Chapter 241 I haven't been craving meat for a long time.

Song Chunxue hid the porcelain basin behind her back, but Mei Yang, oblivious to her intentions, went around behind her and snatched the basin away.

He lifted the white cloth, grabbed a handful, and put it in his mouth.

"Mmm, it's very sweet. Your cooking skills are excellent."

Song Chunxue was furious. "Aren't you disgusting?"

“You have more than five acres of land. My donkey is so tired that it's lying on the ground throwing a tantrum. Consider these sweet potatoes as compensation.” With that, he turned and walked out. “I’ll return the basin to you.”

This guy is just... you could say he's clueless, but at least he has some sense of propriety; you could say he's sensible, but he's completely unreasonable.

If he went even a little bit further, she would have a perfectly legitimate reason to beat him up.

But he runs very fast.

Song Chunxue had never met anyone like this before; he was utterly shameless!

"I don't want the basin anymore!"

She angrily shouted at his retreating back.

"No way, I'm just craving sweet fermented rice, and there's no one at home to make it." His voice was lazy and infuriating. "I won't take advantage of you. I'll pay you back another day."

This person is completely impervious to reason.

Song Chunxue had never been treated like this before.

"Squeak..."

Just then, a moth fluttered across from the Tian family's house...

The woman from the Tian family, dressed in flamboyant clothes and who had scolded her, opened the courtyard gate and came out with a half-smile.

She glanced at Mei Yang's retreating figure and smiled warmly.

"I think they've probably taken a liking to you. I didn't expect you to be so popular. You have a close relationship with Lord Xie on one hand, and you've also managed to make Boss Mei think about you so much. You're quite capable."

"But you're very fair-skinned, not at all like a farmer. It's only been a few days since I last saw you, and you look like you've applied pearls. Unlike me, my skin turns red like a monkey's bottom as soon as I'm in the sun, and it even burns. I really envy the good looks your parents gave you."

Song Chunxue was speechless. Is this how city people talk?

Half praise, half criticism?

Isn't that going against my conscience?

Song Chunxue glanced at Sister Tian's scarlet floral dress, then turned and opened the door without saying a word.

The sweet fermented rice was taken away, so she had to find another porcelain bowl to take it to.

There are only two porcelain basins at home; the other one contains yeast, which still needs to be washed.

That was really exhausting.

She never encountered such a person when she was a young woman, so how come she's still being harassed now that she's a widow?

This is utterly incomprehensible.

Next time, don't let her get the chance. You have to beat him so badly that he won't dare to say a word against you.

"Don't go, let's talk." Sister-in-law Tian stepped forward. "Can I come to your house and have a look? I haven't seen the inside yet."

"No, we're not close, are we?"

Sister-in-law Tian chuckled, "Still holding a grudge? What I said last time was indeed unpleasant. I was blind. Sister-in-law Jiang, you are a magnanimous person, please don't take it to heart."

“I didn’t take it to heart, but I’m afraid you’ll hold a grudge against those two slaps and stab me in the back sooner or later. It’s better if we have less contact.”

As Sister Tian approached her, a pungent smell of perfume wafted into her nostrils.

"What are you saying? I was wrong last time, and I can tell right from wrong. I just owe you money because of my mouth, don't take it to heart. We're neighbors now, maybe we can help each other out, why don't we keep in touch?"

It is said that one cannot hit a smiling face, and Song Chunxue was at a loss as to how to deal with such a shameless person.

She put down the keys, turned to look at her, and said, "Why don't we go to your place for a visit first?"

“Okay, I just made some bitter bean oil buns, and no one has eaten them yet. Let me show you my cooking.” With that, she pulled Song Chunxue’s sleeve and walked towards her yard.

"..." Song Chunxue couldn't understand. Was she not understanding or was she deliberately making things difficult for her?

"I have something to do at home, so I won't be going..."

"Come on, come on, don't be shy. Do you have any bitter beans at home? Seeing how hard you work, you must have planted a lot. Give me some later, and I'll trade you some scallions." With that, Sister Tian pushed Song Chunxue's back and warmly led her towards her home.

"Sigh, you..."

His enthusiasm was so overwhelming that Song Chunxue was baffled.

Sister-in-law Tian... Song Chunxue felt that calling her Flower Butterfly was more appropriate. She had planted many flowers in her yard. In the garden made of bricks, there were three peonies, all of which were decades old.

Hua Hudie carried a plate of high-quality bitter bean fried dough sticks and pulled Song Chunxue into the north room.

Bitter beans, also known as fragrant beans, are the dried leaves of a plant that are ground into powder and mixed with oil into steamed buns and bread, making them particularly fragrant.

Song Chunxue prefers to call it Xiangdoufen, while everyone else calls it Kudouzi.

"Come and have a taste."

Hua Hudie pushed the plate in front of Song Chunxue. Seeing that Song Chunxue was a little reserved, she broke off a piece and handed it to her.

Are you living alone at home?

Flower Butterfly sighed, "Yes, both of my daughters are married and my son is never home and doesn't want to live with us. I stay at home all day, hoping that my husband will come back."

"It's a pity that I'm old and my looks have faded. He's made a little money and kept a mistress outside. She's living a very comfortable life and doesn't care about my life or death."

At this point, she looked at Song Chunxue, "So when I see women younger than me, I can't help but say some unpleasant things. I'm really sorry about that day. I never thought that a woman from the countryside could get involved with Lord Xie. He's a man that even young girls wouldn't dare to dream of. Do you know how many families have rumors that want to send their daughters to Lord Xie to spend a night with him?"

"..." It seems she is ignorant.

Lord Xie is truly a man of unwavering integrity, a rare and virtuous gentleman.

"My acquaintance with Lord Xie was purely by chance, not what you think."

Hua Hudie chuckled at her, "Well, you're not simple either. There aren't many people who can frequently associate with Lord Xie. Even when our county magistrate Liang Xiao invited him for drinks, he refused."

"Perhaps it's because I'm not greedy and have no other intentions towards you, sir?" Song Chunxue sneered. "You don't think Lord Xie would take a fancy to a widow who farms in the countryside, you're underestimating him too much."

She shook her head slightly. "It has nothing to do with status. In history, there have been precedents of peasant women becoming empresses. Although you are not young, a cold and aloof young widow like you is much more attractive than those young girls."

Song Chunxue stood up. "If you insist on saying that, then I'm leaving."

"No, I..." She stood up. "I won't say anything more, okay? Let's talk about something else."

Song Chunxue calmly sat down again.

"Actually, there was another reason why I said those things to you that day. My husband saw you before and told me you were pretty good-looking, so..."

“Can we not talk about men?” Song Chunxue interrupted her. “Don’t you find it boring? If you have nothing to talk about except men, I won’t have anything to talk to you about in the future.”

Sister-in-law Tian looked very unwell.

Song Chunxue asked seriously, "Do you know anyone else besides Mei Yang's group who specialize in tilling land for others?"

"What, you want to find someone else behind Mei Yang's back? You're a widow, you have no man to control you, don't you like a skinny man like Mei Yang?"

"What are you still holding back for? Life is short. Next time he comes to you, just give in. Then no one in the entire Zhuanglang County will dare to bully you. You'll be much more effective than that Lord Xie."

"..." She's a widow, not a she-wolf.

All things considered, she has been a vegetarian for over fifty years and has long since stopped craving meat.

It's like the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is!