Jing Old Master and Jing Old Mistress were both stunned and speechless for a long while, not knowing how to respond. When they finally regained their composure, they started jumping up and down, repeating the same old phrase, "You live in my son's house and spend his money, which is the same as spending our money... "
Hua Xiaomai didn't want to get entangled in this topic with them; in fact, there was no point in reasoning with them at all. She simply smiled kindly at the elderly couple and walked over to Hua Erniang, whispering cautiously, "Sister Er, about those four strings of coins... "
Hua Erniang had slightly swollen eyelids, and her eyes flitted across her face as she said in a cold voice, "The money you earned, if you wish to make decisions about it, I won't say a single word against it. But you must think it through, it's a bottomless pit that cannot be filled!" As she spoke, she took out the four strings of coins Hua Xiaomai had given her in the afternoon and slammed them into Hua Xiaomai's hands.
"Sister Er, rest assured, I have it under control." Hua Xiaomai gently tugged at her hand, took out one string of coins, and stuffed the rest back into her hands. She then turned unhurriedly to face Jing Old Master and Jing Old Mistress.
"Uncle, Auntie, I am to blame for this as well." She said with a gentle smile, "Since coming to Fire Knife Village, I should have visited you and Grandma sooner. I was just too timid and nervous, and I was unsure when you'd be available, so it was delayed. Please don't hold it against me for being ignorant of such matters. Isn't Grandma not feeling well? Although it's not much, this string of coins can still buy some nutritious food to help Grandma improve her health. Uncle and Auntie, please don't be polite with me, you must accept it. Consider it an apology from me to you two and Grandma."
Want money? Fine, but first, let's clarify what this money represents. Hua Xiaomai was not someone who didn't understand the rules; giving them a small advantage during the first meeting was acceptable. This string of coins was intended as a first-time greeting gift for the three elders of the Guan Family. If they knew what was good for them, they should take it and be satisfied. Otherwise, next time, if they tried to pull the same trick, it wouldn't be so easy.
Jing Old Mistress felt something off about Hua Xiaomai's words and wanted to show her power again, but she was dazzled by the glittering string of coins and struggled to open her mouth. She reached out her hand, then drew it back, doing this three times before finally hardening her heart and snatching the money away, muttering under her breath, "At least you have some sense..."
Jing Taihe let out a breath of relief, looking at Hua Xiaomai with gratitude, and said carefully with a smile, "Dad, Mom, Grandma, I've always said that our little sister is a sensible girl, didn't I? See, I wasn't lying to you, was I? We are all family, and it's not good to quarrel like this, letting outsiders hear and laugh at us. Now...we can't even enjoy a good meal. How about I ask little sister and Second Sister to cook a couple more dishes, and let's..."
"Eat what?" Having achieved their objective, Jing Old Master and Jing Old Mistress couldn't wait to leave this place as if fleeing, and with a grand wave of the hand said, "Who dares to eat your family's food? I'm afraid someone holds a grudge in their heart and might poison me!"
Before the words were finished, they had helped Grandma up and spun out the door in a whirlwind, leaving the yard in the blink of an eye, heading south through the village.
Jing Taihe sheepishly followed them out for a short distance while Hua Erniang, left sitting amid the mess, spaced out for a while before stomping back to the eastern room and slamming the door shut. Hua Xiaomai was about to go and comfort her, but was stopped by Jing Taihe as he returned from outside.
"Didn't scare you, did I, little sister?" Although he was smiling, his face couldn't help but carry a bitter taste, "It's normal for family to have arguments now and then. There's nothing to it, don't be scared. Your sister Er is just blowing off steam; she gets over things quickly and will be fine after a good night's sleep, yeah?"
Saying so, he fetched a broom and started to sweep the broken bowls and dishes into one place.
Seeing him like that made Hua Xiaomai internally sigh, and she softly said, "Brother-in-law, you all hardly ate any dinner; how about I go cook something more..."
"No need, I ate quite a bit earlier and your sister Er probably can't eat much right now either," said Jing Taihe, looking up and smiling at her, "If you're still hungry, go make yourself some noodles."
"Then I'll do it," said Hua Xiaomai, biting her lip and walking over to take the broom from his hands.
"...Alright," Jing Taihe didn't decline this time and nodded in agreement, "Then... get some rest early, and I'll go check on your sister Er."
After saying this and smiling again, he went to the door of the eastern room, took a deep breath, and opened the door to enter.
That night, the Jing Family's small courtyard didn't resound with the usual enchanting songs after dark. The eastern room was silent, an unfamiliar quiet that felt somewhat unwelcoming. Hua Xiaomai washed up and was pouring out the water when she saw Jing Taihe sitting at the entrance to the courtyard.
The cold wind howled, but he seemed utterly unaffected by the chill, sitting there, looking up at the sky, motionless, as if in a trance, his silhouette unspeakably bleak.
