out to pour water for grinding, and upon seeing this, he pursed his lips.

Jiang Chun was not one to silently toil like an old yellow ox. Seeing him come out, she immediately started boasting, "Husband, look at these fine flour buns I specially steamed for you. They are white, fine, and smooth, aren't they?

I sifted the flour five or six times; it almost broke my back!"

Seeing that she had stopped handling the buns and was staring at him intently, Song Shian lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment before uttering two words, "Thank you."

Jiang Chun's face instantly lit up with a radiant smile, "It's no trouble, no trouble at all. As long as my husband can eat well, I don't mind the effort."

They appeared to be a loving couple.

Just then, the front door was pushed open with a bang, and an uninvited guest stormed in angrily.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she shouted, "Chun! Chun! Get your ass out here!"

The only person who would dare barge into Jiang Tu's house so arrogantly was Li, the old hag.

Jiang Chun ignored her and continued placing the buns on the bamboo mat.

If the buns weren't transferred while still hot, they would stick together once cooled down.

Li didn't see Jiang Chun, so she headed straight for the main room, which also served as the kitchen.

Upon entering, she saw a full bamboo mat of white buns and immediately began drooling.

Li forgot why she came to settle accounts with Jiang Chun and urged her repeatedly, "Such good white flour buns, I haven't had them since your second uncle's wife gave birth and was sitting the month.

Chun, quickly pack some for me to take home for Brother Tong."

"What are you talking about? If Brother Tong wants white flour buns, you can always steam them for him. Your second uncle has twenty acres of wheat fields; how could he not afford white flour buns?"

Without looking up, Jiang Chun placed the last three buns on the mat, covered them with a fine hemp cloth, and put them in the cabinet.

Li complained, "Your second uncle's wheat is meant to be sold for silver to save up for buying a shop in town for Brother Tong. How could he afford to waste it like this?"

Jiang Chun turned to Song Shian, tilting her chin, implying that she was doing all this for him.

Song Shian pursed his lips, bent down to scoop half a dipper of water into a bowl, and carried it into the west room.

Before Jiang Chun could say anything, Li voiced her displeasure, spitting at his back and loudly muttering, "What kind of son-in-law doesn't know manners, not even calling his mother-in-law 'mama'!"

She had a point.

But that was only if she acted like a proper grandmother.

For an old hag who didn't act human, Song Shian's attitude was perfectly justified.

He was going to be the future Prime Minister, very smart and adept at reading people, clearly aware that he wasn't favored by Li, hence his behavior.

After all, he wasn't like this with Jiang He; though he spoke little, his manners and etiquette were impeccable.

Jiang Chun snorted lightly, "Mama, this is my son-in-law. My father and I think he's fine, so there's no need for you to comment. After all, my father was kicked out of the family over a decade ago by you."

Li, taken aback by her retort, suddenly remembered why she came to the eldest brother's house.

Her face flushed with anger, hands on her hips, she burst into a tirade, "Chun, you insolent girl, ruling the roost at home is one thing, but to go and do the same at the Wangs' is another. Have you gone mad?

How dare you meddle in matters between elders? If word gets out, won't people laugh at our Jiang family for having no discipline?"

Her words made Jiang Chun laugh.

She added a few scoops of water to the pot and began placing the steamed black flour buns inside, amused, "Ever since Mama kicked my father, the eldest son, out and left the house and land to my second uncle, our Jiang family has had no discipline.

Stop talking about discipline all the time; I'm embarrassed for you."

Jiang Chun left no room for Li's dignity. Anyone else would have been mortified, but Li's face was as thick as a city wall. Not only was she not embarrassed, but she also argued confidently.

"You're not afraid now that you've found a son-in-law, but what about Sister Liu? If she can't find a good husband, just wait until your second aunt tears your mouth apart!"

Jiang Liu was the eldest daughter of Uncle Jiang Hu, three years younger than Jiang Chun, and fourteen years old, the perfect age for matchmaking.

Jiang Chun scoffed, "Who's to blame if Second Sister can't find a good husband? Isn't it because of you, who took the five taels of silver dowry from the Wangs and reneged on your promise?

