Chapter 17 That’s What She Meant
The next morning, it was still dark.
Xu Yu called his reluctant second uncle and his third uncle who wanted to do something big to prove himself and prepared to go out.
Sang Zhixia, who had also gotten up early, stuffed two boiled eggs into his hands and said, "Take these and eat them on the way."
"Second Uncle, Third Uncle, yours are in the bowl too, take some for yourselves."
She boiled two eggs for each person, being fair and impartial.
Second Aunt Xu came out to see her second uncle off. She wanted to mutter a few words, but when she saw that everyone who went out to earn money would get a share of the eggs, she was forced to swallow her words and just kept rolling her eyes at Xu Yu.
Xu Yu ignored this, clutching the scalding egg in his hand and looking down, he said, "Wait for me to get some water from the vat when I come back. Remember to boil the medicine for yourself."
He originally wanted to get up early to fetch water and boil medicine, but the aftereffects of sweating yesterday were too severe, and he had been in a daze until now, and all the work he had planned was delayed.
Sang Zhixia hummed vaguely, yawned, and said, "I understand. Be careful on the road. I'll wait for you to come back for dinner tonight."
After seeing off the people who were about to leave, Sang Zhixia turned around, clapped her hands, and smiled towards the open door of the main house with her eyes curved.
"Grandfather, are you up?"
The old man's deep voice came from the room: "Wake up."
"I have something I want to discuss with you. Can I come in?"
"Come in."
Sang Zhixia strode into the main house amid everyone's astonished gazes.
Second Aunt Xu couldn't help but say to Xu Wenxiu in a sarcastic tone: "Sister-in-law is really lucky."
"Back in Kyoto, the old man favored my eldest brother and Xu Yu the most. Now, even the eldest grandson's wife is a person who can show off. They are really more capable than the other."
The two sons she gave birth to were also the old man's legitimate grandsons, but no one dared to get close to the old man, whether they were the two grandsons from the second wife or the granddaughter from the third wife.
Sang Zhixia is quite brave.
Xu Wenxiu didn't dare to breathe in front of the two elders, and when she suddenly saw Sang Zhixia's courage, she was frightened.
However, Xu Yu had told her that when he was not at home, she should listen to Sang Zhixia in everything. She couldn't win by arguing, and crying was useless, so it would be right for her to keep quiet, right?
Xu Wenxiu stared at the fire in the stove silently as Sang Zhixia had instructed, and Second Aunt snorted in frustration.
Seeing her walk into the house, Auntie San, who had also come out to see Uncle San off, said meaningfully, "Sister-in-law is really good-natured. It's fine if she listens to her husband and son, but now she's even listening to her daughter-in-law."
"Why, is the eldest daughter-in-law now in charge of the eldest house?"
Xu Wenxiu felt a little uncomfortable after hearing her words.
But before she could come to her senses, Sang Zhixia came out and said, "Third Aunt, you've got it wrong. Everyone knows that the head of the family is our grandparents. How can a junior like me have the right to speak?"
"Grandfather, am I right?"
The old man felt tired when he saw her innocent smile.
He was forced out by Sang Zhixia.
Sang Zhixia's little thoughts were clear. She didn't want so many people to be idle, but she was powerless and couldn't order anyone around, so she simply asked the old man to be the leader.
In order to raise this banner with justification, she felt no burden and enthusiastically flattered and courted the emperor.
The old man is also very confused now.
He coughed and said lightly, "Don't talk nonsense."
Sang Zhixia smiled and nodded obediently: "Grandfather is right. Third Aunt is a well-educated and elegant person. I was rude and naive."
"There's no rush for what I just told you. Please sit down and I'll get you breakfast."
After she said that, she rolled up her sleeves and went to scoop porridge and pour water. The unchanged rice porridge in the bowl now had some green patterns.
