The General's Delicious Wife Chapter 027: A filthy mouth stirs up trouble
Just as the two of them are arguing over the meaningless remarks, they hear a voice coming from the higher part of the slope.
"Haha, you both can stop fighting, just say that he has inherited from me!"
"Cao Lao Liu, you foul and shameless one!" Madam Sheng is stunned for a moment before realising who has spoken from the upper slope, it is Cao Lao Liu from the same village.
The Cao family's ancestor's graves are not far from the Xue family's. This Cao Lao Liu has a usual habit of taking advantage of others in the verbal sense whenever he is in the village, when he hears the conversation coming from below just now, he cannot stop himself from speaking out and chipping into the topic.
"Aiyo, how am I foul and shameless." Cao Lao Liu remains oblivious to the severity of what he has said and he continues. "Even if being shameless is true, it would be the two of us being shameless together, it is not like I can give birth to a son on my own right?"
At the mention of these words, before Xue Liang Ping has the time to react, Xue Li has already exploded.
He crawls up from the pile of snow at once, picks up the rake that is used to clean up the weeds and goes towards the Cao family tombs.
Madam Sun jumps up and shouts. "Third one, you follow him quickly and watch him, don't let him injure anyone!"
"Damn it, he is exactly who we will beat!" Xue Yong also picks up a wooden pole and follows suit.
Madam Sheng punches Xue Liang Ping on his back, scolding him with tears. "You dead old man, someone has just insulted you over to your family's brick bed, what are you still standing here like a pillar for, why did I marry such a useless person like you!"
These are not words tolerable by any self-respecting man. Xue Liang Ping gathers back his train of thoughts, picks up a weapon and follows behind his two sons, climbing up the slope together.
Madam Sun is frightened, hugging her two children, asking Xia Yue Chu with worry. "Sister-in-law, is there going to be trouble?"
Xia Yue Chu says nothing while Xue Qin chides. "What trouble is there going to be, who asked him to have such a filthy mouth, that rotten mouth of his should rightfully be torn apart!"
Before she completes her sentence, the sound of fighting comes from above.
Cao Lao Liu is cynical in the beginning, bashing them verbally without stopping, but a pair of fists is hard to overcome four hands, soon enough, he is beaten to the point of begging for mercy.
Xue Yong has returned to his cool in the end, seeing that they have beaten the person to a bloody state, he throws away the wooden rod in his hands and pulls away Xue Liang Ping and Xue Li. "Teaching him a lesson should be enough, cleaning the grave is more important."
Xue Li swerves off Xue Yong's arms and charges at Cao Lao Liu for two more strikes.
"Stop beating, anymore will be a matter of losing a life!" Cao Lao Liu's wife, Madam Guo* cries from the side unable to catch her breath, she begs non-stop, bowing with her clasped hands in front of her.
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The three of them takes their belongings and prepares to make their way down for the tomb's sweeping and to make their offerings. It is then when they hear Cao Lao Liu who has curled up into a ball still murmuring his defiance.
Xue Li lands a strong kick on his back. "What else do you have to say, you dare to say it louder?"
Madam Guo slaps Cao Lao Liu and scolds him in her exasperation. "You have received so much beatings and yet you still cannot control your mouth!"
"Damn it, we will pardon you this time, if you let me hear how dirty your mouth is again, I'll beat you up until your head cracks open!"
Xue Liang Ping leads his two sons back, cleans off the snow in the front of the tombs, gets rid of some brunches that are in the way, and lays out the things they bring along as offerings, positioning them in front of the graves.
After the whole family has bowed their heads to the ground before their ancestors together, Xue Liang Ping prays in a whisper quietly, then he gets up and tells the rest. "That's all here, pack up and we can go down."
Ever since Xue Zhuang enters the cemetery plot, he has yet to make any sound. At this point, he suddenly calls out. "Father, you all make your way down first, I want to talk to Mother for a while."
Xue Liang Ping dazes off for a moment upon hearing that, then he sighs. "That is good too, it has been years since your mother has last seen you."
Madam Sheng rolls her eyes irritably, supervising Madam Sun to keep every single piece of offering into the basket and turns to head down the mountain.
