Free Web NovelChapter 1372: Chapter 1367: The Affair of the First Branch’s Secret Feasting Is Exposed (First Update)
The cloth bag in Mrs. Jin’s hand contained the chicken bones left after she finished eating some roasted chicken.
Roasted chicken from Jiu Si Xuan would cost at least 300 wen for one chicken.
For a chicken that costs less than sixty wen at cost price, most people simply can’t afford it.
But Mrs. Jin can; she and Mu Dade can eat a roasted chicken every day.
Additionally, she sneaks out to restaurants to enjoy some delicacies on the sly.
The only fear she has is the Old Mu Family finding out.
This time, Mu Dade repeatedly urged Mrs. Jin to dispose of the chicken bones properly so that the rest of Old Mu Family wouldn’t find out.
If they found out, both of them would be done for!
Mrs. Jin left her own house from the backyard and headed toward a distant street corner.
Once she found a secluded alleyway, she threw the cloth-wrapped chicken bones away with the cloth.
Then she left the alley without looking back!
After she walked away, Mrs. Lin, who had been spying nearby, finally dared to come out secretly.
Imitating Mrs. Jin, Mrs. Lin looked around, ensuring no one was following her.
Mrs. Lin entered the alley, squatted down, and carefully unwrapped the cloth bundle.
When she saw the contents of the bundle, Mrs. Lin was dumbfounded.
"Aren’t these chicken bones? What’s that old hag doing? Sneaking food? I knew the main family wasn’t broke. Turns out they’ve been hiding it, eating the good stuff themselves. Just wait until I deal with you today!"
After rewrapping the cloth bundle she had opened, Mrs. Lin accidentally got some of the chicken bone aroma on her hands.
Mrs. Lin felt her entire body melt.
"What kind of chicken is this? Why does it smell so good!" Mrs. Lin couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
"I wonder if it tastes as good!"
The aroma of roasted chicken on her hands grew even stronger.
Mrs. Lin drooled all over the ground, sticking out her butt to check again for any lurking eyes, finding no one around.
She brought the hand that touched the chicken bones to her mouth and gave it a gentle lick.
Instantly, her mouth was flooded with the savory taste of roasted chicken.
For someone who hadn’t eaten meat in a long time, a taste of meat is like a life-saving elixir.
Mrs. Lin compulsively started licking her hands, and she rummaged through the chicken bones.
Finally, she found the chicken backside that Mrs. Jin hadn’t finished.
Without much hesitation, Mrs. Lin picked out the chicken backside from the chicken bones and gobbled it down ravenously.
After finishing one chicken backside, she was not yet satisfied, but alas, there was not a single small piece of chicken meat left in the bones!
"That old hag, for someone that knows how to eat!" Mrs. Lin cursed angrily.
Then she wrapped up the chicken bones and stormed back to Old Mu Family.
...
Mrs. Jin, feeling full, went back to her room.
She doesn’t sew or do anything else, besides shopping and visiting Mu Dade’s colleagues. The rest of the time, she stays in her room drawing her eyebrows, changing clothes, and trying on different looks.
At thirty-something years old, in the Da Ning Dynasty, she wouldn’t be considered young.
Often, someone in their thirties would be a grandmother already.
Mrs. Jin started pondering what kind of people would be suitable for her two daughters.
They must be wealthy and influential, to match up with the Old Mu Family’s main house.
Actually, Mrs. Jin already had someone in mind, the county government steward’s son, recently coming of age, who’s also a scholar; if Dan Dan or Yingying married one of them,
afterwards they would be family, and Da De would have an easier time in the county government.
As for the other one, Mrs. Jin thought that since one daughter would marry into an official’s family, the other should ideally marry a merchant.
A family named Wei in the city seemed good, they ran a fabric shop, and they earned daily what others made in years.
Mrs. Jin now felt extremely fortunate that she hadn’t, because her daughters were getting older, rushed them into marriage.
If they had married back then, it surely would have been with poor farmers.
Now they could marry into powerful and wealthy families, living a life without worry about food and clothing!
Mrs. Jin was dreaming of these grand ambitions.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Lin had already handed over the chicken bones.
She talked rapidly, nearly spraying saliva everywhere.
"Mother, I found this while following that damned woman, Mrs. Jin. Do you know what this is? Roasted chicken bones!
We eat gruel and vegetables every day, saving every penny, and that damned woman is eating chicken!
I inquired, and chickens with this kind of flavor cost quite a bit! If she used this roasted chicken, she could buy several chickens, enough for our entire family to eat till we’re stuffed!
But she is unwilling, even when in the village she’s going against you, and now she’s still so vile!"
Mrs. Lin ranted on and on.
She was trying her best to smear Mrs. Jin.
Old Mrs. Mu’s face turned livid.
She never liked that wretched woman, Mrs. Jin, and now that such a shameless thing was done, let’s see how she’ll teach her a lesson!
"Second daughter-in-law, go fetch a switch from the kitchen, today I’ll thoroughly teach this shameless wretch a lesson!
That shameless hussy, secretly eating delicious food, I, an old woman, will skin her alive today!"
Old Mrs. Mu said.
Hearing that Old Mrs. Mu was going to discipline Mrs. Jin, Mrs. Lin quickly went to get a switch.
She dawdled in the kitchen for a while, initially wanting to select the largest one, but accidentally touched the ground straw, ending up with a slippery mess on her hand.
"Huh, what’s this?" Mrs. Lin couldn’t help but bring her hand to her eyes, looking it over.
The stuff on her hand was sticky and came with a nauseating smell.
"Could this be from the fourth son? He sleeps here every day!"
The more she thought about it, the more grossed out Mrs. Lin felt!
She washed her hands quickly, then casually picked a switch, and rushed out.
She handed the switch to Old Mrs. Mu, not forgetting to flatter her and sow discord: "Mother, that woman is not easy to deal with, let me go with you! And at the same time, make this woman realize who’s the head of the household!
Who should be respected, who has the authority to discipline her without her being able to say a word!"
Old Mrs. Mu, provoked indeed, took the switch, marching in with an imposing air, like going to battle.
Mrs. Lin followed Old Mrs. Mu to trouble Mrs. Jin.
Finding trouble, naturally, they wouldn’t knock.
Old Mrs. Mu kicked open Mrs. Jin’s room door.
Frightened, Mrs. Jin, who was drawing her eyebrows, dropped her eyebrow pencil to the floor.
Her vanity table was filled with rouge, lotions, and various fragrances.
Mrs. Jin’s first reaction was to quickly pack up.
"Mother, what brings you here?"
She spoke to Old Mrs. Mu while tidying up.
Trying to buy some time with Old Mrs. Mu.
"Why didn’t you knock? You gave me quite a scare just now!"
Seeing what Mrs. Jin was tidying, Old Mrs. Mu grew even angrier.
"You shameless hussy, my son’s earnings are all wasted on these trifles; your face looks like a donkey’s, would these make it prettier? My wrinkled butt is better looking than your face!"
Old Mrs. Mu spoke sternly, with words so harsh that even Mrs. Lin standing beside felt overwhelmed.
