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Chapter 205: Chapter 198: Incitement
Er Dama grabbed Shen Fuzhen and recounted the whole affair, portraying Shen Yunfang’s household as overflowing with chickens and ducks, suggesting that if the doors weren’t firmly shut, the birds would squeeze out into the yard.
Shen Fuzhen’s face was a mask of shifting emotions as she listened.
"Ah, it’s not that I’m coveting her things, but that child has no conscience at all. How did we help her back then? When even our own kids had no food to eat, we still scraped together food for her. Does she even remember how she grew up? Not to mention others, even you, Fuzhen..." Er Dama obviously intended to recite some examples of Fuzhen’s past kindness to Yunfang, but after pondering for a while, she couldn’t come up with any, "Let’s not talk about those trivial things; it will seem like we elders are nitpicking. However, we relatives did not fail to assist her and her mother when her younger brother’s wife passed away. Yunfang used to eat at our houses quite often. But now that she’s living a better life, she has pushed all of us relatives to the back of her mind. Even the gossip in Taoshu Village is about Yunfang raising a whole lot of chickens at home, yet we relatives living nearby have no clue. Is she afraid we’ll bask in her reflected glory? Tell me, does this child have any sense of human kindness left?"
"If that girl had any human kindness, my family wouldn’t be in this state," Shen Fuzhen said through gritted teeth.
Zhao Fusheng’s family were poor farmers for eight generations, which, at that time, was the most glorious heritage to claim. All these years, Fuzhen had walked with her head held high, proud of her good social status. But just because of last year’s issue with the lamb, that damn girl Yunfang stubbornly held on to it and had her family branded as bad elements. Now, nearly all friends and relatives had distanced themselves from her family, and even the Zhao Family resented her for the trouble, either giving her endless tasks or prodding her with words; the days when she reigned supreme at the Zhao household were long gone.
"Indeed, I can’t stand to see it. We are all family members, and in daily life, there’s bound to be friction. It’s inhuman to degrade you, a maternal aunt, to this extent over a trifling matter. They paraded you through the streets as a bad element, but what good did it do her? What could she gain from that? I’m telling you, her actions were self-destructive and purely out of malice," Er Dama knew her niece’s feelings and thus chose to speak words she wanted to hear. Of course, what she truly thought, she couldn’t say; if the same thing happened to her, she certainly couldn’t be as silently tolerant as Yunfang, and would have berated the Zhao family’s ancestors just to vent her anger.
"Er Sao, that’s exactly what you said. You see, it’s not like I did anything wrong. At that time, Shen Yunfang came at me, claws bared, as if she wanted to devour me..." Finally finding someone who understood her, Shen Fuzhen clung to Er Dama and began to ramble on about that incident. Naturally, she portrayed herself as having no other choice, as helpless, and painted Shen Yunfang as cold-hearted and vicious.
Er Dama listened patiently, occasionally giving the required responses. But after ten minutes, she could take no more. She had heard this story too many times to count, and at this moment, who had the patience to hear those stale and overcooked tales again?
So Er Dama interrupted Shen Fuzhen’s rambling, "Fuzhen, no need to go on, I know what happened. I have a clear picture in my mind. That’s why, when I heard about Yunfang’s situation, I hurried over to tell you, just in case you were still in the dark," Er Dama said with an expression of utmost sincerity on her face. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
Upon hearing this, Shen Fuzhen sneered, "Hmph, even if I know, what can I do about it? She won’t spend a dime on me no matter how much money she has."
"Oh my, I say you are just stubborn. Let’s not even think about the money. She’s just an orphan girl and life is not easy for her. But even if she has no money, wouldn’t it be fair for her to give a few eggs to you, her aunt, especially considering your family’s current plight is partly her doing?"
Shen Fuzhen frowned, "That..., is that really okay? It doesn’t seem right for me as an elder to ask her for things." The thought of interacting with that girl Yunfang made her heart skip a beat.
"Oh, what’s wrong with that? She owes you. You have nothing to feel embarrassed about," Er Dama said, throwing her hands in the air indignantly, "You are just too soft-hearted. You don’t remember how Yunfang blocked your doorway that time, insisting on getting a dollar from you without any shame. Go ahead, she wouldn’t dare to refuse you."
Her words dredged up memories for Shen Fuzhen. Remembering that time she was slapped in the face with a dollar, her rage surged within her. Fortunately, she had not completely lost her sense of judgment, "Er Sao, I’ve never really done something like this before. How about you come with me? You’re more eloquent than I am – you could speak up for me." She was truly intimidated by Shen Yunfang; with the ambition of a scoundrel but the nerve of a coward, she was the type who, intent on wrongdoing, had to drag someone along as a cushion for the blow.
Er Dainiang watched her with an exasperated look, grinding her molars so loud it sounded like cracking nuts. However, she truly didn’t feel at ease letting Shen Fuzhen go alone—if something good really came out of the visit, wouldn’t it be a pity if she wasn’t there to take advantage?
Acting as if it were a great inconvenience, Er Dainiang pondered for a moment before saying, "Fine, I’ll risk life and limb to accompany a gentleman, I’ll go with you." Saying so, she began dragging Shen Fuzhen off.
After being dragged a few steps, Shen Fuzhen finally caught on and hurriedly stopped, "Hey, hey, wait up, second sister-in-law, slow down."
"What now, what else is there?" Er Dainiang asked impatiently. She glanced at the sky; they had dawdled here long enough, and she still planned to take the eggs home for lunch.
"Oh dear, second sister-in-law, I’m still on duty here, I can’t just up and leave. Wait for me a little bit, after work, then we can go together." It was almost the end of the work shift, and if she left now, the team wouldn’t give her full marks.
"Good grief, do you even know what’s more important? Those points are worth just pennies, but the old hens at Yunfang’s place lay old eggs that can sell for a good chunk of change!" Er Dainiang exclaimed, slapping her thigh in frustration.
Shen Fuzhen thought about it and agreed, also slapping her thigh, "Alright, let’s go, we’ll head off right now."
So, those working in the fields saw Shen Fuzhen and her second sister-in-law whispering on the field ridges for quite a while, and then the two hurriedly left.
"Heh, these two old ladies getting together definitely means no good," Villager A said, wiping the sweat off his brow.
"That’s for sure; these sisters-in-law are really birds of a feather," Villager B quipped.
"Wow, look at you, able to talk with idioms, quite the educated man," the villagers turned to tease Villager B.
"Haha, although I haven’t read many books, I’ve got plenty of ink in my belly," Villager B boasted, shaking his head smugly, silently pleased with himself. Sending his son to school was the right choice—look, he had learned this phrase, and now he could use it.
"Back in the day..."
The villagers reminisced at the Drying Yard with laughter on their faces, shovels in their hands, and the sun warmly on their backs.
