Chapter 43 - A Two-in-One Event: June 6th, Eating Mutton...

When Lin Chuntao got home, the meat was no longer hot, so she quickly sliced ​​it and put it into a bamboo basket.

Smelling the rich aroma of meat, Lin Chuntao lost all her other thoughts.

There was quite a lot of original mutton soup in the pot, not enough to finish in one meal. Lin Chuntao brought over an earthenware pot and poured the excess soup into it to store, so that she could pour it out again to cook the soup for the next meal.

The vegetables were already prepared. She put the chopped meat and half of the sheep's blood and offal into the pot, then added half a radish cut into strips, sprinkled in a little pepper, and prepared the dipping sauce. While waiting for the mutton soup to boil, she scooped out a spoonful of the hot soup to rinse the dipping sauce. The aroma of meat and chili filled the yard, making Lin Chuntao feel her stomach rumble. Looking at the bubbling soup in the pot, she asked, "Does anyone want some soup first?"

They replied in unison, "No, we won't drink."

Lin Chuntao smiled, filled a large bowl with the mint and placed it aside. Then she grabbed a handful of mint from the bamboo sieve and put it down, saying, "Bring out the bowls and chopsticks, you can eat now."

This was the first time Pei Ying had tried this way of eating, and also the first time she had eaten mutton with the skin on. The taste was different from what she ate in her hometown.

In particular, Lin Chuntao added a large handful of mint leaves to the pot. Many people in his hometown like to use mint leaves to make tea, but he disliked the taste. Having spent so much time together, he knew that Lin Chuntao often had some unusual ideas, but he never expected that this stuff could be used as a vegetable and cooked in a hot pot.

Lin Chuntao stirred the pot, pressed the mint leaves into the soup, and then got up to serve the rice, only to see Pei Ying frowning and staring at the pot.

She frowned slightly, realizing something was wrong; she had forgotten to ask Pei Ying if she no longer ate mint.

"Sorry, I forgot to ask, do you not eat mint?"

Pei Ying snapped out of her reverie and looked at her, shaking her head slightly: "I don't really like it, but it's not that I won't eat it."

Lin Chuntao said, "Then I'll blanch it right away and take it out first. You can eat the meat and see if the taste is affected. If it is, I'll make it again for you."

"No need for that, eat first."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Chunxing and the others came out with their bowls and chopsticks, and everyone started serving themselves rice and eating.

Pei Ying first picked up a piece of meat and dipped it in the sauce. This was the first time he had eaten mutton with the skin on. He didn't know how to describe the taste, but it was strangely delicious.

He thought mint tea smelled bad, but it blended surprisingly well with the mutton's gamey smell, like a broken pot with a broken lid.

He tried picking up some mint leaves and putting them in his mouth; they seemed like normal vegetables and didn't smell bad at all.

Lin Chuntao stared at him intently, and after he swallowed, she asked, "How was it? Did you enjoy it?"

Pei Ying nodded. "It's delicious."

After he finished speaking, Lin Chuntao smiled slowly, "That's good. I think mint and mutton are a perfect match. It would taste even better if there was mint in the mutton rice noodles."

Pei Ying said, "Then we can buy some rice noodles to try tomorrow, but I think the meat-filled rice noodles you cooked are still the best."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Anything can be cooked, it's not difficult."

Looking at the pot of meat, Lin Chunxing felt a little unreal. There were only five of them eating, and they could eat as much as they wanted. But they had been living like this for several days. She often heard Lin Chuntao thanking people, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. However, thinking about the past, she looked up at Lin Chuntao and said, "Thank you, sister."

Hearing this, Lin Chuntao looked up at Lin Chunxing, whose cheeks were flushed, and smiled: "Why are you being so polite all of a sudden? There's no need for thanks between us sisters."

Lin Chunxing looked at her, her voice gentle.

"I just suddenly felt like saying it."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Pei Ying beside her. She rarely spoke to Pei Ying, and Pei Ying was not talkative either. But after Pei Ying came, he was diligent and would make clothes for them. Although her sister bought the fabric, Pei Ying made the clothes. She took a deep breath and said to Pei Ying, "Thank you, brother-in-law, too."

Like Lin Chunxing and the others, Pei Ying wasn't used to saying thank you, nor was he used to others saying it to him. But since his younger sister sincerely thanked him, Pei Ying still acted like a brother-in-law.

"Of course, you are Chun Tao's younger sisters, which means you are my sisters too. Don't be so polite."

Lin Chunhe looked at them, perhaps wanting to say something, but unable to speak. Lin Chuntao glanced at her, then took out chopsticks and served them meat.

