Chapter 360: Reborn in the 90s: The Tyrant Flower Chapter 361: Is the Coffin Comfortable?

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

When it was time for breakfast, Chai Mi didn't give Chai Youqing anything to eat either.

The coffin was stifling and hard; Chai Youqing lay stiff as a board, his back aching from the pressure. That stubborn streak of refusing to admit defeat from yesterday was ground away bit by bit in the boundless darkness and dead silence. Hearing Chai Mi's footsteps going in and out outside, Su Wan's low sobbing and coaxing, and Chai Xiu's quiet studying, panic surged in his heart like a tide, instantly drowning that pitiful bit of bravado.

"Chai Mi... Chai Mi..." Chai Youqing's voice was hoarse and dry, carrying a desperate struggle, "Father was wrong... truly wrong..."

Footsteps stopped beside the coffin; Chai Mi paused again: "Wrong where?"

Chai Youqing grew anxious, confessing hurriedly with a sob in his voice: "Father shouldn't have been stubborn! Shouldn't have ignored your words! That work on the east slope isn't something one person can do, I... I was possessed! Just wanted to save those few labor fees..."

Su Wan came over with a crying tone, her voice trembling: "Husband, just yield! Our daughter has it so hard, she just scraped together so much money for your sister-in-law..."

"Yes! I was muddle-headed!" Chai Youqing was filled with regret and hate, slamming a fist on the coffin lid with a dull thud, "You toil from dawn to dusk, pushing that inverted donkey through wind and rain to the county, saving every penny of blood-and-sweat money, and I... for the sake of saving twenty yuan, I broke my back! Lying here for ten days or half a month unable to work, delaying the autumn harvest not to mention having to spend money on medicine... I... this isn't saving, it's creating bad karma!" He sighed heavily, throat choked, "Mi, Father has let you down... let this family down... Father won't dare again, let Father out... this coffin... is terrifyingly cold..."

"Clang!" A piercing grinding sound, the coffin lid was violently pried open a crack.

Blinding light poured in, and Chai Mi's expressionless face appeared in that light.

She didn't even glance at her father's wretched state inside the coffin, only coldly tossed out a sentence: "Remember what you said today. Act up again, and I'll really nail it shut, let you lie there long enough." She turned to her mother, tone brooking no argument, "Mother, help him back to the kang to lie down, I'll go fetch Doctor Chen to take another look."

Chai Youqing was helped out by Su Wan and Chai Xiu in a flurry of hands and feet; the moment his feet touched the ground, a heart-drilling pain shot through his waist, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead. This time, he was truly, genuinely afraid, regret turning his intestines green; even looking at that coffin with its lid wide open, he felt a creepy dread.

Su Wan still asked Chai Mi: "Chai Mi, that coffin......"

Chai Mi said with a smile: "Keep it. With my father's temper, he might well need it again in a year or two."

Hearing this, Chai Youqing's face turned green: "I'm better, it doesn't hurt that much anymore."

Chai Mi then found someone to carry the coffin to that ancestral hall they'd bought.

Actually, she was angry, but she'd still listened to someone's folk remedy, saying a twisted back needed to be kept flat.

The coffin happened to keep the body flat, quite good.

Except, a bit scary.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Chai Mi had already finished preparing breakfast. In the big pot simmered thick, sticky corn-grit porridge; a ring of golden corn cakes stuck to the pot rim; in a small basin beside it were finely shredded pickled vegetable strands.

She glanced at Chai Youqing on the kang, groaning and not daring to move, and said to Su Wan who was braiding Chai Xin's hair: "Mother, Second Aunt is bringing people to work today; lunch must be filling and have some meat. I soaked vermicelli last night; later I'll dice some salted pork and stew it. You watch the fire at noon, I'll come back to stir-fry."

Su Wan's face showed worry: "You alone still have to take Xiu to school and go to the county to set up a stall, can you manage?"

"No problem, I'll prepare less stock today, be back before noon." Chai Mi packed up nimbly, then turned to Chai Xiu, "Xiu'er, hurry and eat, go to school after, Mother watch over little sister."

Chiu Xiu answered loudly, picked up her bowl and wolfed down the porridge nimbly.

Chai Youqing lay on the kang, watching his eldest daughter's busy, never-stopping back; his lips moved a few times, but ultimately he said nothing, silently turning his face toward the cold wall.

Just as she scooped the steaming hot corn cakes out of the pot into the basket, a voice rang out from outside the gate — Sun Baihe's deliberately raised, faintly false enthusiastic tone: "Girl! We're here to work! Second Uncle, Dongzi, move it!"

