The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 247: Boiled Corn

The two children made up happily under Tong Huaqiong’s guidance.

Tong Huaqiong and Mrs. Hong took the three children home and swiftly started a fire to cook corn.

Mrs. Hong washed the corn in the yard, while Tong Huaqiong lit the fire.

When she first became Tong Dajiao, Tong Huaqiong didn’t know how to light a fire. As someone at the top of the household’s food chain, she didn’t have to do it herself.

Later, when she started making pastries, she learned how to light a fire.

Now, using a wood-fired stove is no problem for her.

And truly, food cooked with a countryside wood-fired stove is full of flavor; it’s just so fragrant.

After Mrs. Hong finished washing the corn, she brought it inside and poured it into the pot. Then she sat in front of the stove, passing firewood to Tong Huaqiong and chatting with her.

They discussed how to arrange the yard after it was built and planned to create a chicken coop and a vegetable garden, just like Tong Huaqiong.

Mrs. Hong had never lived a rural life before, and at this moment, she was filled with anticipation for it.

"...Raising a few chicks, planting a few rows of vegetables, it’s a lovely thought," Mrs. Hong said.

"Grandma, is the corn ready?"

Man Er, smelling the fragrance of corn wafting from the kitchen, leaned against the door and asked.

When Tong Dajiao was around, fresh corn was never cooked at home. Those corns needed to be saved until autumn to mature, be shelled, and sold to earn money for Gu Jingzhe’s schooling.

Even if a few occasionally got cooked, it would never be Man Er’s turn to eat.

Now, the fragrant scent of fresh corn drifted out, and Man Er was craving it badly.

"It will be ready soon," Tong Huaqiong replied with a smile to Man Er.

Looking up, she saw three little heads squeezed at the kitchen door, waiting to eat corn.

Liu Yanhong and Yaozu were holding some snacks, all taken out by Man Er from her mysterious space.

Luckily, Liu Yanhong just ate without questioning the source of these things.

"Grandma, have a candy," Man Er handed a piece of chocolate candy into Tong Huaqiong’s mouth.

"Mrs. Hong, this is for you," Man Er then took out another one and popped it into Mrs. Hong’s mouth.

Gu Yaozu and Liu Yanhong didn’t want to be left behind, each digging out candies and cakes from their pockets and handing them to Tong Huaqiong and Mrs. Hong.

Tong Huaqiong was already used to this kind of scene.

After all, being the ’ancestor’ of the family, Man Er and Yaozu showed their filial piety this way every day.

For Mrs. Hong, however, it was her first experience of such filial piety, and it warmed her heart immensely.

"Ah, I really envy families with children, it’s so lively," Mrs. Hong said, watching the three children enviously.

Tong Huaqiong naturally understood Mrs. Hong’s concerns.

In this era, women often regarded not having children as the greatest regret of their lives.

For Mrs. Hong, who was steeped in this era both inside and out, it was no exception.

The presence of Man Er, Yaozu, and Liu Yanhong stirred emotions in Mrs. Hong, who had no children of her own.

Seeing the gloomy look on Mrs. Hong’s face, Tong Huaqiong comforted her, saying: "Not having children isn’t necessarily regrettable. Look at my Dashi and Taohua, how they appear decent now, yet not one of them is worry-free. In the past, they were lazy troublemakers, and I had to clean up after them often. You have no idea how much effort it took to set them right. It was both a mental and physical drain. Honestly, without them, I might have lived longer."

Even so, Mrs. Hong still envied her.

How great it is to have a lively family!

Oh dear, thought Tong Huaqiong, initially trying to comfort Mrs. Hong, realizing that her words inadvertently felt like humblebragging.

Heaven knows, she didn’t mean to put on airs. If it weren’t for these few troublesome kids, in her previous life where women could live independently, she would’ve abandoned this family long ago.

In her past life, she pursued her studies until her graduate degree and had never contemplated marriage and having children.

But Mrs. Hong was different—she was an ancient woman.

Even in modern times, many women still believe that having children is necessary to complete a woman’s life.