"Hurry up and eat. Let's rest today. Tomorrow we might have to go to the fields to replant corn."

After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, everyone began to eat meat with their heads down. The group gathered around the iron pot and ate with great relish.

Today, the villagers are not working. After lunch, everyone carries a bag of sunflower seeds and wanders around the village, chatting with each other when they meet someone.

Lin Qingqing and Lin Jiaye came to visit. The group planned to go into the mountains to pick flowers. Since it was a rare day off, Lin Chuntao was too lazy to move, so Pei Ying stayed with her at home.

The two of them sat in the yard basking in the sun. The afternoon sun was quite strong, and Pei Ying said, "Let's go inside and sit down. It'll give you a headache if we stay in the sun for too long."

Lin Chuntao nodded, but suddenly felt a little embarrassed as she prepared to stand up.

She and Pei Ying each lived in a separate room, partly because of limited space and partly because her younger sisters were there. But now that her sisters weren't there, Pei Ying was calling her back to her room. She couldn't very well tell her to go back to her own room, could she?

As she was struggling with her thoughts, Pei Ying carried a chair to the doorway, turned around and looked at her: "What are you thinking about? Come in and I'll show you something."

Lin Chuntao got up, picked up a chair, and followed him into the house.

As soon as she sat down, Pei Ying went to the bedside table, took something out, and handed it to her.

"I made you a purse, so it will be easier to carry money when you go out."

Lin Chuntao took it and unfolded it. It was a small crossbody bag about the size of two hands put together. The bag was made of folded strips of cloth woven together, running horizontally through the bag, and the opening could be tightened and tied. Lin Chuntao opened the tightened opening. Pei Ying had made this small bag with two layers. The inner layer was made of scraps of cotton fabric left over from making clothes, and the outer layer was made of green cloth. He used the scraps of cloth to make pictures and sewed them onto the bag, like flowers embroidered on it. It looked quite nice.

"Thank you, I like it very much."

Pei Ying's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this, "I'm glad you like it."

Seeing Lin Chuntao looking down at the bag, Pei Ying drank some water, went out and swept the yard, then sharpened her pig-slaughtering knife and put it away.

When he finished his work and returned to the house, Lin Chuntao was still pondering the needle and thread in the bag. He brought a chair over and sat down next to her.

"Still looking at it? If you like it, I'll make it for you in a few days."

Lin Chuntao nodded slightly, gently laid her bag flat on her lap, and tilted her head to look at Pei Ying beside her. She saw Pei Ying looking at her with affection in her eyes.

His eyebrows and eyes were deep, his nose was high and straight, and his lips were clearly defined. In fact, Pei Ying's appearance was the type she liked, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to spot him at a glance among so many people.

Lin Chuntao's mind was in turmoil.

Pei Ying, who was being stared at, felt his heart beat a little fast, especially when Lin Chuntao turned around and came into his view. She did not back down or feel shy. Instead, she stared at his eyebrows and eyes and carefully examined them. He thought of the situation in the courtyard that night and felt a little nervous.

He swallowed unconsciously, feeling his mouth dry, and it took him a long time to speak.

"My wife, have you been looking at this for so long because you're not satisfied?"

As soon as he spoke, his voice became hoarse, and Lin Chuntao turned around gently.

She tilted her head slightly and gently ran her index finger across his lips. In that instant, something seemed to explode in his heart, making him stiffen and unable to move.

"Your lips are quite nice," Lin Chuntao said softly.

The moment she finished speaking, Pei Ying's Adam's apple bobbed, and the finger that had just slid past her lips gently slid back, tickling Pei Ying's heart. He grabbed her hand and was about to bend down when he heard Lin Qingqing and Lin Chunxing talking outside the courtyard.

The ambiguous atmosphere was broken, and their eyes suddenly cleared. Pei Ying released Lin Chuntao's hand, and Lin Chuntao quickly got up and went out, turning around and entering the next room.

"Sis, we're back!"

A crisp sound rang out, and Lin Chuntao put down her bag and came out of the house. She saw Lin Chunxing and Lin Qingqing each carrying a bundle of flowers into the yard.

Lin Chuntao's eyes widened as she looked at the rhododendrons in their arms.

"Where did you pick these flowers? Why did you pick so many?"

Lin Qingqing laughed and said, "Sister Chuntao, we each only picked a handful, and as we walked, they all ended up in Chunxing's and my hands."

As soon as Lin Qingqing finished speaking, Lin Dongxue and Lin Chunhe, who were walking behind, also came in. Whether it was from the sun or from being tired, their faces were all flushed.

