“The alluring quality she exudes,” Wang said in a low voice, “is nothing like that of a girl from a respectable family.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan immediately guessed why her eldest daughter-in-law disliked Mei Yu. "Did she actively seduce the eldest brother and his brothers?"
“No,” Wang said, pursing her lips, “but my husband stole several glances at her.”
"What's the big deal?" Madam Xie pursed her lips. "I can't help but steal glances at someone as beautiful as her, let alone those men. They didn't have any bad intentions, so why bother?"
“I also think my sister-in-law went a bit too far,” Jin Shi interjected. “You started making a scene just because my husband and the others glanced at you a few times. If…”
Thinking of her mother-in-law's rule against taking concubines, she stuck out her tongue and swallowed the rest of her words.
“I…” Wang lowered her head, “I know I’m making a mountain out of a molehill, but I just can’t help it.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan stopped what she was doing and asked seriously, "Did the boss do something that made you misunderstand?"
"No."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan's expression darkened.
"Mother," noticing Jiang Nuan's change, Wang Shi quickly admitted her mistake, "Your daughter-in-law was wrong, I will never be jealous again, please don't be angry."
Hearing this, Jiang Nuan sighed and advised meaningfully, "Marriage requires effort and trust. If you are dissatisfied with your husband, just tell him directly. Taking your anger out on others will only deepen the rift."
"I, I..."
Wang's face turned pale, but she didn't know how to explain.
"The important business is to start cooking. We can talk about these things later."
"Um!"
The atmosphere became strange afterward. Everyone went about their own business in silence, and even Xiao Wu and Yu Zhu stopped joking around.
Xie glanced at Wang secretly, becoming even more certain of her previous suspicions: her sister-in-law was indeed acting strangely.
She may not be very generous, but she's not so petty as to be unable to tolerate a weak woman.
An hour later, the meal was ready.
After Jiang Nuan set aside food for her own family, she asked Boss Huang to notify Fang Qianhu at the gate.
When Huang Laoda arrived, Fang Qianhu was putting a hard, dry pancake into his mouth.
“Brother Fang,” Huang said with a smile, “we’ve made a lot of food. Let’s eat some together later. If we don’t have enough bowls and chopsticks, go to the shop across the street and buy some. They specialize in this.”
“No need,” Fang Qianhu shook the flatbread in his hand. “We have food, don’t worry, we won’t go hungry.”
“It’s already done, it’ll just go bad if we don’t eat it,” said Huang Laoda, pointing to Huang Laoer and Huang Xiaosan carrying baskets. “Look, it’s already been delivered.”
Fang Qianhu turned his head in the direction Huang Laoda pointed and immediately smelled the aroma of steaming hot buns. He was stunned.
"Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness."
"You're welcome. Please buy some bowls and chopsticks quickly."
"Um!"
As it turns out, there are no bad cooking methods, only inexperienced cooks. Even though it was stewed in a large pot, the generous amount of ingredients and the long cooking time ensured that the flavors were fully absorbed, making it still very delicious.
After stir-frying the chili peppers over high heat, add lamb and fish bones to make a broth. Sprinkle with garlic sprouts before serving, and the fresh, spicy, salty and fragrant flavor will immediately emerge.
The meat was stewed until tender and melted in your mouth, and the greens added later were sweet and crisp. Although it didn't look very appealing, the taste was unforgettable.
Fang Qianhu never imagined that in a remote and unknown little town, there would be such a group of considerate people who would cook them a pot of delicious food that was not pretty but tasted great.
He was very grateful, so he became even stricter with the Huang brothers when teaching them.
Two days passed in a flash; the Huang family was calm and peaceful, busy and fulfilled.
In Huangjiakou, someone finally realized something was wrong.
"Have you noticed?" Sister-in-law Huang said in a low voice, "we haven't seen the Huang family for quite some time now."
"It's perfectly normal. Their family doesn't really interact with other villagers. Unless something serious happens, this usually doesn't happen."
“It’s different,” Sister-in-law Huang shook her head. “In the past, we could see Xie Shi strolling around in the morning, and Xiao Chuan and his brothers going to town to buy meat and such. Now we haven’t seen a trace of them at all.”
"What do you want to say?" Brother Huang asked seriously.
"No one's even planting rice seedlings in the fields," Sister-in-law Huang cautiously guessed. "Husband, have they already moved away?"
"Move away?" Brother Huang smacked his lips twice, his tone uncertain. "Impossible. It's the time for planting rice now, not a good time to move. If we really move, why hasn't the second wife's family reacted at all?"
"What kind of reaction is that? Judging from their guilty looks, they might be the ones who drove the people away!"
"Don't talk nonsense, they're a family."
"What family? Didn't you hear what Huang Youliang said? The second branch of the family has always taken advantage of Huang Mu's family," Huang Sisou said disdainfully. "If it were me, I wouldn't have the nerve to do that. Xiao Chuan and the others were having such a hard time and they didn't even lend a hand, but they're so ruthless when it comes to taking advantage of others. If you ask me, it's better to move, so I won't feel so upset."
"Look at you," Brother Huang said helplessly, "Why are you getting so worked up about other people's business?"
"You can't even say a word if you can't stand it?" Huang Si Sao sneered. "If it really was the clan chief and his people who forced Huang Mu's family away, I would have killed them all."
Although no one said it outright, everyone knew in their hearts that the Jiang family was bringing prosperity not only to their own family but also to the village.
With her around, everyone's lives will improve in a few years.
“Don’t worry,” Huang Sige sighed, “I’ll go to the clan chief’s house and ask what’s going on.”
This matter could be big or small, so Huang Sige thought about it and went to Huang Youquan's house first.
At this moment, Huang Youquan had just come down from the mountain and was cleaning up the roe deer he had hunted.
After he explained the situation, Huang Youquan also took it seriously.
“Something must have happened,” his intuition was very sharp. “It’s the crucial time for transplanting rice seedlings. Their land was prepared so carefully, but no one is doing the work. This is not normal.”
“How about,” Huang Si suggested, “we go to Huang Mu’s house first, and then go to the clan chief’s place.”
Upon hearing this, Huang Youquan immediately understood the meaning behind the words. "It would be good to go and take a look first. The clan chief is very eloquent. It's easy to be fooled if you don't understand the situation clearly."
The two walked together to the Huang family's door and, seeing the thick layer of leaves, immediately exchanged a glance.
"No one has been here for some time."
"Let's peek through the crack in the door first."
After a cup of tea, the two sat solemnly on the stone by the door.
"This is bad," Huang Youquan looked up at the sky, "What do we do now?"
The courtyard was empty; there wasn't even a usable wooden stick to be found, so it was clear that no one lived there anymore.
"When did they move out?" Brother Huang asked, puzzled. "How come no one heard such a commotion?"
"I reckon they moved overnight. The Huang family's house is in a remote area, so it's normal that no one would hear the noise if they moved in the middle of the night. I just can't figure out if the clan chief and the others knew about it?"
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