The General's Delicious Wife Chapter 054: Greedy Face
As soon as Xia Yue Chu had walked pass the sun drying grains field, she saw Hunter Zhang who had just come down from the mountain, with a freshly caught prey.
Hunter Zhang was also quick to see Xia Yue Chu, so he shouted over from a far distance. "Xue Zhuang's wife, I caught a big fat wild pheasant, do you still want it?"
"Yes!" Xia Yue Chu quicken her steps towards Hunter Zhang and received the wild pheasant from his hands.
Sure enough, it was heavy, the feathers of the pheasant were bright and shiny, both its legs were tied up and carried upside down, and its wings were still fluttering vigorously.
"This pheasant is so energetic!" Xia Yue Chu praised, "Thank you so much Uncle Zhang, how much is it, I'll send the money over to you later."
"It's still the old price, everywhere in the village and families, it cost eighty copper coins for one." Hunter Zhang grinned earnestly. "You can take it back first, don't worry about the money, just pay it when it's convenient for you."
In Hunter Zhang's heart, Xia Yue Chu was a poor woman being abused by her mother-in-law, and even had to fork out the expenses for her husband's health with the subsidy of her own mother's family, so he did not rush her for the payment.
Xue Qin who walked slowly behind, saw Xia Yue Chu talking and laughing with Hunter Zhang from afar, and buying such a huge and plump pheasant too. She was so filled with spite that her lungs could explode, and she trotted all the way home to complain to Madam Sheng.
When she got home, she found that Madam Sheng and her two elder brothers were not at home. Just as she was brooding over it, Madam Sheng's voice travelled in from outside the door.
"It's too cheap of an advantage for Cao Lao Liu, that wretched animal. His family is really poor enough, scrambling all around the house just over a little money."
Xue Li's voice could also be heard, "Mother, no problem, take this money to make up for the elder young sister's nourishment first, it's no big deal for us to find him again and give him trouble after a few days! He caused elder young sister to lose her child, how could he be forgiven so easily."
Xue Qin saw Madam Sheng entering through the door with Xue Yong and Xue Li, the look on their faces were as if they had come back from winning a battle, she immediately got herself busy lodging her complain. Telling them how Xia Yue Chu took more than five taels of silver, and she only received a few tens of copper coins. And she added oil and vinegar (Meaning: added exaggerated details that are usually seen negatively) while recounting how Xia Yue Chu had bought a wild pheasant instantly after taking the money.
More than five taels of silver?
Madam Sheng and her sons, three pairs of eyes began shinning.
Xue Li narrowed his eyes, speaking after contemplation. "Never expected that little hoof to be so profitable, just by cooking a few dishes for other people!"
Xue Yong could not help but to start whining. "She made so much money but she didn't know to give it to Mother, still got the cheek to buy some pheasant, this kind of gluttonous and lazy woman, Mother, you have to teach her well about the proper rules!"
"Only thinking about herself to eat well and drink well, neglecting the life and death of the rest of the family."
Speaking of food, Xue Yong rubbed his stomach and turned to look at Xue Qin, asking, "Little sister, what food did you and sister-in-law bring back? You must have eaten a lot of delicious food while helping out in the kitchen, right? We were only eating at the free flow buffet outside today, I heard that on the banquet, there is seafood which we have never seen before?"
Xue Qin then remembered that Elder Sister Shan had prepared some food, saying that it was for Xia Yue Chu to bring home.
But because she sneaked her way to the main room, and Xia Yue Chu was in a rush to pull her out, both of them forgot to go and collect it.
Xue Qin was terribly annoyed in her heart, she saw it with her own eyes the things that Elder Sister Shan had packed. Not only were there snacks and longevity peaches, but there were also chicken drumstick and pork, all were goodies which were rarely eaten at home.
But it was too late to think about it now, they have already returned home, and they could not possibly knock on their doors again to take some food, it would be beyond embarrassing.