As soon as Lin Chunhe came in, she walked towards the water bucket, scooped up a ladle of water and poured it into the bamboo tube, then hugged the bamboo tube and drank it madly.

Fortunately, the water they drank was spring water, which was not polluted and even had a slightly sweet taste.

Lin Qingqing and Lin Chunxing put all the flowers on the table. Lin Chuntao went to look at them and saw that some were still buds, but some were already in full bloom.

Most of the rhododendrons they picked today were alpine rhododendrons, with only a few camellias in between.

The rhododendrons have large clusters of flowers, especially when they are in full bloom. Each branch has several small flowers that resemble teacups or bells. In addition, the flowers come in a variety of colors. The ones that Lin Chunxing and her friends picked today include white, red, and pink. Lin Chuntao likes every color.

In comparison, camellias appear much less vibrant.

Since she had nothing else to do that day, she went to the wall and found a few bamboo tubes. She also brought a sickle and prepared to cut the openings of the bamboo tubes to use for holding water and flowers.

She had seen Pei Ying peel the bamboo tube opening before, so gently, as if peeling tofu. Why did it seem like she was having a bit of a struggle when she tried to peel it?

Seeing how hard she was trying, Pei Ying walked over and took the bamboo tube and sickle from her hands.

"How do you want it shaved?"

Lin Chuntao looked up at him and pointed to the mouth of the bamboo tube: "This one can be rounded, but these two need to be shortened."

Pei Ying nodded, and Lin Chuntao said softly, "Thank you for your hard work."

As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Ying's lips twitched, a faint smile playing on her lips. She gave a soft "hmm" and went to get her things.

Lin Chuntao went to the table and separated the flowers she wanted to arrange.

Pei Ying quickly finished cutting the bamboo tubes and brought them over to her.

She filled the bamboo tube with water, trimmed the flower branches they had broken off with a sickle, and then inserted the flowers one by one into the bamboo tube. She placed it by the window. The green bamboo tube was covered with tightly packed flowers. Lin Chuntao smiled as she looked at it. She didn't expect that the bamboo tube, which was not used for a vase, would feel more suitable and more vibrant.

The courtyard seemed to change instantly.

Lin Qingqing liked the flowers on the window very much. There were still some flowers left to arrange, so she ran to pick up a bamboo tube and asked Lin Chuntao to help her arrange the remaining flowers so she could take them back.

Lin Chuntao didn't refuse. The bamboo tube she found was a bit too thin, so Lin Chuntao went to find her another one and asked Pei Ying to help trim the opening of the bamboo tube. Lin Chuntao picked out the remaining flowers and trimmed the ones in better condition before inserting them into the bamboo tube.

After arranging the flowers, Lin Qingqing was overjoyed.

"Sister Chuntao, it looks much better now that you've done it this way."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "These flowers are beautiful; they would look good even if you just put them in a bamboo tube."

Lin Qingqing carefully picked up the bamboo tube and looked at it from all sides, then smiled and said, "That's different. Sister Chuntao's arrangement is more beautiful."

"I'll take this back later."

Lin Chuntao nodded, put the bamboo tube on the windowsill, and went to squat and play in the yard with Lin Chunxing and the others.

They played until the sun was almost setting, when they heard adults calling from the village. Only then did they carry the flowers home.

*

Today, in the county government office, in the courtroom.

The Qian family not only hired a lawyer, but also invited the doctor who treated Qian that day, as well as the neighbors and passersby who had witnessed the argument between the two families, to serve as witnesses.

As for the scene of the beating, all the adults and children of the Lin family were in the yard that day. Although the adults tried to cover it up and said that Tian hit Qian Dingxiang's stomach by the hammer was an accident, the children did not know how to lie. With the help of the lawyer, they found out the truth in just a few questions.

The case was tried quickly, the facts were clear, and the witness testimonies were sufficient. Tian deliberately hammered Qian Dingxiang's stomach, causing her to miscarry. The fetus was already formed, which constituted the crime of abortion. The nature of the crime was heinous. However, in view of the ethical hierarchy, Tian was only sentenced to eighty strokes of the cane and one year of penal servitude, which could be redeemed with copper coins. The execution will be carried out tomorrow.

Now that things have come to this point, Tian has already been imprisoned. The Lin family can go home and raise money. If they can raise enough money before the execution and hand it over to the government, they can bring Tian back safe and sound.

On the way back, everyone in the Lin family remained silent. Even the children who had been longing to eat mutton were terrified, clutching their parents' clothes and not uttering a word.

