Old Mrs. Zhen had married a scholar, and her son had attained the rank of xiucai. She had always looked down her nose at everyone in the village. She was the only one allowed to criticize others; no one else dared criticize her. Yet today, she had actually been rebuked by a young daughter-in-law—and that young woman’s words were even criticizing her precious son.
She darkened her face. “Who are you talking about, girl?”
Because of what she had experienced in her previous life, Su Nuanru was somewhat afraid of Old Mrs. Zhen. The moment the older woman darkened her expression, Su Nuanru instinctively felt intimidated. But when she remembered that things were different now, and that Old Mrs. Zhen was no longer her mother-in-law, she suppressed her fear and retorted, “Whoever was talking about me just now is the person I’m talking about.”
Old Mrs. Zhen had not expected Su Nuanru to have such a temper. She had merely said one thing to the girl, yet the girl actually dared to argue with her at every turn. The last time she had seen her, the girl had seemed rather quiet and refined. They had not seen each other for only a few days, yet her temper had grown considerably. Unable to save face, Old Mrs. Zhen made her words even harsher.
“You’re so young, yet you dare speak to an elder like this! One look at you and I can tell you’re lacking in proper upbring—”
—ing.
Before she could get the last part out, Su Nuanru interrupted her.
“You’re neither a Su nor a Huo, so what kind of elder are you to me? I saw that you were older and respectfully called you Auntie, but don’t mistake that courtesy for the right to lecture me as an elder.”
Once certain words had been spoken, the rest were no longer so difficult to say. Su Nuanru discovered that, under Old Mrs. Zhen’s provocation, her tongue had become much sharper.
“You… you… you’re simply outrageous!” Old Mrs. Zhen had never suffered such humiliation before. Her face flushed crimson as she pointed at Su Nuanru, unable to get the words out.
Huo Hehua admired Su Nuanru even more. She often argued with people herself, but she always went back and forth with the same few phrases. She was nothing like Sister-in-law, who was so formidable. Her words sounded refined and scholarly, yet they could infuriate a person half to death. Huo Hehua would have to learn properly from Sister-in-law.
Seeing that she could not outargue Su Nuanru, Old Mrs. Zhen turned to Old Mrs. He and scolded her angrily, “Your daughter-in-law is speaking to me like this. Aren’t you going to discipline her?”
Su Nuanru glanced at Old Mrs. He and lowered her head. Old Mrs. Zhen and Old Mrs. He had known each other for many years. In the past, Old Mrs. Zhen had always liked pointing fingers at the Huo family, and Old Mrs. He had never resisted. Old Mrs. He would most likely listen to Old Mrs. Zhen today as well.
Old Mrs. Zhen was not her mother-in-law, and the two of them were not related. Even if Su Nuanru rebuked her, no one could say much about it. But Old Mrs. He was her mother-in-law. If Old Mrs. He said something to her, Su Nuanru would not be able to argue back so easily. If she were not careful, people would accuse her of being unfilial, and her parents would be dragged into it and subjected to gossip as well.
Old Mrs. He had spent all these years being criticized by Old Mrs. Zhen and had grown used to it. She was not good with words, unlike Old Mrs. Zhen, and had never argued back. Deep down, she was somewhat afraid of Old Mrs. Zhen. But she also felt that her daughter-in-law had done nothing wrong today and was unwilling to scold her. She looked at Old Mrs. Zhen, then at Su Nuanru, and said nothing.
Seeing that Old Mrs. He actually dared to ignore her, Old Mrs. Zhen grew even angrier. Pointing at her, she said, “If you keep indulging her like this, sooner or later she’ll be walking all over you!”
Old Mrs. He still said nothing.
Huo Hehua muttered softly, “You were the one who started talking about Sister-in-law. If you hadn’t said anything about us, we wouldn’t have bothered with you.”
She had never liked the auntie across the way. The Qian family looked down on theirs and often criticized her parents as well. She had wanted to rebuke Old Mrs. Zhen for a long time, but her parents had always endured the woman, so Huo Hehua had not dared say anything. Today, Sister-in-law had spoken to Old Mrs. Zhen first, giving her a little more courage. At worst, she and her sister-in-law would both be scolded by her parents. They could not let Sister-in-law be bullied alone.
Old Mrs. Zhen’s husband and son were both scholars, and she considered herself superior to everyone else. She had often mocked and belittled other families in the village, so plenty of people had long since grown tired of her. Seeing her suffer a setback today, someone could not help laughing aloud.
“Pfft.”
Upon hearing that laugh, Old Mrs. Zhen completely lost face. She glanced at Su Nuanru and had initially wanted to curse her, but remembering Su Nuanru’s attitude just now, she shifted her gaze away and let it fall on Huo Hehua instead. Raising a finger at her, she cursed, “You wretched girl!”
Huo Hehua had heard words like that countless times and had long since stopped caring. Listening to everyone laughing at Old Mrs. Zhen, she felt thoroughly pleased.
Seeing that Old Mrs. He had no intention of blaming her, Su Nuanru felt much more at ease. Old Mrs. He had not scolded her in public merely to spare Old Mrs. Zhen’s feelings, and that made Su Nuanru very happy. Looking at Old Mrs. He’s troubled expression, she said, “Mother, I’m hungry. Let’s go home.”
Old Mrs. He finally found something she could respond to and immediately said, “All right.”
Su Nuanru was about to head toward the Huo home when she turned around and saw Huo Hanye standing outside the crowd. One look at his solemn expression made her heart sink.
Why did Huo Hanye look so upset? How long had he been standing there listening? Would he think she was too shrewish?
