Chapter 182

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

After everyone left, Chai Zhongxiao immediately lost his temper.

He stormed into the house and confronted Wang Huirong: "Are you sick in the head?! I told you to summon a few people to catch the thief, and look at you — you summoned half the village... You called that many people, have you gone crazy? Now look what's happened: outsiders will talk — look at the Old Chai Family, making people work for free, summoning help but not providing food... How will we ever have the face to ask anyone for help again after this."

Wang Huirong, however, shamelessly retorted: "Hmph, over the years you've also helped the village plenty, and not every time was food provided. What's the big deal? Besides, I didn't summon that many people — they came on their own."

Wang Huirong hadn't thought much of it, and never imagined these people were actually summoned by Chai Youqing.

The countryside indeed has many people who love to watch the excitement; when something happens at someone's house, they all go join in the fun.

"They're all just here to watch the excitement — how many actually helped catch the thief? And we're supposed to feed them? Did they catch the thief? None of them caught the thief, yet they still have the nerve to stay, wanting to mooch a meal! Spoiled rotten!!!"

Chai Zhongxiao thought about it — just now there really were quite a few onlookers.

The ones who actually helped him catch the thief — basically none.

So he changed his mind and felt not providing food was right.

But with this many people, gossip was inevitable, so he said: "Worst case, from now on when I help others, I just won't eat their food either."

Then he said: "Later buy some good wine and meat, our Chunfang is coming back. Her husband is coming back with her."

Chai Chunfang is Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong's eldest daughter; the Chai family has six children — first the eldest son, then the eldest daughter and second daughter, then the second son, third son, and youngest daughter.

Chai Chunfang married relatively early; her husband is from the neighboring Old Sun family, named Sun Yuguang. After marriage they had a son who died young, then later had two daughters.

"Where's the money for good wine and meat?!" Wang Huirong was distressed: "All the family money, you gave it to the eldest — that white-eyed wolf — now we're between harvests, there's not a cent in hand."

"Don't have it? Then go buy on credit!" Chai Zhongxiao said impatiently: "It's not like we're not paying back — when we have money later we'll pay them."

Wang Huirong could only agree.

When Che Lianyun returned and saw no one cooking, she also busied herself half the night, was scorching mad, couldn't be bothered to cook, so didn't eat and went straight to work.

As for Chai You De...

Chai You De lay down on the kang head and started acting up — either yelling his leg hurt or yelling he felt awful.

And Chai Dajun was nowhere to be found.

Wang Huirong figured it was nearly seven o'clock anyway, so she didn't cook, deciding to wait for eldest daughter Chai Chunfang to come home and eat together.

So she went out the door, preparing to go to town to buy some things.

More precisely, to go to town to buy things on credit.

She had bound feet and walking was inconvenient; going far was naturally out of the question. Wang Huirong naturally wanted to find someone to take her to town.

Wang Huirong's three sons — the third, Chai You De, had a broken leg that hadn't healed; she'd fought with the second son's wife a few days ago; thinking it over, in her desperation she could only pin her hopes on her good eldest son Chai Youqing.

So Wang Huirong headed toward Chai Youqing's house.

Arriving at the door, she surprisingly discovered Chai Youqing's main gate was shut...

Wang Huirong was instantly dumbfounded: Just got home and already shut the main gate? It's not even night — Chai Youqing wouldn't be this lazy, stayed up late last night helping catch the thief, and now this early he's shutting the door to sleep!

Besides, even if eldest son Chai Youqing is tired, that's nothing compared to his own daughter coming back to her mother's family to eat.

So Wang Huirong didn't hesitate further, and directly knocked on the main gate.

Clang clang clang.

The iron gate's racket made Song Qiushui, who was sleeping inside, instantly wake up on the wrong side of the bed: "Chai Mi, didn't you say your dad comes back at eight? It's only just past seven... so noisy."

Chai Mi patted Song Qiushui, signaling her to keep sleeping in, then walked out herself.

Chai Mi opened the main gate, and seeing it was Wang Huirong, her expression instantly turned mocking.

Chai Mi exclaimed: "Oh my, what evil wind blew you here, old lady? It's not even night — why do I feel cold gusts of yin wind? You, so early in the morning, what are you here for? Come to get a rise out of me?"

Wang Huirong was instantly half-dead with rage from Chai Mi.

She'd just been a bit muddled, forgot her good eldest son still had a "good daughter" Chai Mi at home.

But she wasn't about to just surrender and admit defeat, and coldly said: "Chai Mi, look at what you're saying? I'm your elder, I'm your grandmother!!!"

Chai Mi nodded: "So what? I didn't deny it, did I? Why are you so worked up? Could it be you're here with good intentions to pay back my two thousand yuan?"

