Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty-Chapter 69 - 68 Fulfilling the Mission Without Dishonor

Chapter 69: Chapter 68: Fulfilling the Mission Without Dishonor

Chapter 69 -68: Fulfilling the Mission Without Dishonor

Mrs. Wang said with a flushed face, “After the blue satin was torn up by my husband and Dahu, we barely managed to tear off a piece for myself and the two of my children Alu and Dabao, there’s no more left. After we tear off a dress from the yellow satin for you all, I’ll get one, and there will only be a bit more than two feet left, good enough for Afu to make an autumn coat or a vest.”

These words had been advised by Chen Afu, implicitly informing Mrs. Hu that the second and third households should all have satin clothes, and it was unreasonable for their possessions to be given mainly to the first branch.

Mrs. Hu further commented, “Don’t you still have white satin? Tear a few feet off for our Aju to make inner clothes, it would perfectly match the yellow vest.”

Aju, feeling hopeful again, quickly turned around with tears in her eyes and said, “It would also work for pleated skirts, which would look so good embroidered with flowers. When I was in the county town, I saw daughters of wealthy families wearing skirts like these.”

Mrs. Wang shook her head again, “We have used a lot of white satin, and we only have two little remnants left, not enough for clothes and skirts.”

Upon hearing his wife speak like this, Chen Ming lowered his head embarrassedly. These were all the lines Afu had explained before they left. How did she know Mrs. Hu and Aju would react like this?

Originally hopeful, Aju heard there was none left and then turned away again, weeping.

Feeling heartache for her daughter, Mrs. Hu brazenly said, “Since Afu already has her own household, and isn’t in a hurry to marry, why doesn’t she give us her portion of satin for Aju?”

Chen Agu’s face had long gone red with embarrassment, and he retorted loudly, “Mom, despite Aju’s love for dresses, Miss Afu has them too! Why should she go without clothes so your daughter can wear them? We have already received so much from them, I feel embarrassed, yet you are still asking for more. Now listen, you can’t spoil the little girl like this anymore, or she will suffer later in life.”

Chen Agu, a man of few words, really couldn’t bear it today and ended up addressing his mother publicly.

Chen Ye’s face had turned as red as a large shrimp, shocked beyond responsiveness. He could have guessed that his wife would hint at the second and third rooms, to remind everyone not to forget their older brother’s past sacrifices, and to honor the family when it was time to do so. He thought that this would only be a hint, but he never expected that she would brazenly ask for more, and press persistently for it. It was too assertive of her to still want to take the satin, even when the second room said they had no more available. It was too much!

He believed he had lost all face, with his eyes wide open and rage, he sent Mrs. Hu staggering back and slapped her several times. Chen Agu hurriedly blocked him, as did Chen Ming.

Sitting on the bed, Chen Ye pointed at Mrs. Hu and scolded, “Your daughter wants it that much, why don’t you give her your satin? You greedy scoundrel, you have taken so much from others and are still not satisfied, you even want to take all that they have. Your lack of discernment has caused me to lose face!” Having said that, he rose and attempted to hit her again but was tightly held back by Chen Ming.

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Previously disheveled by her young girl, Mrs. Hu forgot to maintain her disguises in front of her husband and son. Seeing her husband angry and her son being silent, she was afraid to make any more fuss. She sat down, wiping away her tears, and began to talk about how she’d been wronged ever since she got married, taking care of household chores, being filial to elders, and looking after her younger brother-in-law.

Mrs. Chen glared at Mrs. Hu and said, “Stop your sobbing. Managing household chores, being filial to the older generation, and taking care of your younger brother-in-law is an obligation you must undertake as a daughter-in-law, and all other daughters-in-law would do the same. My eldest son is right, your daughter wants things, so why not give her your stuff but instead, demand I hand over mine, intending to spoil her? You have ruined your daughter!” She followed with a threat, “I’ll tell you now, don’t even think about asking for the remaining pieces of satin from the second house. If you dare ask for it, I won’t agree, and I’ll let my eldest son know.”

Mrs. Chen’s words made Chen Ye’s face flush again. He glared at Mrs. Hu and bellowed, “Did you hear what mother said? If you dare to do shameful things behind my back, see how I will deal with you.”

Mrs. Hu grievously responded, “When did I ever secretly ask the second household for anything? This is such an injustice. This is the first time I have had to swallow my pride, and it’s all because Aju cried and upset me, thinking about how young ladies love pretty things… Husband, please don’t be angry anymore, I won’t do such things again.”

Chen Ye harrumphed, “You better remember what you’ve just said.” Noticing that Aju was still throwing a tantrum, he frowned and said, “Aju needs a good lesson, she’s already twelve years old, yet she is still so naive and wants to compete for everything. It’s just a piece of satin, take mine. I am a farmer who works in the fields, wearing satin would just be a waste.”

Mrs. Chen disagreed and said, “My son, you can’t spoil them like this. You should wear what is given to you. At your age and after working so hard, you deserve to wear satin clothes. Making a vest or a skirt for Aju is enough, she’s still young. There will be occasions for her to wear satin clothes in the future.”

When Mrs. Wang returned home, she was still angry, saying, “We went to give gifts, but we had to watch the mother and daughter cry and fuss as if we were robbing them. It really pisses me off. Aju was taught by her elder sister, now they have the same greedy demeanor.” She added, “If things go wrong, it’s likely that Dabao’s satin might be given to Aju or the Hus. At that time, our sister-in-law would complain about it in front of us for Dabao, asserting that even the others had gotten satin clothes, yet their hardworking eldest son hasn’t received any. Our position is really unjust.”

Chen Ming shook his head and sighed, “My eldest brother is such a good person, alas, his wife and daughter… Look how good Agu and Alan turned out though.”

Afu chuckled, “Father, do you see now? Dabao’s wife and Aju are just greedy. They even want to take everything they can and still not leave us a shred of cloth.” She joked, “Father, have you seen how lenient Dabao is towards his wife and daughter? As long as Dabao’s wife shows a tinge of weakness or Aju makes a fuss, he concedes to them. You cannot allow your wife and children to watch Dabao’s wife and daughter enjoy their lives while we cannot even afford clothes or meat just because of your gratitude for Dabao, right? We remember Dabao’s kindness and will return it, but this doesn’t mean we should indulge Dabao’s wife and Aju.”

Chen Ming sighed and nodded his head.

The dates in the old yard had ripened. In past years these dates would have been a significant source of income for the second branch, but this year there was no need to sell them. They gave some to relatives and friends, and dried the leftovers for their own consumption.

Later that afternoon, the Chens were all enjoying dates and chatting in the east room while Mrs. Wang was rushing with her chores.

Tomorrow was the thirteenth of August. Mrs. Wang had to go to the county town to deliver her embroidery work, and also to bring back another batch to work on. In addition, they had to buy mooncakes and fruits for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Mooncakes were a luxury that their family had never bought before, bringing cheers from Alu and Dabao when they heard about it.

Afu also wanted to go to the county town. She was considering taking the small chicken, tiger, and dog dolls she had made to the Embroidery Tower to see if they liked them. If they did, she could make a small amount of money.

Mrs. Wang suggested, “The ninth day of next month will mark two months since Alu had his bones set at the Qianjin Medical Clinic. The doctor asked us to come back for a follow-up. Afu, why don’t you join us to the capital city? Perhaps the embroidery workshops there offer higher prices. The owner of our embroidery workshop is rather stingy, yet I’m not bold enough to negotiate with him.”