Chapter 51 Mountain Home Hearth 51

Chapter 51: Mountain Household's Hearth 51

Apart from Cui Lanfang, there were several others in the courtyard—over a dozen of them crowding the already small yard even more tightly.

Each carried a large bamboo basket filled with bamboo containers, and some held rough bamboo skewers in their hands.

A woman in a blue-and-white apron stood at the front, hands planted on her hips, arguing with Cui Lanfang. Her bamboo basket lay on the ground, with many bamboo containers scattered around her feet.

"We’re all from the same village! Everyone else helps their own people—how could you be like this!"

"You take bamboo containers from other villages but refuse mine! You’re taking sides against your own!"

"Oh, I get it now! I get it! It’s because I’m Qiaozhi’s sister-in-law! You don’t get along with her, so you can’t stand me either! You’re targeting me too! Oh, what injustice!"

"I spent days making all these bamboo containers, skewers, and spoons! My hands are raw from all the work! My husband even turned down day jobs in town just to make these worthless items! And now you say you don’t want them! Who can I reason with?"

...

The woman, surnamed Tian, was now wailing and making a scene in the yard, howling loudly enough for everyone to hear.

She made herself sound pitiable, claiming her husband had refused day jobs in town just to make bamboo containers!

But this kind of low-skill work paid very little. In ancient times, labor was cheap; even a full day’s work would earn at most ten coppers.

Who'd be foolish enough to turn down twenty or thirty coppers for day jobs in town just to earn this meager income?

Only a fool would believe that!

Since they were all from the same village, despite any disagreements, it shouldn’t be aired outside. Tian thought that by making a scene and waving the banner of village loyalty, she could get the other villagers on her side and force Cui Lanfang to accept her bamboo containers.

But to her surprise, nobody there spoke up for her.

"Luo woman, stop making trouble! So many of us are waiting to sell our goods—don’t keep everyone waiting!"

"Exactly... We already explained it to you clearly. It’s because the bamboo containers you made are of poor quality that Lanfang won’t accept them. Why are you bringing other villages into it?"

The villagers present had all come to sell their bamboo containers, hoping to earn a few extra coppers to help with household expenses.

They had been standing in line for a long time and had seen everything clearly.

Cui Lanfang hadn’t picked on just Tian’s bamboo containers—she checked everyone's work, setting aside the unsuitable ones and only accepting those that met her standards.

When Liu Guyu and Qin Banban returned, the commotion in the yard was already in full swing.

The two had been excited, eager to share their findings from the mountain with Cui Lanfang, but before they even entered the gate, they heard a woman’s shrill, grating voice yelling loud enough to raise the roof.

Liu Guyu’s expression immediately soured. He pulled Banban along as he headed inside.

Cui Lanfang, standing in the middle of the yard, didn't look happy. She picked up two bamboo containers and a bamboo spoon from the ground, then walked over to the crowd of onlookers, showing them for everyone to see.

She said:

"Look for yourselves! It’s not that I’m being unreasonable or trying to mess with anyone!"

"My Gu Yu made it perfectly clear when he started buying bamboo containers. They must be clean, no bug holes, and the bamboo skewers and spoons must be properly smoothed, without any splinters."

"But look at this... This bamboo container has such a large bug hole at the bottom! If we use it to hold food, everything will leak out! How could I accept it? And this one—it’s even worse, mold growing inside! How could anyone try to sell this? Isn’t that just trying to pull one over on me, thinking I’m easy to bully?"

"As for the bamboo skewers and spoons—don't even get me started! The splinters haven’t been smoothed out—they’d cut up your mouth if you put them in! My Gu Yu is in the food business! These are things people put in their mouths—of course we have to be careful!"

"At first, I didn’t say I wouldn’t take them. I just asked Sister Tian to go home, pick out the clean and usable bamboo containers, and polish the skewers and spoons properly. If she brought them back to me, I’d accept them! But she couldn’t be bothered and refused, insisting on making me take them! Since when does that make sense?"

Cui Lanfang spoke logically and clearly, passing the bamboo containers around to the crowd as she talked and handing out the bamboo spoons for them to examine.

They saw that she was right—the work really was shoddy.

"Oh my, this is too shoddy!"

"This really isn’t safe to put in your mouth!"

"I knew it! The Qins are fair people—how could they refuse her goods for no reason?"

"Huh... I put real effort into making my bamboo containers and didn’t include any bad pieces! If she accepted these, wouldn’t that be not right for those of us who worked hard?"

...

Tian wiped her face, a flicker of guilt crossing her expression, but she quickly suppressed it, putting on a stubborn, unyielding look.

"So what! Just wash them—isn’t that enough? You said yourself these are for food—wouldn’t you wash them before using them? And these bamboo skewers—since when are they so delicate that they’d make you bleed with a poke! The chopsticks in my house are made the same way, and we’ve never had any problems!"

She clung to her stubbornness, provoking Cui Lanfang’s anger.

Cui Lanfang’s temperament had changed a lot. In the past, she might have reluctantly accepted the goods, thinking it was better to endure and avoid conflict. But after spending so much time with Liu Guyu and Lin Xingniang, her personality had shifted. She no longer believed that "enduring hardship brings blessings."

She retorted, "That’s because your skin is thick and won’t get cut! Do you think the young masters and ladies in town are like you?"

"And you still ask why I won’t accept them? How dare you even ask!"

