NOVPUB
Chapter 168: Chapter 161 Treat to a Meal
On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, early in the morning, Shen Yunfang and Li Hongjun went to Wang Dama’s house together.
Today was the day she had invited guests over, so she needed to slaughter the pig early in the morning and stew the meat for lunch.
Shen Yunfang had slaughtered enough pigs to become numb to the sight. Li Hongjun’s leg was not convenient, so he couldn’t move forward either. Thus, the two of them stood on the side like onlookers, watching the butcher deftly bleed, scald, and eviscerate the pig.
The Dama who came to help quickly took the cut meat away in a basin, leaving Shen Yunfang and her spouse even more at leisure.
"How about I help you go lie down for a while?" Shen Yunfang suggested with a frown.
"Wouldn’t be good, right? We’re the hosts after all," Li Hongjun frowned as well.
"Ah, having too many helpful people isn’t always a good thing," Shen Yunfang remarked with a sigh.
"Yeah, no wonder you wanted to move back here; it’s incomparable to Taoshu Village," Li Hongjun shook his head and said.
Indeed, in Taoshu Village, she was a daughter-in-law, busy from dawn to dusk and still came away being faulted. In Gaijiatun, she was a maiden, where she didn’t need to lift a finger, as there were plenty of eager hands waiting to help. When people passed by and saw her, they would smile and give her a few words of praise. What a wonderful contrast it was.
"Let’s go, it doesn’t look like there’s anything for us to do here. Let’s go to Grand Uncle’s house and help entertain the guests," she said.
Therefore, the village path of Gaijiatun was left with the silhouette of two people leaning on each other as they departed.
Upon reaching Grand Uncle Shen’s house, they finally felt the joyous festivities of a wedding.
Grand Aunt Shen and several other aunties were bustling about in the small main room, and Yunfang wanted to help.
"Grand Aunt, is there anything I can do?" Shen Yunfang rolled up her sleeves, ready to get to work.
"Oh no, there’s no need, we have so many people here already, we’re running out of room to move about. You just stay over there," Grand Aunt Shen, busy cutting the freshly brought meat, shooed Yunfang away as she approached, "Your partner is also here, hurry and help him lie down in the house."
"Exactly, if your legs aren’t nimble, better go rest. We’re all family here; no one will fault you. Off you go," added one of the aunties.
And just like that, before Shen Yunfang could squeeze her way in, she was shooed out again.
"Well, it seems like I’m not needed here either, so the only thing I can do now is keep you company and rest," Shen Yunfang said with a laugh.
After the two entered the house, they discovered there were quite a few people inside.
Second Grand Uncle and his wife, Second Aunt Shen, and Second Aunt’s husband were all sitting on the kang, indicating the relatives from Gaijiatun had all arrived.
After they entered, Shen Yunfang introduced Li Hongjun to everyone.
Most people were fine, but when it came to Second Grand Aunt, her up-and-down scrutinizing looks were too uncomfortable. Thankfully, Li Hongjun had good composure and bore her inspection with a smile.
However, when it came to introducing Second Aunt Shen, the smile on Hongjun’s face disappeared; he became stern and cold again, staring sharply at Second Aunt Shen for a long while before shifting his gaze away.
The hustle and bustle in the house resumed.
Everyone sitting around knew about the conflict between Yunfang and Second Aunt Shen, so they all laughed it off, smoothly transitioning past the awkward moment.
Grand Uncle Shen pulled Li Hongjun up onto the kang to sit and chat about family matters.
"Hongjun, have you gotten used to living here these past few days?" Grand Uncle Shen asked, his face creasing deeper with a smile.
"The habit, this is my own home, I’m used to everything here." Li Hongjun was quite good with words.
"Haha, right, it’s like your own home. And let me tell you, Yunfang is a good girl. In our ten-mile radius, no one has a life as vibrant as hers. It’s not easy," Old Shen sighed.