Xia Yue Chu takes the straw pad which she has brought along and lays it before Xue Liang Ping's dead wife Madam Xu's tombstone. She supports Xue Zhuang onto the straw pad together with Xue Liang Ping, seeing his expression, she advises him in a worrying tone. "The ground is wet and cold, you just stay here for a while and call us immediately."
Xue Zhuang looks at Xia Yue Chu with mixed emotions, and eventually nods his head.
Xia Yue Chu and Xue Liang Ping back away and wait in a distance not far off, having no idea what Xue Zhuang has to say to Madam Xu.
Sitting in front of Madam Xu's tombstone, Xue Zhuang feels that he has entered a trance, as if everything that has happened recently is all but an illusion.
He lifts his hand up to Madam Xu's tombstone, quiet and still.
"Madam, you must have known that I am not the son you gave birth to.
But Da Zhuang is my brother, he died while saving me, you and Uncle Xue are alike to my own parents.
I'm not sure if Da Zhuang who has reached the other side has reunited with you, if there is a chance in the future, I will surely bring back Da Zhuang's body so that he can have a reunion with you.
Please be rest assured, I will definitely treat Uncle Xue like my own father and be filial to him, wait on him till he is a hundred years of age and lead his wake and funeral…"
He whispers everything that he has buried deep in his heart, suddenly he feels someone's sight sticking onto him.
Lifting his head to take a look, not far away, Xia Yue Chu is watching over him with concern.
Xue Zhuang sighs deeply, speaking to the tombstone in a volume that cannot be heard. "I am the most sorry towards Yue Chu, she doesn't know anything and has been taking care of me so well… but please be rest assured, I will definitely arrange a good place for her to return to…"
After that he begins rambling to Madam Wu's tombstone, talking about interesting events that has happened to Da Zhuang during his service in the military, unknowingly his face has already been covered in tears.
Xia Yue Chu has been keeping her eyes on Xue Zhuang, seeing that he has started to weep, she quickly turns to Xue Liang Ping. "Father, let's go over and see, the senses on Da Zhuang's legs just started to recover, I'm afraid it won't do him good to kneel in this snow for so long."
"Right right, look at me, forgetting all these things." Xue Liang Ping pieces three steps into two strides, rushing over. "Da Zhuang ah, Father knows that you miss your mother, but it's not good to stay long in this snow covered ground. Let's head back first!"
Xue Zhuang wipes off his tears immediately and nods his head, before leaving, he cannot help but to greet that tombstone again in a whisper. "Mother, I will visit you again when my legs get better."
Xue Liang Ping carries his son on his back, and a spike of tang comes upon his nose when he hears that.
At last, the two men come down the mountain with redden eyes.
Madam Sheng has been sitting on the ox cart for some time, seeing no sign of them returning, she is about to send his son up to take a look. Before she opens her mouth, she sees Xue Liang Ping carrying Xue Zhuang on his back and Xia Yue Chu is supporting them behind. The three of them coming down together.
Madam Zhou is sitting on the cart leaning to one side, rubbing her own sore back and immediately mentioning what she witnesses. "Aiyo, Mother, you look, why are Father and Big Brother's eyes so red like a rabbit's."
Madam Sheng snorts and turns to the other direction, refusing to look at that pair of father and son.
Madam Zhou still wants to continue saying something but Xue Yong nudges her with his elbow, after some consideration, she swallows back her words.
Xue Liang Ping puts Xue Zhuang on the cart and chases the cart towards their home.
Despite it being just a trip to the cemetery, the fuss and hassle takes quite some time. The sun has risen almost right above their heads**.
At this moment, the snow has stopped falling, and with the sun shining, the accumulated snow on the ground has begun to melt, making their returning journey difficult.
Madam Sheng feels as if her own heart is like the messy crushed snow water beneath the cartwheels.
It has been so many years, she has birthed him sons and raised him daughters, now they even have granddaughters and a maternal grandson, but the one that he cannot release from his heart is still that woman.
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Translator Notes:
*This is a different Madam Guo from the Cui family previously.
**The ancient community gauges the time with how the sun has risen. Right above their heads would be noon time.
Translated by Yellow. Sep 2022.