The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 38 - Not Even the Gods Can Save You Now, You’ll Have to Seek Good Fortune Yourself!
38: Chapter 38: Not Even the Gods Can Save You Now, You’ll Have to Seek Good Fortune Yourself!
38 -38: Not Even the Gods Can Save You Now, You’ll Have to Seek Good Fortune Yourself!
Not only was Jinhua mesmerized, but even Lady Lin couldn’t help but adore it, wishing she could take it and try it on her head.
Nowadays, Wang Yongzhu certainly wouldn’t fail to reciprocate Fourth Brother’s generosity and reached out with a smiling face to take the silk flower.
However, Wang Yongping’s usually hearty face showed a hint of hesitation, and after hemming and hawing for a long while, he managed to squeeze out, “Little sister, you can pick one of the flowers, but I’ll take the other one to Jinzhi.”
At first, Wang Yongzhu didn’t understand and was stunned for a second, but seeing Wang Yongping, a grown man, blushing and embarrassed, she realized that Jinzhi must be the future bride Fourth Brother was engaged to.
She certainly couldn’t choose first.
Otherwise, if word got back to the future sister-in-law, wouldn’t it seem like she, as a younger sister-in-law, was tactless?
Hatred had already been drawn in large amounts; it would be best to minimize it where possible.
She promptly withdrew her hand, “Thank you, Fourth Brother, for thinking of buying me a hair ornament, but there’s no reason for me to pick first.
Let Sister Jinzhi choose.
I don’t mind wearing any color.”
Wang Yongping didn’t think much of it; anyway, he thought both colors looked good, so he casually tried to put them back into his coat.
Old Granny Zhang, whose face had been sullen for quite a while, almost fell to the ground with a slap.
“I’m going to beat you, you thankless rascal!
You little bunny bewitched by a woman!
I gave birth to you, raised you for over a decade, cleaned up your messes, and lost countless fortunes because of you!
And now?
You’re not even full-fledged yet, and you’ve already forgotten your old mother?
What kind of love potion has that little vixen from the Li Family been feeding you?
Because of that little temptress, how much has our family lost?
And now, as soon as you’ve made a bit of money, you’re burning through it recklessly?
Buying things for your little sister, that’s your duty, but buying a hair ornament for that vixen who hasn’t even married into our family and is already stirring up trouble?
What right does she have that you grovel before her like this, even more diligently than you serve your own parents?
You wastrel, I’ll beat the daylights out of you, you rotten little brat—”
As she spoke, she flailed at Wang Yongping with the frying spatula.
No matter how tough Wang Yongping was outside, where no one dared to provoke him, at home, when his mother wanted to beat him, he had to take it obediently.
While wincing in pain, he immediately changed his tune, “Mother, I was wrong!
I won’t give the flower to Jinzhi anymore.
Can’t I just honor you with it instead?”
Wang Yongzhu held her forehead, lamenting over her troublesome Fourth Brother, who was rushing headlong down the path to disaster.
True enough, Old Granny Zhang flew into a rage, and the iron spatula in her hand swept through the air fiercely.
“Pah!
You expect me, after giving birth to you and raising you, to pick up the leftovers of that cheap girl?
You think that in the future, you’ll let that vixen climb onto my head and make her nest?
Wang Yongping, you thankless wretch, why don’t you just go and be a live-in son-in-law at the Li Family?
What’s the point of having the surname Wang any longer?
Go and lick their feet!
How did I give birth to such an exasperating creature like you?
If I had known you’d forget your own mother before even marrying, I would’ve been better off strangling you at birth to save me the trouble!
My life is hard indeed, giving birth to sons like you who abandon their mother for a wife—”
With that, she threw the spatula and sat down on the ground with a thump, throwing her head back and wailing loudly.
Old Wang Laozhu inside couldn’t sit still.
This was the last thing a parent wanted, for their son to become estranged from them.
Who would they rely on in their old age?
