Chapter 35: Strength in Numbers
Old man Shen was furious.
What? Not letting Shen Lao Da’s family eat meat, but asking the two old people to grind corn for Shen Lin. Is Shen Lin dreaming?
Old man Shen immediately jumped up and yelled at Shen Lin: “Take your meat and get out. I don’t want to eat your meat. Don’t foul my mouth. Get out.”
Shen Lin didn’t say anything. Because of his filial piety, he had never asked for anything from his grandparents. He thought that his grandparents still cared about him to some extent. But he was a man after all, so how could he trouble the old people and make them suffer?
He actually didn’t want Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen to help with the work.
He discovered that the things he had thought were right for many years seemed to be wrong and not the case.
Su Wan took another step forward and said, “Grandpa Shen and Grandma Shen, you two elders must not get angry. If you get angry, you will not have the energy to help Brother Shen Lin rub the corn. Brother Shen Lin feels sorry for you two elders. You don’t have to carry corn like you did when you worked for Uncle Shen’s family. You two elders can just do something that doesn’t require much energy, such as rubbing the corn.”
Su Wan passed the meat forward.
Old Man Shen got even angrier: “Take your rotten meat and get out of here quickly, or I’ll die from eating your meat.”
Su Wan pulled Shen Lin’s sleeve and said, “Brother Shen, let’s go. Grandpa Shen will get angry if we just stand here, and we can’t let him get angry and ruin his health. Since Grandpa Shen doesn’t want to eat, we won’t see him off.”
Shen Lin said: “Okay.”
Then he turned around and walked towards his own threshing ground.
In the past, he thought he had grandparents and a family. Today, he realized that he had no family. He only had a mother and a sister. Apart from his mother and sister, no one would worry about him.
That’s not right. It seems that he also has a tenant named Su Wan.
Unable to bear the thought of seeing his grandparents working so hard, Shen Lin had never asked them for help before, and naturally had never been refused.
Today’s rejection was the first time Shen Lin had suffered one. Originally, he subconsciously felt that he was still their grandson after all, and they still cared about him. They did not help him only because he did not mention it.
Yang Wu shouted: “Shen Lin, that’s right, if I were you I would take it back and eat it myself.”
The onlookers said: “Shen Lin, don’t make your grandparents angry, just take it back and eat it yourself.”
Some of the villagers were joking and some were just defending the injustice. But everyone could see clearly that Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen only took in but did not give back to Shen Lin. Only kindness from above can lead to filial piety from below.
Shen Lin didn’t say anything.
Su Wan was very satisfied, and she also picked up the plate and walked back, saying, “Grandpa Shen and Grandma Shen, so I will bring the fried meat slices back. If we insist on giving them to you and keep them here, and make your angry, then it will be Brother Shen’s fault again.”
Shen Lin just walked towards his own grain field. He said nothing. He originally thought that sending food to grandparents was natural, but now he suddenly felt that it was not so natural.
Old man Shen looked at Shen Lin’s back in disbelief. What? This kid really left.
Old Woman Shen and Eldest Shen were also stunned. Shouldn’t Shen Lin beg them to eat?
That was a big plate of fried meat slices.
Eldest Shen couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Shen Lin, how can you just take it back without giving it to your grandparents?”
Shen Lin stopped walking and did not look back: “Grandpa and grandma don’t want to eat.”
Su Wan quickly continued Shen Lin’s words: “Brother Shen specially asked for fried pork slices to be made for Grandpa and Grandma Shen, but Grandpa and Grandma Shen didn’t want to eat it. Even if Brother Shen was sad, he couldn’t force Grandpa and Grandma Shen to eat it. The fried pork slices were so hard that Grandpa and Grandma Shen felt uncomfortable eating them. This is another case of Brother Shen being unfilial.”
Old Man Shen: “…”
He was just saying that in anger, he didn’t really not want to eat.
Su Wan followed Shen Lin closely, took a few steps, and looked at Yang Wu who had just called out, “Brother Yang Wu, I made too much meat and can’t finish it. You and Grandpa Yang and Grandma Yang, come over let’s eat together.”