Chai Mi feigned deep thought: "But doesn't seem like it — you're so poor you can barely survive."

"Fart! You're the one too poor to survive!!!" Wang Huirong gnashed her teeth in rage.

"Then pay back the money..."

"I..." Wang Huirong was speechless — this repaying money was Chai Zhongxiao's promise, but she didn't have it now either.

Although repaying debts is only right and proper, she didn't have it, so she could be shamelessly unreasonable: "I don't have it."

"You don't have it and you're still in the right?" Chai Mi coldly laughed: "Don't have it? Go earn it — nothing to do with me. Repaying debts is only right and proper, welching is useless. I'm telling you, if you don't pay, in a few days I'll take the IOU to the Police Station, I'll find a place that listens to reason."

"You dare!!!!" Wang Huirong's cheeks ached from clenching.

"Mm-hmm, I really dare — don't believe me? Just try." Chai Mi said unhurriedly.

Wang Huirong suffered bitterly — she knew Chai Mi definitely dared...

But that's for later; Wang Huirong didn't want to say more to Chai Mi, and asked: "Is your dad home? Have him take me to town."

Chai Mi shook her head.

"Not home?"

Chai Mi shook her head again and said: "Not that meaning — I mean I'm not free. Even if my dad were home, I wouldn't help you go call him... mad yet?!"

Wang Huirong was nearly dead with rage, her finger trembling as she pointed at Chai Mi: "You... you... you..."

Chai Mi stuck out a finger: "Want to compare whose finger is thinner? Or whose finger is whiter? You you you... got the guts, hit me? You can't beat me... curse me? You don't dare, you're afraid I'll hit you..."

Wang Huirong's heart ached with rage: This Chai Mi, bullying people too much!!!

Wang Huirong truly wanted to go up and fight Chai Mi, but she indeed didn't dare all that much. Although Wang Huirong and her daughter-in-law Song Qiuping dared to fight each other, and fought to a draw, she absolutely would not dare fight Chai Mi.

In a situation where both were bare-handed, Wang Huirong felt she definitely could not withstand Chai Mi's three-cannon combo...

If both were armed, Wang Huirong fell into deep thought: she would probably be easily killed by Chai Mi in a single strike!!!

So Wang Huirong could only resort to verbal abuse: "Chai Mi, you're too disrespectful to elders. Ah... the Old Chai Family can't tolerate you anymore... you're also too ill-mannered, so young yet hitting and scolding your elders..."

"Stop making trouble." Chai Mi said impatiently: "My temper isn't too good. When I can use my hands, I absolutely won't just yap."

Chai Mi rolled up her sleeves: "Three..."

Seeing Chai Mi's stance, Wang Huirong immediately wimped out, stopped the verbal abuse too, and ran off with her legs.

After running far away, she plopped down on the ground to rest, cursing while resting: "This little undying brat, just wait till I don't clean her up one of these days!"

Meanwhile Chai Mi simply opened the main gate; unable to fall back asleep, she just didn't sleep.

Then she entered the house, calling for Chai Xiu to fetch firewood and prepare some breakfast.

Chai Xiu was quite obedient, directly going to light the fire and scrub the wok.

Anyway, whatever she could do, Chai Xiu would do.

Chai Mi smiled, not feeling she was bullying Chai Xiu at all; as farm folk, a child being diligent was absolutely not a bad thing.

Chai Mi freshened up a bit, lifted the door curtain and entered the room: "Song Great Beauty, it's almost eight o'clock, time to get up. Your dad hasn't seen you for half a day already, so he won't get anxious later."

"Heh..." Song Qiushui stretched lazily: "Don't like moving. Sleepy to death... My dad wouldn't worry about me, I reckon he's busy finding someone to buy glass, then renovate our windows."

Song Qiushui paused and said: "I heard plastic-steel windows are popular in the city now; they say those things are sturdier than wooden lattices. Don't know if my dad can replace the windows with plastic-steel ones later."

Chai Mi laughed: "Should switch to bulletproof glass instead; what's the use of changing windows if the glass is still the original, still can't withstand you ruining it."

Then Chai Mi pushed Song Qiushui: "Get up. After eating, I still have to go collect fertilizer and work the fields."

"Aiya, what's the rush? Your family's few broken mu, just ten-odd mu, will be done today anyway. Not urgent. I'll help you collect fertilizer later, you just handle the food." Song Qiushui said this, but still got up slowly.

"Besides, what's there to eat at this hour? Breakfast or lunch?"

"You're not city people, why divide breakfast and lunch? Eat whatever there is. Tell me, what do you want to eat? I'll go make it."