Wang Laozhu strode out quickly, and as soon as Wang Yongping jumped in front of him, he struck him with the handle of his smoking pipe, “You unfilial son, making your mother cry the moment you come back home!
Why did you even come back?”
Wang Yongping, who’d just escaped the iron spatula of his mother, found himself under attack by his father’s smoking pipe and couldn’t dare to fight back.
Wang Yongfu and Lady Lin stood by, wringing their hands, not daring to intervene.
At times like this, whoever tried to mediate would be the one to suffer!
Besides, Wang Yongping had always been resilient since childhood; this bit of beating was nothing to him.
Everyone was used to it, as in previous years, such scenes would play out seven or eight times a month.
It only paused last year when Wang Yongping left to work as a shop assistant.
Now he had just come back, and it all started again.
While everyone was initially taken aback, they all felt a strange sense of nostalgia at the familiar commotion.
Wang Yongping cried out in pain from the beating and was especially puzzled.
Why were his parents still so angry when he had already admitted his mistake?
He straightforwardly asked, “Dad, I said I wouldn’t give the flower to Jinzhi, didn’t I?
I’ve offered it to little sister and mother, isn’t that enough?
Why are you still angry with me?
Mother, why are you so petty?
Dad, stop hitting me—”
Wang Yongzhu really hadn’t seen someone so intent on courting death before.
And to think it was his own Fourth Brother.
He sighed, fearing that if he didn’t intercede, the Wang Family would witness a bloody scene today.
“Fourth Brother, besides bringing me a gift, what did you bring for Dad and Mom?”
Wang Yongping hopped on one foot as he replied, “Dad and Mom aren’t lacking anything, what good is there to bring?”
Alright then, even the gods can’t save you now, best of luck to you!
Wang Yongzhu completely gave up on the idea of a rescue.
He took two pieces of glutinous rice cake, gave Little Bean a signal with his eyes, and they together retreated to a corner, watching Old Granny Zhang and Wang Laozhu playing mixed doubles, tormenting Fourth Brother while casually breaking the rice cake into smaller pieces, stuffing a little bit into each child’s mouth.
Glutinous rice cake is made by grinding rice into a slurry, brushing a pan with a layer of oil, pouring the slurry into it, and then steaming it on high heat.
Before taking it out of the pan, a sprinkle of black sesame seeds is added.
It’s sweet and fragrant, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, carrying a fresh aroma, and seen as a rare treat in town.
Wang Yongzhu had tasted countless desserts before, but after crossing over for so many days, his mouth had almost grown tasteless, yet the mere sliver of glutinous rice cake that could wedge between his teeth made him feel it was better than any dessert he’d ever had.
Not to mention the other children, who had never tasted anything so delicious, were too reluctant to chew and merely held it in their mouths, feeling the sweetness permeate straight to their hearts.
Wang Yongzhu wasn’t too excessive; he only shared a piece of the rice cake with the children, wrapping up the rest to save for Old Granny Zhang.
Although Little Bean and the others had only savored a hint of the flavor, they were quite content, showing no objections when Wang Yongzhu put away the remaining rice cake.
By the time they had finished the rice cakes, Old Granny Zhang was still energetically beating her son.
It wasn’t until Lady Jiang had finished preparing dinner that Old Granny Zhang and Wang Laozhu grudgingly put away their shovel and tobacco pipe and got ready to eat.
Wang Yongping rubbed his back, hissing in pain.
His parents really put a lot of energy into it this time, hitting him mercilessly!
If he weren’t so tough, he probably wouldn’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow.
Alas, even though he hadn’t been home for half a year, how could his parents bear to hit him so hard?
Wang Yongping continued to rub the sore spots, muttering to himself.
However, his full heart of gloominess vanished without a trace upon smelling the meat’s fragrance.
What Jinhua, what Jinzhi, what are those things?
Nothing could compare to the two big pots of meat in front of him!
All having not touched such a substantial meal in a long time, once Old Granny Zhang had doled out the bread, everyone stopped talking, tucked in heads down, and heartily ate away.
