Chapter 23: The Egg Storm (Part 2)

  Second update, seeking all kinds of votes.

  It's not uncommon for conflicts to arise between sisters-in-law, but the situation with Zhang Shi and Lian Xiuer is a bit strange. Lian Xiuer seems to always want to suppress Zhang Shi, while Zhang Shi's attitude towards Lian Xiuer is as if she were treating her own child.

  Lian Man'er was at a loss for what to do, but the sound of Zhou's scolding, Zhang's weak excuses and sobs brought her back to reality.

  Zhang is a good-natured person, and Zhou falsely accused her of being a thief without any evidence. This was a huge blow to Zhang. Despite Zhou's various difficulties, Zhang still insisted on not eating even a baozi in front of Lian Lao and Zhou. After these two days of interaction, Lian Man'er believed that Zhang would never do something like "stealing".

  She cannot let Zhang be wronged, she must clear Zhang's name.

  "Old aunt, you see it so clearly, then tell me, which hens laid those eggs?" asked Lian Man Er.

  Lian Xiuer glanced at Lian Maner.

  "Just let you be convinced." Lian Xiuer said, walking into the house and coming back with four eggs in her hands, "This red-skinned one is laid by that red-spotted egg-laying chicken, this white-skinned one is..."

  Lian Xiu'er is indeed worthy of being a daughter of the Zhou family, she really remembers which egg was laid by which chicken clearly.

  "That white hen in our house lays an egg every other day, never missing a beat. The eggs it lays are the biggest, and you're really good at stealing them." said Lian Xiuer finally.

  "The matter has not been clarified yet, Old Auntie, you'd better be careful with your words and don't accuse people of stealing one by one. Later when it's proven that we're not involved, I'm afraid you won't be able to take back what you've said."

  "Hmph, I was wrong about you. If you can prove it has nothing to do with you and return the egg, I'll swallow it whole." Lian Xiuer glared.

  "Don't try to shirk responsibility when the time comes, old auntie," said Lian Menger, looking towards the chicken coop. The white hen was squeezed together with other chickens, leaning against the wall.

  Zhou Shi and Lian Xiuer both said that these few laying hens hadn't left the house today, just now when Zhou Shi was making a fuss, everyone searched around the yard again but still couldn't find any eggs. So...

  "Its egg may not have been laid yet." said Lian Man Er.

  "It's impossible." Zhou Shi and Lian Xiu'er said in unison.

  "Just touch it and you'll know," said Lian Man Er.

  Wu Lang jumped into the chicken coop, and as soon as he entered, the few chickens all stood up. Madame Zhou caught sight of a big lump under the white hen's buttocks, and her eyes flickered for a moment.

  "Fourth sister, you stole it, just admit it quickly. I dislike people who dare to do something but don't dare to take responsibility the most," said Lian Xiuer.

  Lian Man'er saw Zhou's expression and thought of a possibility, her confidence in clearing Zhang's name grew stronger.

  "My mother is honest and can't be wronged, can't bear a bad name. Grandma, just touch it, and clear my mother's name." said Lian Man'er in a crisp voice.

  Lian Zhi'er and Xiao Qi walked over and stood beside Zhang Shi and Lian Man'er, silently expressing their support.

  "One egg, just eat it and be done with it, you're still innocent, you little girl don't even know what innocence is." Madame Zhou's face sank, "Xiuer, go back to the house."

  Zhou turned around and was about to walk into the house.

  Lian Xiuer unknowingly pulled Zhou Shi along with her.

  "Girl, how can this be over just like that. She stole eggs to eat and still doesn't admit it, what's going to happen next?"

  Zhou glared at Lian Xiu'er, but couldn't say anything in front of everyone.

  Lian Man Er suddenly understood what was going on.

  "Nai, if you're not willing to touch, there's someone in the village who will. Let's invite Nai from next door, Hu Zi's wife, to come and help with the touching, it'll serve as a witness." said Lian Man Er.

  Today she witnessed Zhou's technique of pinching the chicken's buttocks, and when digging wild vegetables with Lianzhi, Lianzhi told her that many old ladies in the village knew this trick, among which Hu Zi's mother was the most accurate.

  "Our grandma and Hu Zi's grandma didn't get along, they said Hu Zi's grandma had a long tongue... Hu Zi's grandma had said something to our mom." At that time, Lian Zhi'er also said so, so now Lian Man'er brought up Hu Zi's grandma.

  Zhou heard that Lian Mian'er was going to ask for Hu Zi's milk, so she didn't go into the house either.

  "Come back, who told you to go find her?" Zhou Shi said sternly. "This matter, I've had my say and that's the end of it. Don't go looking for trouble where there isn't any."

  Who is it that's looking for trouble?

  "Milk, stealing things, is a big crime, can be sent to the government office for punishment. My mother isn't even a member of this family, why would she be falsely accused?" said Lian Man Er.

  "I'll go and invite someone." Lian Zhier said, and was about to leave the door.

  "Who dares to go and see me break her leg." Zhou Shi blocked the way, "Fourth sister-in-law, I said you stole an egg, how come you still won't give in?"

  Who is being so stubborn and unyielding, even Man Er has been driven by Zhou Shi to the point of wanting to laugh.

  "Go and feel for yourself, don't wrong Old Fourth's wife." Even the old man in the house said.

  Wolong had already jumped into the chicken coop and carried out the white hen.

  Zhou's face was stern, neither allowing Lianzhi to go find someone nor willing to take the white hen herself, but instead glared fiercely at Zhang, waiting for her to give in.

  Zhang understood Zhou's hint, feeling wronged and unwilling in her heart, but she had already gotten used to the pattern of obedience and tolerance.

  "My mother said forget it, then..."