Huo Hanye gave Su Nuanru a deep look. Had her words just now been criticizing Scholar Qian for lacking the courage to take responsibility, and expressing regret that she had been unable to marry Scholar Qian?
Seeing her son, Old Mrs. He smiled and said, “Hanye, you’re back from the fields?”
Huo Hanye withdrew his gaze. “Mm. I just got back.”
The group headed toward the Huo home.
Once they had gone a little distance, the people who had been watching the spectacle began discussing Su Nuanru.
“What a wasteful woman…”
“She looks so pretty, but who would have thought she’d be so shrewish…”
“Thank goodness your son didn’t marry her…”
The anger Old Mrs. Zhen had suffered earlier was finally soothed somewhat.
“Exactly. With a temperament like hers, she’d be no good no matter how pretty she was!”
After returning home, Old Mrs. He went to cook. Su Nuanru and Huo Hehua went to help as well. The kitchen was too small to fit so many people, so Su Nuanru sent Huo Hehua out to rest.
Huo Hehua had already felt that something was off with her brother. Seeing him helping their father saw wood in the courtyard, she walked over.
“Brother, it was the auntie across the way who spoke about Sister-in-law first. Sister-in-law only said something to her afterward.”
Huo Hanye replied, “Mm.”
Afraid that her brother did not believe her, Huo Hehua added, “Sister-in-law is a really good person. She treats Father, Mother, and me very well.”
“I know.”
Huo Hehua wondered: Since her brother knew what Sister-in-law was like, why was he still wearing such a dark expression?
“I really like Sister-in-law, and Father and Mother like her too. You mustn’t bully her.”
Huo Hanye glanced at his younger sister and asked in return, “Am I that kind of person?”
Huo Hehua thought carefully about it. Her brother really was not that kind of person. Although her brother looked fierce and forbidding, he was actually very warmhearted.
“No.”
She had come over to explain things for her brother and Sister-in-law’s sake, yet her brother did not seem particularly appreciative. Fine, she would leave him to it and see how long it took him to win Sister-in-law over.
Huo Hehua stopped paying attention to Huo Hanye and turned to help Huo Yangshu instead.
Although Su Nuanru had said she wanted to eat the egg pancakes made by Old Mrs. He, she ended up making dinner herself. She shredded the radish, salted it for a while, and squeezed out the excess water. Then she added seasoning and eggs and mixed everything well before adding flour and mixing it again. She poured oil into the pan, and once it was hot, she put the batter in. Before long, the pancakes were fried until golden brown on both sides.
Huo Hehua caught the delicious smell, put down the wood in her hands, and walked toward the kitchen.
“Mother, what delicious thing are you making? Why does it smell so good?”
“I only cooked some porridge,” Old Mrs. He said. “The pancakes were made by your sister-in-law.”
Huo Hehua looked at the golden pancakes on the plate and swallowed. “They smell so good!”
Su Nuanru took one from the plate, tore it in half, and gave one half to Huo Hehua and the other to Old Mrs. He.
Huo Hehua took a bite, and her eyes lit up. It was too hot for her to speak at first, but she kept nodding to show that the pancake was delicious.
No wonder Sister-in-law had said she wanted to open a shop selling food. Her cooking was far too good. Huo Hehua had thought Sister-in-law was spoiled and would not know how to do housework, but the pancakes were even better than the ones her mother made.
After taking a bite, Old Mrs. He nodded. “A-Ru’s pancakes are so fragrant.”
Seeing that everyone liked them, Su Nuanru continued frying pancakes.
Once they were all finished, the family sat down to eat.
“Father, Eldest Brother, hurry and try them,” Huo Hehua said. “Sister-in-law made the pancakes today, and they’re delicious.”
As she spoke, she handed a piece to Huo Yangshu.
Seeing that Huo Hanye had not reached for one, Su Nuanru thought for a moment and handed him a piece as well.
Huo Hanye looked at the pancake in front of him, took it, and bit into it.
Su Nuanru looked at him expectantly. “How does it taste?”
Looking at Su Nuanru’s eyes, Huo Hanye felt his heart pounding fiercely. He answered without thinking, “It’s pretty good.”
Su Nuanru asked again, “Do you think it’s too bland or too salty?”
Huo Hanye said nothing. He had been too focused on looking at Su Nuanru’s face to notice what the pancake tasted like. He had barely registered the taste at all.
Su Nuanru was somewhat puzzled. Was that question difficult to answer? Wouldn’t he know the flavor after taking a bite? Could he be brushing her off and still be angry about what had happened earlier?
Seeing how seriously Su Nuanru was asking, Huo Hanye picked up another pancake and tasted it.
“It’s a little bland.”
Su Nuanru found Huo Hanye’s behavior increasingly strange.
At that moment, Huo Yangshu, who was sitting nearby, said, “The flavor is good. I agree with Hanye—it’s a little bland.”
Old Mrs. He and Huo Hehua both thought the flavor was just right.
Su Nuanru understood roughly what was going on and said, “If we really sell them, we can serve them with some pickled vegetables.”
Huo Hehua’s eyes lit up. “That’s a good idea. Sister-in-law, you’re so clever.”
“Once the shop has been tidied up, I’ll make some stuffed steamed buns in a couple of days for everyone to try.”
Huo Hehua was very eager. “All right, Sister-in-law. I’ll help you.”
Su Nuanru smiled and nodded. She had been somewhat afraid of Huo Hehua before, worried that she would be difficult to get along with. But after spending time with her, Su Nuanru discovered that she was simple and straightforward and treated her with great warmth. She was the easiest person in the Huo family to get along with.
The family continued discussing matters concerning the shop, the tables and chairs they were making, and the work in the fields. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.