Chapter 31 Waiting for Meat
Mrs Shen quickly waved her hands. When she waved her hands, she found that her strength was a little stronger than before.
Mrs Shen said, “It’s not like that. Before today, I couldn’t even get out of bed. Today, I don’t know why, but I was able to get out of bed all of a sudden.”
Several women were still thinking that Su Wan was a jinx based on Mrs Wang’s words, but it turned out that after Su Wan came, Mrs Shen, who had been unable to get out of bed, was able to get out of bed.
Mrs Wang naturally didn’t believe it and said, “Sister Shen, you always loved to smooth things over for others, but you can’t do it randomly this time. How is it possible that you couldn’t get out of bed before but can get out of bed now?”
Mrs Wang had a loud voice and spoke quickly, so Mrs Shen had no time to refute her.
Seeing that Mrs Shen hadn’t continued her words, Mrs Wang said, “I’m not making this up. Su Wan is still unlucky, otherwise my family would have built a brick house that’s more magnificent than yours.”
Saying that Su Wan was unlucky was naturally Mrs Wang’s excuse for not helping her, and now Mrs Wang was making it sound very convincing.
Mrs Sun said, “Sister Wang, Su Wan is not at your house now, so you should start building a brick house as soon as possible.”
Mrs Wang thought of what Wang Luosheng said about Yang Yunyan being able to bring a dowry of 100 taels, and she felt confident, so she said, “Just wait and see, it won’t be long before my family can build a brick and tile house.”
Someone said, “Sister Wang’s brick house hasn’t been built yet, let’s go and take a look at Sister Shen’s tiled house first.”
Mrs Wang thought that since Mrs Shen was ill and Su Wan was also ill, the Shen’s house must be very messy. Thinking of her own embarrassment in the morning, Mrs Wang wanted everyone to see how messy the Shen’s house was.
Mrs Wang said, “Sister Shen, please open the door and let us in. Let’s take a look at Su Wan.”
Mrs Shen panted and said, “Miss Su Wan went out this morning. If you sisters want to see Miss Su Wan, why not come later ?”
The women originally thought that Su Wan was still lying in bed recuperating, but at this moment they heard Su Wan went out.
Mrs Wang deliberately wanted everyone to see Mrs Shen’s embarrassment, and hurriedly said to Shen: “Sister Shen, it doesn’t matter if Su Wan is not here, we came to see you.”
Mrs Shen had been shutting herself in for the past two years and was unwilling to talk to these women. It was not because she was a loner, but because she could not stand the ridicule these women were saying.
When Mrs Shen was about to refuse, Mrs Wang spoke again: “Sister Shen, I know you are not mobile and your home is messy. Please don’t be embarrassed to be polite to us. We are just here to visit you.”
The other women also echoed: “Sister Shen, we won’t laugh at your dirty and messy house. We just came here to talk to you.”
As Mrs Shen had expected, these ladies started to speak in sarcastic tones again. In fact, even when Mrs Shen was so sick that she couldn’t get out of bed, she never forgot to remind Shen Lin and Shen Yaya to develop some good habits to keep the house clean and tidy.
At this time, these people said that they were not there to laugh at her, but in fact they just wanted to see her embarrassing situation of not being able to clean her house.
Several women chatted with each other, urging Mrs Shen to open the door.
Mrs Shen was not a tough person, otherwise she would not have been bullied like this by Shen Lin’s grandparents.
After the women had said so much, Mrs Shen opened the door to let them in.
Upon entering the yard, all people were a little surprised. They originally thought that the Shen family was in such a state, Shen Lin was a man and Shen Yaya was so young, so the Shen family’s yard must not be clean. Who would have thought that the Shen family’s yard was so clean and tidy.
Mrs Shen suddenly felt that she had become stronger. She took a few steps forward and slowly welcomed the women into the house.
Several people originally came to see the Shen family make a fool of themselves, but seeing the Shen family like this, it is even cleaner than the Wang family who hired a maid.
But there is still a place that makes these gossipy women feel comfortable. The Shen family was originally quite wealthy, and there were many things in the house that they had seen before. Now the yard of the Shen family is empty, and when they walk into the room, the room is also empty.
Apart from the simplest bedding and a few pieces of furniture, the Shen family could be said to be penniless.
Mrs Wang sat on the kang at the Shen family’s house and began to say to Shen: “Sister Shen, you are so sick. Alas, you are pitiful.”