"My father-in-law and mother-in-law passed away early, and she was the only one left in the family. If it weren’t for the uncle and aunt and all our relatives here, she wouldn’t have been able to live so comfortably. Yunfang always says that the uncle is like her elder, and that she should respect you as she would her own parents," Li Hongjun said sincerely.
"Good, good, if you two can live a good life, stay harmonious, and love each other for a lifetime, that’s the best way to show your respect for me," Old Shen said with a smile that revealed his teeth.
Everyone in the room took turns teasing the newlyweds. Even Second Aunt, who was so snobbish, and Second Uncle’s Daughter, who was so out of touch, only said nice things today.
At noon, four tables were set up for the feast, and Li Hongjun joined Old Shen. However, because he injured his leg, he couldn’t drink, much to Old Shen’s disappointment.
Seeing this, Li Hongjun promised that once his leg was better, he would definitely join Old Shen for a proper drink.
The meal lasted over two hours before it ended.
Yunfang rolled up her sleeves to do the dishes, but was chased out by Aunt Shen once again.
"All right, there’s not much work to do, you don’t need to help. Hurry up and help your partner go back and rest. His leg is still not well, right? I noticed his complexion didn’t look good," Aunt Shen had noticed this while they were eating. The old man was too happy drinking and couldn’t see straight, insisting on engaging others, intent on talking about those old trivial matters.
"Yes, the doctor said that at this time, he should still be lying down most of the time. He probably sat too much today and his leg became stiff," Yunfang had noticed it a while ago, but as hosts, they couldn’t leave their guests and go home to rest. So, during the meal, Li Hongjun kept giving her glances, signaling her not to speak out.
"My goodness, why didn’t you say so earlier? What’s more important than knowing this? Hurry up, don’t do anything else and take your partner home, remember to apply a hot towel to his leg when you get back," Aunt Shen slapped her thigh; nothing was more important than one’s health.
"Okay, Aunt, thank you for your hard work," Yunfang didn’t stand on ceremony.
"Hey, what are you talking about? We’re not strangers after all," Aunt Shen waved her hand, signaling her to go inside quickly.
Yunfang turned and went inside, only to find Old Shen drunk, truly drunk, and sitting on the kang with Li Hongjun, wiping his tears.
"The most embarrassing thing in my life is this. I’ve lost all my face for a lifetime. How did I end up with such a daughter?" Old Shen blew his nose and continued, "I’ve been the production team leader for most of my life. I can say with confidence that I’ve lived an honest life. In Gaijiatun, everyone gives me thumbs up, but now, now in my old age, my reputation has been thrown to the ground."
Li Hongjun sat beside him, comforting him, but I don’t know what he said.
Yunfang frowned as she looked at her uncle. He must have been holding it in for a long time and let it out now that he was drunk. It was for the best; it would’ve been worse if he had kept it bottled up inside, potentially becoming a sickness.
"Uncle, you’ve had too much to drink. Come on, drink some hot tea, and I’ll help you lie down on the kang," Yunfang went to help spread the quilt.
She was also worried that Uncle might be embarrassed when he sobered up. It was better to let him cry under the covers.
"Yunfang is a good girl. Why couldn’t you be the daughter of my household? If you were my daughter, wouldn’t that make him my son-in-law?" Old Shen clung to Li Hongjun’s hand, refusing to let go.
It seemed he really took a liking to Li Hongjun.
The couple had a hard time leaving Old Shen’s house with a smile through their tears, "Uncle, you are my uncle, and I am just like your daughter, and Hongjun is your son-in-law."
"Right, right, Hongjun is my son-in-law," Old Shen agreed.
It took a lot of effort for the young couple to finally get out of Old Shen’s house. Li Hongjun was silent the whole way, and when they reached their home, he suddenly said to Yunfang, "Yunfang, you were right. We need to work hard. Not just for ourselves but also for our girl. We have to create the best living environment for her and educate her well. She has to study, study a lot..."
With a snort, Yunfang couldn’t help but laugh; her uncle must have scared him.