  Zhang was about to say forget it, but Lian Man'er wouldn't agree, she immediately interrupted Zhang's words.

  "Mother, if you are a thief, then we are the children of a thief. Can you bear to let us carry such a reputation at such a young age? If not for your own sake, won't you think about us?" said Lian Man'er.

  Zhang's words were left unsaid.

  Zhou didn't wait for the stairs and his face looked even more unpleasant.

  "You little scamp..."

  Zhou's wife was about to scold Lian Muer, when the white hen in Wu Lang's hand suddenly became uncooperative, its face flushed red as it struggled to jump out of Wu Lang's hands. Zhang's wife noticed something unusual.

  "Wǒ Láng, you quickly put it back, this is about to lay eggs."

  Wu Lang heard this and quickly put the white hen on the ground. The white hen moved to a corner of the wall where there was a patch of grass, and lay down. Lian Man'er watched it like someone who urgently needed to urinate. After a while, the white hen stood up, clucked twice, squeezed into the flock of chickens, and lay down with its back to the outside people.

  On the grass where the white hen had just lain, a large red-skinned egg appeared.

  Zhou's and Lian Xiuer's faces suddenly turned iron-green.

  Zhang Shi let out a breath of relief, and Wu Lang's group was even more delighted. Lian Muer simply clapped her hands, followed by Lian Zhi, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi, who also inexplicably joined in the applause. The few young masters from the second house, who were afraid that the world would not be chaotic enough, also randomly clapped their hands.

  This made Zhou even more unable to show his face.

  "The hen is also not a good thing, it's holding an egg and won't lay it, tomorrow we'll slaughter it and eat the meat." Madame Zhou turned around to go back into the house, and Lian Xiuer also followed her to leave.

  Lian Man'er reached out and grabbed Zhou Shi.

  "Milk, the chicken has laid an egg!" Lian Man'er smiled brightly at Zhou Shi.

  Zhou's family exerted herself and swung her hand, although she was over 50 years old, her body was still strong and sturdy. Lian Wan let her swing and stumbled, fortunately, Lian Zhi came to support her.

  "What do you want to do, little girl?" Madam Zhou asked sternly.

  "Grandma, you wronged my mother by accusing her of stealing eggs. Now that the truth is out, what do you have to say to my mother?" Lian Man'er said with a smile.

  "Look at the good daughter you've raised, this is what I get? What's wrong with her, it's just an egg, and she makes me, an old man, apologize to her!" Zhou Shi immediately lost his temper.

  "Mother, I didn't let you apologize and compensate..." Zhang said honestly. Lian Shouxin also nodded.

  "Just let you say one sentence." Lian Man Er immediately followed up.

  Zhou's hand rose, wanting to hit Lian Man'er. Lian Man'er didn't dodge, but instead burst into loud wailing. Unlike Zhou's dry howls, Lian Man'er's tears flowed down in a gush.

  “…I was picked up from the streets…I was sold to be a child bride…I got sick and they didn’t give me any money…not even an egg…they accused me of stealing eggs…I don’t have any money, not a single penny…if that chicken hadn’t laid an egg just now, I would have been sold to pay for it…go ahead and beat me to death. I was picked up from the streets, no one cares about me…”

  Lian Man'er cried and said, "Let's be pitiful, she can do it too." And finally, she found the opportunity to cry out all her grievances over the past few days.

  Lian Man'er was only ten years old, small in stature, wearing a coarse linen shirt and pants, with a cloth strip still wrapped around her head. When she cried, her little face looked like it had been washed by water, making even strangers feel pity for her, let alone her own flesh and blood relatives. Zhang Shi and Lian Zhi'er rushed over, and the mothers hugged each other, crying together in a heap.

  Zhou was originally going to throw a tantrum, but Lian Man'er cried on his head, and he couldn't use his usual tactics, so his face suddenly turned beet red.

  "Mother..." Lian Shouxin walked up to Zhou Shi and said in a low voice, "Mother, you go rest in your room."

  Zhou hummed and turned around to leave.

  Lian Xiuer slowed down by one step and fell behind.

  "Auntie, here's an egg for you, it's still warm." Lian Man'er took the egg from Wu Lang's hand and handed it to Lian Xiu'er.

  This was undoubtedly a reminder to Lian Xiuer, who had just said that she would swallow the egg. Lian Xiuer didn't know whether to accept or not. Lian Man'er and several others were still kind-hearted, but the few children of the second house were not. Seeing Zhou Shi being frustrated, they went back to their room and became even more lively, one by one running over.

  "Old auntie, you just said you wanted to swallow the whole egg," Lian Si Lang chuckled and said, "This egg isn't small, old auntie, can you really swallow it?"

  "Come quickly, come and see Lao Gu swallowing eggs, hot ones." Liu Erlang said with a big laugh.

  "You just wait and see." Lian Xiuer's face turned red as she ran back into the house.

  "Oh yeah, oh yeah," several half-grown kids started teasing, "look at old auntie, she doesn't keep her word, she had diarrhea and sat back down again."

  Lian Man'er was secretly smiling beside him.

  "What about this egg?" asked Xiao Qi.

  "I'll take it to her myself," said Lian Man'er. Neither Zhou Shi nor Lian Xiuer dared to come and get the egg, and she wouldn't just leave it here without a word, so she would personally deliver the egg to Zhou Shi and Lian Xiuer.

  Lian Wan'er took the egg and walked straight into the landlord's house, in front of Lian Lao Ye, Zhou Shi, and Lian Xiu'er, she put the hot egg directly into Zhou Shi's basket for storing eggs.

  "Grandpa, grandma, lao jiu, I've put the eggs here." Lian Man'er wiped away the tears that still hadn't dried on her face.

  "Starting tomorrow, I'll boil an egg for Mian every morning until her injury is fully recovered."