CH 17

The first batch of vegetables is about to ripen.

“Hongcai, do you know what’s going on with your younger brother lately?” Yang Hongcai had just returned from the field and hadn’t had a chance to drink water yet when he heard Li Fengjiao asking him, “I heard that your sister-in-law, who can’t get a baby, has hooked up with a rich man?”

Yang Hongcai frowned at her words and said, “Mom, Hongjin’s wife is named Cheng-Ge’er.”

Li Fengjiao waved her hand impatiently and said, “Who told you that? I heard from Aunt Lin in the village that the two of them have been going to town every day lately and returning home late at night. Every time Cheng-Ge’er brings back a lot of stuff, and even Hongjin, who doesn’t usually go out, hasn’t been working in the fields.”

Yang Hongcai hadn’t seen Yang Hongjin in the fields these past few days, not just today, and he was grateful that there wasn’t much work to do on the farm. After finishing his own work at home, he had been helping his brother, so he was concerned about what might have happened at his brother’s place. He hadn’t expected that they had gone to town.

Yang Hongcai didn’t answer Li Fengjiao’s question directly, but instead asked her, “What are they doing in town?”

“How would I know? I’m asking you!” Li Fengjiao said disdainfully. “But I heard that Cheng-Ge’er has hooked up with a rich man. Aunt Lin said that someone saw them going to Yueqiong Tower every day. Do you know how expensive that place is? How can someone who can’t have children afford to go there?”

“Don’t keep calling him childless. If outsiders hear it, they’ll think badly of Cheng-Ge’er,” Yang Hongcai said. He didn’t have much of an opinion on Cheng Yun, but since she had married into their family, she was now part of the Yang family. Even though she had moved out, it didn’t change that fact.

Li Fengjiao murmured a few more words, but Yang Hongcai knew his stepmother’s habits and didn’t bother with her. He said, “I don’t know much about their family’s situation. Don’t always listen to Aunt Lin’s gossip. She likes to spread rumors. Besides, Cheng-Ge’er is with Hongjin. I trust his character. He would never do anything to Hongjin.”

“How do you know you can trust him? Do you know what he’s done?” Li Fengjiao retorted, but then seeing that Yang Hongcai didn’t know anything else, she waved her hand and dropped the subject.

But just because Li Fengjiao didn’t talk about it on the surface didn’t mean she didn’t care. In the afternoon, people in the village started to get busy, and the women who stayed at home gathered in groups of three or five to do needlework. Their needles flew but their mouths never stopped.

Recently, their favorite topic of discussion was Yang Hongjin and Cheng Yun, the new couple. They did not avoid Li Fengjiao as she was their nominal mother, but instead talked more enthusiastically because of her presence.

“I saw them going to town again yesterday. And I don’t know if you noticed, but their clothes have changed recently. They’re wearing new clothes. I’ve never seen that fool wear such nice clothes before.”

“I went to the market in town the day before yesterday and happened to see them entering Yueqiong Tower. It’s really like what you said. How did they suddenly become so rich?”

As the speaker finished, she glanced at Li Fengjiao, their expression evaluating her. Li Fengjiao instantly understood the person’s meaning and her face changed dramatically. “How would I know how they suddenly became so rich? I even wanted to ask you all what’s going on!”

“You are their mother, how could you not know?” The person speaking was called Aunt Fang. Her family was similar to the Cheng family in that they had several Ge’ers and daughters. They had always been dissatisfied with the fact that the Yang family was dominated by males, especially with Li Fengjiao. Although she was a stepmother, she had given birth to a son, and her family respected her. Unlike her, who had been constantly criticized by her in-laws for not being able to give birth to a son.

Li Fengjiao was not someone to be messed with. She immediately retorted, “If I knew, would I still be sitting here? I am his mother, but have you ever considered what their family situation is like? Do you think that idiot would personally tell me?”

Most of the people in this group had a consensus that even if their families were wealthy, they could not tell others about it. Money must not be flaunted, and if people found out that they had money, they might plot against them. But on the other hand, they were desperate to know if other people’s families had a way to make money, which was contradictory.

When Aunt Fang heard Li Fengjiao’s words, she became dissatisfied, “Oh, listen to what Aunt Li just said. If you have found a way to make money, you wouldn’t sit with us? Are you embarrassed to be seen with us?”

Originally, no one thought much of what she said, but when Aunt Fang said it, they felt that there was something different about it. Even their eyes towards Li Fengjiao had a hint of probing and distance.

Li Fengjiao was so angry that her face turned red. If she really had a way to make money, it would be great. But their family had not gained anything, and she was unjustly accused. She couldn’t bear this injustice.

She looked around and saw that some people sitting nearby had already started whispering to each other, and their eyes towards her had changed. Li Fengjiao glared at Aunt Fang and said, “Don’t twist my words!”

