Chapter 56
Now, Xie Yan had no choice but to stay at home and look after his two fathers-in-law.
Chenjiabian.
Early in the morning, Lu Yang arrived, bringing twenty pork and cabbage buns.
The buns were steamed with the family’s old bamboo steamer, small in size, just the right amount for one bite.
He knew the character of the Chen family, especially Old Man Chen. His feelings of resentment had faded, and he appreciated their raising him, but he wouldn’t be overly affectionate, forcing filial piety on them.
There was no need for that. They could maintain a normal relationship.
He wouldn’t bring pure meat buns for now, as it would make Old Man Chen think that his life was going very well. This would make him even more insistent on squeezing money from him.
Big buns wouldn’t work either. If he brought a little too few, it might upset them, and it would lead to a scolding. The buns would be given in vain.
Small buns were just right. Though they were small, twenty together was still quite a lot.
Each bun glistened with oil, with soft white dough, and a touch of oil on top, making them look very appetizing.
Lu Yang had already eaten breakfast before coming, so he had timed it right. At this hour, he could eat a few buns and still be full; the amount he brought was enough.
When he arrived, Lu Sanfeng was washing clothes in the yard.
The firewood at home was running low, and in the cold weather, she had to use cold water to wash. She couldn’t stand the cold, and boiling water required a lot of firewood. The lukewarm water didn’t last long and soon became cold. It was hard to wash clothes in this condition.
Old Man Chen had been feeling irritable lately, clutching his money tightly. He insisted on waiting for Li Feng to deliver the firewood and was unwilling to buy any.
They still needed firewood for making tofu, and every time Lu Sanfeng burned water for laundry, she was nagged.
She was a headstrong person, and though she used to have Lu Yang to boss around, she couldn’t speak back to Old Man Chen anymore and couldn’t control her two sons.
The youngest had a temper, and even a simple comment could lead to a big fight. The eldest also had complaints about the marriage arrangements. If she scolded the eldest, the youngest would throw a fit.
Marrying off Lu Yang had brought silver, but she couldn’t spend a penny of it and had become the lowest-ranking person in the house. Both her sons were now bossing her around. She felt more resentment than a ghost.
Seeing Lu Yang return, her joy was unmistakable.
If she hadn’t said, “Have you washed the clothes?” she would have seemed like a kind mother.
Lu Yang wasn’t about to wash. He was diligent, but he knew how to slack off too.
At first, he thought that coming back, calculating the number and size of the buns, was unfilial.
But after hearing Lu Sanfeng’s remark, he locked away his conscience.
Why think so much? Once he lived a better life, he’d talk about it.
Lu Yang smiled slyly and refused, “Mom, I can’t wash clothes as well as you do. Besides, I’m married now, and it’s hard for me to come back even once. How could you ask me to wash clothes?”
Lu Yang had heard about the cotton clothing incident from Old Man Chen. He skillfully turned the topic, his smile turning mischievous, “And my husband, Big Feng, absolutely can’t stand to see me suffer.”
When Lu Yang said “my husband, Big Feng,” he felt a bit sick inside.
He thought, it still felt more comfortable calling him “my scholar husband.”
But the name of Li Feng worked wonders. When Lu Sanfeng remembered how fierce Li Feng had been the last time he visited, she shuddered.
When Lu Yang arrived, it was still lightly snowing.
Usually, no one would be washing clothes in the snow, and seeing Lu Sanfeng washing in it made Lu Yang uncomfortable. After greeting Old Man Chen in the house, he casually said, “Father, you really haven’t been back to the village for a while. You should go out and take a look. Every house has gaps in its walls, and anyone can look in. How can we, a respectable family, let Mother wash clothes in the snow? Others will laugh at us.”
But it wasn’t Old Man Chen who made her wash the clothes: “Your mother’s lazy. She’s piled up a lot of laundry and has been waiting for you to come back.”
Originally, when Lu Yang was planning to return to her maiden family, she was going to wash the clothes. But that was a topic best left untouched.
Later, when Old Man Chen encountered Lu Yang and Li Feng in the county, both of them had mentioned coming to deliver something—one offering buns and the other firewood. This got Lu Sanfeng thinking.
When they were in the county, the cotton clothing was enough to last through the winter, but back in the village, it was the same old story.