Hua Xiaomai really wanted to step forward and ask what was going on, but after much thought, she ultimately decided it was inappropriate, shook her head, turned around, and went back inside, gently closing the door.
Jing Taihe was right. Hua Erniang's temper flared up quickly and faded just as fast. The next morning, she was back to her energetic self, standing in the yard with her voice in full force, calling out for Hua Xiaomai to get up, even threatening to tear off her ears and pickle them with salt to accompany her drink if she didn't hurry. Usually, Hua Xiaomai would tremble with fear at her loud voice, but today it felt incredibly dear. She rolled out of bed with a smile and cheerfully opened the door to step outside.
It seemed like she was gradually getting used to and even starting to enjoy life by Hua Erniang's side.
Next door, Old Man Pan had prepared quite a few sausages at the onset of winter, hanging them in the yard to dry for a month or two. They were now perfectly dried and stored in a dry basket, ready to be enjoyed until the next spring. The old man, with his unsteady legs, was wary of climbing up or down and called Hua Xiaomai over to help.
Grandma Pan's eyesight was poor, and she seldom left the house even during the day, preferring to stay cooped up in her room. Hua Xiaomai was collecting the sausages while standing on a stool in the yard, with Old Man Pan watching and occasionally reaching out to steady the stool. The weak winter sunlight provided a touch of warmth as the old man squinted his eyes. He sneakily glanced toward the direction of the courtyard wall before whispering to Hua Xiaomai with his head tilted up, "Mai, what was all the commotion at your place yesterday? I could hear it all clearly from here. I was going to pop over and calm things down, but then I thought better of it... It was your brother-in-law's parents causing trouble again, wasn't it?"
Hua Xiaomai pursed her lips with a smile and said nothing.
"Eh, if you ask me, your elder sister's in-laws are really tough to handle!" Old Man Pan sighed, "Who else torments the younger generation like they do? Just as Erniang and Taihe were starting to have better days, they couldn't wait to come over and demand money. That's just heartless! Taihe, he's decent enough. Even when they were in dire straits, he sent money to them every month like clockwork, which is commendable, yet they still want more?"
After a pause, he continued, "Tell me, Mai, how much do you know about the mess between your sister and her in-laws?"
"Erjie never told me, and it's not my place to ask." Hua Xiaomai shook her head, thinking to herself, are you endowed with superhuman hearing? At your age, to hear every detail from the house next door is no small feat!
The old man had no qualms about speaking his mind, signaling her to come closer and lowering his voice even further, "You don't know, but your elder sister has had a hard time at their place! Taihe is an only son, and his parents are fixated on carrying on the family line, pressuring her daily to have a child. But for some unknown reason, even after a year of marriage, she hadn't shown any signs of pregnancy, which naturally made them anxious. They specifically sought a doctor to examine Erniang, and guess what he said. The doctor said that Erjie was born with some health issues that likely mean she'll never bear children!"
Hua Xiaomai's eyes widened in shock. Hearing Jing Lao Niang's words the day before had given her some suspicions, but now, hearing it from Old Man Pan's mouth still left her deeply stunned.
"My Erjie... she's always been quite healthy and robust, how could that be?" she murmured, her eyebrows knit together in concern.
"That's what I said!" Old Man Pan slapped his thigh, "In Fire Knife Village, where could you find a reliable doctor? It could be just a quack! But your sister's in-laws didn't see it that way. They took the matter of having children very seriously. The moment they heard Erniang couldn't have children, they wanted Taihe to divorce her and drive her out immediately! Thankfully, Taihe is a man of deep affection and, no matter how much his parents pushed, he stood by Erniang, showering her with love and eventually moving out with her. For Erjie to have Taihe as a husband is truly a silver lining in her misfortunes!"
Hua Xiaomai silently nodded her head.
No wonder Hua Erniang always seemed ready for battle whenever she saw Jing Lao Die and Jing Lao Niang. Anyone else in her shoes would certainly not welcome them with a smile! She had no time to consider whether they were too heartless; she simply couldn't understand—Hua Erniang, with her graceful figure, didn't look like someone who... couldn't conceive!
With the medical knowledge of the time being so primitive, there might not be any certainty about it, right?
As she pondered, Hua Erniang's voice suddenly came from over the wall, "Hua Xiaomai!"
Hua Xiaomai and Old Man Pan shivered simultaneously, quickly looking up to see Hua Erniang perched atop the wall, peering down at them with a half-smiling, half-mocking expression.
Old Man Pan hastily pulled up a smile, his words betraying his guilt, "Oh, Erniang, we were just chatting idly, just chatting..."
Without much interest, Hua Erniang gave him a brief smile, then turned to Hua Xiaomai, "The Guan Family girl is looking for you."