Zhang Mei froze on the spot after hearing this. She covered her mouth and stared wide-eyed. What?! So Lin Gangzi came to her because he wanted her family's secret recipe for "rich and oily eggs"!
No! If he just wanted to bother her, she could handle it, but this was only the second time, and she didn't want her family to worry.
But now Lin Gangzi is after her family's secret recipe for duck eggs. She must hurry back and tell her mother-in-law that if Lin Gangzi doesn't get it from her, he will definitely think of other ways.
She absolutely could not let him steal the food that her mother-in-law had worked so hard to develop.
Zhang Mei quickly walked back home.
At this moment, Song Anxin was in the backyard workshop with Sister-in-law Lin and the others, packing salted duck egg gift boxes. Several women were busy at work. It was not yet dark, but her family had already lit torches, and the firelight and daylight illuminated the workshop and the courtyard.
Seeing that she didn't have enough red wrapping paper for the salted duck eggs, she went to her house in front and got some more, all of which had been cut and written on in advance.
She took the red paper and walked into the yard, where she bumped into Zhang Mei, who was running back in a panic. Luckily, Zhang Mei was holding the red paper firmly and it didn't fall.
"ah!"
"Mom, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"
Zhang Mei asked anxiously.
Song Anxin told her not to rush, saying, "With your small frame, how could you have hurt me? But Meizi, why are you back so early? And why are you so flustered? Did something happen?"
Seeing that her mother-in-law was alright, Zhang Mei calmed down and told Liu Hong'er everything she had said.
Song Anxin raised her eyebrows and said, "You said Lin Gangzi came to see you more than once. Was the first time the last time I came back from the western village?"
Zhang Mei nodded.
"So that's why you were so distracted that time?"
Zhang Mei lowered her head and hummed in agreement. She immediately looked up and said, "Mother, but there's really nothing between him and me! I... I only like Feng Nian, I... I'm not that kind of woman..."
Seeing that Zhang Mei was so anxious she was almost crying.
Song Anxin quickly comforted her: "Meizi, don't get agitated. That's not what I meant. Of course, I believe in your character."
She held her hand: "Mother was just worried about you, silly Meizi, you must have been terrified."
From now on, you're not allowed to shoulder everything alone. If anything happens, you must talk to Mother and Fengnian. We're family; we should share each other's burdens.
Zhang Mei's eyes trembled; her mother was actually worried about her. What incredible good fortune she had accumulated in her past life to have such a kind mother-in-law.
"Mother, I, I won't do it again. I promise I'll tell you everything from now on."
"But the most important thing now is that Lin Gangzi is coming to steal our family's secret recipe for duck eggs."
Zhang Mei said urgently.
"Bang"
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard.
Zhang Mei and Song Anxin both looked in the direction from which the sound came from.
It turned out to be Stone Mother. She was standing at the corner of the backyard with a wooden gift box in her hand, but the box had already been smashed on the ground.
Stone Girl looked even more panicked and helpless.
Seeing Song Anxin and Zhang Mei looking at her, she stammered as she spoke:
"Second Sister-in-law Lin, I, I... First Sister-in-law Lin and the others asked me to come and urge you, because there are no more red paper packets over there."
Song Anxin looked at her gently and said, "It's alright, Stone Mother. Take these things I have here first. I have some things to take care of. You two go ahead and do your work."
Stone's mother didn't go to pick him up; she was hesitant and uneasy, staring longingly at Song Anxin.
Song Anxin was probably frightened by what had just happened. Shi Tou's mother was a timid and introverted person, and she always did her job dutifully when she came here.
She said, "Stone Mother, it's alright if you heard it. Don't make a fuss about it. Our family will handle it ourselves."
Stone Mother shook her head and said, "Second Sister-in-law Lin, I'm sorry. I'm not worthy to work for you. I can let it go, but if I've harmed your family, I'll have no face to see you all."
Seeing how serious Stone Mother was, she wondered, "Stone Mother, why are you saying such serious things? Just tell me what's going on, and I'll tell you whether it's good or bad."
Stone Mother slowly revealed that Lin Gangzi had already spoken to Lin Jiugui about this matter.
She wiped away her tears and said, "Second Sister-in-law Lin, I thought my husband was just talking nonsense because he was drunk. I never expected it to be true. I'm so sorry for not being able to tell you sooner."
"If Lin Gangzi really succeeds, I'm afraid I'll have to kill myself right in front of you to atone for my crime."
Song Anxin learned the whole story and was surprised that Lin Gangzi had actually gone to see Lin Jiugui. Of course, Lin Jiugui still held a grudge against her for what happened before.
What surprised her even more was that Lin Jiugui actually rejected him and even gave him a good scolding.
Although Lin the Drunkard is rotten, he's not completely rotten yet.
Seeing that Stone Mother looked like she had committed a terrible crime, she gently comforted her: "Stone Mother, you don't need to blame yourself like this."
It's normal that you didn't take it to heart when Stone's dad often got drunk and talked nonsense, but now I know. Don't worry, our family will figure something out. You should go back to your work now.
Stone Mother stared wide-eyed, stunned, and said, "Second Sister-in-law Lin, you...you really don't blame me, and you still let me continue working at your house?"
Song Anxin smiled. There really are evil people who are wicked and full of bad intentions, as well as kind people who are good enough not to betray their conscience.
Humans are the most complex and unpredictable creatures; sometimes they are detestable, and sometimes they are incredibly endearing.
She said gently, "What can you do if evil people want to do evil? Besides, our family hasn't suffered any losses yet. You should go quickly, otherwise I'll blame you if I can't get these things out."
Stone Mother paused for a moment, then quickly picked up a stack of red paper, grabbed the wooden box, and went to work.
Seeing this from the side, Zhang Mei felt that her mother-in-law was a gentle, kind, and determined person, and she was determined to become like her mother-in-law.
She asked, "Mother, what should we do now?"
Song Anxin dusted off her hands and said, "What can we do? We'll deal with whatever comes our way. He can go find Lin the Drunkard, what other tricks can he pull? People without strength can't do anything. Stealing a secret recipe isn't that easy."
When Lin Fengnian and Fengshou returned and learned of this, they were all furious and wanted to confront Lin Gangzi.
“He tried to steal our family’s secret recipe and even bullied my sister-in-law. We can’t tolerate this. I’m going to find him right now,” Lin Fengshou said.
Lin Fengnian, who was usually honest, was unusually angry and his face turned red.
"Meizi, I'm going to avenge you! You wait."
As they talked, the two picked up hoes and prepared to go to Lin Gangzi's house. Lin Fengyao also took a small shovel, looking angry and ready to shovel someone. Lin Fenghe followed behind, preparing to protect his fourth brother if a fight broke out.
Song Anxin originally wanted to stop these people, but she was so angry at Lin Fengyao's appearance that she laughed.
She said, "Feng Yao, your little shovel can only shovel mushrooms and cabbages; you can't even hurt a hair on Lin Gangzi's leg."
Everyone immediately turned to look at Lin Fengyao.
Lin Fengyao, holding the small shovel, scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Then I'll go get a big shovel; it'll definitely hurt his leg hair."
The initially indignant atmosphere was suddenly disrupted by Lin Fengyao, making everyone want to laugh, but they also felt they shouldn't, resulting in a rather distorted expression on their faces.
Song Anxin lowered her head silently, afraid that she would lose control.
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