Xue Qin saw that her mother and two brothers were staring at herself, and did not want to claim that responsibility, so she rolled her eyes and rambled on a random excuse. "The main chef didn't take away any food, how could a hard-working kitchen assistant like me be so shameless to take any!"
"Didn't take? Why didn't she take it?" Xue Li got agitated hearing that, "Wasn't there a lot of good food which they took back after the banquet finished the last time!"
During noon time, Madam Sheng brought the entire family to the sun drying grains field to eat at the free flow buffet set by the Cui family, and Xue Li went along too.
Although the free flow buffet was delicious and did not need money, he was expecting that Xia Yue Chu would definitely bring more food back, so he ate only two bowls of noodles halfheartedly, intentionally leaving half of his stomach empty to feast again on the delicious goodies.
"After taking so much reward money, how could she not be embarrassed and take more food." Xue Qin felt the lackluster impact and continued to pour oil and vinegar into the story.
Madam Sheng was carrying a tael of silver in her arms which she had just impoverished from Cao Lao Liu at his house after crying and making lots of noise. Originally, she was still feeling gleeful about it, but now comparing it with the tips that Xia Yue Chu had received, it felt so worthless.
This made her flared from the bottom of her heart, after listening to her children's inputs, she swore bitterly. "Wait until she comes back, watch how I am going to deal with her!"
Xia Yue Chu came into the yard with a pheasant in her hands, and she was keenly aware that there was something off about the atmosphere in the house.
Madam Sun stood at the door of her house, opened a small gap through the door of the portiere, and desperately signaled at Xia Yue Chu with a glance.
When Xia Yue Chu saw it, she accelerated her steps and ran to her house by combining her three steps and making it two.
Qin Zheng went into the city today, and Xue Zhuang was in the house alone. If something happened, no one would be there to help her.
But even so, she was still not faster than the readily prepared Madam Sheng, when she was about to step into the door of the house, she was blocked.
"Mother." Xia Yue Chu raised the pheasant in her hands and said with a smile, "I asked from Hunter Zhang and bought a pheasant. I'll stew it tonight and make something nourishing for Da Zhuang and Da Ping, you and Father should also eat more."
If it were the normal times, Madam Sheng would have accepted the pheasant happily, but now how could she be pacified by a mere wild pheasant, all she could think about was the five taels of silver that Xue Qin mentioned.
She snatched the pheasant and threw it on the ground fiercely, started cursing, "You better don't try me with such a method, do I not know you, pretending to be honest usually but in actual fact your stomach is full of rotten insides and dirty intentions. A few days ago, when you gave Da Ping fish soup, I was still thinking that you are not that bad, who knows that those are your petty little tricks to stuff our mouths with those small little candies. The bigger portions are all well-hidden for yourselves!"
"Mother, what are you saying?" Xia Yue Chu looked at Madam Sheng with a look of confusion, she bent over and picked up the pheasant that was being kicked about.
"Don't play dumb anymore!" Madam Sheng yelled angrily, "Xiao Qin told me when she came back, this time when you go cooking the banquet for other people, you made a five full taels of silver!"
As Madam Sheng said this, her palm stretched upward to Xia Yue Chu, and motioned with her puckered lips, gesturing to the hand the money over to her.
Xia Yue Chu, instead, pushed the frightened pheasant that had been struggling in her hands to her.
The pheasant had a bad fall previously, so now it became extremely agitated, a slightest bit of movement would send it into a fit of struggle over life and death, and it would use all its claws and beak.
"Ow--"
The back of Madam Sheng's hand was scratched, and her neck was attacked by its bite. It pained her so much that she jumped.
"Aiyo, you deserve a thousand stabs!" Madam Sheng cursed in pain, "I am suffering a bloody misfortune of eight incarnations to be connected to a daughter-in-law like you who only cares about herself and neglects the older folks at home! When Da Zhuang hasn't been at home all these years, hasn't it been us to feed you, now that your man is back, your backbone has hardened, and you began to keep a secret stash of money!"
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Translator Notes:
Translated by YellowBean.