Tong Huaqiong continued, "Sister Hong, you may think I’m boasting, but that’s not my intention. If I could detach myself, I would. Truly, life is quieter without children. If you happen to have an unfilial child, it’s better to have a piece of char siu."

Mrs. Hong burst out laughing and said, "I understand what you’re saying, you don’t need to console me. Speaking of childbirth, if it’s not in my destiny, then it isn’t there, and I’ve long accepted that."

"Auntie, the pot’s boiling, is the corn ready?" Liu Yanhong asked with his mouth watering.

Liu Yanhong interrupted the discussion between Tong Huaqiong and Mrs. Hong about childbearing.

By now, the entire room was filled with the aroma of cooked corn.

"It’s ready, it’s ready,"

Tong Huaqiong said while removing the pot lid.

Mrs. Hong used tongs to take the corn out and placed them on a bamboo mat.

The three children surrounded the steaming corn, almost drooling; Liu Yanhong couldn’t resist grabbing one, and upon touching it, danced around because it was hot.

This made Man Er and Yaozu laugh nonstop.

Tong Huaqiong handed Liu Yanhong a plate to hold the corn.

Once the heat had dispersed a bit, Tong Huaqiong picked up a cob and began to eat.

The plump, fresh corn kernels burst in her mouth, sweet and fragrant, reminiscent of the corn she had fondly eaten as a child at her grandmother’s house in the countryside.

Tong Huaqiong ate two cobs in one go.

The three children sat by the fence, eating corn happily, attracting nearby village children who came by drooling.

Many of those village kids went home to ask their mothers to cook corn for them too.

In this era, even though every household in Qinghe Bay grew corn, not many would actually enjoy eating fresh corn.

Most families counted on the corn maturing to be used as food for the winter, and if they were too free with fresh corn, they’d be gossiped about for being wasteful by other villagers.

At this moment, Tong Huaqiong, considered wasteful by some, presented a bowl of fresh corn to the three children by their side. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

As much as they’d like to eat.

When the children left, only Chun Ni and her little brother Chun Wang remained.

Man Er noticed Chun Ni’s envious face and handed her a corn cob from the bowl.

However, before Chun Ni could take a bite, her brother Chun Wang snatched it.

"Why are you grabbing her corn?"

Liu Yanhong stood up, confronting Chun Wang.

During the days Liu Yanhong spent in Qinghe Bay, Man Er and Yaozu introduced him to some village kids. He particularly disliked Chun Wang, who often bullied Chun Ni and threw tantrums when things didn’t go his way, claiming his family’s privilege as the eldest son, acting even more entitled than Liu Yanhong, the County Magistrate’s son.

He believed the corn was given to Chun Ni by Man Er and thus should be eaten by Chun Ni, and Chun Wang shouldn’t have taken it.

And Chun Wang had the nerve to snatch it right in front of them, showing no respect for him, the County Magistrate’s son.

"All good things at home should be mine," Chun Wang said.

Liu Yanhong, unhappy with this, retorted, "Shameless. The corn isn’t yours; it was given by Man Er."

He snatched the corn back from Chun Wang and gave it to Chun Ni.

But Chun Ni dared not eat it.

Man Er also disliked Chun Wang. She said to Chun Ni, "Chun Ni, you should eat it. What’s given to you is yours."

Then she turned to Chun Wang, saying, "What’s given to Chun Ni shouldn’t be taken by you."

Chun Wang’s eyes shifted as he stretched his hand, asking Man Er for corn. At first, Man Er intended to give him one after Chun Ni. However, after Chun Wang’s attempt to snatch from Chun Ni, she decided not to give him one.

"No!" As Chun Wang extended his hand, Man Er remained indifferent and kept enjoying her corn.

Chun Wang sulkily withdrew his hand and glared at Chun Ni, saying, "Give me your corn."

Chun Ni was about to hand over her corn to Chun Wang.

Man Er stopped Chun Ni from giving it away, saying to Chun Wang, "Why should you get to eat? This corn is mine, and I decide who gets to eat it. If I don’t want to give it to someone, I won’t."

Hearing this, Chun Wang grew angry and, looking down on Man Er, said, "My grandma said Chun Ni is a burden, and a burden shouldn’t eat good things."