Mrs Sun and a group of women sighed that Mrs Shen was pitiful.
Mrs Shen: “…”
No one wants to be called pitiful.
Mrs Wang said again: “You are already so pitiful, and you want to take in Su Wan that unlucky child. Isn’t this even more pitiful…”
Mrs Shen: “…”
This was the reason why she had always been unwilling to interact with the women from the Wang and Sun families. When they talked to each other, they were always stabbing each other in the back and forth. The principle that Mrs Shen had always followed was, if I can’t afford to provoke them, I can always avoid them.
I let these people in today, and it turned out that what they said hurt me.
Mrs Sun said, “Sister Shen is really living a miserable life. Back then, Sister Shen’s family was one of the richest families in our village. Now she is living like this. It really makes me feel distressed and sad.”
Mrs Wang said, “Poor Sister Shen, your life is already so bad now. If you take in Su Wan, I’m afraid it will get worse day by day.”
Mrs Shen: “…”
She was really very weak, otherwise she would have sent the guest away without any courtesy.
These women came just to poke Mrs Shen’s mind. They all echoed what Mrs Sun and Mrs Wang said, saying that Mrs Shen was pitiful and that they could help her a little by taking in Su Wan, and that the Shen family could receive some gifts when Su Wan got married in the future. But Su Wan was clumsy and ugly, and they were afraid that she could neither help nor get married, and would have to stay with the Shen family and depend on them.
Su Wan’s reputation has always been like this, she is ignorant and clumsy, and can only do rough work. Everyone can see that Su Wan is dark and thin, and does not have the delicacy of an ordinary girl at all.
Mrs Shen never joined in the conversations of these women before. When she heard these women say that Su Wan was stupid and ugly, she felt strange. She had heard Yaya say before that Su Wan was very good at what she did. She had also eaten the snacks that Su Wan made for Yaya. How could someone who could make such good snacks be so stupid?
Besides, Su Wan’s facial features are actually very bright, but she used to dress shabbily and her skin is rough. She saw Su Wan yesterday, as she worked in the county town for a while , she has become fair and beautiful. She is a rare beauty. She has also seen Su Wan working. She is very efficient. How come Su Wan has such a reputation?
After thinking about it more carefully, Mrs Shen understood that Mrs Wang was the one who usually praised herself and belittled others. Su Wan was not her child, so she must have praised Wang Luoxue and belittled Su Wan.
Mrs Shen wanted to defend Su Wan, so she said slowly: “I have seen that Miss Su is very skillful and efficient in her work.”
Mrs Wang sneered, “That’s what Sister Shen thinks. Su Wan can only do rough work. She can’t do the delicate work that those girls do.”
The reason why Mrs Wang openly slandered Su Wan was because Mrs Wang estimated that since Su Wan was already so ill that she needed to spend six or seven taels of silver, it was obvious that she was weak to a certain extent. In this case, Su Wan would not be able to work in the Shen family like she did in the Wang family.
If she was not weak, she would give her some benefits and let her come to Wang’s house to work more often. As long as she didn’t say anything, no one would know how well she did her work.
That’s why Mrs Wang dared to say this.
After all, Mrs Shen was still weak, and her voice and speed of speech were not as good as Mrs Wang’s.
Several women were still sighing at the Shen family. On the surface, their words seemed to be concerned, but in fact, every word was heart-wrenching.
A group of women were talking animatedly when Shen Yaya’s voice rang out from outside the door: “Mom, Sister Su Wan and I are back.”
Everyone came here today to see Su Wan. They were not concerned about Su Wan’s condition, but just wanted to see what kind of situation this down-and-out Su Wan would be in when she came to the down-and-out Shen family.
A group of people just said that Su Wan was pitiful and that the Shen family was pitiful. They also said that if the Shen family wanted to take her in, they should choose a pretty girl. If she was pretty, she could become Shen Lin’s wife in the future, or they could charge a few taels of silver to let Su Wan become a concubine of a rich family, which could make up for the loss of seven taels. What is the situation now?
Su Wan is so ugly, it’s a waste of time.
Several women are now craning their necks, waiting for the other poor woman to come in.
When Shen Yaya and Su Wan entered the house, all the women in the room were stunned.
