"Yeah, indeed, we need to let Hui Xin practice cooking gradually, or else, once she's married off, won't she be disdained?" Mrs. Chen also felt that Mrs. Xue was right, among the daughters-in-law at home, the cooking of the eldest and third daughter-in-law was the best. "When you have time, you should teach her too, your dishes are always good."
"Alright, then I'll teach Hui Xin." Mrs. Xue nodded her head.
Both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were efficient workers, and it wasn't long before they had prepared the meal. Just then, Xu Zhixin and the old master also came in from outside, so Mrs. Chen hurriedly called them to wash their hands and eat. In the farmer's courtyard, people usually eat dinner early, so as to take advantage of the daylight and save on lighting.
Mrs. Xue called out in the courtyard, and everyone entered the east room to have dinner together. At the dinner table, Mrs. Chen mentioned the matter of teaching Hui Xin to cook, and she nodded in agreement, knowing it was for her own good. The old master looked at Mrs. Wei, who was eating quietly, and said, "Second daughter-in-law, it seems you haven't been cooking lately, have you? This won't do. Although your eldest sister-in-law doesn't mind, you can't just leave all the work to her. There are a lot of us in the family, and cooking is no small task. Starting tomorrow, you'll have to take turns cooking too."
Mrs. Wei, who was enjoying her meal, burst into tears upon hearing this, "Isn't this making life impossible for people? My man is gone, and you're still making me work? My man died in your place, even if I refuse to work, so what?" She was truly an oddity, capable of crying out while not interrupting her meal. Jinghan watched in admiration.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xue put down her bowl and said, "Second daughter-in-law, there's no need to keep saying that the second son died in our place. No one in this family has wronged you. In recent days, I've seen you doing nothing, and I've said nothing. But there should be a limit, right? Do you think you can bully me just because I'm easy to push around?"
Mrs. Wei quickly finished the rice in her bowl and then sat down on the floor, starting to make a scene, "Oh, I can't live anymore. Zhiyong, oh you heartless man, after you left, I have been bullied. I merely didn't cook for a few days, and they can't tolerate me... I can't stay in this family anymore. Zhiyong, why didn't you take me with you?"
Wencheng and Wenchang saw their mother's behavior and quickly went to help Mrs. Wei, "Mother, please get up. This looks so bad. The work in a family indeed cannot all fall on Auntie's shoulders. When it's your turn to cook, both of us will help you." Wencheng was trying to persuade his mother.
"You little bastards, you don't stand up for your mother, and now you even expect me to work? I must have raised you for nothing." When Mrs. Wei heard this, she cursed her sons too. Wencheng and Wenchang were speechless—naturally, they should side with their mother, but she simply wasn't reasonable. How could they support her? The two brothers struggled to help Mrs. Wei up and had her sit on the edge of the bed.
"Mother, we're a family, and with so many of us eating together, you can't expect Auntie to be the only one cooking. She has other chores as well and can't manage everything alone. Besides, don't we three need to eat? If you don't cook in the future, then we brothers won't eat either. We just can't face that," Wencheng said sternly, finding his mother's actions quite helpless.
"You're quite the little devil, growing big and now you dare to threaten me? Did I raise you two ungrateful kids for this?" Mrs. Wei lashed out at her sons. "I've raised you to be this big, is it just for you to lecture me? Say another word, and I'll beat you to death," Mrs. Wei threatened as she went to take off her shoes.
The old master got angry seeing this commotion, "Second daughter-in-law, are you trying to turn the world upside down? What I said is not wrong. Starting tomorrow, you will take turns cooking with your eldest sister-in-law. If you don't want to cook, then don't eat. You're the one who eats the most in our family—why should you not do any work? It's not as if it's an impossible task, it's just cooking, and you even have your mother and Hui Xin to help out. How hard can it be?" The old master was genuinely angry this time. Mrs. Wei was known for her impressive appetite—once she managed to eat five bowls of grits and still added half a pot of potato soup. This was a well-known joke among the villagers.
Once Mrs. Wei heard she might be denied food, she wilted; her appetite was large, and not being allowed to eat was unthinkable. "Father, don't be angry. I'll do it, alright? Isn't it just cooking? I'll do it," she conceded.
The meal was finished amidst a commotion, with Jingya and Jinghan helping to clear the table. Mrs. Xue washed the bowls in the kitchen and put them away in the cupboard before returning to the east wing.
The night passed without further incident. The next morning, those who were to study or work in the ginseng field had all departed. Mrs. Xue finished feeding the pigs before taking Jinghan into the mountains. They headed to the same vicinity as the day before and indeed found many tender shoots. The mother and daughter duo braved the thorns and kept picking. By almost noon, the basket was full. "Mother, let's head home, I'm getting a little hungry," said Jinghan after seeing enough was collected. Her stomach was truly rumbling. At eight years old, she was in a growing phase, her hunger arriving quickly, especially after running around the mountain; she got hungry even faster.
Mrs. Xue checked the basket's contents and saw it was getting late; it was indeed time to head home. "Let's go, we're heading back. You're acting as if you're carrying an empty stomach in that basket," Mrs. Xue spoke, her voice tinged with exasperation.