Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 162

After chatting warmly with her mother for a while, Ying Su took the little bun to bed.

The house only had two rooms in total, an east room and a west room. The east room was where Mother Shen and the family lived; the west room had been cleared out especially for Ying Su and the little bun.

The house was old and dilapidated, its walls mottled and cracked. The ridge beam was dotted with white spots of mold, and the musty smell filled the entire room.

Though the bedding looked worn, it was very clean, soft to the touch, and carried the faint scent of sunshine. Clearly, Father Shen had taken the trouble to lay the quilts out to air for them.

The little bun rolled around on the bedding, and after Ying Su slipped under the covers, he whispered, “Mommy, Grandpa and Grandma’s house is so shabby…”

Hearing that, Ying Su frowned slightly. Could it be that the little one had gotten used to living in a proper brick-tile house and now looked down on his grandparents’ place? If he really thought that way at such a young age, she told herself she’d have to correct it.

But then she heard him sigh. “Mommy, how much money do we have left? Is it enough to build a house for Grandpa and Grandma? If it’s not enough, when my little chicks grow up, we can sell the eggs and the chickens…”

Suddenly, he sat up with a jolt, exclaiming nervously, “I forgot about my chicks! Mommy, I need to go check on them.”

Ying Su quickly pulled him back, laughing. “Mommy already checked for you, and even fed them. Your chicks are fine, probably asleep already. We should hurry and sleep too.”

She repeated her answer to his earlier question, “In a couple of days, when things aren’t so busy, we’ll build a house.”

“For Grandpa and Grandma, will we build the same kind of brick-tile house like ours?” The little bun asked seriously.

Ying Su stroked the soft hair on his head. “Yes, another brick-tile house. From now on, this place will be our home too.”

Huzi was delighted. Back in Dongjun Village, although Madam Li was his grandmother, her treatment of him and Dazhuang was never the same. He was too young to describe it, but because Shen Cuihua had been a lunatic before, he’d grown very sensitive. He could clearly tell the difference between goodwill and malice, and to what degree.

Grandpa and Grandma genuinely liked him, doted on him no less than how Madam Li doted on Dazhuang. And in this home, he even had two uncles, the elder one strong and imposing, the younger one playful. Both uncles loved him as well.

For a child who once had no one to love him, this filled the little bun with joy. To suddenly have so many family members who liked him, who sincerely cared for him, it made him over the moon.

The next morning, just as the sky brightened, Ying Su got up. She went to the kitchen to check the water tank, saw it was full, and began preparing breakfast.

There wasn’t much food in the house, only a few eggs in a basket, likely from the hens, saved to sell at the market.

Ying Su walked around the yard and spotted a patch of green onions behind the house. She pulled up a few, gathered some wild greens for a salad, and went back.

In the courtyard, she took out the fine flour she had brought, scooped half a basin, added water until it was thin, cracked in two eggs, stirred it smooth, then added chopped scallions and salt.

She lit the fire under the stove, laid in some thick logs to burn steadily, then scrubbed the pot clean, heated some oil, and ladled in a scoop of batter. Tilting the ladle, she spread it thin across the bottom of the pan, forming a round crepe.

Once it set, she flipped it with the spatula. Soon, a thin, fragrant egg pancake was ready.

Just then, the doorway darkened as Shen Hefu entered. Seeing Ying Su cooking, he said, “Why are you up so early? I can handle the cooking. You stayed up late last night, go back and get more sleep.”

Ying Su shook her head with a smile. “I’m not sleepy, Dad. I’ll cook.”

Shen Hefu tried to shoo her out of the kitchen, but Ying Su quickly said, “Dad, why don’t you check on Huzi’s chicks? I haven’t fed them yet this morning.”

At the mention of his beloved grandson’s chicks, Shen Hefu hurried to the yard to feed them. When he was done, he picked up a basket and called back, “I’m going to the fields to pull some weeds.”

In the cool of the morning, farmers liked to get work done early.

Ying Su nodded. “Dad, come back soon. Breakfast will be ready in no time.”

From one basin of batter, she made about thirty pancakes, cooked a pot of rice porridge, and boiled five eggs. After peeling them, she mashed them with garlic into an egg paste, perfect for spreading between the pancakes, giving them a special flavor.

Just as she finished, the gate rattled. Thinking it must be Father Shen or Changyun and the others, Ying Su went to open it.

Instead, two women came in. Ying Su recognized one, the last time she returned to Xiling Village, this woman had come with a message, saying if Father Shen insisted on taking her back, then they would cut ties and not acknowledge him as a son.

The other woman she didn’t know, though she could guess.

The stranger’s face flickered with fear at the sight of Ying Su. “Cuihua, you really came back?” She asked nervously.

Ying Su glanced at her, noting her shifty eyes and guilty expression. She looked uneasy, even sweating from the brow. Being silently scrutinized made the woman even more flustered, her heart restless with guilt.

“Shen Cuihua? After doing such shameless things, you still dare to come back to the village?” Wang Chunlan hadn’t noticed her sister-in-law’s unease. She raised her voice and scolded right at Ying Su.

Ying Su frowned slightly, replying bluntly, “Didn’t you already say last time that you were cutting ties with my family? Why come back here to make trouble again?”

Being called a nuisance nearly made Wang Chunlan jump with anger. She cursed loudly, “Shen Cuihua! You don’t even call me Third Aunt, and you talk to your elders with no respect! All these years outside, you learned nothing good, only bad! I’m telling you, before the whole village knows you’re back, you’d better get out now!”

Ying Su couldn’t help a wry smile. Why was it these past days she only ran into the most ridiculous types? And just like Feng Qiufang, this one was another “Third Aunt.”

“I’m disrespectful? You barged into my house and started scolding me. That’s your idea of manners? Who raised you to be so well-bred?” Ying Su sneered.

“Of course! My mother raised me extremely well!” Wang Chunlan declared proudly until Madam Zhao at her side gave her a pointed look. Only then did she realize Ying Su had been mocking her. Her face turned red with rage. “You shameless thing, daring to ridicule me? Today I’ll teach you how to talk properly!”