As evening approached and the sun had already set, they finally entered the village.

Lin Cunzheng looked at the old man Lin, who had remained silent the whole way, and sighed deeply.

They already have children and grandchildren. Even though Tian has many minor ailments, she has spent half her life with Old Man Lin. If one of the elders in the family passes away, the family will fall apart.

Lin Cunzheng didn't want his younger brother to grow old and have the family fall apart. He still had to find a way to bring Tian Shi back. He looked at Old Man Lin and said, "Go back and see how much money the family can raise. I'll also ask your sister-in-law how much we can raise for you. If that's not enough, we'll ask the second and third brothers' families how much they can raise."

Old Man Lin nodded silently and went home with his son and grandson.

They hadn't eaten lunch and were starving. Zhang went into the kitchen; the mutton was still in the basin. She put it on the shelf, took out some cornmeal, and quickly baked half a basket of cornmeal pancakes. No one sat down to eat anymore; instead, they squatted or sat in the yard, wolfing down their food.

After finishing the cornbread, Zhang thought of the old lady still being in jail. According to the village head, they still needed to raise money to ransom her. She and Tian were not only mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but her mother and Tian were also sisters. She even called Tian "aunt," so they were closer than that. She brought out the mutton and looked at Old Man Lin, saying, "Dad, let's not eat this mutton. I'll go ask if anyone in the village wants it. I'll sell it to them and raise as much as I can."

Old Man Lin glanced at Zhang Shi, then looked at Lin Changhai.

Lin Changhai said calmly, "We'll figure out the money. You cook this meat tomorrow morning, and we'll eat it together when we bring Mother back."

Zhang glanced at her husband. Although she didn't know how they planned to get the money, she could tell from their tone that they had already made up their minds, so she didn't say anything more and took the meat back into the house.

When Lin Cunzheng returned home hungry after a long day, Sun Shi busied herself bringing out the meat she had cooked that morning, heating it up, and then making rice porridge for Lin Cunzheng to eat first.

After he had almost finished eating, Madam Sun asked, "How did it go? Have they come back yet?"

Lin Cunzheng shook his head. "Tian Shi didn't come back, but the others did."

"He's been imprisoned?" Sun asked.

"Yes, Tian was sentenced to eighty strokes of the cane and one year of penal servitude."

As soon as Lin Cun finished speaking, Sun exclaimed in surprise, "How can it be so heavy?"

"The Qian family hired a skilled lawyer and even invited the doctor from that day to testify. The child in Qian's womb is already formed. According to the law, she can be sentenced to three years in prison, which is already an extraordinary favor."

After Lin Cunzheng finished speaking, he glanced at his children and grandchildren in the courtyard and said in a deep voice, "What I said tonight is not to be said outside."

The adults all know what's going on, but the children are the main ones.

Upon hearing their grandfather's words, they nodded in unison and replied, "Grandpa, we understand."

Lin Cunzheng finished his meal and called Sun Shi into the house.

"How much money do we have that we don't need right now?" Lin Cunzheng asked, and Sun Shi frowned slightly. "What do you mean? Are you going to raise money to bribe the fifth son and the others?"

Lin Cunzheng then said, "The Tian family can redeem copper. I've already sent the fifth brother to see how much they have. Let's see how much we can raise, and then ask the second and third brothers if they can raise enough."

"How much do we need to raise in total?"

Lin Cunzheng said, "Forty to forty-five taels should be enough."

Sun frowned and looked at Lin Cunzheng, "It's okay to pool money, but not in this way. We need to see how much Lao Wu and the others have, and how much they still need, so that our families can contribute."

"Of course, I just wanted to ask how much my family could afford for him."

Sun looked at Lin Cunzheng. At this time, the money raised by the fifth branch of the Lin family would probably have emptied their savings. Should they borrow more? In this village, the annual income is so limited. How easy is it to save up forty or fifty taels?

Lin Cunzheng told us to take the money, but we shouldn't expect Tian to return it when she comes back.

After thinking for a while, Sun and Lin said, "At most three to five taels."

Lin Cunzheng looked at Sun Shi.

Looking at him helplessly, Mrs. Sun said, "We have more than this much money at home, but we still need to keep some. Do you think we won't need money in the future?"

Lin Cun patted Sun's shoulder and nodded slightly: "I know. If it were before, we might have thought they could pay us back. But now, with all the fighting and bickering, it'll be hard to get the money we raised back. But as the eldest brother, I can't do anything about it. I can't just stand by and watch my fifth brother's wife and children break up."

Sun said, "It's good that you know."

