Following the path southward for over a hundred meters, then turning west for several tens of meters, they arrived at the entrance of a large courtyard. The surrounding walls of the courtyard were about the height of a man, constructed of mud bricks. Through the sturdy wooden gate were three main rooms flanked by two smaller "ear rooms," as well as east and west wings, all with blue bricks and black tiles – a display of remarkable grandeur. This courtyard was one of the largest mansions in the entire village.
The courtyard was quite spacious; inside stood a date tree and a willow tree, a stone table with four stone stools, and a large local dog tied to a tree, barking ferociously at them.
This grand courtyard was funded by Third Uncle Chen Shi, who ran a small business in the county town; it had been renovated just last year and was brand new.
Beside the stone table, a girl around twelve or thirteen was playing with two children. She wore a pea-green jacket over white inner clothing and trousers. Although the jacket had faded and the inner clothing and trousers were somewhat yellowed from washing, they were, at least, patch-free. The girl was passably pretty, with phoenix eyes, slightly downturned at the corners, and fair skin, but the malice and resentment in her eyes spoiled her appearance somewhat.
Upon seeing the family, she snorted and remarked, "Disgustingly dirty, arriving at our door without even washing your faces properly," then proudly walked into the east wing. That must be the notorious Chen Aju.
A little girl, about two years old, looked at Chen Afu and said, "Dirty, let your mom clean you up."
A little boy, about four years old, also snorted in disdain like Chen Aju and followed her into the east wing. These two kids must be the son Chen Dahu and daughter Chen Daya of Eldest Cousin Chen Agu. Their attitude wasn't friendly, but children aren't to be blamed for such behavior. If it weren't for the adults' instigation, they wouldn't act this way.
A girl around fifteen or sixteen came out of the kitchen and smiled, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Afu, don't be upset. My little sister has been spoiled by our family. Come on, have a seat inside; Grandma and Dad are waiting for you." She was probably Eldest Cousin Sister Chen Alan. She resembled Chen Aju to some extent but had a much milder look in her eyes.
Chen Ming shook his head with exasperation.
It seemed Mrs. Wang had long been accustomed to Chen Aju's rudeness, and forced a smile, "Second Aunt knows, Aju is just a child's nature."
Upon entering the main room, they saw the hall with a large square table at the center, two chairs by its side, and several more chairs around it. The room was empty.
They continued to the West Room on the left, where a large bed stood near the window; an old lady in her fifties and a man in his thirties were seated by the table, and a young man in his twenties sat on a chair on the floor. They must be Grandma Mrs. Chen, Eldest Uncle Chen Ye, and Eldest Cousin Chen Agu.
Mrs. Chen was dressed in a gray outfit, slender, with a silver hairpin adorning her head – the spitting image of a shrewd old lady from the rural areas. Chen Ye and Chen Agu both wore typical rural attire, blue short jackets without any patches, and they both looked healthy and rosy-cheeked, clearly living well.
Chen Ye got up from the bed to greet Chen Ming and the others. He then said, "Everyone's here, let's go to the hall and celebrate Mother's birthday."
Just like Mrs. Chen, Chen Ye also afforded a much more sincere smile to Chen Ayuan, his gaze merely pausing briefly on Chen Afu and Chen Dabao.
Chen Afu could understand the attitude of Mrs. Chen and Chen Ye; people tend to be selfish. From the hints in Mrs. Wang's words over the past few days, ever since Alu developed a limp, they hadn't shown any good faces to Chen Afu and Dabao.
Yet, Chen Dabao was quite disappointed. His calls for "Great-Grandma" and "Great-Grandpa" were louder than anyone's, but he failed to attract their attention.
Fortunately, Eldest Cousin Chen Agu made up for it, smiling and calling for "Afu, Dabao," and even reached out to hold Chen Dabao's hand.
Once in the hall, Chen Ye called out again, "Wife, call everyone over, it's time to wish Mother a happy birthday."
Mrs. Chen had just settled next to the square table, smiling, when the wife of Eldest Uncle Mrs. Hu, Eldest Cousin Sister-in-law Mrs. Gao, and Eldest Cousin Sister Alan came from the kitchen, and Chen Aju led Chen Dahu and Chen Daya out from the east wing.