Chai Mi wiped her hands and went out to greet them. In the courtyard, Sun Baihe led her man Chai Youlu — Chai Youqing's clan younger brother, Chai Mi's paternal uncle Second Uncle — and their half-grown son Dongzi. Chai Youlu had a sickle honed to a shine on his shoulder; Sun Baihe had both hands empty, but her eyes rolled around nonstop, constantly glancing toward the rooms and the inverted donkey parked in the courtyard.

"Second Aunt, Second Uncle, Dongzi, thanks for the hard work." Chai Mi's tone was calm, cutting straight to the point, "Wages agreed: strong laborer twenty a day, Dongzi counts as half laborer fifteen, lunch included with meat. We have lots of land, twenty-plus mu of corn; Father cut a little over half the millet on the east slope yesterday, the remaining corn fields are the main task. Today start with the big plot at the village west end, that land is open and easy to reap."

Sun Baihe immediately slapped her thigh, voice booming: "Rest easy, Chai Mi! We're family working, guaranteed to clean it up neat and tidy! Your Second Uncle is a master in the fields!" She stepped closer, lowered her voice, piled on an inquisitive smile, "That... Chai Mi, your business... really makes that much? Twenty a day, includes food, that wage isn't low... Dongzi's dad hauling at the mine makes about the same..."

Chai Mi didn't let her finish, tone crisp and decisive: "Second Aunt, I calculate the money clearly. Autumn harvest waits for no one; one rain and it molds, the loss is bigger. How much I make is my business; the wages owed you, not a penny less. It's not early, let's go to the fields, are the sickles sharp?" Her gaze swept over the sickle on Chai Youlu's shoulder, and she added, voice neither light nor heavy, "Father yesterday was because the sickle wasn't sharp, struggled and threw his back."

Sun Baihe was choked by her, smile freezing, awkwardly replying: "Sharp! Sharp! All honed to a shine! Hubby, Dongzi, go, to the fields!" She turned to call them, then remembered something, turned back to ask, "That, lunch...?"

"Don't worry, won't be late. Salted pork stewed vermicelli, plenty." Chai Mi finished speaking, said no more, pushed the inverted donkey loaded with dumplings and fried chicken, and hurried out the courtyard gate.

Sun Baihe watched her back disappear on the dirt road, pursed her lips, waved at her own man and son, voice carrying a hint of reproach and dissatisfaction: "Hear that? Meat at lunch! All of you give it some effort, don't let people poke your spine saying we just take money and don't work!... Hmph, this little girl, mouth getting sharper and sharper..."

The sun rose to mid-sky; Chai Mi was already riding the half-empty inverted donkey, hurrying back. County No. 1 Middle School business was exceptionally good today; she rushed but still arrived later than expected. Turning into her own courtyard gate, she first took out the two portions of dumplings and small bag of fried chicken bits she'd deliberately left in the cart box, carefully placing them in the room — this was the "extra snack" for Chai Xiu after school.

Then immediately rolled up her sleeves and started bustling about lunch.

Water in the big iron pot was already boiling; Su Wan was putting in chopped cabbage stems. Chai Mi nimbly took out the salted pork, diced it small, peeled a few garlic cloves and smashed them. The other stove heated oil; meat dices went in, "sizzle" — rich salty fragrance instantly spread with the oil smoke. Fried until oil rendered, poured in the softened vermicelli, added soy sauce, salt, quick stir-fry a few times, finally poured that half-pot of cabbage stems in to stew together. On the other stove, heating the leftover corn-grit porridge and corn cakes from morning.

Actually, this fare is ordinary.

But hired hands and people helping out, the food is indeed different.

After all, hired hands you still have to pay money, right?

Su Wan looked at the fine beads of sweat seeping from her daughter's temples, distressed: "Worn out? Catch your breath first."

Chai Mi's hands didn't stop, spatula flipping nimbly in the pot: "Not tired. How's the field? Are Second Aunt and them working for real?"

Su Wan hesitated, said in a low voice: "Your Second Uncle and Dongzi are okay, heads down reaping, quite energetic. Your Second Aunt though... reaped barely two rounds, said her back hurt, sitting under the tree shade at the field ridge, saying she's watching the water jug for us... still ordering Dongzi to run errands back and forth."

Chai Mi gave a light hum from her nose, said no more.

She ladled the salted pork vermicelli cabbage into a large clay pot, and packed the porridge and corn cakes separately.

"Mother, you stay home watching Father and Xin'er, I'll go call them to eat."

Village west end corn field.

Chai Youlu and Dongzi were bent at the waist, sickles swinging, movements sharp; cut corn stalks stacked neatly. Sun Baihe indeed sat under the tree shade on the field ridge, fanning herself with a straw hat half-heartedly.

"Second Uncle, Dongzi! Rest a bit! Time to eat!" Chai Mi called out loudly.

The two working in the field heard the voice, straightened up, wiped sweat from their faces, and walked toward the field ridge. Sun Baihe also hurried up, face instantly piled with smiles, quick-stepping over: "Aiyah, finally here, starved front chest stuck to back!"

