Chapter 9 Why

Mrs. Chen dared not anger her son anymore and began to speak ill of his eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Hu. She also decided to invite the family of the second son to eat dinner at the eldest son's house three days later. It was the seventeenth of the third month and her fifty-sixth birthday.

"I want a modest celebration and will not invite outsiders. I won't ask my third son's family to return either. Only my eldest son's family and yours will gather for dinner," Mrs. Chen said.

Chen Ming chuckled, "It's not good for my eldest brother's family to bear the cost of your birthday celebration, mother. When it's time, I'll bring fifty cents. Your youngest daughter-in-law has also made you a long dress, embroidered with numerous 'fortune' characters on the collar. When you wear it, you'll surely outshine Granny Gao."

Granny Gao is Junior Officer Gao's mother, and not only does he hold the post of junior officer, but he is also the richest landlord in Xiangluo village.

Mrs. Chen laughed joyfully at the news, "That's good news. I know my second daughter-in-law is capable, and my fondness for her isn't misplaced." She continued, "Don't bring up the fifty cents, save it to buy some good food to nourish your body. The spending money your third brother gave me is more than enough, I can't even spend all of it. Here, this is fifty cents. Hand it to your eldest brother in front of your sister-in-law. Mrs. Hu is always wide-eyed at money."

Chen Ming objected immediately, "That's not appropriate…"

"Why not?" Mrs. Chen reprised, "The dress that your wife made is worth some money. Not like your eldest sister-in-law, even if she rarely stitches a garment for me, she can't even embroider a single flower or petal." Then followed a round of Chen Ming's declining and Mrs. Chen forcefully insisting.

Only after it seemed that Mrs. Chen was becoming upset did Chen Ming accept the money.

Chen Afu didn't come to the room until Mrs. Chen left. The brightness of the late afternoon sun made Afu squint.

Looking up, Chen Ming said with a smile, "Afu, are you up?"

"Yes." Afu nodded, sitting on the little stool next to him.

Chen Ming asked again, "Did you hear your grandmother just now?"

"I didn't——hear." Chen Afu shook his head.

Chen Ming heaved a sigh of relief, "Your mother has gone to Guqiao village to buy pig livers. How would you like it prepared?" One penny cheaper per catty, nearly every villager of the two nearby villages buys their pork from Guqiao village instead of in town.

Having never eaten pig liver in his previous life, Chen Afu shook his head and said, "I don't——know."

Then Chen Ming once again laughed, "Well, let's have your mom make some pork liver soup for us. Add a few vegetables, it'll be delicious."

His smile was pure, radiant, like the warm sun in the sky.

Even if he were the biological father of this disabled girl, such a smile would still be commendable. Let alone the fact that the girl he's raising is not of his own blood.

Chen Afu felt a deep respect for him.

Chen Afu tugged his sleeve and said, "Dad, in the future, I——will take care of you, earn money——to cure your sickness." He felt a pang in his nose, and his mouth started to drool.

Chen Ming chuckled and used the cloth over her chest to wipe the drool off her lips, "Good, I'm looking forward to that day."

While they were talking, Mrs. Wang led Chen Alu and Chen Dabao back home. She was carrying half a pig lung.

Chen Dabao ran up excitedly, holding Afu as he said, "Mom, Grandma bought pig lung, we're going to have pig lung soup tonight."

Chen Ming continued with his work, looked up and smiled, "Hmm, ask Granny to put fewer vegetables, it smells good."

Mrs. Wang, smiling, said, "Alright, I'll add more goji berries. It won't just smell good; it will also be beneficial for the head of the household."

At the dinner table, Chen Ming informed them that Mrs. Chen's birthday is on the 17th, and he invited the second room's entire family for a meal.

Chen Alu agreed with a grin, but Chen Dabao furrowed his brows and pouted. He hesitated for a moment then asked Chen Ming, "Grandy, could my mother and I not go? We'd rather stay home and eat leftovers."

Seeing this, Chen Alu also said, "If Big Sister and Dabao don't want to go, it's fine. Aunt Wang and Aju always scold them with harsh words. Worse comes to worst, I'll bring some food back for them."

Despite being sensible, Chen Dabao was still a kid and longed for delicious food. Hearing that his uncle would bring them good food made him grin from ear to ear, nodding his head enthusiastically.

Mrs. Wang sighed and said to Chen Ming, "Shall we not take the two of them? We might not want to stir up trouble."

Chen Ming disagreed and said, "Not visiting frequently is one thing, but not attending my mother's birthday is inappropriate." He patted Chen Dabao's head and added, "Your great-grandmother talks a lot but she still cares for you. Although your great grandmother and Aunt Aju might not... not really like you, your great grandfather and uncle on the other hand are quite good to you. You and your mother will need support in the village, and having just your little uncle isn't enough. You are clever and understand things, you need to find a way to maintain a good relationship with them. As for Aunt Aju and the others, if they speak unpleasantly, just stay away from them."

Chen Dabao muttered, "They don't just speak unpleasantly, Aunt Aju even pulls my ears and lets Dahu hit me. Once, they secretly pinched my mother as well."

Mrs. Wang's eyes reddened. Chen Ming sighed and said to Chen Alu, "When you go to your uncle's house, make sure to keep an eye on your sister and Dabao." He then muttered about how Chen Ye supported the widow Mrs. Chen in working the fields from a young age, sold several acres of land a while back to fund Chen Ming and Chen Shi's education.

From this conversation, it was evident that Chen Ming had deep affection for Chen Ye.

Both Chen Alu and Chen Dabao nodded in agreement.

Chen Afu, however, wanted to see more of the world and get to know the people here, especially his relatives. He was eager to go and agreed, "Alright, we'll——go." He then reassured them, "I'm not——silly anymore, I won't get——bullied."

After dinner, and after studying for over an hour, everyone except Mrs. Wang went to rest.

As he lay in bed, Chen Dabao still had a worried look on his face. Chen Afu gently stroked his brow and asked, "Is going to great-grandmother's house——very troublesome?"

The little boy pouted, "Hmm, I can endure it when they scold and pull me. But when they scold and pinch my mother, it doesn't feel right in my heart."

"Why? Why do they, Aunt Wang, Aju——hate us?" According to Mrs. Chen, only she and Chen Ye knew that Afu was not Chen Ming's biological daughter. No one else knew.

The little boy explained with his thin fingers, "One reason is that when Great grandfather was young, he and Granny supported Grandfather and Third Uncle. Grandfather spent more money on schooling and medical treatment than Third Uncle. Third Uncle was grateful and built a big house for them and occasionally gave them money. But our family, not only could we not give more money to Great Grandfather's family, Granny also secretly helped our family."

He leaned in closer and whispered in a gossipy tone, "There's another more important reason, I heard from the villagers that Aunt Aju wanted to marry Uncle Changsheng, but he was unwilling. Aunt Aju then fancied an uncle from the nearby village, but he also declined. Great grandmother and Aunt Aju blamed it on Mom adopting Dabao as her son, ruining the family's manners, causing no decent men wanting to marry Aju."

The kid was smart and expressed the situation quite well.

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