Mrs. Hu, Chen Ye, and Mrs. Wang were all thirty-six years old, but she looked much younger. Very neat and tidy, with fair skin, she resembled Chen Aju quite a bit. She wore a brown embroidered fine-cloth jacket and tied an apron around her waist, with a silver hairpin on her head and a pair of gold clove earrings. This attire was considered trendy in the countryside, and even some landladies might not dress as lavishly.
Chen Ye and Chen Ming stood at the very front, while Chen Afu, Chen Alu, and Chen Dabao stood at the very back. The family knelt down and kowtowed to the grandmother to celebrate her birthday. Chen Afu found kneeling and kowtowing somewhat difficult and needed the help of Alu and Dabao.
After kowtowing, Mrs. Wang presented the clothes she had made to Mrs. Chen. Mrs. Chen squinted her eyes with joy and kept saying, "Aiyah, it's made of fine cloth, and the character 'Fu' is embroidered so beautifully, just like the ready-to-wear clothes bought from the embroidery shop in the county town."
Mrs. Hu pursed her lips and said with a laugh, "Grandmother, although my stitching is not as good as my sister-in-law's, I demonstrate filial piety every day right before your eyes, serving you morning and night. It's easy to do a good deed once, but difficult to do good deeds every day."
Mrs. Chen didn't feel like picking a quarrel with anyone today, so she laughed and said, "Yes, I know my eldest daughter-in-law is filial."
Chen Ye frowned and said, "You women always talk too much."
Then, Chen Ming pulled out 50 cents in large coins and gave them to Chen Ye, saying, "It's not right to let the eldest brother's family bear the expenses for Mother's birthday celebration." After saying that, he bashfully lowered his eyes.
Chen Ye tried to refuse, "There's no need for such formalities, younger brother. You and the third brother already contribute to Mother's sustenance money every year, how could you give more?"
Quickly, Mrs. Chen said, "Eldest son, just take the money. Your brother is right, it's not right for your family to bear the cost of Mother's birthday celebration."
Worried that Chen Ye might not accept it, Mrs. Hu said, "As the head of the family, remember how you provided for your younger uncles to study when you were just a young boy, and since I came into this house, I've been serving them like a servant. Now that they have established their own households, they should also contribute to Mother's birthday celebration. It wouldn't be right for our single household to bear the cost."
Chen Ye scolded her with a stern face, "There you go again, always stirring trouble with your meddling and prattling."
Mrs. Hu, seeing that her husband took the money, let out a sigh of relief and said to Mrs. Gao and Alan, "Come on, let's get back to work. Oh dear, we aren't blessed with the good fortune to have meals served to us while we sit and wait."
Mrs. Gao and Alan responded, then followed her out.
Mrs. Wang quickly joined them, saying, "If there are any chores, big sister, just tell me what to do."
Chen Ye, Chen Ming, and Chen Agui returned to the West Room to chat with Mrs. Chen. Chen Aju led the two little ones out, and in a twinkling, the main room was left with just the three from Chen Afu's family.
After a while, Mrs. Chen, as if coming to a realization, said, "No, I need to go see for myself. Wang's hands are vital for my second son's family's meals; I don't want that wasteful woman to get her involved in some rough work and injure her hands." She quickly got off the bed and headed towards the kitchen.
Chen Ye added, "Mrs. Hu never learns her lesson; Mother, just give her a few reprimanding words. That woman is foolish and never seems to develop any foresight."
Mrs. Wang took great care of her hands and would even cushion them with a cloth when doing rough tasks such as carrying water to irrigate the fields.
The main kitchen was in the 'ear room' adjacent to the West Room. As soon as Mrs. Chen entered the kitchen, she heard the sound of her scolding someone, along with Mrs. Hu's voice trying to explain, apparently having asked Mrs. Wang to tend the fire.
For most people, tending the fire was one of the lightest tasks in the kitchen, but for Mrs. Wang, who treasured her hands as if they were life itself, it was not an easy chore.
In these farming families, the kindling they normally gathered consisted of dry sticks, which required breaking off any lengthy or excessive branches while tending the fire. This process could not only injure the hands but also make them coarse. In their own home, they would never let Mrs. Wang tend the fire.
.........
Thank you for your support, and please continue to vote for me.