Old man Shen almost vomited blood. Su Wan and Shen Lin didn’t give the meat to them, but gave it to a stranger.
Can this outsider have grandparents?
Shen Lin remained silent. Su Wan cooked the meat, and Su Wan could give it to whoever she wanted. Besides, Brother Yang Wu had repeatedly supported him, so he was indeed grateful.
He could tell clearly whether people were good to him or not, but he was blinded by filial piety in the past.
If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t be so late and shameless as to eat Shen Lin’s meat. But Yang Wu was different. He was careless and thick-skinned. He followed Su Wan and Shen Lin over. Old Man Yang and Old Woman Yang couldn’t stop him. Yang Wu’s brothers also rolled their eyes at Yang Wu. It was shameful that this kid went over to eat and drink for free.
When he arrived at Shen Lin’s threshing ground, Yang Wu said, “Su Wan, after your trip to the county town, you look like a local. But you can’t fry the meat in oil in the future.” What Yang Wu said was a good thing. Su Wan smiled and said that Yang Wu was right.
Su Wan said, “Brother Yang Wu, please call Grandpa Yang and Grandma Yang over to eat together.”
Yang Wu smiled and said, “No, they won’t eat it. If I eat it and go back, they will scold me. But your meat is so delicious, so I’ll just get scolded.”
Su Wan handed the plate of meat to Yang Wu and said, “Brother Yang Wu, you should take it over and eat with Grandpa Yang, Grandma Yang, and your brothers.”
Yang Wu thought about it and took the plate of fried meat slices from Su Wan. Wow, it was such a big plate. Even if his parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law shared it, each person could get six or seven slices.
Yang Wu carried Su Wan’s fried meat slices and walked towards the Yang family’s grain field. Old man Shen was so angry that he was about to die, and old man Yang was also about to die.
Old man Shen thought to himself: Shameless, so shameless.
Old man Yang thought to himself: Shameless, so shameless.
The villagers were drooling and envious. Some of them had already started to talk about it. Look, Yang Wu is really good at skimming the scumbag. He can eat the food that others give to his grandparents. He is also a “capable” person.
As Yang Wu walked into his own grain field carrying the fried meat slices, he heard his father scolding him: “Shameless thing, send it back to the owner.”
Yang Wu didn’t listen. He took the meat and walked up to the brothers and Old Man Yang and Old Woman Yang and whispered a few words to them. Old Man Yang then softened and the brothers of the Yang family nodded.
Yang Wu gave eight slices of meat to his parents, five slices to his brothers and sisters-in-law, ate three slices himself, and left seven slices for his little sister.
The fried meat slices made by Su Wan were quite big and chewy.
There are many brothers in the Yang family, but they are also a rare family that is united. Each of the brothers cares about other brothers and values their brothers very much.
Except for Yang Wu, most of the other members of the Yang family are honest people. If others were honest, they would inevitably be bullied. However, the brothers of the Yang family are united, and no one in the village dares to bully them.
Old Man Shen, Old Woman Shen, and Eldest Shen’s family were so angry that they almost fainted.
These fried meat slices were originally meant for them to eat.
The skewered pork must have been delicious, the air is still filled with that greasy, burnt smell.
Some villagers also laughed and teased Old Man Shen: “Look at you, Uncle Shen, you don’t eat such delicious fried meat slices, but others will eat them.”
Another villager said, “Just say whatever you want to say. Today’s incident is really not about others loving Shen Lin and being filial. It’s you who didn’t want to eat. Shen Daye, you can’t get angry.”
Old man Shen became even angrier. How could Shen Lin, this unfilial grandson, choose himself out of the group of unfilial people? He was clearly an unfilial person.
Just now, that damned girl Su Wan was so sharp-tongued, but Shen Lin didn’t say a word, nor did he scold that damned girl. It was really unfilial.
Old man Shen cursed Su Wan a hundred and eighty times in his heart and cursed Su Wan’s eighteen generations of ancestors.
At this moment, Su Wan’s voice rang out again: “Grandpa Shen, Grandma Shen, you two should come over and have something to eat.”
Old man Shen blurted out: “Get lost.”
Old Woman Shen hit Old Man Shen and said, “Why don’t you go?”
