Chapter Thirty: The Strange Zhang Family

  Zhou shouted loudly asking who cooked the meal.

  "Who made this soup? It was made by the wife of the fourth son. It doesn't taste very good, and a lot of oil and salt were wasted." He Shi said immediately.

  "Second Aunt, wasn't it you who just said to give all the fish meat to Ya'er? What's in your bowl?" asked Lian Man'er.

  "You this girl..." He Shi's mouth still had unswallowed fish meat, but was asked by Lian Man Er to her face, and she remained expressionless.

  "Whose steamed bun is this?" asked Mrs. Zhou again.

  Zhou knew that He was cooking today, but she was used to asking like this. Normally, Lian would not say anything. But since He had just provoked her, she could only slightly return the courtesy.

  "Today is Second Aunt's turn to cook." Lian Man'er said crisply.

  "This is the mantou you steamed, this ugly thing, even if you throw it out, it can kill a dog. From the beginning of the village to the end, there's no one else who can steam mantou like this, you useless lazy woman, do you still have the face to sit here and eat?" Zhou Shi pointed at the uncooked dough inside the torn open mantou and scolded He Shi loudly.

  Lian Mian'er looked down at the steamed buns in her hand. Every meal at Lian's house had a fixed quantity, just like these millet buns, which also had a fixed number to be steamed. Zhang Shi's steamed buns were not only soft but also uniform in size and weight, as if they had been measured. However, He Shi's steamed buns were inconsistent - some big, some small, and many hadn't even risen properly. The one Lian Mian'er was holding was a hard, dense lump of dough, barely edible thanks to the fish soup it was served with.

  At mealtime, Mrs. Zhou didn't say anything about Wawa's age, but now it seems she has eaten raw noodles and is annoyed.

  "Mother, the fire didn't burn well today, and the children can't do their work, so I'm the only one busy." He Shi explained, turning her head to see Zhao Shi lowering her head, and immediately added, "...the steamed buns were made by Lao San's wife."

  Zhou scolded Zhao back.

  "You're also a freeloader, raising such a useless kid, you want me to die from anger..."

  Zhao was scolded and shrank his body, crying silently, even Ye Er also pouted, leaning close to Zhao's arms.

  "Mother, today is not San Shu's shift, San Shu helped Er Shu with cooking, and the steamed buns were made by Er Shu herself." Zhang Shi said hastily.

  Zhao looked at Zhang with gratitude, still not daring to speak.

  Lian Man'er secretly tugged at Zhang's hem, and when Zhou was scolding her, Zhang never defended herself, but instead actively spoke up for Zhao. By doing so, she will surely bring trouble upon herself.

  As expected, Zhou ignored He and Zhao, and scolded Zhang instead.

  "You see clearly, you can do it, and yet you let her steam the nest into such a state. What kind of heart do you have?" He Shi glared at Zhang Shi with slanted eyes, scolding, "You young people can swallow anything, just thinking of eating me, this old one, to death."

  "Mother, I'll go and make some noodles. And I'll steam a few more buns for you." Zhang was scolded and couldn't lift her head up, she quickly got down from the kang and went to the outer room to make more buns for Zhou.

  The Zhou family finally calmed down.

  Lian Wan'er finished drinking the soup in her bowl, put down the bowl, and slipped under the bed without a word to find Zhang Shi. Lian Zhi'er and Xiao Qi followed suit, followed by Zhao Shi and Lian Ye'er. On the table, only He Shi saw that no one else was eating, so she simply hugged the soup basin in front of her and started eating with big mouthfuls.

  "You lazy thing, go and get some work done!" Zhou Shi scolded.

  "Mother, I'm going now." He Shizi cracked a smile and simply picked up the soup bowl and walked out.

  Zhou was so angry that he fell over backwards.

  In the outer room, Zhang was kneading dough, while Zhao stood beside her, helping out.

  "Fourth aunt, also because of me, you've been wronged again." Zhao said in a low voice.

  "It's alright, Third Sister. This doesn't count for anything, we're family after all, how can I just watch you suffer?" Zhang said with a smile.

