Mrs. Han's expression fell as soon as she heard her husband's words, "What's the matter? The children haven't tasted such dishes before, what's wrong with me picking out some meat for them to eat? We certainly can't let the children go hungry, can we?" She forcefully placed the chopsticks on the table.
Mrs. Chen saw this and was genuinely a bit angry. After thinking about it, since today was a day for family reunion, it really wasn't good to be angry, so she smiled and said, "Fourth, it's nothing. Children, well, they're used to eating well at your place, they're surely unaccustomed back home. Just let the fourth daughter-in-law prepare some meat for them, the children must not starve." While speaking, she put a few more pieces of meat into Wenxing's bowl.
"Mother, I don't want to stay here, I want to go home, I miss grandma." Wenxing squirmed, refusing to eat, and insisted on leaving.
This set the grandfather truly ablaze, "Fourth, this is the fine son you've raised. You live in the county town all year round without visiting, and that could be overlooked. You're too busy with your school to spare any time, I don't blame you for that. Not being close to us when you come back, I can accept, since we haven't helped look after the child for even a day. But he is the root of our Xu family. If he is close to his grandmother, why didn't you just marry into her family in the first place?" The grandfather was so angry that he threw down his chopsticks and walked away.
"Old man, what are you getting angry about? Wenxing is still young, when he grows up, he will naturally know he is part of the Xu family. How isn't he surnamed Xu? Look at you, come and eat your meal," Mrs. Chen had to console her husband. Initially, the fourth son's move to the county town was not agreed upon by the grandfather. But the fourth son had set his heart on Mrs. Han, and the Xu family had no choice but to consent. "Fourth, it's not that mother is criticizing you. When you were studying, our family scrimped and saved to provide for you. With great difficulty, you became a scholar and got married, moving to the county town. Our family is not capable of affording the expenses for your school, but we haven't treated you poorly over the years. Every time you return, we also bring you some things to take back. The child is after all surnamed Xu; you should also manage him. You don't plan on him disconnecting from his ancestors in the future, do you?" Mrs. Chen said these words with a sense of unease.
"Father, mother, please don't be angry. Wenxing is such a little child, isn't it normal for him to be attached to whoever looks after him? It'll be better in a few years. The fourth isn't having an easy time, we can't help much, so let's not fuss over these things." The eldest spoke up. "Fourth daughter-in-law, hurry and coax the child to eat. It's rare for us to come together, and our home really doesn't have much, so please make do, ladies."
Mrs. Han nodded her head, hugged the two children, fed them their meal, and then ate a little herself before leaving the table, "Father, mother, we're full, please enjoy your meal at your leisure." After finishing her words, she took the children and left. She had never served her in-laws since she married into the family, and in this, she felt a bit remiss.
The grandmother and the eldest were pacifying the grandfather, and he finally ate a bit, "Well, how's this dish not good enough? Fourth, what do you usually eat in the county town? Each one of you seems to be quite picky indeed." The grandfather picked up a piece of meat and chewed on it.
"Father, it's not like we eat that well; I teach around twenty students, and the tuition fee I get each month isn't much. Mostly, it's because the two children often go to their grandmother's, where they can have some good food, and this has spoiled them." The fourth son hurriedly added.
Jinghan and the others were sitting at the table on the floor, silently eating. Joking aside, where would they normally get such good dishes? Better to tuck in while they could, what else were they waiting for? So the children all kept quiet and focused on their food. Jinghan listened to her fourth uncle's words, thinking there was no small amount of exaggeration in them. The tuition fee for a single child in the county town was unlikely to be small, plus they would receive gifts on holidays and festivals. In a year, they ought to make some money. With many sons, each was cautious and guarded.
Jinghan looked at the family members at home and could actually see that her fourth uncle's family was indeed doing quite well. Their clothes were all new. Aunt Three was still in the county town, yet her clothes, as well as Jingxian's and Jingwan's, bore patches. However, the clothes were very clean, and the stitches on the patches were very fine, which showed that Aunt Three was tidy and nimble. In that era, it was rare to find someone without any patches on their clothes.
Lunch ended like that, and everyone together cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks. The grandfather then said, "Tomorrow is Tomb-Sweeping Day. All the men will attend to ancestral graves, and the women should stay at home. Old woman, cook some eggs in the morning." Mrs. Chen answered from the side.