CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68: FRAGRANCE FILLS THE HOUSE

"Big brother..." Wang Yongsheng looked at his suddenly standing elder brother, exhausted and with a headache.

He used to really hate this big brother, seeing his wife bully his sister and parents without concern.

But now his big brother suddenly erupted, surprisingly scary, and he worried about whether someone might get hurt.

"You go inside! I’m heading home! The kids are all at home!" Wang Junsheng said, waving his hand and walking out.

Wang Yongsheng didn’t want to intervene anymore; now the sister-in-law had run away, there wouldn’t be any more fighting. He turned around and went back inside.

"Left?" Grandpa Wang threw the stem of his tobacco pipe onto the ground and asked with a grim face.

"Yeah! Left!" Wang Yongsheng sat beside his mother.

"Wife, warm up the food! Let’s eat!"

"Old man, Xiao Xue came by just now! Brought quite a bit of food over!" Li Xiuying sat up; she had been coughing furiously after being upset by Feng Minghua and was lying on the bed to catch her breath.

"Mom, what did you say?" Wang Yongsheng jumped up in surprise.

Over the years, he had been secretly keeping an eye on a few nephews and nieces as per his parents’ instructions.

Therefore, he wasn’t unfamiliar with them. Hearing that Xiao Xue had come by, he was extremely surprised.

"Wife, did you say... Cuihua’s eldest daughter came?" Grandpa Wang asked incredulously, then quickly added, "Is something wrong with Cuihua? Did she give birth?"

Indeed, the old couple are well aware of their daughter’s affairs.

"Calm down, old man! Cuihua is fine, she has given birth and is nearly done with her postpartum month; she had a pair of twins!" Li Xiuying quickly spoke, fearing the old man would worry too much. "Moreover, Cuihua’s life has improved; Xiao Xue even has a job in town, earning ten yuan a month! She’s filial, and once she could, she came to bring us good things!" Li Xiuying said, getting up from bed.

"Oh... my Cuihua finally made it through!" Grandpa Wang’s previously worried expression turned into joy, with teary eyes.

"Mom, you should sit down! I’ll go heat up the food!" Wang Yongsheng quickly pressed his mom back to sit on the bed.

"Yongsheng, go to the storage room and bring that sack over! All from Xiao Xue!" Li Xiuying instructed while settling into her seat.

"Alright, I’ll get it now!" Wang Yongsheng walked out briskly.

"That girl even brought you tea and liquor! This year is looking good!" Li Xiuying boasted to the old man.

"Liquor too? That’s precious stuff, I haven’t drunk any in years! And tea, those are hard to get hold of and expensive! Seems like Cuihua’s life has indeed improved! Wonderful! Wonderful!" Grandpa Wang had put the earlier incident of Wang Junsheng’s couple fighting out of his mind.

They weren’t worried that Feng Minghua would make a fuss about divorce since the idea never existed in their minds! During that era, which woman wasn’t beaten by her husband, didn’t they all live well? Going back to her mother’s home? Would she live well? The sisters-in-law wouldn’t tolerate her either!

A woman like Feng Minghua should be taught a lesson! Otherwise, when her daughter finally comes visiting, it would cause complete estrangement.

The old couple was aged, how many good years did they have left to live? Not having their most beloved daughter around was a huge regret.

"I’m telling you, old man, don’t go out blabbing! That girl, Xiao Xue, accidentally bought a rosewood box from a scrap shop, inside there was a secret compartment, unexpectedly with a small yellow fish! How much do you think that small yellow fish is worth? Isn’t it doing well?" Li Xiuying whispered to Grandpa Wang, finishing with a glance outside to see if their youngest son had returned, afraid he might overhear.

Grandpa Wang looked incredulously, "Our daughter sure is lucky, to have made it through, she could live well in the future too. Wife, you mustn’t let those few kids know about this! Especially the two sons and daughters-in-law!"

"I’m not foolish! How could I let them know? I’ve stored all the things Xiao Xue brought well, not daring to let Minghua discover them!" Li Xiuying glared at her old man.

"Mom, what’s in here? It’s so heavy!" Wang Yongsheng came in carrying the sack.

"Meat, dumplings, and grains! Xiao Xue even brought me pears and rock sugar! Said it’s good for my cough, I’ll cook some later!" Li Xiuying quickly arranged her expression, happily opened the sack and took out the items one by one.

"Smoked chicken, roast duck, oh my, the smell is irresistible, Mom, quickly, quickly, cut them up to eat! I can’t hold back!" Wang Yongsheng, already twenty-two, became excited like a child upon seeing meat.

He hadn’t eaten meat in so long; he originally wanted his mom to kill an old hen for New Year’s, but his mom wouldn’t, saying it was reserved for eggs to exchange for salt and oil.

Eventually, only a pound of pork was bought, stewed with sauerkraut, the best dish during the entire New Year.

"Look at you keen! There’s ribs here, pork, and meat-stuffed dumplings too!" Li Xiuying watched her son crave and displayed all the items she took out.

"White flour dumplings, so many?" Wang Yongsheng’s eyes weren’t enough to take in everything.

Grandpa Wang on the bed was also tempted, but mostly he was happy for his daughter’s fortune; they must be eating well too! Plus, he was eager upon hearing there was alcohol.

"Wife, slice up the smoked chicken! Dumplings and the other meats for tonight! Go warm up the food! I’m craving liquor!"

"Look at the two of you greedy like that, alright, I’ll go slice!" Li Xiuying said, storing what needed to go into the bed cabinet, and putting what wasn’t for immediate consumption back in the storage.

Under Wang Yongsheng’s insistence, the roast duck was also sliced, and the three of them ate with greasy mouths.

Though the New Year wasn’t peaceful, eating such good things was worth it.

Wang Yongsheng also got two liang (of liquor), sipping it cautiously.

While they were joyfully feasting over here, Bai Ruxue and Zhang Yuan returned home and busied themselves with preparations.

The two of them, along with four little ones, were busy preparing the midnight New Year’s meal, happily engaged.

"Big sis, is there still yummy food? I notice my stomach hasn’t digested today, always full, this feeling is too comfortable!" Bai Ruchuan moved between his three sisters and Zhang Yuan, joyfully speaking, with a piece of candy still in his mouth, making speech difficult.

"Me too, meat is delicious, nuts are delicious, candy is even more delicious! I’ll never forget this New Year!" Bai Ruxia chimed in.

"Fruit is even more delicious, I’ve never seen such red and big apples!" Bai Ruyun added.

"You all only know how to eat! Quickly go and flip the meat boiling in the pot!" Bai Rushan was busy with the fire, instructing his candy-filled siblings.

"Alright, I’ll flip, once the lid is lifted, the fragrance fills the room, hehe..." Bai Ruxia hopped over.

Bai Rushan had just finished speaking, and busy retrieving a piece of hawthorn roll from his new clothes’ pocket, popped it into his mouth; he quite liked the sour and sweet taste.

Bai Ruxue watched her siblings laugh, Zhang Yuan laughed along too; actually, he was just idly busy, peeling garlic, serving bowls and plates to Bai Ruxue, watching his little sweetheart work was an immense joy, inadvertently falling for her.