The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

Before her voice even fell, the door was opened with a squeak, Mrs. Wen briskly stepped out, yelling at Zhuang Qingning, “If you leave today, you’re not allowed to step half a step into this courtyard later.”

“I knew Aunt Wen can’t bear to see me leave.” Zhuang Qingning bounced back quickly, stretching out her hands to hold Mrs. Wen’s arm, “Aunt Wen, I haven’t seen you for a long time, do you miss me?”

“I often think about you, Aunt Wen!”

“I didn’t realize you cared for me.” Mrs. Wen snorted coldly, “I bet you were ecstatic these past days without me nagging you.”

“It is just that you haven’t noticed it, it doesn’t mean I haven’t done so.” Zhuang Qingning lifted the small bamboo basket she had just put on the ground, opening the lid on top, “Look, I got up at dawn to make you lotus cake, I also fried some Mahua for you because I know you love sweet and crispy pastries. I worked hard early in the morning and now you say I don’t think about you, I feel really wronged.”

“Thank goodness it’s winter, let the snow fall, it doesn’t matter. But if it was June, I’m the real-life suffering Dou E, I would cry out that I was wronged.”

Listening to Zhuang Qingning’s animated talk, Mrs. Wen couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. She guffawed.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed for laughing first, Mrs. Wen reached out and flicked Zhuang Qingning’s forehead, “You feel wronged? If you’re wronged, then there truly are no wronged people in this world.”

“Speaking of which, these tofu balls, how many do you want to eat?”

“Aunt Wen, I knew you are the kindest to me. I’ll eat as many balls as you have.” Zhuang Qingning laughed gleefully.

Mrs. Wen’s cooking was nothing spectacular, but her tofu spinach soup was terrific. Seasoned with chili and pepper powder, and with enough vinegar added, it tasted sour and spicy – truly appetizing. Topped with a few crispy yet tender tofu balls, it was indescribably delicious.

The only thing that Zhuang Qingning worried about was this soup.

“Eat as many as you want, not afraid of bursting your belly?” Mrs. Wen’s pretended coldness couldn’t hold up and disappeared entirely. She called into the house, “All of you, come out quickly. Big Sister Ning is here, quickly bring out some fruits to serve her.”

The moment her words dropped, several children ran out. Seeing Zhuang Qingning, they enthusiastically called her “sister” and started to clown around. Zhuang Qingning gave each of them the snacks she brought.

Children favored who fed them and spoke to them softly – that person seemed more endearing than their real siblings.

Watching this, Mrs. Wen broke into laughter and walked into the kitchen. She brought out the tofu that she had mashed earlier, added more firewood into the stove, reheated the oil that had cooled down, and started to fry the tofu balls.

Zhuang Qingning stayed at Mrs. Wen’s house until mid-afternoon.

When Zhuang Qingning was about to leave, Mrs. Wen insisted on keeping her, wanting Zhuang Qingning to stay a bit longer.

“Aunt Wen, it’s getting late. If I don’t leave now, it might be dark when I reach home. I will come back to the county town tomorrow, shall I have lunch at your home?” Zhuang Qingning suggested.

Hearing Zhuang Qingning say this, Mrs. Wen finally relented, “Alright then. You can come back tomorrow and we can leave together.”

“Leave with me?” Zhuang Qingning tugged at Mrs. Wen’s sleeve, deliberately lowering her voice, “Isn’t that inappropriate? You finally came to live in the county town for a few days, and now I’m taking you back…”

“Alright, alright, don’t blabber anymore, it’s really annoying,” Mrs. Wen said impatiently, “You say it’s a blessing to have me in the county town, but anyone who has actually stayed here knows it’s anything but.”

“At home, I have a big courtyard, with familiar faces from the village right outside the gate. I can stroll wherever I want to, pick vegetables from the field or pull up a radish whenever I want. Isn’t it more comfortable? Here, not only is the courtyard wall twice as high as that at home, but there’s also a constant stream of unfamiliar faces, never a moment of peace.”

“I don’t know anyone when I go out for a walk. It’s dull seeing people everywhere. Also, I need to worry about whether my words please my son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. It’s very exhausting.”

“Ultimately, this isn’t about honoring me; it’s about making yourselves feel better. Thinking that you’ve fulfilled your duty, you feel at ease, and no one can criticize you. But in reality…”

“Enough said, I won’t discuss it any further. I’ll leave with you tomorrow. Staying here for another two days will probably kill me, I can’t handle this vexation.”

Finished with her low-voiced comments, Mrs. Wen raised her volume again, “That’s settled then, start preparing for me. Tomorrow, I’ll return with Ning.”

“Didn’t you say you’d stay for a few more days? Why are you in such a rush to go back?” Mrs. Meng tried to dissuade her, “Mother, why not stay for another two days? On the first day of the new month, I’ll take you to the temple to pray and ask for blessings.”

“Your intention is good, but I’m old, half my body is already in the soil. Let’s not make such a fuss about it.”

Mrs. Wen continued, “In the few days I’ve been away from home, that Aunt Han has likely made a mess of my courtyard. Not that the courtyard matters, but the kitchen is critical – it must be in an unsightly state by now.”

“I also don’t know whether the cabbages and radishes in my field have been covered with soil. The weather is so cold now, if they haven’t been covered, they may freeze. Then we won’t have anything to eat in winter.”

“And I’m unsure if the chickens have been fed properly. If they’re not well fed, they may not lay eggs during winter. I was hoping we’d have more eggs to make some salted eggs.”

In short, Mrs. Wen enumerated the reasons for going home one by one, as if recounting a list of precious treasures.

Zhuang Yutian and Mrs. Meng looked at each other, puzzled.

Every reason that Mrs. Wen mentioned seemed to make sense on the surface. However, they all felt like flimsy excuses.

Zhuang Yutian and Mrs. Meng truly wanted Mrs. Wen to stay longer. Ideally, she could keep living with them.

But it wasn’t just for their peace of mind or to earn praises of filial piety from others. The main reason was Mrs. Wen’s old age. If something happened and they were not by her side, they wouldn’t be at ease.

But at this moment, it was clear Mrs. Wen didn’t want to stay. If they insisted, she might become upset.

Zhuang Yutian and Mrs. Meng thought for a moment and finally turned their gaze towards Zhuang Qingning.