Chapter 354 Daily Life Back in the Village
When the villagers came to talk to Sheng An and his family, they did not bring up the fact that Kong Dazhuang had died a few days earlier.
It wasn't until noon, when Zhang's mother specially brought over a pot of boiled old duck soup, that he hesitantly revealed the matter.
She observed Sheng An's expression and, seeing that she showed neither sadness nor anger, she spoke frankly:
“Peng Chunlan is a smart woman. She didn’t bother you with this matter and make you upset during the New Year.”
Sheng An was more curious about something else and asked, "Last year, when the mother and her two children went to the capital to file a complaint, they didn't get any money from her in-laws?"
This matter caused quite a stir in the capital at the time, and she was initially quite concerned about it, frequently asking Jin Nian about the progress.
Later, she was busy giving birth, recovering from childbirth, and taking care of the baby, so she forgot about this family. To this day, she still doesn't know whether Peng Chunlan received compensation from Xu Huaining's family.
"Alas, that vicious family—some were beheaded, some were exiled to the mines for forced labor, and their property was confiscated. How could that mother and son possibly get any money from the government?"
Zhang's mother quickly waved her hand, her tone carrying a hint of schadenfreude:
"When the villagers first learned about this, they kindly went to their home to persuade them not to go, fearing that they would risk their lives and end up doing nothing. But none of the three of them listened to their advice. They traveled thousands of miles to the capital and returned to the village empty-handed."
Zhang's mother didn't have any deep-seated hatred for Peng Chunlan; she simply disliked Peng Chunlan's way of doing things.
Back then, she had a good relationship with Sheng's mother. When Sheng's mother was bedridden after giving birth, Peng Chunlan started an affair with Kong Dazhuang.
Zhang's mother felt that if it weren't for this incident, Sheng's mother wouldn't have died so young, causing Sheng An to suffer greatly from a young age and almost starve to death several times.
“That mother and her three children are no good people either. If people like that can live a good life, I would curse God for being unfair.”
Zhang's mother made no attempt to hide her dislike for the Liu family in front of Sheng An, yet her eyes were full of affection when she looked at Sheng An.
"It's fortunate that Kong Dazhuang treated you too harshly back then, otherwise, seeing how well you live now, that whole family would have shamelessly come crawling back at you long ago. You still have to be filial and can't do anything to them."
If you were to spend money to treat someone like a godmother, that would be truly a nightmare; An'an's mother would probably be furious even in heaven.
Sheng An was amused by Zhang's mother's words: "You're right, it's best for us to stay out of each other's way for now."
It was midday, and Zhang's mother didn't linger. She chatted with Grandpa and Grandma Sheng for a few minutes before taking her own soup pot home for lunch.
As the Zhang family's life improved, Zhang's mother was willing to use more ingredients. This pot of old duck soup contained a whole duck, which was simmered over low heat for more than an hour. The resulting soup was rich and delicious, and the duck meat was tender and fell off the bone.
It also contained a lot of dried mushrooms and several red dates.
Zhuozhuo especially liked this flavor of old duck soup. She drank more than half a bowl of soup and ate a whole duck leg. She was so full that her belly was round, but she still couldn't control her mouth.
Seeing how much her daughter liked it, Sheng An smiled and wiped her shiny little mouth: "So you like drinking old duck soup so much, Mom will stew one for you in a couple of days."
The little one didn't understand, and kept pointing with his little paws at the duck soup in the bowl: "I want to eat!"
Seeing that his granddaughter had such a good appetite, Xu Chenglin smiled and said, "Eat up, save all of this for your dinner!"
Zhuozhuo understood what she meant and immediately nodded obediently, "Okay~"
Everyone was amused by her adorable appearance, and the atmosphere at the dinner table became exceptionally lively.
That night, Sheng An slept with the little one in the relatively unfamiliar room. The little one adapted well and did not experience any stress.
Over the next few days, the three elders carried her around the village, and each time they came back, their pockets were full of roasted peanuts from one neighbor and roasted beans from another.
For farming families, these are the only snacks they can offer to appease their children.
Zhuozhuo's baby teeth were not strong enough yet, and it was difficult for her to eat fried peanuts and beans. Sheng'an didn't dare to give them to her, for fear that she would damage her own teeth.
The little one wasn't interested in the snacks, but instead took a liking to a beautiful tabby cat in the village and insisted on taking the cat home to keep her company.
Xu Chenglin coaxed her repeatedly, and with the cat's owner promising to give her one of the kittens after it gave birth, she reluctantly gave up the idea of taking the cat home.
Seeing that the little one hadn't had any allergic reactions while playing with the big tabby cat, Sheng An decided to buy a kitten to keep her company.
However, this was not the season for cats to give birth, and she had people search the market several times without success, so she put the matter aside for the time being.
The Liu family often saw Zhuozhuo in the village. Seeing that this little girl was dressed more elegantly than the young ladies of wealthy families in the city, they couldn't help but feel envious.
Peng Chunlan and Liu Shitou were able to restrain their greed, but Liu Zhuzi did not hide his jealousy. He always tried to find an opportunity to get close to Zhuozhuo and steal the valuable gold lock around her neck.
Zhuozhuo was never alone; wherever she went, someone would hold her and lead her by the hand, leaving him no chance to make a move. He could only grit his teeth in resentment, but there was nothing he could do.
On the Lantern Festival, Sheng An received Xu Jinnian's first letter.
Looking at the longing expressed between the lines of the letter, she was too embarrassed to read it aloud in front of her elders, so she could only read a few of the parts that she could.
This made the letter seem rather short, and Xu Chenglin was quite dissatisfied after reading it:
"What is this kid busy with? He's so careless in writing a letter. He only asked Zhuozhuo three questions from beginning to end, as if Zhuozhuo was adopted."
Sheng An couldn't help but speak up for her husband: "Father, Jin Nian dotes on Zhuo Zhuo so much, how could he not care about her? He only asked a few questions because he knew we would take good care of her, otherwise you would have said he didn't trust you."
Xu Chenglin: "..."
It seems that's the case.
Seeing that her father-in-law had stopped criticizing her, Sheng An breathed a sigh of relief and carefully folded the letter and put it into an envelope.
However, Xu Jinnian did not mention the situation in the capital in his letter, which made her uneasy and she even lost her appetite at dinner that night.
Perhaps it was a mother's heart that was connected to her daughter's, because Zhuozhuo sensed her anxiety. That night, the two lay together, and the little one kept acting cute towards her, kissing her on the cheek every now and then, and clinging to her arm.
Sheng An was very pleased and patted her little bottom: "Go to sleep quickly, or the big bad wolf will come and catch you."
Zhuozhuo had been frightened by stories of the Big Bad Wolf many times, and upon hearing this, she quickly covered her eyes, her little voice trembling slightly: "Sleep, sleep, Zhuozhuo isn't afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, not afraid~"
Sheng An tried her best to suppress her laughter, hugging the little one tightly in her arms: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Mommy's here. We'll fall asleep, and the big bad wolf won't come."
Soon after, the little guy closed his eyes and fell asleep.
By the candlelight by the bedside, Sheng An looked at the tender little face and sighed silently.
When will he be able to come back and pick them up?
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