“Yes, sister-in-law, sit down too, let’s talk.” Madam Fu received Xichun’s signal and pulled her to sit down.
Xi Chun took the bowl and chopsticks from the maid behind her, stood behind Madam Fu, and asked, "Grandmother, I am a country girl and don't know the proper etiquette. This is also the first time we've met. Please see what you would like to eat, and your granddaughter-in-law will serve you." Xi Chun had a beaming smile on her face, as if she were the most filial granddaughter-in-law in the world.
"I'm getting old and can't eat much meat, so let's just add some vegetables. I'm used to eating light food." When the old lady saw that the vegetable dish was not close to where she was sitting, she thought she should teach Xichun a lesson and let her know that even though she didn't live here, she was still the most authoritative person in the family.
"Grandma, the vegetable you chose is just right. This is a vegetable that we country folk love to eat every day. It's called 'Piao'er Bai'. Plant its seeds in the ground and sprinkle some manure. Do you know what manure is? It's the filth produced by the human grain recycling process."
Don't be fooled by its unpleasant taste; when you sprinkle it on the ground, the vegetables grow incredibly well. Despite being sprayed with manure, it doesn't taste like manure at all. And usually, just before harvesting, you don't spray it with any more water; you only spray it with the dry part.
Oh dear, Fourth Aunt, what's wrong? I heard that only pregnant women vomit. You must have Changfeng tell Fourth Uncle this good news later. What's it called? Is it called "an old clam giving birth to a pearl"?
Xi Chun's string of witty remarks made everyone present feel a bit nauseous, especially Madam Fu, who vomited. Xi Chun had heard that she and Master Fu had a bad relationship and that she had many young concubines at home, so she said it on purpose.
"Changfeng's wife, what nonsense are you spouting? How can anyone eat if you talk about such vulgar things during the meal?" The old lady was about to stand up for her youngest daughter-in-law when she saw her being bullied.
"Yes, yes, Grandmother is right. It was all my fault for saying such things. I shouldn't have used the term 'manure.' Grandmother, why don't you try this tender Dongpo pork? It's made from pork. Don't worry, the pigs don't really like eating that kind of filth. But some farmers are too lazy to clean the pigpen, so the pigs just sleep in the filth. But when they slaughter the pigs, they definitely shave off the hair, so it definitely didn't get into the meat."
"Ugh!" The Fourth Madam's vomiting became even more exaggerated, because she had just eaten a mouthful of pork. Even the Old Madam felt a little nauseous. Why did every dish sound so disgusting?
"Second sister-in-law, why are you talking about such filthy things? How can we eat like this? Just hearing it makes me feel like the food on the table doesn't taste good anymore," asked the fourth wife's twelve-year-old daughter, looking rather naive.
"Really? It smells delicious. Let me try some. I don't want Grandma to be unable to eat anything good at her age." Xichun sat down naturally, took a bite of this, commented on it, and then took a bite of that. Finally, she said, "Grandma, don't worry. I've tasted all of these dishes for you, and they all taste good. Shall I continue to serve you your meal?"
"No need. Hearing you talk about that stuff makes me lose my appetite. Third wife, have the kitchen prepare a bowl of plain porridge for me and bring it to my room. Fourth wife, let's go back to our room first. We'll return to the prefectural city this afternoon."
Just moments ago, the old lady had been pretending to be exhausted and wanting her daughter-in-law to serve her, but now she was full of energy again. She stood up without even needing a cane, as if some dirty thing was following her. Even the fourth wife and her daughter left in a hurry.
"Third sister-in-law, you're quite an interesting daughter-in-law. We didn't get much of a good deal from that old woman. No matter how glamorous we were on ordinary days, we always had to show how different we were from the legitimate daughter-in-law in front of her. This time, Xichun managed to keep us in check. Xichun, you're really great."
Madam Fu was truly relieved. She never expected that the two women, mother and daughter-in-law, would not only fail to get away with it from Xichun, but would also be humiliated.
"Yes, I just heard Xichun say that she was going to serve her meals, and I guessed that this girl must have some plans. Xichun, you did a great job this time. I don't care about what you said. Who doesn't eat vegetables and meat every day? They don't have much flavor. They've always grown them this way. It's just that they're being pretentious, acting like ladies from noble families. Aren't we all from merchant families? Our status is not even as high as that of farmers."
Madam Fu's words were quite reasonable. In this era, merchants were the lowest class, and even if they were rich, they would not be able to wear silk.
She only dared to wear it after her son passed the imperial examination. Today, it was because she was wearing silk that her fourth sister-in-law and the old lady were jealous and wanted to suppress her in everything.
"Exactly, they don't know how to appreciate this table full of delicious food, but the three of us can enjoy it at our leisure."
Sure enough, in the afternoon, the old lady called for the fourth son to hurry back. The fifth master's family also went back together. They had a lot of things to do at home, so they didn't bring the children this time.
"Fifth sister-in-law, you must come and visit next time you have time. Every time you come, you are always in a hurry and we don't even have a proper chat."
“Alright, once Changjin passes the Xiucai exam and Changfeng passes the Juren exam, we can come and have a feast again. I’ll bring all the children with me then, so they can learn from their older brothers.”
"Third sister-in-law, I think you should wait until your eldest brother's son, Changming, passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar. Then bring your niece-in-law to broaden her horizons. Stop spouting such vulgarities all the time."
Fourth Madam didn't think Changfeng could pass the exam. A scholar wasn't like a cabbage, something you could see anytime. Speaking of cabbages, she remembered what Xichun had said about filth. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief before entering the carriage.
Neither Madam Fu nor Madam Wu responded to her words. They exchanged a smile, and after the carriage started moving, the relatives left one after another.
"Changfeng, take Xichun to our courtyard to get to know her better. She'll be living here from now on. Once she's familiar with it, she can go and rest." Madam Fu was in a good mood and didn't keep the two of them at bay, so she went back with Master Fu.
"I see the smile on your lips hasn't faded. What good thing happened?" Old Master Fu couldn't help but ask, seeing her like that.
"Hehe, I think I really made the right choice in marrying this daughter-in-law. She helped me vent my anger without making a sound. Just you wait, our Changfeng will definitely be more successful than his Changming in the future. Just look at the difference in their daughter-in-law's character."
Madam Fu was very confident at this moment. Xichun was clever and intelligent, capable in both the living room and the kitchen, and could even outwit her formidable grandmother. With Changfeng having this daughter-in-law, she wouldn't have to worry anymore.
"Hehe, that's true. You'll be enjoying your life from now on." Master Fu guessed that Xichun must have helped her deal with her stepmother to be so happy. He had never seen her this happy before, whenever she was with her stepmother.
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