Every household in Changfeng Village was bustling with activity, but the area in front of Widow Zhang's house was unusually quiet.
Her husband died young, so she wasn't very familiar with his clan. Furthermore, she had no children, so her uncles and aunts-in-law tried to seize her house and land.
If it weren't for Chief Zhao's protection over the years, Widow Zhang would probably have been kicked out by those uncles and aunts long ago.
Widow Zhang returned in style and grandeur after a month or two, and she was always one to show off. Her attire was sure to make the village's young wives envious and eager to try it.
Zhao San looked sneaky. After checking that no one was around, he knocked twice on Widow Zhang's door and went inside.
Widow Zhang was still dressed in her usual glamorous attire, and today she had even applied some rouge.
After Zhao San came in, she quickly bolted the door from the inside.
"You, Zhao San, you've really got some nerve!" Widow Zhang couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
Zhao San rubbed his hands together impatiently, then took two deep breaths along Widow Zhang's neck and grinned slyly.
"Hehe, don't worry. I checked when I came, everyone's busy celebrating the New Year right now, no one will see us."
During the month or two that Widow Zhang was away, Zhao San couldn't resist several times. Helpless, he could only find his own wife, but Liu Shi was not only not good-looking, but in that aspect... it was really hard to describe.
Widow Zhang is better; she's more open-minded.
After the two entered the house, Zhao San couldn't wait to take off his clothes.
Widow Zhang stopped her, saying, "Hey... don't rush, we need to agree on this beforehand. I've raised the price; it'll be five coins from now on."
Zhao San, who had only unzipped his pants halfway, was stunned. "What? You dare ask for five coins?" Is it inlaid with gold?
"What's wrong? If you think it's too expensive, you don't have to come." Widow Zhang looked down on her. Five coins was too much. Back in town, those stinky men would pay twenty coins.
The men in town are richer; she wouldn't have come back if she wasn't afraid of arousing suspicion in the village.
"Alright, alright." Zhao San didn't want to drag things out any longer; at worst, he wouldn't come next time.
After a long time, when the two had finished, Widow Zhang got up and dressed.
Suppressing the nausea in her heart, she raised an eyebrow and asked, seemingly casually, "I heard you got a new foreman at your mine. How's it going?"
Zhao San looked utterly exhausted. "What do you mean, 'how is it'? It's just the same old story. No matter how many foremen we change, it's still the same: heavy work and low pay!"
"Pah! What kind of garbage is this? You think you can get me to work properly for that little bit of money? Dream on!"
Zhao San remembered the whipping he received for slacking off at work last time, and he could still feel the pain.
"Who asked you that? I heard the new manager's name is... Director Song, right?" Widow Zhang asked knowingly.
"Yes, I saw him yesterday."
"What? Where?" Widow Zhang immediately became interested.
Zhao San didn't think much of it. "It's right there at the dilapidated temple at the village entrance, near Zhao's wife's house. Even during the New Year, Director Song's ghost is still haunting us. I get annoyed whenever I see him."
Widow Zhang's face darkened after hearing this. Wasn't He Shi also a widow? They were both widows, so why didn't they come to her?
"Oh...you mean Director Song didn't go home for the New Year and went to Zhao's wife's place instead? Could they be having an affair?" Widow Zhang asked uncertainly.
Zhao San quickly waved his hand, "What are you talking about? Director Song is from the capital, a high-ranking official. What kind of beauties and daughters of officials haven't he seen? Why would he take a fancy to a widow?"
"I've found out everything. It's because Widow He is such a good cook. Director Song specifically asked her to cook for him."
Widow Zhang's eyes lit up; she felt she had seen a glimmer of hope.
She's a great cook, definitely no less so than Maruko's mom.
However, she still deliberately soured at Zhao San, "Who knows? This He Shi is incredibly beautiful. I wonder who could tell she's a mother of three? Sigh... Tell me the truth, don't you men ever have any feelings for someone like He Shi?"
Zhao San felt a chill run down his spine from Zhang the widow's gaze, and he looked away, his whole body trembling.
"What are you saying?" Although Zhao San outwardly appeared indifferent to the matter, he couldn't help but think of He Shi's beautiful appearance.
Widow Zhang saw all of this, and she sneered, "Don't pretend in front of me. Do you think I don't understand the wicked thoughts of you men?"
Then, Widow Zhang changed the subject and started offering terrible advice, "But... don't you dislike your wife at home? You can divorce Liu and go live with He!"
As Zhao San was leaving, he kept thinking about what Widow Zhang had said.
The thought of He Shi's appearance made Zhao San feel like he was losing control of himself.
He had a bad idea on his mind...
He Tiantian's house was also bustling with activity. Early in the morning, He Tiantian asked Sister-in-law Yulan to call Liu Yonghe and Wang Dazhuang over.
Liu Yonghe is Yulan's husband, and the family naturally gathers together during the Spring Festival.
Wang Dazhuang is an honest and kind person, someone worth getting along with, so He Tiantian invited him over as well.
Wang Dazhuang felt embarrassed ever since he entered the house, as he was the only outsider in this large family. He scratched the back of his head shyly, "Sister-in-law, I'm really sorry to have troubled you."
“Look how many troubles you’ve mentioned since you came in,” He Tiantian chuckled. “If you keep saying that, I won’t call you next time.”
"No...no..." Wang Dazhuang quickly stopped him. The food at Sister He's house was so delicious that he would miss it if he didn't come.
The lunch was quite lavish. He Tiantian cooked all the remaining pork offal and secretly bought a packet of spicy hot pot base from the mall and added it in.
Then I chopped up some radishes, cabbage, potatoes, etc... and stewed a huge pot of stew.
Next, I stir-fried all the remaining bean sprouts, which made up for another big pot of sauerkraut fish soup. At noon, I even cooked a large bowl of white rice, which was a rare treat for me.
The four children came back following the aroma, and stood by the pot, silently swallowing their saliva.
Liu Yonghe and Wang Dazhuang were chopping wood not far away when they couldn't help but take a deep sniff of the air when they smelled the aroma of food.
Goodness, today's food smells even better than yesterday's! Wang Dazhuang felt that he had never eaten such delicious food in his life.
Sister-in-law Yulan and He Tiantian had been busy all morning. He Tiantian then served a separate portion of the food and asked Wang Dazhuang to deliver it to Director Song.
Wang Dazhuang ran incredibly fast; the food was still hot when it arrived at the neighboring mine.
When he returned, He Tiantian announced that dinner was ready.
The whole family was craving it, but even if they were really hungry, they still had to be mindful of etiquette when eating together.
He Tiantian called out, "Everyone, don't be shy. Make sure you eat your fill today. There's plenty of white rice and lots of vegetables."
No sooner had He Tiantian finished speaking than a woman's wail came from outside.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