"My family is the one paying! I’ll buy from whoever I want—it’s my money, my choice! Even if I don’t tell you why, what can you do? I just won’t accept them! From now on, I won’t accept anything from your family! The sight of you disgusts me—I just don’t want to buy from you! Is that clear enough?"

Cui Lanfang’s cold, sharp words silenced the courtyard, stunning everyone.

The villagers had lived together for decades and knew each other well. They all knew Cui Lanfang as soft-tempered and easy to talk to—kind-hearted, to put it nicely, but easily bullied, to put it bluntly.

Today, the "easily bullied" Cui Lanfang had spoken words that made her seem anything but easy to bully, astonishing everyone.

Even Liu Guyu and Qin Banban stood frozen in place, too stunned to move.

Liu Guyu was the first to react. He snapped out of it and quickly stepped forward, saying to Tian, "Did you hear that? Was that loud enough for you? Is playing these petty tricks really worth it? Auntie, if I were you, I’d hurry home and hide—I’d be too embarrassed to show my face!"

As he spoke, he cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted loudly at Tian.

The surrounding crowd burst into laughter, all eyes fixed on Tian, making her blush with shame and hang her head.

Tian cursed under her breath, picked up her bamboo basket, and tried to leave. But after just two steps, Liu Guyu pulled her back.

Liu Guyu said, "Take the trash you left behind with you! Did you expect me to clean up after you?"

Tian was furious. She shook off Liu Guyu’s hand and was about to curse at him.

But Liu Guyu was taller than her. Although men’s strength generally couldn’t match that of adult men, they were still stronger than women. And this young man had no respect for elders—if a real fight broke out, he certainly wouldn’t hold back!

She regretted coming alone today, leaving her unable to win either the argument or a physical confrontation. Swallowing her anger, she picked up the bamboo containers and skewers scattered on the ground, stuffed them into her basket, and stormed off.

Once she was gone, Liu Guyu and Qin Banban walked over to Cui Lanfang. Liu Guyu patted her shoulder, winked at her, and gave her a thumbs-up.

Seeing that the matter was resolved, Luo Qingzhu also said goodbye to them, shouldered his basket, and returned home.

With two more people helping, the process of collecting bamboo containers sped up. Soon, all the bamboo containers were purchased, money was exchanged for goods, and the courtyard was cleared of people.

Finally getting some peace and quiet, Qin Banban hurried to the gate and closed it, afraid that someone else might show up!

Liu Guyu stretched lazily and gave Mom a thumbs-up, praising her, "Mom! You were so cool just now!"

Honestly, Cui Lanfang felt a little uneasy. She rarely raised her voice like that, and now, thinking back, she felt somewhat awkward—but it had been really satisfying.

Cui Lanfang glanced at Liu Guyu bashfully, her face flushing as she smiled. "Oh, you! Talking nonsense again!"

Liu Guyu pouted, displeased. "What do you mean, nonsense? Mom, didn’t it feel great to speak your mind just now?"

Cui Lanfang went quiet.

Although she felt uncomfortable, it truly had been satisfying—she could even breathe easier!

After a moment, she whispered, "It did feel good... but, but is that really okay? What if people saw that and laughed behind my back, calling me a madwoman?"

Liu Guyu widened his eyes and said, "What’s wrong with that? They came right to our doorstep—should we just keep tolerating it?"

"Always holding back will make you sick!"

"People need to be a little fiercer. Nice people get bullied, just like tame horses get ridden all over! Look at Aunt Lin—do you think she’s a 'madwoman'?"

Hearing Liu Guyu’s words, Cui Lanfang widened her eyes and waved her hands anxiously. "Of course not! Your Aunt Lin is such an impressive person!"

Liu Guyu patted her back reassuringly and continued along that line, "Exactly! Mom, I believe one day you can become as impressive as Aunt Lin!"

Qin Banban came over then, nodding earnestly at Cui Lanfang and adding, "Mom! I think you were amazing just now! Really amazing!"

Comforted by both Liu Guyu and Qin Banban, Cui Lanfang wiped her face, a bit embarrassed, and changed the subject. "How was your trip to the mountain? Did you find any mushrooms?"

The topic shifted abruptly, but it was one Banban loved. She grinned happily, swinging the bamboo basket from her back to her front to show Cui Lanfang.

She added, "Of course we found some! There were so many mushrooms in the mountains! And lots of bamboo shoots too. I saw plenty of little shoots—there’ll probably be even more tomorrow!"

Since the mountain was full of mud and branches, Banban hadn’t worn her beloved peach blossom hairpin. Instead, she’d simply tied her hair into two plain braids.

But on her return, she wore a flower wreath on her head, woven from willow branches and adorned with various colorful blossoms.

The girl loved looking pretty and delicate. In the past, her family hadn’t had the means, and she hadn’t dared to show it, afraid of making her mother sad. But now, things were different. She had become much more lively, enjoyed dressing up, and often secretly experimented with hairstyles with Luo Maier in her free time.

Graceful and delicate, just thirteen, like early spring blossoms.

The charming young girl was utterly endearing. Cui Lanfang gazed at her affectionately, stroking Banban’s increasingly fair cheek, her eyes crinkling into a smile.

"My Banban is so beautiful!"

But Banban’s attention wasn’t on the flower wreath at the moment. She pulled a mushroom from her basket and excitedly showed Cui Lanfang, saying, "Mom, look! The mushrooms I picked are even prettier!"

"Brother Liu also said he’s going to make mushroom meat sauce! It sounds so delicious!"

Liu Guyu nodded as well, heading into the kitchen with a basket of mushrooms to start making the mushroom meat sauce.