Free Web NovelChapter 27: Chapter 27
Chapter 27
In the minds of the four children..., it was the first time they had ever met someone as beautiful as this... No wonder many women disliked her, and many men were envious of Brother Heng.
Beyond being stunned by their sister-in-law’s beauty, what shocked them even more was the conversation she was having with Brother Heng. What was calligraphy? Weren’t they discussing something that everyone dreams of? fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"Hello everyone, what are you all doing here?" Yueqian looked at the children before glancing at Mu Heng.
"The kids brought some wild vegetables." After she heard what Mu Heng said, Yueqian’s gaze softened considerably.
"Good children, I appreciate your concern. You can put the stuff in that basket. Have you all eaten anything yet?" Yueqian asked. All four shook their heads in unison.
"How about trying some food cooked by your sister-in-law? Today we have vegetable soup and dumplings.”
The lady lifted the lid off the pot, releasing a tantalizing aroma. As the rich scent wafted through the air, the children excitedly inhaled the aroma of meat and dough. However, everyone’s eyes were still on their brother Heng.
Originally, Brother Heng’s household was quite destitute. They would bring vegetables, and he would cook everything they brought. Sometimes, they even secretly brought rice from their homes, so Brother Heng could cook it for Xiao Long and Huan’er. But this marriage had brought about a significant change.
The children didn’t worry like Aunt Liao, who feared using up all the money and having none for the future. They were just happy that Brother Heng and the little ones had a lot to eat today.
"Let’s eat together," Mu Heng signaled, and the children looked at each other excitedly. They leaned toward the pot but were scolded by Mu Heng. "You’ve all been playing in the hills; your hands are dirty. Follow me, let’s wash your hands first," he said, leading the way.
Yueqian watched with affection as he adjusted to her habits, looking like a mother duck leading her ducklings to water. Upon seeing that, she thought of the two little ducklings still in the house, the beautiful woman went to tell them to come out and wash up.
The children were overjoyed to have their friends at home, talking loudly, mostly Xiao Long and Huan’er bragging about how far they’d gotten with their calligraphy. They could now remember 8 characters by heart and planned to practice 8 more in the afternoon, making 16 for the day. They were just waiting for their sister-in-law to teach them how the next set of 8 characters should be read.
Their ink-stained hands were solid proof that they had genuinely been practicing their calligraphy. The other children were incredibly excited, kept asking Xiao Long and Huan’er about how they wrote, whether it was hard, and so forth.
Seeing the enthusiasm of the four, Yueqian sighed deeply, resigned. No matter the era, there were always those eager to learn yet without the opportunity, while some wealthy ones had to be forced by their parents to study, and ultimately, some didn’t care and skipped classes.
If only those opportunities could be given to those who truly want them, who knows how far they could go?
"Xiao Long, can we go and see the characters you’ve write?" Xiao Feng asked.
He could barely be able to keep still. He wanted to burst into the house where the two had emerged, eager to see the textbooks and the characters.
It must be said that these things are incredibly valuable. Even entering a bookstore doesn’t grant one the right to read them without paying, so a single character has its cost. The children never imagined that their siblings would have the chance to learn the characters.
"Of course, you can, but we’ve already cleaned up. If we pull everything out again, it’ll mess up the room. How about we eat first, and then you can watch me write later?" Xiao Long suggested without much thought.
However, the four children glanced at Yueqian, seemingly uneasy.
"But... can we really go in and watch the writing? Each character is so valuable, we dare not stay while you study. We just hope to catch a glimpse as a blessing."
Xiao Feng said hesitantly. Xiao Fu nodded vigorously in agreement, while the two girls, more focused on talking with Huan’er about characters, were bursting with excitement.
It’s rare for girls to have the chance to learn about characters. Seeing Huan’er with ink-stained hands made them incredibly excited.
"These kids worry too much. I don’t mind you seeing the writing process, but there’s only one set of stationery, and paper costs money, so not everyone can try," Yueqian pondered briefly.
Although she would allow them all to learn, how could she explain this to her husband and others?
She worried that allowing his own siblings to learn already made him angry. If she were to offer lessons widely now, wouldn’t he possibly drive her out of the house? Although it might seem exaggerated, he would likely complain about her being wasteful with money, seeing her as a spendthrift young lady already.
"Really? Brother Heng, Sister-in-Law, can I really go see the writing?" Xiao Feng almost jumped with joy.