Old Man Shen: “…”
He just spoke too fast again.
Su Wan’s desolate voice came through again: “Grandpa Shen, Grandma Shen, if you don’t want to eat it, I will take the rest back and give it to Yaya.”
As Su Wan spoke, she had already packed up the lunch box and stood up. Shen Lin eats quickly and had already finished his meal.
Shen Lin’s whole body was full of strength. After eating today’s fried meat slices, he would definitely be able to finish the work faster.
Su Wan stood up and walked back with the lunch box. After taking a few steps, Su Wan heard some movement behind her.
Su Wan turned around and saw that it was the six brothers from the Yang family who had come to Shen Lin’s grain field.
Yang Wu said, “Shen Lin, lets take advantage of this little time at noon to help you with some work. Let’s go to the fields.”
After Yang Wu finished speaking, several brothers of the Yang family picked up their baskets and left the threshing ground to go to the fields.
Shen Lin was a little surprised: “No need, Brother Yang Wu.”
Yang Wu is three years older than Shen Lin, so Shen Lin naturally has to call Yang Wu “brother”.
Yang Wu laughed and said, “Have you become stupid from studying so hard in the past two years? You are so stupid.”
Shen Lin said: “You are busy too.”
Yang Wu: “I’m not helping you, I’m thanking Su Wan for the meat. You’re lucky to have brought Su Wan back.”
Yang Wu has been working in the county for several years and has a clearer understanding of things. Su Wan just gave him the big plate of fried meat slices to thank him for speaking for Shen Lin.
Those few words didn’t amount to a big plate of meat, so Yang Wu encouraged his brothers to help Shen Lin with the work.
Other people’s work is done by several members of the family together, but Shen Lin does everything by himself. In the past, he had to go home to cook for his family at noon.
The villagers sighed when they saw this, but they couldn’t help because they only helped in times of emergency but not in poverty. The villagers helped each other in the fields, and it was always “I help your family, and you help mine”. Shen Lin had so many things to do that he couldn’t even handle his own family’s affairs, let alone pay back the wages.
Shen Lin remembered Yang Wu’s help, picked up his backpack and followed Yang Wu. However, Yang Wu was two steps slower, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Shen Lin. He put his arm on Shen Lin’s shoulder and said, “You are lucky, kid.”
Su Wan understood that the Yang brothers were going to help Shen Lin with the work.
Speaking of which, if the fried meat slices were given to Shen Lin’s grandparents and the Shen family, they would only think that it was their duty, and even think that it was not enough, and that they should take more and leave only a few slices for Shen Lin.
Even if they were given more food, they would not help Shen Lin do easy work like rubbing corn.
As for the food, the Yang brothers went to the fields to help Shen Lin do the troublesome work of breaking and carrying corn without even discussing it with him.
Several brothers of the Yang family went to the fields. Three of them picked corn, while the remaining four, including Shen Lin, carried the corn on their backs.
The Yang brothers helped Shen Lin carry the goods twice.
Originally, Shen Lin would have to do these tasks for four or five days, but there were many brothers in the Yang family, and the corn that four people could carry in two trips, Shen Lin had to carry in eight trips by himself. Three people had to break the corn non-stop and did not need to carry it back, so Shen Lin had to do it six times by himself.
When Su Wan came just now, Shen San’s buddies Zhang Ergou, Li Si and Wang Chuan saw that Su Wan was very beautiful, and they didn’t want to leave a bad impression in front of the beauty, so they dispersed.
At this time, Shen Lin and several brothers of the Yang family were working together in a mighty manner. At first glance, their momentum seemed stronger than that of Shen San and his friends.
Shen San’s brothers have always been idle and they often steal things together when they are together.
Old Man Shen felt uncomfortable and looked at Shen San: “Third boy, call your brothers to help your father carry the corn.”
Shen San was worried. Needless to say, it was okay for a few people to steal together, but it was absolutely impossible to say that they were helping with housework. The six Yang brothers helped Shen Lin do two rounds of work, and together with the work Shen Lin had done before, more than half of it had been done.