"Eat what?" Song Qiushui stared wide-eyed, looked around, then said: "I want some momo, sorghum flour ones."

Chai Mi frowned: This is truly going to be lacking!

"Switch to something else?"

"Won't eat anything else."

"Fine, you've got guts." Chai Mi said helplessly.

Chai Mi's family did have sorghum flour, but it hadn't been eaten for several days and already had worms, so she had to pick the worms out first...

Barely scraped together one catty of sorghum flour, Chai Mi added a handful of cornmeal and white flour.

Then ran out to start looking for tree bark.

Hmm...

What Chai Mi looked for was the layer of bark under the elm tree; this thing is similar to starch, starch content quite high, mainly this thing seems to have some Chinese medicine components, eat it and sleep well.

But searched for half a day and found none; Chai Mi finally ran to the neighbor's house to borrow some.

Then kneaded the dough, put it in the pot.

"Right, make some tomato scrambled eggs for the gravy." Song Qiushui said somewhat yawningly.

"My family doesn't raise chickens..." Chai Mi said helplessly.

If they raised chickens, Chai Mi wouldn't have no eggs to eat.

Too many weasels in the village, raising chickens is very difficult; every year many chickens, ducks, geese get eaten by weasels.

Problem: this weasel thing is also called Yellow Immortal, can't be provoked.

So the village weasels are practically rampant, stealing chickens everywhere. Can't catch them, not allowed to kill them, very troublesome. Raised chickens are mostly just prepared dinners for weasels; why raise chickens for nothing.

Naturally no eggs either.

"Don't even raise chickens, yet you want tomato scrambled eggs..."

"Then can't you dice some beans? Honestly, still need me to teach you?!"

"That's not teaching me, you're just afraid I'm not busy enough." Chai Mi rolled her eyes at Song Qiushui, then ordered Chai Xiu: "Xiu'er, go pick some beans, then string the beans."

Chai Xiu silently went out from the kitchen, then went to pick beans.

Song Qiushui watched Chai Xiu leave, leaned against the door frame and said smiling: "Your girl is obedient. If I had such an obedient younger sister, how nice."

"Sure, take my family's third and raise her. Then you'll know how much suffering it is."

"Eh... Third is too young." Song Qiushui suddenly got interested: "Speaking of which, I've never seen what a kid looks like growing up. Tell me, your girl is just over a month old, how big is she now? Is she pink and tender?"

"I haven't seen her for quite a long time either." Chai Mi sighed.

Been too busy lately; when busy period ends, should bring Mother back.

Chai Mi also didn't know how Mother was living at Maternal Grandmother's Home; thinking of it, Maternal Grandmother and Maternal Grandfather were still fine, but Aunt-in-law after all...

Forget it.

Chai Mi shook her head, shouted toward outside: "Xiu'er, did you go plant beans? What are you dilly-dallying for?"

Chai Xiu held the already-picked beans, said with a wronged face: "Don't I have to string them? Right, Dad's back, should we let him eat?"

Chai Xiu like a tattling child, pointed at Chai Youqing outside the door: "Sister, look. Dad's probably waiting for eight o'clock exactly, doesn't dare come back before eight."

This sentence amused Song Qiushui too: "Aiyo, my dad isn't as obedient as your dad. Still waiting for the hour... hahaha..."

"Your dad isn't obedient? Your dad tore down the house for you to squander..." Chai Mi curled her lip.

If asking whose dad is most obedient, naturally it's Song Qiushui's father Song Qingshan.

Song Qingshan is not only obedient, but also fucking PUA's himself; no matter whose fault, Song Qingshan can always conclude it's his own lack of ability and competence that caused it...

Of course, maybe Mother Meng scolding Song Qingshan all day gave him immunity. But this immunity is a bit skewed...

"Alright, Xiu'er, tell Dad to come home for dinner. He likes momo too." Chai Mi said, taking the beans, then washing and dicing them.

She took out two more large purple eggplants, chopped them fine, then threw them into the pot to stew.

The Northeast is famous for noodles with gravy, and noodles with gravy are a type of noodles with gravy. Noodles with gravy are actually quite delicious, and later generations made them a specialty dish.

As for the gravy here, it's actually simple to make.

Just stew it.

The main point is that it absorbs flavor thoroughly, and the longer it stews, the better.

Chai Xiu went out and called Chai Youqing in, and Chai Youqing very consciously went to feed the cattle.

Chai Mi poked her head out and said, "Dad, the cows and sheep have all been fed. What time is it, and you still haven't fed them? Come in and eat. After eating, you can go work."

Then she looked at Song Qiushui and said, "You eat more too, specially made according to your requirement. If you have no energy for work later, that won't do."