They originally thought that the two girls who came in would be dressed in rags, but who knew that Su Wan and Shen Yaya were both wearing new clothes. The two of them were dressed neatly, especially Su Wan, who had a pale complexion. She looked like a completely different person, no longer the dark and ugly girl before.
Mrs Wang was a little unhappy. That damn girl Su Wan actually bought new clothes. From the looks of it, Shen Yaya’s new clothes should have been bought by her as well. It seemed that her salary was indeed still in her hands. Even if not all of it, there must be some left, otherwise where would she get the money to buy new clothes.
The women had come to see Mrs Shen and Su Wan make a fool of themselves, but now Su Wan looked so beautiful that their hopes were dashed.
Mrs Wang felt strange, and her voice trembled a little: “Su Wan, aren’t you sick?”
Su Wan looked very healthy at this moment, and didn’t look sick at all.
Su Wan: “Maybe the medicinal power of the century-old ginseng is still there. I don’t feel exhausted yet.”
This reason is completely understandable.
Su Wan was so pretty now, and she was completely different from the dark and skinny girl before. From this point of view, if Su Wan was married off, she could get a dowry of more than ten taels. Did the Shen family make a profit?
Su Wan and Shen Yaya were so good-looking that the women avoided talking about them.
Mrs Sun said, “Hey, Su Wan, you are back from the county town. How come you only bought new clothes for you and Shen Yaya, but not for your aunt Shen?”
A woman said, “I told you, this is not your family member, so you can’t just keep her as your own. You won’t be able to get used to her, and she won’t miss you at all.”
Everyone blamed Su Wan for not buying Mrs Shen any clothes, and the Shen family saved Su Wan in vain.
Su Wan had finally seen the gossips of these women who usually interacted with Mrs Wang. They were so excessive that they used moral on people without knowing right or wrong.
Shen Yaya was stunned to listen to these women’s comments and accusations against Su Wan, and then she said loudly: “Aunts, what are you talking about? Sister Su Wan bought several sets of clothes for my mother.”
Everyone was shocked.
Mrs Wang chuckled: “Shen Yaya, you little girl have learned to lie. Where are the clothes that Su Wan bought? Why didn’t I see them?”
As soon as Mrs Wang finished speaking, there was a knock on the door outside the Shen family. Shen Yaya ran out to open the door, and Su Wan followed her out.
It was an old man in shorts driving a bullock cart.
All the women could see that the old man was a hired worker in the county town who specialized in hauling heavy things. It was because the people in the city were pampered that they would hire an oxcart to pull things. When the country people went to the county town, they would carry the things they bought back on their own shoulder poles.
Su Wan actually hired a bullock cart, what a sin.
The old man said to Su Wan, “Girl, I’ll move the things home for you. You can count them as you go to see if they are all right.”
Su Wan walked to the door. The old man moved things from the ox cart one by one to the small drying platform in the yard, muttering:
”A bag of rice”
”Half a bag of millet”
”A bag of noodles”
”A pot of oil”
”Three bags of sugar”
“One pack of peppercorns, aniseed and chili pepper”
”Three Clothes”
”Four pieces of cloth.”
”Eight pounds of spare ribs”
“Three pieces of bacon”
“…”
Su Wan bought everything that the Shen family currently needed that she could afford. Although Su Wan did not have much money on hand, she felt that she still had to live a better life for the time being. After settling down in the Shen family, she would immediately start thinking of various ways to make money.
The women nearby were all stunned. Was this something Su Wan bought for the Shen family?
They have never bought so much at once.
These women felt sad. They originally thought that the Shen family would become even more destitute after taking Su Wan back. However, now the things Su Wan bought were lying in front of them.
They heard that Su Wan went out to work before, and so she earned some money from working. Speaking of which, if Mrs Wang had not severed her relationship with Su Wan, these things should have belonged to the Wang family.
But then again, the Shen family spent seven taels of silver to bring Su Wan back. I wonder where Shen Lin got so much silver. It would be a huge loss to exchange seven taels of silver for these things.
Everyone thought about this and felt a little better.
Mrs Sun said, “Hey, Su Wan, who did you buy these things for? Your aunt Shen’s family or your aunt Wang’s family?”
Mrs Sun asked knowingly and deliberately embarrassed Su Wan.
Su Wan said: “The Shen family saved my life, so I naturally bought it to repay them.”
