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Chapter 214: Chapter 207 Greed and Corruption
Shen Yunfang thought for a moment, then said, "Uncle, it was an oversight on our part. The comrades from the work team have come all the way to our Gaijiatun to guide our work, and we should warmly host them. I don’t have much at home, just more chickens and eggs. Uncle, wait a moment, I’ll get you some eggs. The chickens have already been let out, and I’ll catch a couple of chickens for you to send over this evening." Since someone had set their sights on her and had made a request directly, she definitely needed to show some sign of goodwill, or else there wouldn’t be any good consequences for her. After all, this was not a society governed by the rule of law. If she offended them and they randomly accused her of something, as a woman with little influence, even if she had an argument, she wouldn’t be able to make it clear.
So the chickens had to be given away no matter what, and it was better for her to take the initiative, say some nice words, and make everyone happy. Perhaps those who ate her chickens would have a conscience and remember her kindness, and in the future, they wouldn’t be able to trouble her, a woman, anymore.
"No need, no need, we have those at home," Uncle Shen said drily. His own household had raised about a dozen chickens, and though not excessive, he had five or six eggs daily, so asking his niece for things made his old face feel incredibly embarrassed. But then, remembering his wife’s threats, he found himself unable to take a step. Ah, having such a petty wife was indeed a family misfortune.
Seeing Uncle’s expression, Shen Yunfang knew what was going on. She knew what sort of person her aunt was, and she couldn’t possibly kill the chickens she had raised with effort so readily. If that were a real option, the uncle wouldn’t have come to her house so early in the morning. Besides, anyone could see that the work team had made that request because of her, as the rumors about her raising a flock of chickens had already spread throughout Gaijiatun.
"Oh, Uncle, whether your family has it or not, me giving them to you is a token of my intentions. You shouldn’t block my desire to advance," Shen Yunfang said with a smile. "Uncle, why don’t you come in and sit for a while? I’ll go and pick up the eggs right now."
Uncle Shen followed Shen Yunfang into the courtyard, and while she went down to the cellar to collect eggs, Uncle Shen strolled to the backyard to take a look. Ever since the village rumors about Yunfang raising a bunch of chickens, he found them hard to believe. If there really were that many chickens under his watch, he would have known, but he still wanted to check out precisely how many she raised. This visit provided a good opportunity to see for himself.
Upon reaching the backyard, he saw that only a few vegetables were left for seeds, and the rest had been cleared for the harvest. He also saw the chicken coop, which was indeed quite large, but there were no chickens inside.
Shen Yunfang filled a basket with thirty eggs. It wasn’t a small number, and carrying the basket, she went to find her uncle in the backyard. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Uncle, here are thirty eggs. Take these for now, and if it’s not enough, let me know and I’ll bring more," Shen Yunfang handed over the basket.
Uncle Shen took it, repeatedly saying, "That’s enough, enough, it’s plenty, even for eating every day." The autumn harvest work for the work brigade would end in a couple of days, and then the leaders of the work team would leave. So they only needed to prepare two days’ worth of meals for them.
Three people eating thirty eggs over two days amounted to each person consuming five eggs per day, which was certainly sufficient.
Shen Yunfang had brought so many eggs thinking just that; since she had taken them, there was no need to be stingy and invite gossip. Of course, the one likely to gossip was her aunt. The work team was eating at her uncle’s house, and although not dining together, the food came from the same pot. With good food available, would her aunt not want a taste? Thus, taking all these eggs couldn’t be considered too much.
"Uncle, it’s not too many. You and my aunt shouldn’t skimp; eat some too as a gesture of my filial respect," Shen Yunfang gestured dismissively.
Uncle Shen didn’t say much more and pointed to the chicken coop, asking, "Yunfang, how many chickens do you really have? Why are there such wild rumors outside?"
"Uncle, I raised just over fifty chickens in total. After eating a few, there are now just over forty left," Shen Yunfang replied.
"Hmm, quite a few, but not as many as the rumors suggest," Uncle Shen nodded.
"Exactly, I heard people saying my family had heaps of chickens, and I was shocked. These people spread rumors without thinking. Where would I get so much grain to feed the chickens?" Yunfang looked worried and frustrated. Rumors can really kill a person sometimes. Isn’t that the case now? Why did the work team, which had never visited Gaijiatun before, come this year? It’s hard to say.
"Hmph, those old ladies, with nothing better to do, just gossiping away. It doesn’t wear them out. Wait until we get back, I’ll have your aunt go around the village and set things straight. Better to stop spreading such talk, it’s not good for you," Uncle Shen frowned as he spoke.
Yunfang couldn’t be happier about it. "Then thank you, Uncle and Auntie."
"Oh, what’s there to thank? We’re all family. Alright, you’ve got things to do, aren’t you going up the mountain? I’ll be on my way." Uncle Shen walked out of the courtyard with a basket in one hand and the other hand behind his back.
Back at home, Aunt Shen was waiting at the door. Seeing the basket in the old man’s hand, she happily took it over, "Did you get it? How many eggs did you bring?"
"See for yourself," Uncle Shen replied irritably, even though they had their own chickens at home, she insisted on making him ask his niece for some. What nonsense this was.
Aunt Shen ignored the grumpy old man, knowing he was on his high horse again. She thought to herself, it’s easy not being the one managing the home. Does he think her eggs are whisked in by the wind? If they ate all of them now, what would they use to exchange for oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar? Was he planning to live on plain boiled vegetables in the future?
Looking down, she saw the basket was full of eggs, quite a generous amount. She quickly counted, almost thirty. Just as she felt satisfied, she recalled the village gossip and suddenly felt it wasn’t that many after all.
"Since they have so many chickens, why did they only give us these few eggs?"
"Don’t just believe everything you hear. Just because they say Yunfang has a lot of chickens, does it make it true? Have you seen them? Besides, there are thirty eggs here, is that not enough? If you really think it’s not, I’ll give them back to Yunfang," he said, getting angry.
"What are you doing, fighting with me? You’ve already taken them; it’s not like you can give them back now," Aunt Shen said, quickly turning the basket away from him as he seemed serious, "Alright, alright, I was only saying. Besides, it wasn’t me who said they had a lot of chickens, why are you upset with me? We may have a basketful of eggs, but don’t forget how many mouths we have waiting to eat at home. Giving eggs to the bosses, you let your grandson just watch? And our little Manman is so small, shouldn’t he get a bite too? Besides..."
"Alright, enough. Bring them inside and stop all that useless talk. After all these years, we’ve never been starved of eggs, nobody has gone hungry," Uncle Shen wasn’t fooled.
"You old man, you have blessings but don’t know how to enjoy them," Aunt Shen scolded, then she suddenly remembered, "Hey, what about the chickens? Why didn’t Yunfang give you a chicken?"
"Yunfang will bring them over tonight."
