Chapter 91 Shame
After a few days of recuperation in the East Courtyard, Old Man and Old Lady Chen finally looked a little better. They had hot porridge to drink and a clean bed to sleep on every day. This life was a world apart from the drafty, shabby house they had been living in the West Courtyard.
That afternoon, Chen Kangbo came back from outside with a bag of newly harvested corn on his shoulder. Sweat soaked the coarse cloth clothes on his back, but his face was filled with the joy of a good harvest.
He poured the grain into the granary in the yard. The golden corn kernels made Old Man Chen's eyes widen.
In the kitchen, Feng Lan was humming a little tune as she prepared dinner for the family. The rich aroma of meat wafted out, making her stomach growl.
Old Man Chen, leaning on his cane, slowly moved to Chen Kangbo's side and looked at him, his cloudy eyes filled with complex emotions. He opened his mouth, but after a long moment, he managed a hoarse word: "Kangbo... Dad... was sorry for you before."
Chen Kangbo paused in pouring the food. He didn't turn around, but just said "hmm" lightly.
Seeing that he ignored him, Old Man Chen became even more panicked. He moved to the kitchen door where Feng Lan was busy, looked at the meat stewing in the pot and Feng Lan's busy figure, and his voice was filled with tears:
"Lanzi... I know that my parents were foolish before. We listened to their instigation and did many wrong things... You and Lord Kangbo are magnanimous. Please forgive us this time... We will never dare to do it again..."
Old Mrs. Chen also came out of the house and echoed, wiping away tears: "Yes, Lan Zi, we know we were wrong. We really know we were wrong."
Feng Lan stirred the fire in the stove, stood up, wiped her hands, and her expression was calm, without a trace of emotion.
She walked up to Old Man Chen and Old Lady Chen and said indifferently, "Dad, Mom, it's meaningless for you to say this."
"Some things, once done, are done. Some injuries, once hurt, are hurt. You can't just say 'I'm sorry' and pretend they never happened."
Feng Lan's tone was very light, but every word was like a small hammer, hitting the old couple's hearts.
"When you brought that group of people from the west courtyard to rob our shop and extort twenty taels of silver from us, did you ever consider that we were a family? When you watched them scold me and Daya and her sisters, did you ever consider that we were also your daughters-in-law and granddaughters?"
Old man Chen and old lady Chen's faces suddenly turned pale and they lowered their heads in shame.
"So, if you forgive me, don't mention it again."
Feng Lan looked at them and said word by word, "We can't do that. But you are Kang Bo's parents, and the children's grandparents. We acknowledge this, so supporting you is our duty as children."
"From now on, you can live here peacefully. We will provide you with three simple meals a day. If you get sick, we will find a doctor for you. This is what we should do."
Feng Lan changed the subject, her voice cold. "But let me be frank. The food we give you is for you to eat, not to subsidize those ungrateful people in the West Courtyard. If I find out that you gave them even a grain of rice or a penny, from now on, you will go back to the West Courtyard. We in the East Courtyard will no longer care about your life or death. I mean what I say."
These words made Old Man Chen and Old Lady Chen feel very cold. They knew Feng Lan was not joking.
Chen Kangbo also came over and stood beside Feng Lan. He said in a deep voice, "Dad, Mom, Lanzi's words are my words. She is the head of this family now."
Looking at his eldest son and daughter-in-law in front of him, the last bit of hope in Old Man Chen's heart was shattered.
He knew that he could no longer make the decisions in this family.
Endless regret, like a tide, drowned him.
If only... if only he hadn't been so biased and confused, why would he have ended up like this?
Old Mrs. Chen secretly wiped away her tears, but she couldn't help but think of her beloved youngest son, Chen Laoliu. She wondered how he was doing now. Was he well fed? Was he warmly dressed?
A few days later, while Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo were out in the fields, Old Lady Chen secretly took a small bag of rice from the rice bag in the kitchen, wrapped it in her handkerchief, and put two steamed white flour buns that had just been steamed that morning in her arms, hid them in her arms, and tremblingly went to the west yard.
She missed her sixth brother, and she wanted to secretly send this good thing to him.
But when she found Chen Laoliu, he pushed her away with a look of disgust.
"Mom? What are you doing here?!" Chen Laoliu looked at the things in her hand. Not only did he not feel happy at all, but he also looked impatient. "It's just a small amount. What can you do with it? Are you going to send beggars away?"
"Sixth Brother..." Old Mrs. Chen's heart felt like it was pierced by a needle. "This is what Mother saved with great difficulty..."
"Save it?" Chen Laoliu sneered, "You live in someone else's house, eat their food, drink their drinks, and now you're stealing their things to give to me? Don't you feel ashamed? You're not helping me, you're harming me! What if my sister-in-law finds out and kicks you out too? Wouldn't you become a burden to me again?"
The word "burden" was like a knife, stabbing into Old Mrs. Chen's heart. She couldn't believe that these words came from the mouth of her most beloved son.
Her lips trembled and tears fell.
Chen Laoliu didn't even look at her. He snatched the rice and steamed buns from her hands and waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, alright, I'll take the things. You can leave now! Don't come here again. It's not good if people see us!"
After saying that, he turned and went into the house, slamming the door.
Old Mrs. Chen stood alone in the yard, distraught, feeling as if the sky had fallen. She returned to the east courtyard crying, rushed into the house, and buried herself in the quilt, weeping profusely.
When Feng Lan came back and saw that her eyes were red and swollen, she guessed about 70% of what happened, but she said nothing and just silently brought dinner into the house.
In this depressing atmosphere, a letter from home in the provincial capital broke the dullness of the family.
It was sent back by Chen Ya.
The letter said that everything was fine in the city, and Su Wenbin took good care of her. The embroidery exchange in the city had opened her eyes. She had learned many new stitches and color combinations, and had also drawn many new embroidery patterns, which she would teach to the sisters in the embroidery workshop when she returned.
There is excitement and confidence between the lines.
Feng Lan read the letter and the heavy stone in her heart finally fell to the ground.
But before she could be happy for a few days, something unexpected happened.
The county magistrate actually sent a yamen runner to solemnly deliver the invitation, inviting her and Chen Kangbo to attend a banquet at the county yamen three days later.
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