The patriarch’s family hosted the first banquet, and in the following days, a wave of entertainment swept through the clan. Although Zhou Shuren had a senior status, there were few people in the clan older than him, but because Zhou Shuren was born later, those who were just slightly older than him, at least a decade or more, had to invite Zhou Shuren, and there was no way to refuse.
After making the rounds, even for those with good memory like Zhulan, their heads felt a bit overwhelmed. In ancient times, there was no family planning, and each family had at least four or five, even seven or eight children. Several generations lived together without splitting, and there were even more people in the grandchildren’s generation. This was the case even though many children in ancient times didn’t survive, or else there would have been even more.
Every family had many children, and while it was a small matter for Zhulan to go to their homes to eat and give gifts, the sheer number of children gave her memory problems. Additionally, some children looked alike due to their blood relationships, making it truly challenging for Zhulan to remember them.
When Xuemei brought her children back to her parent’s home, Zhulan was making clothes, and Zhou Shuren was resting. They were really exhausted these days. They didn’t want to go anywhere and just wanted to stay at home.
Xuemei carried her daughter into the main house, but she didn’t expect her father to be lying down. She thought he was reading and was a little worried, “Mom, is Daddy uncomfortable?”
Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren with envy. She also wanted to lie down, but after attending social events continuously for half a month, she couldn’t just go eat at mealtimes. She had to go out with Zhou Shuren, and this delayed her embroidery work. “Your father fell asleep.”
Xuemei breathed a sigh of relief. It’s good that he’s not sick. Mom, Jiang Sheng and I moved here. We discussed that we would like to invite our parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law to have a meal together. Do you think it would be okay tomorrow?”
Zhulan put down the needle in her hand, “Have you packed everything for moving here?”
Xuemei and her husband received the signal from Zhulan and came over the next day. On the same day, they rented the house they had originally liked. The house had remained vacant because the owner didn’t want to rent it to people with other surnames. Xuemei, being a member of the Zhou family, had a smooth renting process due to her relationship with Zhou Shuren. The rent was fixed at fifty wen per month.
The house was located on the street in front of Zhulan’s home. It consisted of five rooms and was a bit old, which made the rent of fifty wen somewhat expensive. That’s why no one from the clan had rented it before. However, its advantage was the spacious courtyard, which was quite big, making it valuable. Xuemei and her husband didn’t care about the rent. Their purpose was to move here, so they rented the house quickly and paid the rent for a year.
Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were too busy to help, so Xuemei and Jiang relied on the help of the eldest and second child to move here.
Xuemei replied, “We had everything packed up the day before yesterday. We were just busy with our parents, so we didn’t come over to let you know. These past few days, I’ve been turning over the soil in the garden, and my eldest and second brothers helped me collect a load of firewood.”
Zhulan asked,” No one from the Jiang family came?”
She had always wanted to ask, but her daughter knew that she and Zhou Shuren were busy and never came over again, so she had no chance to ask.
Xuemei sighed, “My father-in-law and mother-in-law wanted to come to live with us, but my husband didn’t agree. They got upset with us and didn’t come to help or visit. Even my older brother and sister-in-law didn’t lend a hand when we were moving, although they did help with moving the things.”
“Ever since my parents-in-law found out that my husband goes to the county yamen every day to help, they no longer ignore us. Our son and daughter have become their beloved treasures. It’s a pity that we can’t just simply forget what happened before, nor can we really forgive them for it. We’ll still give them the respect they deserve, but living with them is impossible.”
Zhulan really didn’t know that this happened, “Your parents-in-law are regretting their decision before to death.”
Xuemei felt proud and happy, “It’s a pity that there is no medicine for regret.”
Zhulan didn’t sympathize with the Jiang family and said, “Let’s eat tomorrow. Well, I’ll ask your eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law to go over and help. By the way, have you prepared all the meat and vegetables?”
Xuemei was embarrassed, “Mom, my eldest sister-in-law, and second sister-in-law have helped me a lot these days. I’ll do it myself tomorrow. It is not a trouble to cook for just two tables.”
When Xuemei saw her elder sister-in-law and her second sister-in-law again, it took her a while to accept how her sisters-in-law had changed. The elder sister-in-law managed things with ease, not at all like she used to do in a hurry when she thought of something. Now she was very stable.
The second sister-in-law had changed even more. Although she still combed her hair and covered her face, she did not bend down and cry in despair. Instead, she was more imposing than the elder sister-in-law, as if she had everything under control.
These two sisters-in-law had really helped her a lot these days. She couldn’t bother her sisters-in-law because she was a married woman after all.
Zhulan really wasn’t as concerned as Xuemei. Her perspective was more self-centered. After all, Li Shi was an excellent cook, and while her eldest daughter’s cooking was decent, she didn’t feel inclined to experiment. This was mainly because they had been eating similar dishes for the past two weeks, and she suspected there wouldn’t be much variation in the menu. She was starting to feel tired of it.
