Tian Guilan almost lost her footing. She reached out to touch Jiang Chengnan’s forehead in disbelief.
“You’re not even running a fever why are you talking nonsense? Chengnan, listen to your mom. Go back to the city and get a job. You’re just idle, that’s what this is.”
“It’s true, Mom! I’ve finally made it through the hard times!”
Jiang Chengnan was so happy he felt like he could bloom on the spot.
He and Cao Xinrou had already kissed marriage was only a matter of time.
“Mom, just wait for Xinrou and me to give you a big, chubby grandson!”
Seeing her son so happy, Tian Guilan couldn’t bear to pour cold water on him, though she was worried inside.
Cao Xinrou had liked the second son for so many years how could she just forget him overnight?
A woman’s heart is as unfathomable as the sea.
She’d slapped the third son just days ago, and now the two of them were together?
If she really married into the family having once liked her brother-in-law how would everyone get along afterward?
And if Cao Xinrou stirred up trouble, the second and third brothers might end up enemies. They absolutely couldn’t let one woman drive a wedge between brothers.
Ning Xi and Jiang Chengbei exchanged a glance. Something felt off when things were abnormal, there was always something fishy.
Still, Jiang Chengnan reminded her of something: there was still a score to settle with the Cao family.
She asked Tian Guilan, “Auntie, has the wild boar meat been divided yet?”
“Not yet. The team leader said they’ll start at four.”
“Alright, Chengbei and I will go take a look.”
Ning Xi pulled Jiang Chengbei along toward the brigade office.
On the way, Jiang Chengbei worried about her injury.
“Can your foot really handle walking? Elder Zhuang said you need to rest more these days. Why don’t we just go back? Dividing meat is noisy anyway it’s not that interesting.”
He kept nagging.
Ning Xi’s ears started itching from listening. She couldn’t help muttering softly, “You’re already this naggy at such a young age what’ll you do when you’re old? Turn into an annoying little old man?”
Jiang Chengbei sighed helplessly.
“I’m worried about you.”
“I know you’re worried,” Ning Xi said. “But look I’m fine. Elder Zhuang’s medical skills are amazing. I already feel much better. Walking slowly is no problem. And besides”
Afraid he’d keep going, she flashed him a playful smile.
“If you keep nagging, I’ll shut your mouth myself.”
Jiang Chengbei immediately fell silent.
The two of them strolled slowly to the brigade office.
It was already packed with people. Everyone had been waiting eagerly for the pork.
Someone sharp-eyed spotted Jiang Chengbei and flattered him as a hero.
“In ancient times there was Wu Song who fought a tiger today we have Chengbei who fought a boar!”
Ning Xi: ?
Why did that sound… kind of weird?
When the team leader saw Jiang Chengbei, he asked him to help distribute the meat.
“You hunted the wild boar. You do the dividing.”
Before Jiang Chengbei could respond, Cao’s mother squeezed forward, afraid of being left out, her face blooming like a chrysanthemum.
“Team leader, I helped hunt the boar too. You have to give me a few extra pounds.”
“Alright. I’ll give you half a pound more later.”
All afternoon, Cao’s mother had been shouting all over the village about how she acted as bait for the wild boar. No one else had witnessed what happened on the mountain, so the team leader half-believed her otherwise she would have nagged him to death.
“Both your family and the Jiang family can get extra meat.”
Cao’s mother was overjoyed, already planning how to eat the meat, when suddenly a clear, crisp voice rang out beside her.
“I don’t agree to giving the Cao family any meat!”
Ning Xi was already strikingly beautiful, standing out in the crowd. Now that she spoke up suddenly, all eyes turned to her including the team leader’s, who was completely confused.
“Why not?”
“Because she’s lying. Acting as bait is complete nonsense. She was being chased by the wild boar and, for her own safety, pushed Jiang Chengbei toward it to block it. Luckily he dodged otherwise he’d have been injured at best, or bleeding to death on the spot!”
She deliberately exaggerated.
The villagers immediately turned against Cao’s mother in disgust.
At times like this, everyone was especially united. There were many people and little meat if the Cao family lost their share, everyone else would get more, even if just a bite or two.
Cao’s mother was drooling at the thought of meat when Ning Xi suddenly accused her. She immediately planted her hands on her hips and glared.