Money doesn't grow on trees, and who would want to be tricked like the Wangs again?

If your second aunt tears anyone's mouth apart, it should be yours, not mine. Don't try to pin the blame on me."

Li, feeling somewhat guilty, knew she had done wrong by taking the five taels of silver dowry from her eldest daughter, but she couldn't admit it.

She feigned confidence, "Don't talk nonsense. The match I arranged for your aunt is excellent. The Wangs have a house and a shop in town, and your aunt is far better off than any other girl in the village!"

Jiang Chun lit the firewood, stuffing soybean stalks into the stove, and sneered, "It's indeed great. Her husband drinks and gambles outside, while she works hard running the shop and weaving cloth to earn money, cooking for the whole family, yet she isn't even allowed to sit at the table, eating only leftovers. In the end, even her own daughter looks down on her."

Turning to Li, she asked coldly, "Would you want such a blessing?"

Li stiffened her neck and replied, "If I could arrange a match with a house and a shop in town, I definitely wouldn't have married your grandfather."

Jiang Chun suddenly felt disheartened.

For a selfish and deceitful old hag like Li Shi, who doesn’t even care about her own daughter’s life or death, why should I waste my breath on her?

Could she possibly be moved to repent, weep bitterly, and from then on treat her daughter as a precious gem?

What a joke. Believing that would be like believing pies fall from the sky.

She said coldly, "I did hit someone from the Wang family, but this is between me and them. If they’re not satisfied, they can go to the county office and file a complaint, or gather a group to settle accounts with me—I’ll see it through to the end.

It’s not your place to seek justice for them. After all, the Wangs have long severed ties with the old house. Even if you want to curry favor, the Wangs would consider it ominous."

Jiang Chun was no fool to lash out at anyone in a fit of rage.

Before beating up Cao Pozi and Wang Bo, she had considered the consequences.

First, the Wangs had no power or influence; even if they were beaten, they wouldn’t dare make a fuss at the county office.

After all, once you enter the county office, whether you’re right or wrong, you’ll come out stripped of a layer of skin.

Second, the Wangs had few family members. From Wang Bo’s father, Wang Dali, they were an only child, not part of a large clan.

If they wanted to gather people for revenge, there would be no clan members to help. At most, they could rally a few drinking buddies, who wouldn’t stand a chance against her.

The worst consequence would be some medical expenses.

So she rolled up her sleeves and went for it.

As it turned out, she had overestimated Wang Bo. Half a day had passed since they left the Wangs, and he hadn’t shown up with his friends to settle the score.

What a coward, bullying the weak and fearing the strong!

"Who are you calling ominous? You ungrateful girl, without respect, how dare you curse me, your grandmother! I think you’ve gone too far!"

Li Shi jumped up, lunging forward as if ready to confront Jiang Chun head-on.

Hearing the commotion, Jiang Chun turned around and gave her a “kind” warning: "Grandma, be careful. Don’t get too close. You know me, I have a naturally strong grip. If I accidentally dislocate your arm, don’t blame me for not warning you."

Li Shi, like a caterpillar, came to an abrupt stop.

"You… you ungrateful granddaughter, you actually want to hit your grandma. Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?"

Jiang Chun laughed heartily, "What am I afraid of? With a heartless mother like you who drove her eldest son out of the house, if anyone is to be struck by lightning, it should be you first."

Li Shi’s face turned pale, feeling for the first time that her mouth wasn’t enough.

Her eyes darted around, and she let out a cry, pretending to faint and fall to the ground.

But Jiang Chun, who was turning to pull out soybean sprouts, caught this with her peripheral vision.

She snorted, "If Grandma faints, our house only has two rooms, so there’s nowhere to put you. We’d have to carry you to the pigsty in the back. Luckily, our pigsty is big enough to spare a small space for you."

Li Shi immediately straightened up, shouting, "Who said I fainted? Who said I fainted? Don’t curse this old woman!"