  "Daughter, you're willing to help Third Aunt defend herself, but when Grandma scolds you, don't you know how to defend yourself?" asked Lian Man'er.

  "I'm fine, I've just been treated a bit unfairly. Mian'er, don't ask any more questions, you're just a child and won't understand." Zhang Shi wouldn't let Lian Mian'er ask again.

  Zhao wiped his eyes and said softly, "Man Er, your mother was a kind-hearted person..."

  "Last time Er Bao's wife steamed the Wontons, it was almost like this. Nai just said a couple of words, why is she so angry today?" asked Xiao Qi, then pleaded, "The fish soup was taken to her room by Er Bao's wife, I haven't had enough of that yet."

  Lian Man Er's heart skipped a beat.

  "Maybe it's because of this fish soup."

  "Nai is watching us drink fish soup, feeling uncomfortable in her heart." Lian Zhier then pulled Lian Man'er and whispered with a smile.

  Lian Man'er nodded, and indeed it was so.

  "Go back to your room and rest, don't talk nonsense." Zhang scolded her two daughters with a glance.

  Lian Man'er returned to the western wing room with a few others, still unable to hold back her laughter.

  "Sister, I'm still hungry." Little Seven was still thinking about that fish soup.

  "What's that?" Lian Man'er pulled out four large potatoes from her bosom, "I just picked them up from the outer house upstairs. Let's roast them with some firewood and eat them with chili salt, they're quite tasty... If you want to eat fish, we can go catch some next time."

  "Wild vegetables?" Lian Zhier was surprised. Zhou Shi kept a close eye on everything they ate, and the children of the Lian family were used to her distribution system. Even if they were hungry alone, they would only think of going out to find food. Lian Man'er's actions seemed very fresh to them.

  "Don't worry, I've seen it, there are so many potatoes, and the milk can't be counted." said Lian Man Er.

  Lian Zhier went outside to fetch some firewood, while Lian Man washed the potatoes clean and buried them in the fire pit. Just as the fire was burning well, Wu Lang also returned, holding a bowl in his hand.

  "Come and eat, it's still hot." Gorō called out.

  "Fish soup" Xiao Qi cheered.

  Lian Man'er looked at Wu Lang.

  Wulang scratched his head and chuckled twice.

  "When I heard Nai scolding people, you all got down from the table first. I knew you weren't full. So I scooped a bowl of fish soup back for you." said Wu Lang.

  "There are so many people at your table, how can you scoop another bowl? This is your share, you didn't eat it, save it for later." Lian Zhier said.

  Goro didn't say anything more.

  "Just now, shouldn't we bear with it a bit? At least we should eat our fill first. That fish was caught by us, and the dishes were made by Mother." Lian Man'er sighed intentionally, "But, I really can't bear it anymore."

  "Look at Er Bao's wife, she scolds her, but she just ignores it. She even took that bowl of fish soup back to her own room." Lian Zhier also shook his head and sighed.

  "This is what they mean: 'Thick-skinned people eat their fill, thin-skinned people can't get enough to eat.'" said Wu Lang.

  "Who said this? The words are a bit rough, but it's really true."

  "This is an old saying from our countryside," said Wu Lang.

  Several children were talking, and Lian Shouxin walked in from outside, also holding a bowl of crucian carp tofu soup.

  "It's gotten a bit cold, I just had your mother heat it up for you, hurry and eat." Lian Shou said.

  "Dad, did you also bring back your share?"

  "Dad doesn't like eating fish, you guys eat it."

  After a while, Zhang also returned from upstairs and said that she had served Zhou eating newly steamed Wontons.

  "Finally, I see a smile on your face." Zhang said with a sigh of relief.

  Lian Zhier peeled the roasted potatoes and put them on a plate, Lian Shouxin, Zhang Shi and several children sat around, eating fish soup and potatoes alternately. The oil in the fish soup was very little because they didn't dare to use too much firewood. The potatoes were not fully cooked, but they seemed to be savoring the most precious delicacy in the world.

  Lian Man'er was eating and suddenly remembered something else.

  "Mother, I just asked you why you helped San Bo's wife but not yourself. At that time, San Bo's wife was there and you couldn't say anything, now can you speak?"