Lu Jingzhou finished dressing before opening the door to step outside. Wang Sheng immediately lowered her head and retreated to the side at the sight of him.
Like a chick spotting an eagle.
Lu Jingzhou paid her little attention. “I bought a few pounds of glutinous rice flour yesterday. Go make some Tangyuan and cook a bowl in brown sugar water to bring to her.”
“Alright!”
Lu Jingzhou wanted to say more but felt it inappropriate. He couldn’t treat others like maids or servants, nor was he accustomed to exploiting people.
Fortunately, Wang Sheng was perceptive. After hesitating for a moment, she entered the room, gathered the soiled diapers Little Bean Sprout had used, and took them to the kitchen to soak in freshly boiled water before starting on the Tangyuan.
Lu Jingzhou took his time washing his face and rinsing his mouth with cold water, then ran his fingers through his short, bristly hair before walking over to open the door.
The person outside had grown tired of knocking and had resorted to sitting on the doorstep to rest.
He abruptly pulled the door open, nearly causing them to tumble backward.
“Ouch! My poor back!”
“Mom, are you all right? Third Son? Why didn’t you warn us before opening the door? You made my mother fall.”
The visitors were Aunt Lu and her daughter, Huang Ying.
Rubbing her back, Aunt Lu stood with her daughter’s support, her expression still sour. “We’ve been knocking for ages. You’re so slow. Where’s your wife? Why didn’t she come to open the door? What time is it? Could she still be lazing in bed? Good heavens, what kind of wife acts like this? It’s disgraceful. Go call her up—I need to talk to both of you.”
From the moment the door opened, Lu Jingzhou hadn’t uttered a word, simply listening to their torrent of complaints.
The mother and daughter paid no mind to his demeanor. After all, Lu Jingzhou had always been like this back home, so they were used to it. They pushed past him and strode inside uninvited.
The moment they entered the courtyard, they began critiquing everything.
“It’s quite spacious, though a bit small. It’ll do for a temporary stay. Huh? Where did this kid come from? Could she be from Jiang Yue’s family? Why are you raising an outsider for her?”
Wang Sheng had been about to step out to gather firewood but, startled by them, shrank back inside.
Huang Ying naturally followed her into the kitchen. “We haven’t had breakfast either! Let me see what’s cooking. Oh, Tangyuan! Mom, don’t you love Tangyuan? Kid, make more. Use up all this glutinous rice flour! My mom and I can each eat two bowls.”
Wang Sheng didn’t move, continuing to tend the fire.
Huang Ying, delighted as if she were in her own kitchen, went to check the basket hanging from the beam. Spotting eggs and lard meat, her mouth watered, and she already planned to mooch lunch here too.
Aunt Lu sat on a small stool, rubbing her legs. Hearing her daughter’s words, she saw nothing wrong and instead scolded Lu Jingzhou, “Your parents can’t even afford wheat flour at home, yet here you are, trading for all this glutinous rice flour just for her postpartum recovery? Sure, she’s your wife, but do you know what she’s really done? Hmph! I’m not one to gossip behind people’s backs—call her out here. I’ll confront her face to face! Our Lu family can’t keep a wife like this. If the roots are rotten, what good fruit can it bear?”
Lu Jingzhou listened to her nagging with a furrowed brow, his eyes fixed on Huang Ying in the kitchen. His frown deepened, and his gaze grew colder.
Aunt Lu rambled on for a long time but received no response. When she looked up, Lu Jingzhou’s expression startled her, but then she reassured herself: she was his own aunt—his only aunt. Surely, he wouldn’t turn against her.
“Third Son! Now that you’ve grown up and have some backbone, you think you can forget your roots, is that it? Have you forgotten how much Da Gu doted on you when you were little? Don’t you break Da Gu’s heart!”
Huang Ying poked her head out from the kitchen, twisting her body as she shot Lu Jingzhou a sidelong glare.
“Third Son, what’s gotten into you? It’s true what they say – a man forgets his mother once he takes a wife. Now you won’t even listen to your own aunt! Are you trying to turn the world upside down?”
She wore her hair in a bob with straight bangs, but at her age, the style looked awkward on her. She didn’t resemble Aunt Lu at all, taking more after her father instead – both had broad, round faces that weren’t particularly attractive, though elders would call it a “fortunate appearance.” She rather fancied her own looks though.
Aunt Lu’s family lived in town. Huang Ying had attended primary school and later, through an introduction, married a permanent worker at the county bus factory. Eventually, they pulled strings and spent money to get her a job there too – even if it was just watching over the bathhouse, in those days it counted as an iron rice bowl with monthly wages. So whenever mother and daughter returned to the village, they naturally carried an air of superiority.
Back in those days, factory jobs were comparable to civil service positions – careers everyone envied, absolutely secure iron rice bowls.
Lu Jingzhou’s clenched fists remained resting on his knees. “Is there anything else? If not, please leave! The door is right there!”
“What did you say? Say that again!” Huang Ying’s shrieking voice was particularly piercing.
Little Bean Sprout started crying inside the house, the infant’s voice soft and delicate.
Lu Jingzhou stood up abruptly, pointing toward the courtyard gate. “Was I not clear enough? If you came specifically to criticize my wife and make trouble for me, then please leave! You’re not welcome in my home!”
Aunt Lu stood gaping for a long moment before suddenly scowling and shouting angrily, “You’re throwing me out? I’m your own aunt! What kind of attitude is this? Don’t think just because you served in the army for a few years that you can disrespect your elders! If I write a letter to your military unit, you’ll be in serious trouble!”
Most ordinary people would have been intimidated by her words.
But Lu Jingzhou was no ordinary person, and certainly no ordinary soldier.
“Report me? Report me for what? Not being filial to elders? Or assaulting innocent civilians? Aunt, you came empty-handed first thing in the morning – I’ll let that slide. Huang Ying, you’re almost thirty years old – was the food in the kitchen for you? My wife is still doing Zuò yuèzi, my daughter still needs to nurse. How could you have the nerve to eat it?”
Normally he wouldn’t have said such things, but he was absolutely furious. So this was what his wife had to endure – listening to such unpleasant words and swallowing so much indignation when he wasn’t around. What was all this about? Why hadn’t he seen the true faces of these so-called relatives before?
“If you’re too stingy to share, just say so! Why beat around the bush?” Huang Ying had never done Zuò yuèzi herself, so how would she know these things? Even if she did know, what would it matter if she ate one bowl? Would it bankrupt him?
Typical country folk – even making a fuss over a bowl of Tangyuan. So petty!
Aunt Lu remained completely unaware of her own faults. Trembling with anger, she could only see Lu Jingzhou as being unreasonable. Here she and her daughter had come all this way, and not only was there no hospitality, there wasn’t even a friendly face.
Even if she had gone too far, it was only out of care and concern, wanting to protect him from being taken advantage of. Her intentions were good, weren’t they?
She spoke exactly what was on her mind.
Unlike Mother Lu, who would cry when she couldn’t win an argument—wailing while slapping her thighs—Aunt Lu had served as the women’s director for two years. She scolded with clear logic and without repeating a single phrase, leaving Lu Jingzhou utterly speechless and unable to retort.