Jinghan glanced nervously at her eldest brother and said timidly, "Big brother, I won't dare to be reckless again, I promise I won't. But you can't just let me die, right? Those two little ones are only five years old." She quickly admitted her fault; otherwise, she'd really get a beating.
"You, why didn't you call for adults? There are plenty of other families down by the river, aren't there? Why didn't you come back and call our dad? Why can't you use your head?" Wenhan felt a mix of frustration and disappointment.
Wenxuan had been silent, leaning in his big brother's arms, listening. Now, he climbed onto the bed, reached out, and touched Jinghan's forehead. "Sister, are you feeling better?" Delighted, Jinghan suddenly hugged her little brother and kissed him twice on the cheek. "Sister is okay now. Was it fun going to town?"
"It wasn't fun. Wenxing didn't pay much attention to me, and my fourth aunt as well. Brother says he doesn't want to study at our uncle's school, that it's more comfortable in the village." Wenxuan, still young and unable to keep secrets, shared some of the things that happened in town.
After listening carefully, Jinghan began to understand. So, their uncle's family had already been split off. How strange, why then had her second uncle's family not been split off?
Let's not mention the four of them chatting and laughing in the room. Outside, in the afternoon, the third son Xu Zhiming also returned, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Zhu, and two daughters. Mrs. Zhu was a simple woman, plain-looking, who upon returning home set to work helping Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Xue with various chores. The two daughters of the third son's family, the older one named Jingwan, eight years old and the same age as Jinghan but slightly younger, and the younger one named Jingxian, a mischievous five-year-old girl who somewhat resembled Jinghan. Jingwan was very observant and started helping with chores as soon as she arrived home, but Mrs. Chen soon shooed them off to play with Jingya and Jinghan, and so the two sisters went to the east wing to find their cousins.
In the kitchen, Mrs. Xue and Mrs. Zhu were both busy at work, while Mrs. Wei and Mrs. Han sat at the doorway, cracking sunflower seeds. The grandmother, upon seeing this, was immediately displeased, but since Mrs. Han only returned a few times a year, she held back from saying more. Thus, the grandmother shouted, "Second son's wife, go fetch some firewood, can't you see your sister-in-law is out? All you do is talk; are we not eating later?"
With that, Mrs. Wei lazily got up to fetch the firewood. Seeing this, Mrs. Han also entered the kitchen to help with the meal. Dressed finely in new clothes, she stood in the kitchen, hesitant to touch anything, fearing she might dirty her clothes. Mrs. Xue, seeing this, said, "Fourth sister-in-law, you'd better go rest. Your clothes will get dirty in no time here in the kitchen. This bit of work, your third sister-in-law and I will have it done in no time; just wait to eat." This fourth sister-in-law had not spent many days at home since getting married, so there was no need for her to work now, as if she were a guest in the house.
Mrs. Han took the suggestion and made her exit. Back in town, she employed a cooking maid and never cooked herself. It made no sense to come back here and cook. Just then, her daughter Jinghe needed to use the toilet, and Mrs. Han took her to the hut.
"Big sister, are these vegetables ready? Should I put them in the dishes?" the third son's wife, Mrs. Zhu, asked.
Mrs. Xue glanced at the pot, and seeing that the soup was about ready, she turned and brought out several plates. "Third sister-in-law, just put the vegetables on these plates. There are a lot of people today; we might need to set three tables." Mrs. Zhu was really good, always helping out whenever she came back, a simple and honest person. The only pity was that she had no sons, only two daughters. "Third sister-in-law, Jingxian is already five, how come there's no sign yet?"
Mrs. Zhu, dishing out the vegetables, her head bowed, said, "Big sister, that's something nobody has control over. If it doesn't happen, there's nothing I can do. I worry, too. Without a boy, what will we do in the future?" As she spoke, her voice choked up.
"Forget it, don't think too much about it. If fate decrees, it will happen; if not, don't force it. Maybe it'll happen when you least expect it," Mrs. Xue said hurriedly to comfort her when she saw that her words had upset Mrs. Zhu. "Your two girls are also good. If it turns out there's no son, just raise your daughter as if she were a son. Jingxian looks spirited; maybe she can uphold the family in the future. If the girls marry well, you won't need to worry."
Mrs. Zhu nodded, setting the prepared dishes aside. Mealtime was approaching, and they would all be served at the same time. The sisters-in-law were busy for a while, and soon the meal was ready. Mrs. Xue called for Wenhan and the others to get the tables ready, then began to transfer the food to the tables.
Today's meal was quite sumptuous: rabbit with potatoes, dried beans with added meat, stewed dried tomato with a bit of meat, and a plate of shredded pickles with fine strips of meat. This was food they wouldn't normally get to eat in ordinary days.
One table was set on the bed, two on the ground, and everyone sat down for the meal. Wenxing looked at the dishes and turned up his nose. "Mom, what are all these? How can I eat this?"
Hearing this, the old master's expression darkened, and he held his tongue. Mrs. Han, holding a small bowl, picked some rabbit meat for her son and daughter. Mrs. Wei was displeased. "What are you doing? We hardly get to see meat all year at home, and now that we finally have some, why are you picking it out?"
Older Brother, feeling embarrassed, said, "What are you picking at? Everyone's eating the same food. Look how Wenxing is enjoying his meal. How come Wenxing is so precious? If he doesn't like it, just leave it."