“Why don’t I get any meat?!”
Ning Xi snorted. “Because you’re both cowardly and vicious. If you want meat, ask everyone whether they agree.”
“We don’t agree!”
“That’s right! We can’t give the meat Chengbei risked his life for to someone who tried to harm him!”
In the end, Cao’s mother didn’t get even a single strand of pig hair.
Standing in the crowd, Jiang Chengbei turned slightly to look at Ning Xi. A warm current slowly rose in his chest.
So she hadn’t come to the brigade office despite her injured foot just to watch the excitement she had come to stand up for him.
That kind of Ning Xi was even more captivating.
The wild boar was killed by Jiang Chengbei, and this time the Jiang family received five pounds of meat.
Old Master Jiang ordered all five pounds to be cooked.
Tian Guilan felt so heartbroken it was as if they were cooking her own flesh instead of boar meat.
Zhang Hongmei was even more envious.
If only she could spare half of that meat for her natal family.
If she carried home those oily chunks of pork, her parents and siblings would surely look at her with new respect.
Wild boar was different from domestic pork.
It moved a lot, had less fat, and the meat was firm but coarse in fiber.
Even so, for villagers, cooking five pounds of meat at once was extremely extravagant.
Once the meat was served, everyone buried their heads and started eating.
The Jiang family had many members, so they ate at two tables men at one, women at another.
The women’s table clearly had about one-third less meat than the men’s.
Dinner was cooked jointly by Zhou Qinglian and Tian Guilan not because the sisters-in-law were close, but because they were guarding against each other.
Each feared the other might secretly stash meat away.
Once the meat was out of the pot, though, their opinions were perfectly aligned:
The men in the family should eat more and eat well.
Ning Xi glanced at the large sea bowl of meat. There was more lean than fat, mostly pork skin, and even hair still on it.
She immediately lost her appetite.
Jiang Yanyan, Zhang Hongmei, and Jiang Lihua from the eldest branch ate with relish. Even little Xiaoyu puffed out her cheeks, chewing hard. Seeing Ning Xi hadn’t touched her chopsticks, Xiaoyu proactively picked up a piece of fatty-and-lean meat and put it into her bowl.
“Sister Ning, hurry up and eat.”
Ning Xi smiled warmly. “Okay.”
Honestly, although the texture was a bit tough, it had its own unique flavor.
She picked up several more pieces, which made Zhou Qinglian very unhappy.
“I’m not greedy. If I eat one less piece, my husband and son can eat one more.”
She then scolded Jiang Lihua,
“Greedy girl! A young lady being this gluttonous when you marry into another family, they’ll say your parents never taught you properly!”
Jiang Lihua shrank back from the scolding and reached her chopsticks toward the cold mixed wild vegetables.
Ning Xi understood immediately Zhou Qinglian was using her daughter as a pretext to mock her for lacking upbringing. She didn’t get angry. Calmly, she put nearly half a bowl of meat into her own bowl.
She even picked some for Jiang Lihua.
“Lihua, eat more. Look how skinny you are.”
Jiang Lihua was stunned.
Zhou Qinglian was stunned too.
“Ning Xi, why are you hogging all the meat? If you eat it all, what are we supposed to eat?!”
“Second Aunt, so you want to eat meat too?” Ning Xi said in surprise. “Didn’t you say you were saving it for your husband and son?”
“I—”
Zhou Qinglian only talked big; in reality, she ate more than anyone.
As an elder, being talked back to by an unmarried younger woman made her feel utterly humiliated. Her voice rose sharply.
“You’re young you’ll have plenty of chances to eat meat in the future. What’s wrong with eating one bite less?”
Ning Xi chuckled and nodded in understanding.
“So that’s it. Second Aunt, you’re stuffing yourself because you’re afraid you won’t have another chance to eat meat. That makes sense you’ve already got one foot in the grave. Who knows, you might just drop dead one day. You really should eat more.”
As she spoke, she smiled sweetly and put a piece of hairy pork skin into Zhou Qinglian’s bowl.
“Eat more.”
Looking at the pork skin with hair still on it, Zhou Qinglian exploded with rage.
When she noticed Tian Guilan beside her struggling to hold back laughter her shoulders shaking she got even angrier and slammed her chopsticks down.
“Chengbei! Control your wife she’s bullying people!”