Chapter 35: The Meat-Induced Dispute – The Daily Life of a Sickly Young Woman in the Compound

Chapter 35: The Meat-Induced Dispute - The Daily Life of a Sickly Young Woman in the Compound

"Which family is cooking meat again?" Mother Jiang wanted to find out which family was cooking meat, hoping she could get some for herself.

"The Cen family," Jiang Da Sao stood before Mother Jiang, her eyes slightly downcast.

"Why is it them again?" Upon hearing it was the Cen family, Mother Jiang's foot, poised to step out, froze in place.

The Cen family had a sickly member, someone she couldn't handle. Remembering the large sum of money she had spent last time, she dared not move now!

Seeing her mother-in-law's frustrated look, Jiang Da Sao felt a sudden, inexplicable joy, though she dared not show it openly. She pinched her palm to suppress a laugh.

"Stop fussing. Wait until next time—no, wait until tomorrow. When your father brings in a new wife tomorrow, there will be meat to eat!"

"Tomorrow? Will there really be meat tomorrow?" Da Hu and Xiao Hu, who had been making a fuss, suddenly perked up when they heard their grandmother say there would be meat tomorrow.

"Yes, yes, don't worry!" Her son had said he would go to the slaughterhouse to buy a pound of meat tomorrow. Since the supply and marketing cooperative might not have meat early in the morning, he planned to ask the workers at the slaughterhouse.

"Yay! Great!" Da Hu and Xiao Hu finally stopped crying. They just had to wait until tomorrow, and they would have meat to eat!

They didn't give a second thought to their father marrying a new wife. Nothing was more important than eating meat.

At the Gu family, Mother Gu had also been discharged from the hospital and was pushed back home on a cart. Seeing that Mother Jiang had been discharged, she didn't want to waste more medical expenses and followed suit.

Gu Hang pushed her back. As soon as they reached the door, they heard the children wailing.

"Ah, my dear Da Bao, why are you crying so bitterly? What's wrong? Is it that little wretch Jiang Li bullying you? Is it..."

Jiang Li flinched as her mother-in-law scolded her, wanting to explain, but her mother-in-law didn't give her a chance, starting to berate her like a machine gun before even entering the house.

Gu Hang stood by, frowning, though it was unclear whether his frown was directed at the scolding Mother Jiang or at Jiang Li, who was suspected of bullying the child.

Seeing Gu Hang's frown, Jiang Li feared he might misunderstand her and quickly explained, "Mother, Da Bao is crying because he wants to eat meat!"

Mother Gu's scolding suddenly stopped. After a long pause, she muttered, "If Da Bao wants to eat meat, just give him some!"

"Mother, where would we have meat at home?" Jiang Li retorted.

Mother Gu, of course, knew where the meat was. She had stashed the meat away in her bedroom, keeping it safe. She would only bring it out in dire situations.

Last time, she had taken out a small piece to pacify Da Bao when they were driven out by Mother Lin for not getting meat. The rest was still hidden away.

But she had no intention of telling her daughter-in-law about it. Like Mother Jiang, she stubbornly said, "If you can't find meat at home, why don't you go ask someone who has meat?"

Mother Gu loved doing this. Whenever she saw a family cooking meat, she would take a bowl and go ask for some to give to her dear grandson.

Jiang Li smiled bitterly and said, "The family cooking meat is the Cen family."

"The Cen family? Why is it them again?" Mother Gu gritted her teeth.

Mother Gu hated the Cen family! If it weren't for them, she wouldn't have spent a large sum on medical expenses, wouldn't have fought with Mother Jiang, and wouldn't be lying on a cart now. It was all because of the Cen family.

After mentioning the Cen family, Jiang Li didn't dare suggest going to ask for meat. Like Mother Jiang, she was afraid of Lin Qing. A few more encounters, and their family wouldn't have enough money to spend.

In the end, Mother Gu had no choice but to have Jiang Li cut a small piece of the hidden meat to satisfy Da Bao's craving and to nourish Gu Hang and herself. Jiang Li and Xiao Niu had no right to eat this meat.

"You're back?" Lin Qing smiled and went out to greet them.

Cen Xi quickly walked over, took Lin Qing's hand, and led her back into the house.

"Mmm, it smells so good. What did you cook today? I think I smell something meaty. Did you buy some meat?"

"Yes, I was really lucky today. Not only did I buy eggs, but I also got two pounds of beef."

"Beef? Seriously?" Cen Xi couldn't help but widen his eyes. Beef is so rare. Farmers wouldn't usually slaughter a cow for beef unless it had a problem. So, it's not easy to get beef, maybe only once in several years. Qingqing is really lucky!

"Yes, it's true. I cooked half a pound. You should eat more to build up your strength."

"Thanks, Qingqing."

"It's no trouble at all. I just made some simple dishes. How could it be hard?"

"I think you worked hard, and that's what matters!" Cen Xi looked at her affectionately.

Lin Qing was immediately embarrassed by his gaze!

"Go wash up, dinner's ready!" Lin Qing gently pushed him.

"Okay, okay, I'm going!"

"Wow, this is delicious! Qingqing, you're an amazing cook!" Lin Qing ate the food in her bowl, listening to Cen Xi's praise, and couldn't help but smile.

"If you like it, have some more!" Lin Qing added another piece of meat to his bowl.

"Mm, you eat too!" Cen Xi also added a piece of meat to her bowl.

"I got two pounds of meat. Tomorrow, when we go back to attend the banquet, I plan to bring one pound of beef back!" Lin Qing was a bit nervous, afraid that Cen Xi wouldn't agree with her doing this.

"Of course, that's what we should do. Beef is so rare, we should bring some back for our parents to taste."

Lin Qing's smile widened even more, "You're the best!"

Cen Xi smiled, "These are small things. You can make the decisions. You don't need to ask me in the future."

Lin Qing felt sweet in her heart because of his words. She knew that Cen Xi saying this meant he cared about her parents.

"Thank you!" Thank you for being willing to care about my parents!

"I should thank your parents. They worked so hard to raise you. Bringing a pound of beef is nothing. We should bring even more!"

"Mm." Lin Qing's eyes glistened with tears.

She thought Cen Xi was really good, very, very good. He knew that she couldn't really let go of her parents, so he would care about them with her, making her feel at ease, not letting her feel anxious or uneasy!

At the Su family's side, Mother Su had been waiting for a while, but Qin Xianglian still hadn't come back. Su Dazhuang and Su Erzhuang were already impatient, their stomachs growling. On the dining table, there were only a few plates of green vegetables, and the meat promised by their grandmother was nowhere to be seen, so they started crying again.

"Grandma, why hasn't Mom come back yet?"

"Where's the meat? Why is there no meat?"

"I want meat, I want to eat meat!"

Mother Su watched her two grandsons making a fuss again, feeling a bit annoyed, and kept cursing Qin Xianglian in her heart!