Chapter 24: Horrible Relatives

After talking with someone at the field ridge for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, having asked all that needed to be asked, Liu Shi finally took her son’s hand and returned home.

Liu Shi’s home was not far from the fields. Their house was in a good location, renovated a few years ago, and was the most eye-catching among the rows of houses in the village.

Entering the house, Liu Changning was already seated at the head of the dining table. The eldest son Liu Yue had prepared fine rice and sweet potato porridge, along with several dishes of vegetables, laid out on the square table.

As soon as Liu Xia entered the house, he glanced at the table, and seeing it was all vegetables, he couldn’t help but pout.

Ever since his second elder sister went to the county academy to study, there had been no meat in the house.

Although most peasant households in the village couldn’t even afford fine rice, their family had good food with meat and eggs until recently.

Now that he was used to eating meat, having just vegetables and white rice felt bland and tasteless.

Liu Xia hung his head, so no one noticed his little thoughts.

His mother was now glaring at Liu Shi with a dark face, berating her: “I sent you to call people by the river, and you’re gone for half an hour, gossiping outside all day. We might as well not eat dinner today.”

Liu Shi wore an apologetic smile on his face, turning his head to glare fiercely at Liu Xia.

He then stepped forward, took off the bamboo basket on his back, and walked up swaying one step at a time.

He soothed, “Wife-master, don’t be angry. I just happened to meet our elder niece on the village road, that’s why I came back a bit late.”

Liu Changning raised her head: “Long Ning? What did you have to talk about with her?”

The woman sitting in the main hall raised her voice, snorting impatiently.

Liu Shi smiled deftly, stepped forward to place a bowl of sweet potato rice for Liu Changning, and replied: “Wife-master doesn’t know, this humble servant didn’t actually speak with that weak niece. She was just returning from town with her profligate husband, looking intimate. The two of them brought back a large cart of food from town. I was curious, so I joined the villagers to watch the commotion for a while.”

“A large cart of food?” Liu Changning turned her head, staring steadily at Liu Shi, her tone improving somewhat.

Liu Shi nodded, pulling her rough hand, his eyes darting around, small eyes gleaming: “Indeed, who would have thought that profligate husband of hers turned out to be capable. It seems their days ahead will be even better than ours… It’s only right for a niece to be filial to her birth aunt, so why don’t we…”

He paused, seeing Liu Changning silent, and gently persuaded: “Wife-master mustn’t soften her heart. Though Long Ning is your niece, our Dong’er is your own daughter. Now that she’s gone to study in the county, about to take the imperial examination, scholars’ ink and paper are expensive. The hundred taels we extorted last time is nearly half gone. The provincial examination later will be an even bigger expense. The two sons in our family will need to be married off sooner or later, everything needs money.”

Liu Shi carefully observed his wife-master, seeing her eyes narrowed, clearly interested, and continued to persuade: “I just heard from San Shun that this profligate husband only needs to smile at the nobles in the county, and he can get several hundred taels of silver!”

“Really?” Liu Changning asked skeptically.

She raised her head and scanned the simple meal on the wooden table, and the two sons nearby with few ornaments in their hair.

Frowning, she thought for a moment, then made up her mind: “I’ll go to the west room tomorrow. Our elder niece should give what she ought to, not a bit less.”

Having obtained his wife-master’s permission, Liu Shi nodded repeatedly.

“Mother… Elder cousin is after all your own niece. Last time, Father used Grandmother’s grave relocation as an excuse and almost sold cousin to a human trafficker to be sent to the palace as a lowly maid. If it weren’t for cousin bringing back a hundred taels of silver to give to Father, she might have been drugged with poisoned incense, had her female essence extracted, and turned into an inhuman eunuch. You clearly promised cousin back then that you wouldn’t trouble her again, but now… it’s barely been a month, and yet…”

The speaker was Liu Changning’s eldest son Liu Yue. He usually didn’t talk much, and if it weren’t for his own family bullying others too much, he wouldn’t have spoken up to contradict his mother and father’s schemes. After all, he was powerless and just a son.

At these words, Liu Changning didn’t speak, but Liu Xia took three steps in two to Liu Yue’s front, saying resentfully: “Brother, in your words you’re accusing Father and Mother, do you know that their current plans are all for our sake? Now that cousin seems able to control that profligate husband of hers, we should get some silver while we can. Who knows when that profligate will abandon cousin, that good-for-nothing, and the silver will benefit someone else. Wouldn’t that be too late for regrets?”

The two brothers disagreed, arguing endlessly.

Liu Changning narrowed her eyes and said sternly: “What kind of behavior is all this shouting? Your father and I have our own plans regarding Long Ning. Young men, hands on hips and cursing like shrew men. How will you ever get married in the future! Enough, eat your meal!”

—

After a bumpy journey, the ox cart arrived at the old house. Liu Long Ning was too lazy to even eat lunch, hurriedly returning to the woodshed to sleep.

When she woke up, the sky was dark. After dressing and washing her face, she discovered a light in the kitchen.

Pushing open the kitchen door, she found her convenience husband holding a wooden spatula, constantly stirring in the wok.

He was generous with the oil, and the pork belly in the wok was sizzling, glistening with grease.

In the summer heat, with his face flushed from the fire, large beads of sweat formed on his forehead, sliding down his gorgeous features.

Hearing the door open, he turned his head and pursed his lips, speaking in his usual unpleasant manner: “You really know how to sleep?”

Liu Long Ning shrugged indifferently and walked closer.

Two vegetable dishes were already laid out on the table. Though not looking good, a faint aroma of vegetables could be smelled from afar.

She glanced at him, took out a dry handkerchief from her bosom, pointed at the sweat on his sideburns, and asked: “Do you want me to wipe your sweat?”

Feeling her words were inappropriate, she explained: “If sweat drips into the wok, all the effort in cooking this meat dish will be wasted.”

As she finished speaking, she saw the man beside her with deep, dark eyes snort coldly: “Meddlesome! Who asked you to care?”

Liu Long Ning tilted her head, the corners of her lips curling into a faint, ambiguous smile: “You really don’t want it? That’s fine too, saves me wasting a handkerchief.”

She was about to withdraw it when he snatched it away.

He looked at her irritably, pursed his lips, and roughly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Raising his chin haughtily towards her, his deep voice carried a hint of pride: “Don’t misunderstand, this young master just doesn’t want to ruin the food I worked so hard to make.”

Liu Long Ning eyed his raised chin, clasped her hands behind her back, and said quite amusedly: “Alright then, as long as you’re happy! Don’t just stand there, the meat is about to burn…”