"Don't ask the second and third brothers yet. Go see how much the fifth brother can raise first."

Lin Cunzheng said, "I'll go and talk to the second and third brothers first."

After saying that, Lin Cunzheng left. The family hadn't eaten dinner yet. After her father-in-law left, Chen Dongniang busied herself steaming rice. Just then, Sun Shi came out and asked in a low voice, "Mother, will Fifth Aunt be able to come back?"

Madam Sun shook her head slightly: "I don't know what your fifth uncle and the others are planning. If they have money, they should be able to come back."

"How much silver will it cost?"

Sun said, "Forty or fifty taels."

Chen Dongniang was so shocked that her mouth dropped open. Forty or fifty taels of silver was a sum that many people in the village had never been able to save up in their entire lives.

"Where are we supposed to find that?"

Sun said, "I don't know what your fifth uncle and the others are planning, or how much money they have. If they don't even have half of what they need, it will be difficult to raise the money."

Hearing Sun's words, Chen Dongniang said, "Then Lin Laosan married Qian Shi, and the eldest and second eldest sons of the Changhai family got married. Didn't they spend a lot of money? I reckon they don't have much money left."

Sun nodded thoughtfully.

Chen Dongniang continued from the side, "If they still had money, those sisters-in-law wouldn't be in such a hurry to marry Xian'er off to Zhang Bao."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law talked for a while, and then both of them let out a long sigh.

As darkness fell, the Lin family's children were all sent to bed by the adults. The adults remained sitting in the courtyard, silent.

As the moon climbed higher into the sky, Old Man Lin extinguished his cigarette and said in a deep voice, "Eldest and Second Brother, stay here. You all go to sleep."

Lin Changhe frowned. Today's events had turned out this way because of Qian's lawsuit. All day long, he dared not open his mouth, afraid that if he spoke, all the resentment of everyone would be directed at him.

But the old lady is to be executed tomorrow, and he heard what his uncle said earlier. They need to raise money to bring the old lady back. After the old man came back, he just sat in the yard without checking how much money they had or how much they were short so they could borrow from someone.

They didn't say anything and just let them go to sleep.

Could it be that they don't care whether the old lady lives or dies?

"Father, Mother, what should we do? Aren't we going to raise money tonight?"

Old Man Lin glanced at Lin Laosan, then closed his eyes again.

"Where are you going to raise the money? Who are you going to ask?"

Hearing Old Man Lin's cold words, Lin Laosan's eyes lit up. He said, "I'll go ask that brat Chun Tao for it. Her husband slaughters pigs in the county town, so he must have saved some money these days. Besides, that kid hasn't given the betrothal money yet, so he has to give it to her!"

The moment those words were spoken, it felt like everyone in the courtyard was on fire.

Lin Changhai clenched his teeth, enduring for a long time before finally losing his temper and saying in a deep voice, "Fine, go! Go now! If it weren't for those few sluts you gave birth to, would our family have ended up like this?"

"If you hadn't been having an affair with that widow and insisted that she could give you a son, would she have even entered our family? Would she have caused all this trouble?"

"You still have the nerve to say you're going to ask someone for money? If you were someone who could get even a single penny, our family wouldn't be in this state!"

"If you can't manage your wife or teach your daughter well, what's the point of living if you're just wasting food?"

Lin Changhai cursed loudly, while Lin Changhe cowered in the corner, remaining silent.

After cursing for a while, Old Man Lin finally said, "Go to sleep, all of you! Don't get in my way."

Apart from Lin Changhai and Lin Changbo, everyone else went inside to lie down.

Only the father and his two sons remained in the empty courtyard.

Lin Changbo pursed his lips and asked in a low voice, "Father, shall we go get it now?"

Old Man Lin shook his head slightly, "Wait a little longer, your uncle will probably come to our house again, let's tell him before we go."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lin Cunzheng arrived.

He looked at the empty courtyard where only the three of them were, and asked, "Where are the third and fourth brothers?"

Old Man Lin said, "I told them to go to sleep; it's annoying to look at them."

Lin Cunzheng sighed; he was annoyed by it too.

"Have you seen how much money your family can scrape together? I just talked to my second and third brothers, and they can all help you out."

Looking at Lin Cunzheng, who was over fifty years old and had a house full of children and grandchildren, Old Man Lin felt ashamed that he was still causing his elder brother so much worry.

"Thank you, elder brother. Please also thank my second brother and the others for me. We can raise the money."

"Can you raise enough money? Where will your family get so much money?"

Lin Cunzheng frowned, puzzled. He said, "We can all help each other when we're in trouble, but we must not go astray."