Chapter 344: Picking a Fight – The Daily Life of the Sickly Aunt in the Courtyard

Chapter 344: Picking a Fight—Compound Drama

"Whose family is taking medicine again?" Mother Jiang stormed out of her room, seething with anger.

Lin Qing and her mother had just exchanged a few words when they heard the furious outburst outside. Immediately, they grabbed their small stools and darted out.

Mother Lin blinked in surprise and followed suit.

The mother and daughter didn’t step outside but stayed by the door. Lin Qing sat right at the doorway, craning her neck to look out. Mother Lin initially wanted to do the same, but sitting obstructed her line of sight, while standing was hard on her back and knees. Eventually, she moved to the window and sat there instead.

Both of them stayed perfectly still, watching intently.

"What’s the matter? Is my family boiling medicine bothering you?" Mother Zhou stepped out of her house.

Indeed, the compound housed more than one family, but if someone needed medicine, they couldn’t very well be stopped from preparing it!

Mother Su fanned her nose slightly, though her expression showed no disgust. Instead, she chimed in gently, "Mother Jiang, you’re making a fuss over nothing here. If someone is unwell and needs to boil medicine, what’s the harm?"

It wasn’t that Mother Su wanted to side with Mother Zhou—it was just that Mother Jiang had a notoriously short temper and was easily provoked. By poking the bear like this, Mother Su knew she’d lose her cool.

One had to admit, the aunties in the compound knew each other all too well.

Mother Jiang was indeed riled up by the accusatory tone. She bellowed at the top of her lungs, "What’s the harm? Couldn’t she at least close her doors and windows while boiling it? The whole compound reeks of bitterness! The stench made our Bao cry!"

As if on cue, wailing erupted from the west wing right after her words.

The crying bolstered her confidence. "See? See? Was I wrong? Look how much our Bao is crying—it’s breaking this grandmother’s heart!"

She was the type to pick fights over nothing, so with an actual grievance, she was even more relentless.

Lin Qing and Mother Lin, avid bystanders of drama, remained silent and refrained from commenting.

If asked, they’d probably say both were partly to blame.

Boiling medicine was Mother Zhou’s right, but she should have considered that there were toddlers in the compound.

The compound belonged to everyone, and harmony could only be achieved through compromise. But that was wishful thinking—given the personalities of the aunties here, it was unlikely.

Mother Jiang using the child as a pawn made it hard for others to argue. After all, the bitter stench might genuinely be too much for a young child.

Mother Li emerged from the backyard. "Mother Jiang, why don’t you take the child out to get some fresh air? It’s not good for him to keep crying like this."

"Why should I?" Mother Jiang immediately bristled.

Mother Li frowned. Was Mother Jiang that ungrateful? Suggesting she take the child out was for the child’s sake—better than letting him work himself into a fit.

Or did she expect Mother Zhou to stop boiling her medicine mid-process?

A single dose of medicine wasn’t cheap, and there might even be specific requirements for the heat. What if the medicine was ruined?

"So what do you want? Mother Zhou is already boiling the medicine—are you expecting her to put out the fire?" Mother Li’s stern expression carried quiet authority.

Mother Su chimed in timidly, "Even if the fire were put out now… it’s probably too late. The smell’s already spread… it won’t dissipate anytime soon, right?"

"What do I want? Pay up!" Mother Jiang demanded. "If my Bao cries himself sick, she’ll have to take responsibility!"

Mother Li’s face darkened completely. "If you take the child out for a walk now, he won’t cry himself sick. Or are you deliberately keeping him here so he does, just to demand compensation?" She pointedly accused Mother Jiang of being profit-obsessed, willing to use her grandchild as a bargaining chip.

Mother Jiang’s face cycled through emotions, visibly struggling to keep her temper.

After Mother Li spoke up, Auntie Zhou took two steps back, beating a retreat first.

Behind the window, Lin Qing's mother tutted in disbelief—time truly was a butcher's knife!

Auntie Zhou didn’t even seem like herself anymore. She'd lost some of that holier-than-thou attitude. Before, she’d been so eager to chat and argue with others, but now? She'd gotten smarter about it?

Lin Qing also widened her eyes and gaped. Wasn't Auntie Zhou clearly playing Mother Li like a fiddle?

She stood back while Mother Li spoke in her favor, without having to lift a finger—she left it all to Mother Li.

Jiang Da Sao had actually closed the doors and windows tightly long ago. But after hearing Mother Jiang’s words, she immediately understood her mother-in-law’s reasoning and, right on cue, opened them again. The smell inside gradually grew stronger. Children usually love sweet scents, while bitter ones are their most hated—traditional medicine’s odor was like waving a red flag. No wonder the child was crying!

Truthfully, Jiang Da Sao just thought that if they worked this angle right, they might get some compensation. Maybe her mother-in-law would even kick in something too!

Besides, the child was just crying—it wasn’t like he’d never cried before. He'll live!

"I never thought that! You’re lying!"

"Am I? The facts will prove it." Mother Li cornered her.

"I—" Mother Jiang’s eyes darted around, but Mother Li was too quick-witted. She couldn’t think of a better rebuttal and eventually gave up.

Shooting daggers at Auntie Zhou, she huffed, "Hmph! I’ll let you off this time, but next time, remember to close your doors and windows when brewing medicine! Hmph!"

Auntie Zhou put on her best doe-eyed look. When Mother Li glanced her way, she immediately gushed, "Ah, thank you so much, Mother Li! If it weren’t for you, I’d probably have had to pay her compensation today!"

"Enough, enough. Just remember what she said—close your doors and windows next time you brew medicine!" All Mother Li wanted was to avoid any more trouble in the future.

After all, the medicine wouldn’t be brewed for just one day. Hopefully, she’d remember every time from now on.

"Of course, of course! I’ll definitely remember next time." Auntie Zhou bobbed her head enthusiastically.

Before returning to the backyard, Mother Li glanced toward Lin Qing’s side. Lin Qing nodded back at her.

She understood—Mother Li was reminding her to remember, so today’s incident wouldn’t repeat.

Even without Mother Li’s warning, Lin Qing knew that when she brewed medicine later, she’d batten down the hatches, leaving no room for anyone to complain.

Seeing her message got through, Mother Li didn’t linger. She returned to the backyard—after the household divided, she had to prepare her own dinner, and this time of day kept her busy.

With the matter settled, Auntie Zhou turned to go back to brewing her medicine, but before she could, Mother Su stopped her. "Hey, hey, Auntie Zhou, what's ailing you? Is it serious enough to need medicine?"

"Oh! It’s just some ordinary tonic!" Auntie Zhou replied, avoiding eye contact.

Mother Su’s gaze flickered. Her antenna went up—why take a tonic now, of all times?

She couldn’t shake the feeling… there was something fishy going on…