The several people then went home together to eat.

Arrived home, washed hands, drank a few sips of tea, table set, then ready to eat.

Chai Mi laid out the food. A large basin of salted pork stewed vermicelli, glistening with oil, salty fragrance assaulting the nose, corn cakes piping hot too.

Chai Youlu and Dongzi were clearly exhausted and starving, no nonsense, picked up bowls and ate in big mouthfuls.

Sun Baihe also unceremoniously served herself a full big bowl of vegetables, chopsticks fishing out several pieces of salted pork dice.

"Mm! Fragrant! Fragrant!" Sun Baihe's mouth stuffed bulging, praised indistinctly, "Chai Mi your cooking is just good! More fragrant than what we make at home! No wonder county students love to eat it!" She swallowed a big mouthful, but eyes glanced at Chai Mi passing a corn cake to Dongzi, tone shifting, "Chai Mi, Second Aunt tells you, your business, you really need a helper; your mother's health can't take it, your father's laid up again, just relying on you and Qiu Shui... exhaustion won't hold up! Look, Dongzi's grown, quick-witted; why not let him go to the county with you to learn? Lend you a hand? Wages negotiable, just provide food!"

Chai Mi's motion of passing the corn cake didn't pause in the slightest, eyelid didn't lift, voice calm as a deep pool: "Second Aunt, mine is a small business, can't afford idle mouths. Dongzi following Second Uncle to the fields, earns a steady fifteen a day, learning real skills of the land. That stall in the county, wind and rain, up early late to bed, still have to read faces, not easy work." She finally raised her eyes, gaze calm and unwavering, directly meeting Sun Baihe's, clearly adding, "Besides, Chai Mi does business relying on solid goods, not on relatives' face." She pointed at the food, "Eat, afternoon work is still heavy."

Sun Baihe's face flushed red then pale, blocked from retorting; she wanted to flare up, but glancing at her own husband and son with heads buried eating fiercely, then at the few pieces of meat left in the bowl, she finally swallowed the words that had rushed to her mouth, only able to hatefully bite a big mouthful of corn cake.

Chai Youlu laughed honestly and hurriedly smoothed things over: "Chai Mi speaks reason! For farmers, land is the foundation! Dongzi, hear that? Eat more, put in extra effort this afternoon!"

After eating lunch, resting a while, several people then went to the fields to work again.

Chai Mi had nothing to do in the afternoon and went along too; when it was time to pick up Chai Xiu, she went to pick up Chai Xiu first.

"Dad! Look! Teacher praised me again today!" Chai Xiu returned home holding up a notebook like presenting a treasure, little face flushed with excitement, "Said my handwriting has improved! Director An... oh no, Teacher An even let me go up to the podium to lead reading the text today!"

Chai Youqing's voice softened considerably, though still carrying a hint of weakness, it revealed a seldom warmth: "Good... good... Xiu'er has promise... stronger than your dad... study well..."

Chai Mi's footsteps paused in the courtyard, she didn't enter the room.

Su Wan followed in, telling her in a low voice: "Your dad... didn't eat much at noon, only drank half a bowl of porridge. Looking... listless, his heart probably still hasn't gotten over it."

Chai Mi silently washed her hands, dried her hands.

Then, she turned back to the room, took a hammer and a few wooden wedges, squatted beside the Inverted Donkey, and began ding-dang-dang-dang repairing the loose planks on the cart bed.

Chai Youqing lay on the kang, listening to the ding-dang sounds of hammering repairs coming from the courtyard, and through the window, could no longer see the coffin; the boulder pressing on his heart until he could barely breathe finally crashed down.

However, what surged up in its place was an even deeper guilt, one that nearly drowned him.

He knew, his daughter had forgiven him, at least, had given him a chance to climb out of this "coffin", to straighten his back and be a father again.

The rest was for him to strive for face, to truly, genuinely climb up.

Chai Mi couldn't know her old dad had so many psychological thoughts; she simply purely felt that coffin was a bit in the way.

As for the issue of Sun Baihe not working properly, Chai Mi actually also felt quite helpless.

After all three people working wasn't fast, but it made do.

And she's still the clan's Second Aunt, speaking heavily wouldn't do either.

If she said: "Hey, Second Aunt, you're not working properly, I won't use you anymore."

This definitely wouldn't work.

At that time Sun Baihe would definitely say: "I fucking didn't do little work."

Work this thing, it's hard to say. Even if she didn't work much, even resting midway, it's all normal, this point can't be spoken of. And fast or slow can't be spoken of either, people aren't robots, all one speed.

Can only say she wasn't idle, then it's justified.

Like this...... it's very hard to handle.

But Chai Mi thought a bit, and found a method to solve this matter.