Mrs Sun’s words did not embarrass Su Wan but made Mrs Wang feel uncomfortable. Everyone knew that the Wang family had distanced themselves from Su Wan at the critical moment when Su Wan was sick and needed money.
Su Wan asked the old man to help move the rice, flour and other things that should be placed in the kitchen to the kitchen.
Shen Yaya took out the clothes that Su Wan bought for Mrs Shen from the basket and said, “Mother, Sister Su Wan also bought you new clothes. She also bought you a hairpin.”
The women felt even more uncomfortable, as neither their daughters nor their daughters-in-law seemed to have ever been so considerate. Of course, they automatically ignored the fact that the villagers would not give much money to their daughters-in-law and daughters, so naturally they had no money to buy things for them.
Everyone looked at the clothes in Shen Yaya’s hand. It was a lotus-colored quilted dress. The material was of standard quality and the style was also neat. It looked thick and solid. It would be best to wear it when the weather gets colder in a few days.
They were just ordinary clothes, and everyone felt a little relieved.
Mrs Sun looked at the clothes and said, “Sister Shen, this is just a small favor. Su Wan is not very good at work and is a burden. I’m afraid your family will have a hard time in the future.”
Mrs Shen was completely enraged. These people came here today and made sarcastic remarks one after another, deliberately making people feel uncomfortable.
Mrs Shen said, “Sisters, it’s time to make lunch. Please go back. I won’t bother you to worry about whether my family is doing well or not.”
It was indeed time to cook, and the women went away one by one with their eyes rolled.
At the end, someone even said sarcastically: “No matter how much you buy, it’s useless if the work is not done well.”
Someone else said, “You can’t buy this every day. I don’t know when they can get back the seven or eight taels of silver.”
Another woman who was close to Mrs Wang said, “Even if we bought ribs and meat, it would be a waste to let that clumsy person cook it.”
Mrs Shen had seen the mouths of these women before. None of them had a nice word to say.
Of course Su Wan also knew that not all women in this village were like these few women. Some of them were good-tempered. It just so happened that the ones who came to the Shen family today were the talkative ones.
After these women left, the Shen family finally returned to its former peace.
Shen Yaya discovered that Mrs Shen had been standing outside the door for a long time today. Normally, her mother was weak and her legs and feet were not in good condition, so how could she stand for so long?
Shen Yaya was surprised and said, “Mother, you seem to have more strength today.”
Mrs Shen nodded and said, “I feel stronger today than usual. They have been talking here for the whole afternoon, and I have been accompanying them all the way.”
However, Mrs Shen’s voice was still weak.
Shen Yaya and Su Wan hurried over and helped Mrs Shen to sit down on the kang in the room.
Shen Yaya quickly found a pillow and let Mrs Shen sit on the head of the kang.
Su Wan started sweeping the floor. Just now a large group of women came into the house and left many mud marks on the ground.
Mrs Shen said slowly: “That Mrs Wang’s words are too harsh. According to me, Su Wan came to my house yesterday, and today I have the strength. It can be seen that Wan wan is a blessed person.”
Su Wan guessed that Mrs Shen said this because of something Mrs Wang said. When she was at Mrs Wang’s house, Mrs Wang always called Su Wan a jinx.
Su Wan did not modest herself, she just raised her head and said to Shen: “Aunt will definitely get better day by day.”
Mrs Shen’s face showed a smile: “With your good words, I will definitely get better day by day.”
After Su Wan finished sweeping the floor, she moved the cloth, scissors, needles and thread she had bought to Mrs Shen’s room and asked Mrs Shen to keep them.
Mrs Shen asked Su Wan to keep the items in her room, but Su Wan said that there was no place to put them in her room and that these items were bought for Mrd Shen to be kept in the bottom of the box.
Mrs Shen said, “Miss Su, please don’t buy these things again in the future. It costs so much money.”
Su Wan knew that Mrs Shen didn’t want to spend her money, so she said, “Aunt, don’t be so polite. Although I wasn’t really sick yesterday and didn’t need to pay seven taels of silver, I could see that Big Brother Shen was willing to save me. Big Brother Shen was willing to give me seven taels of silver, so why can’t I do for the Shen family?”
”Besides, I live here, and Brother Shen only charged me six cents. I can’t just eat and drink for free with these six cents. I have to do something.”
Mrs Shen added, “My family only gave you some wild vegetables to eat, which is nothing compared to the money you spent on buying things.”