They worked with tofu, a physically demanding job, and after sweating, the clothes inside couldn’t hold up. If they didn’t wash, there would be nothing to change into. They couldn’t just spend money on new clothes, who could live like that?
Lu Yang: …
He had already figured out that the Chen family wasn’t worthy of sympathy.
He didn’t waste time being polite and directly changed the subject to continue deceiving them.
“By the way, Father, after I met you last time, I went back and discussed it with Li Feng. He can’t provide any silver right now.”
Old Man Chen’s face immediately darkened.
Lu Yang tried to calm him down, “Don’t be anxious. Let me explain. The old man from the Li family passed away early, and now it’s just his mother taking care of three children. You know that Li Village is in the mountains. It’s rocky, and the land doesn’t produce much grain. They only just split new land in recent years and built a new village. How much can farming bring in?”
“The only person in the Li family working is Li Feng, and while he does earn money, look at this—he spent twenty taels on the bride price, at least ten to eight taels on the new house, and also bought some land. I haven’t even done the math, but it’s about thirty taels. How old is he? This marriage has emptied his savings. With the New Year coming, he won’t be hunting anymore. If you wait for him to earn money, that will have to wait until next year.”
“Hunting is dependent on the mountain. If he doesn’t run into good game, can he really make money from just a few wild chickens and rabbits? It’s enough to feed the family. I’m not making excuses for him. If I had the money, I’d give it to you. You can open up the workshop, which would also be good for me. But really, he just can’t take it out.”
Old Man Chen sat cross-legged on the kang, frowning without speaking.
He picked up a bun and bit into it, only to discover it wasn’t filled with pure meat. His brows furrowed even more deeply.
“Before you got married, you kept saying all sorts of things. Now, you come back a few times and keep making me angry. It’s like I raised you for nothing! These tiny buns, you can’t even spare the meat. Your father eats two of these buns, and you think you’re going to eat us poor?”
Lu Yang smiled bitterly. “Father, think about Li Feng’s temperament. It’s already good that I managed to bring this basket of buns.”
The basket was a carefully selected small one. When the white cloth was lifted, it was filled to the brim with buns.
Unfortunately, Old Man Chen was a shrewd person. He snorted, “Such tricks, you think you can fool your old father?”
Lu Yang knew this small gesture wouldn’t fool Old Man Chen, but he still had to put on a bit of a show.
He smiled and said, “Father, please don’t make it hard for me. I came today just to discuss this matter. I need to head back early, there’s a lot of work waiting for me at home.”
Lu Yang wanted to directly urge Old Man Chen to open the workshop soon, but he had already suggested this last time and offered advice. He didn’t have a better solution for now. As always, he would take things step by step.
Compared to the eldest son’s marriage, the workshop was definitely more important. Once the workshop was up and running and they saved some money, what would a marriage matter? Li Feng was twenty-three and hadn’t even talked about marriage yet—who could complain about that?
Lu Yang’s goal today was still to push Old Man Chen to open the workshop quickly, but he was subtly trying to discourage any unrealistic ideas Old Man Chen might have.
As long as no more money came in later, Old Man Chen would look at the expenses and the daily income and know what he needed to do.
Old Man Chen didn’t let him leave. “You’ve come all the way here. Li Feng must be waiting for you, right? Don’t leave yet. It’s snowing outside, and he won’t be able to wait too long. When he comes, you can bring up the matter of silver in front of him.”
Lu Yang: ???
What? Li Feng is coming?
Why would Li Feng come to Chen’s house on a snowy day?
Were they on such good terms? They were separated by a whole village! Nearly ten miles away, why would he visit?
This news startled Lu Yang, but he played it off well, smiling and saying, “Father, don’t you see the weather outside? How could he possibly come?”
Old Man Chen replied, “Your family has a mule cart. If he isn’t coming, why are you borrowing someone else’s donkey cart?”
Lu Yang: …
This wasn’t his fault. Mules and donkeys were priced differently, and few families had mules. Moreover, the Shazhu family was kind and willing to lend him the donkey cart, so why wouldn’t he use it?
Lu Yang quickly replied, “The mule is sick.”
Knowing how shrewd Old Man Chen was, he decided to feign ignorance and change the topic. “It’s still snowing outside, I’ll just rest at home. By the way, what kind of dishes do you want for lunch? I’ll make them for you.”
One meal—Old Man Chen could afford that.