In the past two years, Shen Lin was always the last one to finish his work in the village. There was an unspoken rule in the village that whoever finished his work last would be the laziest family in the village and would be laughed at.
Although Shen Lin’s situation was different from others, Shen Lin slowed down because there was only one person in the family, but those gossiping villagers automatically ignored this point. When they teased someone about their slow farm work, they would say, “Your work is really slow. If you were any slower, you would finish the harvest later than Shen Lin’s family.”
The family being talked about felt as if they had suffered a great humiliation and retorted: “Your family is slower than Shen Lin’s family.”
After saying this, the family will surely work at full speed. If they really work slower than Shen Lin’s family, it will be so funny that people will die of laughter.
Now, with the help of the Yang brothers, Shen Lin will be able to harvest the crops early, faster than most people in the village.
This inevitably made many villagers in the village jealous.
Old man Shen was so angry that he almost vomited blood. The fried meat slices were clearly meant for him to eat, but ended up being eaten by the brothers of the Yang family.
But it was Old Man Shen himself who said he didn’t want to eat Shen Lin’s fried meat slices, and told Shen Lin to leave with the fried meat slices.
After the Yang brothers went to help Shen Lin with the work, some villagers also teased Old Man Shen: “Old Man Shen, they brought you a piece of meat, how could you not eat it? Now it’s in someone else’s stomach.”
Old Man Shen: “I don’t want to eat his two pieces of rotten meat. Who hasn’t eaten it before…”
The teasing villager said, “That’s not just two slices, that’s a whole plate. There are so many people in the Yang family, and each of them ate several slices. If you two eat all of them, you will be very satisfied.”
Old Man Shen: “…” He could also imagine how enjoyable it was. He watched with his peripheral vision as the Yang family members finished the plate of fried meat slices. While secretly watching, he was thinking how enjoyable it would be if he could eat a belly full of fried meat slices.
Old Woman Shen whispered to Old Man Shen, “Alas, it’s all your fault, old man. Why didn’t we just pretend not to give the food to the eldest and quietly leave some for the eldest to take back?”
Old man Shen felt extremely heartbroken. How could he speak so quickly?
Yang Wu’s father, Old Man Yang, and his wife, Old Woman Yang, originally felt it was shameful when they saw Yang Wu taking back other people’s meat. But after Yang Wu came over, he said to Old Man Yang that he had many brothers in his family, so helping Shen Lin with a few tasks could be considered an exchange.
Shen Lin had always been looked down upon by the people in Qingshi Village because he was the last one to finish the work. In exchange for helping him work, the old Yang family really wasn’t taking advantage, so Old Man Yang agreed. Of course, Old Man Yang and Old Woman Yang enjoyed the fried meat slices very much. There were many sons in the family, and they had hardly eaten meat after their sons got married. Even before their sons got married, they had barely eaten meat. People said that the young boys would eat their fathers out of money, so the old couple saved the meat for their sons.
After delivering the meal to Shen Lin, Su Wan returned to the Shen family.
When Su Wan was making fried meat slices at noon, the aroma drifted to the Wang family next door. Mrs Wang stretched her neck and took a few deep breaths of the aroma.
Judging from the appearance, it must be Su Wan who was cooking. From this point of view, Su Wan’s body is not as weak as imagined. This century-old ginseng is indeed effective.
Mrs Wang thought to herself that judging by the way Su Wan spent money, she must have some money on her. She had to send Luo Sheng to ask Su Wan. If she didn’t ask, Su Wan would spend all the money.
Su Wan likes Luo Sheng so much, but only when her son gives her a good look will she rush to send the money over.
Su Wan returned to the Shen family, but there was nothing to do in the Shen family’s home.
The house and yard of the Shen family are all tidy, and the Shen family members will clean up consciously, so apart from wiping the dust off the furniture, there is not much work to do. It is not like the Wang family, where there is no end to the housework.
Shen Yaya and Su Wan took a nap in Su Wan’s east wing. Su Wan went to the sundries room of the Shen family and took out a fish basket, a fishing net, and a thick hemp rope.
The people in Qingshi Village didn’t think there was any place to fish nearby, so Eldest Shen and his family didn’t take away the fishing gear from Shen Lin’s house.