“What did I say? Let’s reason this out. These were your own words. I didn’t fabricate anything.” Aunt Fang took advantage of the situation and wouldn’t let it go. “Are you so agitated because I hit the nail on the head? You know how you treat your idiot at home. He’s become rich and hasn’t forgotten to support you. We treat you well, but we’ve never seen you do anything good for us.” (T/N: I don’t understand the structure of the last sentence.)

Li Fengjiao was used to scolding people at home, and since there were only males in the family, no one would argue with her. But when she argued with others outside, she wasn’t good at it. She glared at Aunt Fang and couldn’t think of a rebuttal.

Aunt Fang continued to push her buttons, talking about her being a stepmother, which was something Li Fengjiao was most annoyed of. In the end, even the way everyone else looked at her seemed to be mocking her.

Originally, she wanted to find out some gossip about Yang Hongjin and his wife, but instead, she suffered a defeat. She returned home dejectedly and learned from Yang Hongcai that the couple had indeed gone to the town and had come back early today. They even brought back some new dishes that Yueqiong Tower was about to release. Li Fengjiao became even more angry!

“You said they really went to town? And brought back the new dish from Yueqiong Tower?!” Li Fengjiao stared at the plate of fish on the table, which was clearly delicious and fragrant. If she had been able to taste even a bite before, she would have felt honored. But now, in Li Fengjiao’s eyes, it had become a thorn in her flesh, as if poking at her spine and accusing her of being a bad stepmother to her ex-husband’s child, who was so filial.

Earlier, she had just told Aunt Fang that she had not benefited from her stupid ex-husband and his wife, and now she got this plate of food. Wasn’t this a slap in the face?

“Where did they get the money from?” Li Fengjiao looked fiercely at Yang Hongcai. “I found out today that they go to town every day and even eat at Yueqiong Building every day. It’s good, they start forgetting their roots as soon as they make money. They even forget their own surname. We used to take care of that fool, but now it turns out he’s an ungrateful wretch. I might as well take the food we used to feed him and give it to the pigs!”

“Mother!” Yang Hongcai scolded her, his tone full of warning.

Li Fengjiao knew she had spoken too hastily and was silenced by Yang Hongcai’s shout. But she was still angry, and continued to mutter for a long time.

Yang Hongcai had been busy all day, and when he saw that his brother and sister-in-law were doing well, he felt a lot more relaxed. He even talked to Cheng-Ge’er about a lot of things, and was pleased that Cheng-Ge’er didn’t forget to help them out after making money.

However, as soon as he returned, he heard Li Fengjiao inexplicably cursing, while his father sat at the door smoking as if he hadn’t heard anything. Yang Hongbao shrank in the corner and kept stealing glances at them, while his wife listened in on their conversation while in the kitchen. A sense of annoyance surged in his heart.

He wiped his face and said, “They’re already married and moved out. When they got married, we didn’t give them much. Now they’re doing well, and it’s all thanks to Cheng-Ge’er’s ability. They don’t rely on us for food, so don’t worry about how they make money outside.”

Seeing Li Fengjiao wanting to argue, Yang Hongcai said, “It’s one thing for them to remember our kindness, but we don’t have the right to demand anything from them. Everyone is having a hard time, so it’s good enough to live well on our own. Not to mention, Hongjin is still in the same situation, and Cheng-Ge’er will only spend more energy taking care of him.”

“What are you talking about?” Li Fengjiao completely disagreed with him. “We raised him up, so why wouldn’t he want to repay us? You also said that everyone is having a hard time, so why wouldn’t they give us some advice on how to make money now that their situation has improved? We can make money together.”

“They’re still living in that small house. I don’t even know if they’ve really made any money. The autumn harvest is coming up, and they’ll have to stock up for winter soon…” Yang Hongcai said a few more words, but seeing Li Fengjiao’s disapproval, he didn’t bother to argue anymore. He was more concerned about Cheng-Ge’er’s suggestion about not telling the family about their potential cooperation.

He waved his hand to change the topic. “Let Ah Ling pick a few vegetables and stir-fry them. We can eat it with this fish…”

Before he could finish, Li Fengjiao grabbed the plate of vegetables. “What do you mean ‘eat it with this fish’? This is the dish from Yueqiong Tower. We have to be careful when we eat it.”

Yang Hongcai was stunned for a moment, sighed tiredly, and waved his hand to indicate that he didn’t want to say anything more.

On the other side, Cheng Yun, who many people in the village were already keeping an eye on, had already finished his meal and was squatting by the small field in the backyard, looking at the small fruits that had grown on the vegetable seedlings, his eyes shining brightly.

His first batch of fruits and vegetables had finally ripened!