It was the best opportunity for him; if he had to save up for classes himself, who knows when he could afford it? A few dozen taels were not a small amount, and in total, it could even reach a hundred taels. Although he dreamt of being a scholar, he never thought the opportunity would come this early.
"You may learn, but you must not tell anyone at home about this."
Mu Heng looked at his beautiful wife, knowing she was knowledgeable and kind-hearted as her appearance. Still, he couldn’t help but worry that this might trouble her.
Seeing her smile back at him, Mu Heng could only sigh.
"We promise, we won’t tell anyone," Xiao Feng assured them, and the other children agreed.
"Alright, let’s not get too excited now. We should eat first," Yueqian told them, heading over to scoop some aromatic soup filled with vegetables of various colors, it looked so nice.
The children were skilled at helping too. They ladled dumplings into large bowls just as their sister-in-law had done that morning. Afterward, they together carried all eight bowls of broth into the house.
Seeing that the broth had been brought in, Yueqian turned to ladle some tender chicken from a pot of aromatic herbal broth into smaller bowls, along with a bit of soup. At first, she wanted to chop the chicken, but keeping it whole instead, to preserve the nice group dining experience. She placed it down then placing a serving spoon in the middle.
The enticing aroma of the meat made the children stare in hunger. They originally felt sorry for Xiao Long and Huan’er, fearing the two wouldn’t have enough to eat. They never thought that their vegetables had not yet been used, and there they were, shamelessly waiting to eat someone else’s food.
"Eat up, and if you’re still hungry, I have steamed buns ready too," Yueqian told them.
She was worried her husband wouldn’t be full since she had been observing, he was quite a hearty eater.
There were over ten pork-filled steamed buns warming on the steamer, waiting to be served once ready. Although she could have warmed them since she first brought out, it would have seemed too suspicious. Instead, Yueqian took out frozen steamed buns from the department store, pretending they had been in the freezer since being brought from her old home, and placed them in the steamer.
"All these foods. Can we really eat?" Lin’er asked while licking her lips.
Her lips were dry, felt as if she were one of those who had never eat anything before in their life, her small stomach growling loudly, a testament to how much she needed the food in front of her.
“Yes, you can eat, but in moderation. If you’re full, that’s enough. Don’t eat till you vomit," Yueqian teased them.
The children blushed at her words. If it wasn’t for their sister-in-law’s words, they wouldn’t have even thought of such behavior. But being playfully teased made them shy.
"Go ahead, I’m not teasing anymore," Yueqian said.
She began serving her husband, pleasing him, causing Mu Heng to pause for a short while then blushed, his face gradually turning red, he really was shy.
Then, the beautiful woman carefully served the younger siblings of her husband one by one. The children knew how they should behave; they didn’t start serving themselves but waited for their sister-in-law to serve them, and then they began their large meal.
In the end, over a hundred dumplings, two to three extra bowls of soup per person, one whole tender chicken, and seven steamed buns were all devoured. Even the children, who they thought would eat little, asked for steamed buns too. Only Yueqian did not eat any steamed buns; she was satisfied with the dumplings and the soup she had.
Moreover, since she hadn’t exerted herself at all that day and her breakfast hadn’t even digested, how could she eat as much as them?
Embarrassed, the children slumped down, nearly unable to stand after their meal. Fortunately, Xiao Long and Huan’er hadn’t overeaten, so they were able to help her clean up the food scraps, although Yueqian insisted that she could manage on her own.
Xiao Long and Huan’er worked incredibly quickly. They washed the dishes at lightning speed, then hurriedly set up their own study tables with a sense of pride. Even Mu Heng, witnessing this, couldn’t help but felt a bit jealous.
"I also got your portion. If you have no other plans after noon, would you like to try writing some characters?" Yueqian told her husband.
"For me? No, I’m too old to learn. Let the youngsters learn," Mu Heng waved it off.
Despite his eagerness to learn, he felt it was inappropriate to take this opportunity away from the children.
"How can that be? You of all people should learn the most. Besides, no one is too old to learn. You can’t just let the children have all the knowledge. When it comes to signing contracts or dealing with legal matters, you should be knowledgeable too. Otherwise, you could easily be taken advantage of."
"If the children know enough, they can just explain it to me. It’s okay," Mu Heng still refused.
"What will you do then this winter, or next winter, or the winter after that? If the children successfully learn to write this year, they could start taking on jobs next winter. What will you do in the meantime? Just rest at home and watch us struggle with writing?"
Yueqian pretended to scold him, making Mu Heng pause briefly as he saw the cunning little fox attacking him.