"Good, you didn’t faint," Jiang Chun smiled, pointing outside with the firewood stick in her hand, and said, "Grandma, I’m busy stoking the fire and steaming buns, so I don’t have time to entertain you. Take your time leaving, no need to say goodbye!"

Li Shi, not getting what she wanted, was unwilling to leave just like that. Her eyes darted around the kitchen, landing on a cabinet with a steamer lid.

Then, in a flash, she darted to the cabinet, lifted the cloth, grabbed two large buns, and ran out the door.

By the time Jiang Chun reacted, Li Shi was already outside the gate.

Jiang Chun: “….”

This is really, really…

If Song Shian weren’t in the next room, she might have cursed and insulted Li Shi’s long-dead mother.

Losing two white flour buns hurt her deeply.

If she chased after Li Shi now, she could definitely catch her.

But the buns had been touched by Li Shi’s unwashed hands, and even if she got them back, they couldn’t be eaten, only fed to the pigs.

In this era of food scarcity, feeding white flour buns to pigs might really invite a lightning strike.

So the old hag got away with it.

But Jiang Chun’s losses wouldn’t go unpunished. She would make it up to herself, and let her feel the pain!

*

After steaming two pots of buns, Jiang He returned, a goose flapping its wings wildly on his wheelbarrow.

She hurried to remove the threshold and asked with a smile, "Father, where have you been all day? Catching geese?"

Jiang He joked, "At your uncle’s place, catching geese. Look, is this one fat enough?"

Everyone in Daliushu Village had heard about Jiang Chun beating up the Wangs. How could Uncle Zheng Yi, who lived in town and was well-informed, not know?

Before Jiang He even left town, Zheng Yi had come looking.

After hearing the whole story, Zheng Yi laughed heartily, "My niece was right to beat him. If you ask me, Wang Bo deserved a good lesson long ago!"

Jiang He smiled wryly, "Brother, if you won’t discipline Chun, at least don’t encourage her. This way, she’ll become even more unruly."

Zheng Yi shrugged, "I only have one niece. Who else should I spoil? Come, let’s go home.

I got two geese yesterday. Take one home with you."

Hearing this, Jiang Chun grinned proudly, "Only my uncle understands me. He knows I’m tired from beating people today, so he’s giving me a goose to nourish myself."

Jiang He rolled his eyes, "So you think you’ve done something heroic?"

Jiang Chun seized the opportunity to complain, "Oh, I dare not accept that. Just now, my grandmother came over to settle accounts with me. Not only did she scold me harshly, but she also took away two steamed buns I made for your son-in-law!"

Jiang He frowned, reluctant to speak ill of his mother in front of his daughter, and could only sigh, "Next time she comes, keep a close eye on her. Don't let her have another chance to take our things."

Jiang Chun snorted, "Next time she comes, I won't let her in the house."

"That's the right thing to do." Jiang He nodded.

He had long lost all hope in his own mother. Ever since the day he was disowned and forced to live in a dilapidated shrine with his family, his mother was already dead to him.

He only kept up appearances for the sake of the clan elders, avoiding a public scandal.

But that didn't mean he would be a pushover, allowing her to come and take advantage of them.

After lodging his complaint, Jiang Chun picked up the goose and said excitedly, "Father, we're having braised goose tonight. I'll go kill it right away."

As he passed by the window of the west room, an idea struck him. He suddenly turned around, grabbed the goose, and pushed open the door to the west room.

Facing Song Shian, who was sitting on the kang bed writing diligently, he waved the squawking goose and said with a grin, "Braised goose, want some?"

Song Shian didn't even look up, silently refusing with his silence.

Jiang Chun clicked his tongue, "Braised goose is a delicacy of the world. You truly miss out on a treat."

Song Shian gave a light snort.

Before the incident at the Song family, their household was like a garden in full bloom and a cauldron of boiling oil. They had two kitchens, each with twenty or thirty chefs capable of cooking independently.

What kind of delicious dishes had he not tasted?

Yet, he resisted all temptations and never broke his fast.

A simple braised goose from the countryside, with barely any spices, was supposed to make him break his vow?

It was nothing short of a dream of a fool!