Chapter 391: 378: Useless at a Critical Moment
It should have been a sad and pitiful thing that the elderly were forced to such an extent, but Zhuang Qingning couldn’t help but want to laugh.
It is said that everything has its nemesis, and the saying is absolutely true.
Mrs. Wen, with her sharp tongue and fiery temper, could be considered the unrivaled dominator in Enji Village. But faced with Mrs. Han, she protests innocence without a fight.
“Then Auntie, you should eat a few more mooncakes.” Zhuang Qingning held back her laughter and took out the mooncakes, then brought out an apple, “Shall I peel an apple for you? Feed the apple skin to the chickens, she wouldn’t notice.”
“Okay.” Mrs. Wen nodded and asked Zhuang Qingning to pour her some tea.
Though mooncakes are delicious, they are ultimately dry food. For the old, they need to be washed down with fluids to prevent choking.
“Alright.” Zhuang Qingning busied herself peeling the apple and pouring tea, all while serving Mrs. Wen.
Mrs. Wen picked up a piece of the peeled apple and chewed it crisply.
“This apple tastes really good.” Mrs. Wen praised, while suddenly stopped and stared at Zhuang Qingning for a while.
“What’s wrong?” Zhuang Qingning was somewhat uncomfortable under the gaze and also worried. She hurriedly patted Mrs. Wen’s back, “Did you choke?”
“No, no.” Mrs. Wen quickly waved her hand, removing the mooncake and apple from her mouth, “I just suddenly realized that I’m full now. When your Mrs.
Han cooks the food later, I won’t be able to eat it. She will definitely be unhappy then.”
“She will either accuse me of secretly eating stuff, or she will say that I refused to eat her dishes. So, after thinking about it, this seems like a tough situation
“How about this, Zhuang girl, why don’t you stay for dinner later? If that’s not possible, call Qingsui over to help me out. After dealing with it, you can choose any chicken from the courtyard you like and take it.”
Zhuang Qingning jumped a step aside in surprise.
Mrs. Wen had planned things so meticulously that she even managed to eliminate evidence of secret eating, one can only imagine how astonishing Mrs. Han’s cooking skills must be!
If she stayed here, wouldn’t it be like a sacrifice?
“Er… Auntie, there’s still food cooking on the stove at home. Qingsui is too young and might neglect it while playing, I don’t want the kitchen to burn down.” Zhuang Qingning chuckled and stepped towards the exit, “I should go now…”
Without giving Mrs. Wen any chance to keep her, Zhuang Qingning bolted.
She ran faster than a chicken would when it sees a club raised to strike.
Look, in a critical moment, no one can be of use, this girl!
Mrs. Wen laughed and cursed, and promptly stuffed both the mooncake and apple into her mouth.
Leave the problems for later; right now, she needed to fill her stomach first!
Mrs. Wang returned home with a gloomy face, with her eyes drooping.
Her eldest daughter-in-law saw her look and quickly hid in the kitchen, focusing on cooking.
Zhuang Futian returned home carrying his hoe, and happened to see Mrs. Wang’s face. He set down his hoe and washed his hands, “What’s the matter? You look as if someone owes you ten taels of silver.”
“This matter is even more upsetting than owing me ten taels of silver!”
Mrs. Wang muttered, “I just went to Aunt Wen’s house to deliver dishes out of goodwill. I also mentioned I would make her a new dress. But Aunt Wen didn’t appreciate it, instead she criticized me. Isn’t that annoying?”
“You know Aunt Wen’s temper. She is harsh with her words but soft-hearted. You shouldn’t take it to heart.” Zhuang Futian advised, “Furthermore, the land belonging to Aunt Wen’s house has been farmed by us for many years without paying any rent. Aunt Wen has never complained.”
“This time, I suspect she is upset with something we did wrong.”
Mrs. Wang, who knew how to say nice things but rarely carried them out, was not favored by Mrs. Wen, who might have jabbed her a few times due to her dissatisfaction.
Zhuang Futian knew his wife’s character, but he didn’t mention it directly.
“What could be wrong? Looking at Aunt Wen, I believe she simply wants to make things difficult for me!” Mrs. Wang was enraged, “She said in front of Zhuang Qingning that Zhuang is getting older and we shouldn’t always link her and Wencheng together. It could ruin their reputations and affect their marriages!”
“What does Aunt Wen mean by that? Is she not planning to let Wencheng be with Zhuang Qingning?”
Zhuang Futian thought for a bit and nodded, “Based on that, it seems so…”
“No, previously Aunt Wen had a good impression of Wencheng and Zhuang Qingning. Why has she changed her mind now? I feel Aunt Wen’s intention is not this, she just dislikes me and wants to bully me.”
The frown on Mrs. Wang was deep, “Or did Aunt Wen suddenly change her mind because of something?”
“In this case, if Aunt Wen is against it, she must have her reasons. Marriage can’t be forced, you shouldn’t be angry about it or think too much about it. Let’s just leave it to fate.” Zhuang Futian suggested.
“You’re talking nonsense. Why depend on fate? If we can get everything we want by relying on fate, then what do humans exist for? Everyone would just wait for divine intervention, wouldn’t they?”
Mrs. Wang scornfully said, “We cannot just let this matter rest, I have to find out the reasons.”
“Say, is it Zhuang Qingning who doesn’t want this and implored Aunt Wen, that’s why Aunt Wen said those things?”
Before Zhuang Futian could answer, Mrs. Wang suddenly slapped her forehead, “Why didn’t I think of that? It must be related to this. Isn’t Aunt Wen treating Zhuang Qingning as her own granddaughter, and wouldn’t she do everything she says?”
“If Zhuang Qingning doesn’t want it, you shouldn’t stress more about this. It must be that our Wencheng isn’t so lucky…” Zhuang Futian continued to console.
“What do you mean, ‘isn’t so lucky1? What’s wrong with our Wencheng, is he not good enough for her Zhuang Qingning?”
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wang’s anger ignited, “I didn’t even want Zhuang Qingning to be my daughter-in-law before, only because she has some abilities now I agreed. Now she gives herself airs as if she’s superior?”