According to the original owner’s memory, Su Wan knew that there was a small sluice in a river not far from Qingshi Village. This place was the best for catching fish.
This was discovered when the original owner was a few years older than she is now. At that time, the original owner often cooked various kinds of fish for the Wang family, saving the Wang family a lot of money on buying fish and meat.
Su Wan changed into ragged clothes and led Shen Yaya to the small sluice gate of the river.
The water in the river was up to the waist. Su Wan looked around and found that the sluice gate was blocked. She guessed that the fish were all near the gate. Su Wan lowered the fishing net not far from the gate. The fishing net, the banks of the creek and the gate formed an enclosed space . Su Wan also used ropes to fix the fishing net to the trees on both sides of the creek to ensure that the fishing net would not loosen.
This was also a method invented by the original owner, called catching a turtle in a jar. Su Wan asked Shen Yaya to throw rocks from the shore to the other side of the sluice gate, while Su Wan herself used a rough hemp whip to hit the water surface near the sluice gate.
The usually calm water surface was disturbed, and the fish swam towards the net.
Su Wan thought to herself, they were really walking into a trap.
Su Wan and Shen Yaya saw the fishing net swaying, and the ropes tied to the trees on both sides that fixed the fishing net were also swaying. It was obvious that there were fish.
Shen Yaya was very happy and threw stones into the river even more vigorously.
After a while, Su Wan asked Shen Yaya to stop.
Su Wan walked from the gate to the other side of the river and pulled the net with Shen Yaya.
The net was still a little heavy, and Su Wan kept watching Shen Yaya, afraid that she would fall in. Although the river was not deep and not fast, and Su Wan could swim, it was autumn after all, and the water in the river was cold, so if she fell in, she would catch a cold.
Fortunately, although Shen Yaya looked a little struggling, she was actually able to pull it.
Su Wan pulled up one side of the net, went around the gate, and collected the heavy fishing net, revealing five big fish and twenty or so small fish in it.
There should have been a lot of fish, but the Shen family’s fishing net was still a little small, so many fish escaped from the net. But five fish and these twenty or so small fish were already a lot.
Su Wan thought to herself, this is too easy, and believed that this was due to the koi luck of the original owner.
Su Wan and Shen Yaya put the fish into the fish basket and carried it on their backs. When they returned to the village, Su Wan took Shen Yaya to take a few more detours and entered the village from another direction, which was the same road that led back from the county town.
On the way into the village, Su Wan met several women, two of whom were the ones who had been to Shen’s house with Mrs Wang that day and had seen how Su Wan spent money lavishly.
When some of them saw Su Wan, they whispered to the people around them: “Su Wan must have gone to the county town to spend money again. How can she afford to spend so much money with such a small salary? This woman is useless if she can manage the household.”
The other women echoed this.
Su Wan has become more beautiful since she came back from the county town, but her beauty is useless. Seeing how spendthrift she is, anyone who marries her will be unlucky for the rest of his life.
Su Wan and Shen Yaya returned to Shen’s house. Su Wan put a few fish into the water tank, gave Shen Yaya ten cents, and asked Shen Yaya to buy tofu from the tofu maker in the village.
Su Wan gutted the fish one by one and sliced both the big and small fish into thicker fillets.
The Shen family dried chili peppers, and Su Wan took the dried chili peppers down from under the eaves and crushed them for later use.
Shen Yaya bought a big bag of tofu and came back. Shen Yaya was a little surprised: “Sister Su Wan, we can’t eat so much tofu.”
Su Wan and Shen Yaya explained: “It’s natural that the four of us can’t eat so much tofu, but today, we can invite Brother Yang Wu’s family to have a meal. Brother Yang Wu’s family helped your brother with work today.”
Then Su Wan explained to Shen Yaya that it is natural to be frugal in life, but when you meet someone who is worth your efforts, you should not be stingy in giving. Only in this way can you win people’s hearts and make your life easier.
Shen Yaya nodded, not quite understanding.
Su Wan filleted the big and small fish into fish slices, then went to the grain field, waited for Shen Lin, and asked Shen Lin to call the Yang family back home for dinner in the evening.