"Even though I won't starve with just the porridge, it's lacking in vegetables and saltiness, so it doesn't taste good. I added some wild vegetables that Mingxu and the others dug up yesterday, and also cracked two eggs into it. Grandfather, do you think it's to your liking?"
When the sleepy Xu Mingxu heard his name, he immediately raised his little hand and shouted excitedly: "Grandpa, I can dig wild vegetables now!"
"I dug up lots of wild vegetables!"
Sang Zhixia smiled with endless sighs: "Mingxu is only three years old, and he knows to find some wild vegetables to improve his grandfather's diet. How great!"
But he is not like other people, whose age is greater than the wrinkles on their faces, and they just know how to lie down and eat ready-made food.
Xu Mingxu smiled as brightly as a flower after being praised. She couldn't wait to swallow the porridge in her mouth and hurried to find the basket.
Xu Wenxiu stopped him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Eat first. Only when you're full will you have the energy to go dig wild vegetables for grandpa."
"After we finish eating, Mom will take you and your sister with her."
Xu Mingxu finally sat down to eat properly, but the old lady who came out a step later had a lingering gloom on her face.
The eldest family never left out the old man, which was clearly pulling the old man towards the eldest family.
It just so happens that the second and third wives are both stupid and don’t know how to speak yet!
She walked to the table with a sullen look on her face and sat down. Sang Zhixia curled the corners of her lips and placed the prepared bowl next to her.
"I heard Second Aunt mention Grandma's poor spleen and stomach every day, so I specially cooked your porridge in the pot for a while longer. Grandma, please eat first, so that you won't feel uncomfortable."
It is not good to hit someone who smiles at you.
The old lady looked at the wild vegetable porridge on the table that was cooked until the rice flowers burst, suppressed her anger and uttered a few words stiffly: "You are thoughtful."
Sang Zhixia smiled even more sweetly: "This is what I should do as a junior."
"Second Aunt, you look so ugly, are you feeling unwell?"
She looked at her second aunt, whose face was purple, in surprise, "Why aren't Minghui and Mingyang coming out for dinner? Mingxu and Jinxi are both up, but they're still here?"
Xu Minghui and Xu Mingyang are the second aunt's favorites. They think they have nothing to do and hardly leave the house except for meal times.
Xu Yu has gone to move bricks, so why should they sleep until noon?
Aunt Xu instinctively wanted to defend her son, but in return, the old man said solemnly: "What time is it?"
The words on the tip of her tongue choked back, and she said with a dark face, "These two children are exhausted from the journey. They haven't adapted to the new place yet and are not feeling well. That's why..."
"Yanran can get up, so why can't they?"
The old lady noticed the old man's displeasure and immediately said, "Could it be possible that these two young men are more delicate than Yanran?"
Xu Yanran from the third room is a well-known invalid in the Xu family. It's really laughable that she can't even compare to her!
Seeing that the old lady didn't help her, Aunt Xu finally realized that something was wrong.
She quickly pinched her palm and said, "It's my fault. I forgot to remind them."
"I'll go and wake them up."
Xu Minghui and Xu Mingyang walked out of the house with obvious anger, and Aunt Xu quickly winked at them one by one.
Sang Zhixia watched the excitement with a cold eye, the corners of her mouth curled up, and she looked at the old man with a smile and said, "Grandfather, if you have no objection to what I just told you, can we finalize it after dinner?"
As soon as these words came out, countless dissatisfied eyes were focused on her again.
Sang Zhixia didn't care either.
She was not afraid of people saying her little thoughts, after all, that was what she meant.
For the first time, the old man felt that the porridge in his mouth was so difficult to swallow.
He looked at Sang Zhixia with a complicated expression. Seeing that she was calm and unconcerned, he said in a deep voice, "Do you think this will work?"
"Of course it's possible."
Sang Zhixia said without hesitation, "They say many hands make light work, and a pair of chopsticks can break anything. If everyone, big and small, gets to work, then there's still hope for the future, right?"
The old man laughed in an ambiguous way, closed his eyes and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
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