In contemplation, she said, “Your father and I have been eating stewed dishes for over two weeks, mostly chicken and meat. Moreover, cooking alone would be quite a hassle. If you can prepare something simple and convenient, it would be even better, and you’d save energy.”
Xuemei’s mouth twitched. She wasn’t naive, and she knew her own culinary skills well. Her mother’s words were a clear hint that the restaurants in the county town served good dishes like roasted chicken and stewed pig’s trotters. Buying them was a convenient way to have a main dish without having to cook. “Mom, I’ve thought about the menu. Can I discuss it with you?”
Zhulan knew that the eldest daughter was smart, so she must have understood her hint, “Yeah.”
Xuemei continued, “From Deyi Restaurant, we’ll order their roasted chicken and sauced pig’s trotters, and from Qijia Restaurant, we’ll get their braised rabbit meat and sautéed pig intestines. We’ll also have tofu soup, fried eggs, and for the main course, assorted noodles and steamed buns.”
Zhulan said without any embarrassment, “Not bad.”
Xuemei said with a wooden face, “Mom, I’ll go back first and come back to pick up the table and chairs tomorrow morning.”
“You don’t have to pick them up in person, we will take them with us when we go over.”
“Okay.”
Zhou Shuren chuckled when his eldest daughter left and said, “Did you sense the resentment in Xuemei’s words?”1
Zhulan replied, “Her resentment runs the deepest!”
Whenever she and Zhou Shuren visited someone, they were constantly served dishes, and most of the meals were quite similar. Dishes like sour cabbage stew with fatty meat were common, and the meat was often the fattiest. Because they were treated with great respect, every time they were warmly served and offered fatty meat. Even if she didn’t feel like eating, she had to smile and eat it. After all, it was given with good intentions, and the best parts were offered due to the high regard for them.
Fortunately, she had encountered similar situations in modern times more than once. While she didn’t particularly like Japanese cuisine when clients preferred it, she couldn’t just refuse politely. She could smile and eat it, even if she felt like vomiting later, without letting anyone see that she didn’t like it.
But this time she was going to her daughter’s house for dinner. She was an elder and there was nothing wrong with seeking some benefits for herself! (End of chapter)
The patriarch’s family hosted the first banquet, and in the following days, a wave of entertainment swept through the clan. Although Zhou Shuren had a senior status, there were few people in the clan older than him, but because Zhou Shuren was born later, those who were just slightly older than him, at least a decade or more, had to invite Zhou Shuren, and there was no way to refuse.
After making the rounds, even for those with good memory like Zhulan, their heads felt a bit overwhelmed. In ancient times, there was no family planning, and each family had at least four or five, even seven or eight children. Several generations lived together without splitting, and there were even more people in the grandchildren’s generation. This was the case even though many children in ancient times didn’t survive, or else there would have been even more.
Every family had many children, and while it was a small matter for Zhulan to go to their homes to eat and give gifts, the sheer number of children gave her memory problems. Additionally, some children looked alike due to their blood relationships, making it truly challenging for Zhulan to remember them.
When Xuemei brought her children back to her parent’s home, Zhulan was making clothes, and Zhou Shuren was resting. They were really exhausted these days. They didn’t want to go anywhere and just wanted to stay at home.
Xuemei carried her daughter into the main house, but she didn’t expect her father to be lying down. She thought he was reading and was a little worried, “Mom, is Daddy uncomfortable?”
Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren with envy. She also wanted to lie down, but after attending social events continuously for half a month, she couldn’t just go eat at mealtimes. She had to go out with Zhou Shuren, and this delayed her embroidery work. “Your father fell asleep.”
Xuemei breathed a sigh of relief. It’s good that he’s not sick. Mom, Jiang Sheng and I moved here. We discussed that we would like to invite our parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law to have a meal together. Do you think it would be okay tomorrow?”
Zhulan put down the needle in her hand, “Have you packed everything for moving here?”
Xuemei and her husband received the signal from Zhulan and came over the next day. On the same day, they rented the house they had originally liked. The house had remained vacant because the owner didn’t want to rent it to people with other surnames. Xuemei, being a member of the Zhou family, had a smooth renting process due to her relationship with Zhou Shuren. The rent was fixed at fifty wen per month.
The house was located on the street in front of Zhulan’s home. It consisted of five rooms and was a bit old, which made the rent of fifty wen somewhat expensive. That’s why no one from the clan had rented it before. However, its advantage was the spacious courtyard, which was quite big, making it valuable. Xuemei and her husband didn’t care about the rent. Their purpose was to move here, so they rented the house quickly and paid the rent for a year.
Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were too busy to help, so Xuemei and Jiang relied on the help of the eldest and second child to move here.
Xuemei replied, “We had everything packed up the day before yesterday. We were just busy with our parents, so we didn’t come over to let you know. These past few days, I’ve been turning over the soil in the garden, and my eldest and second brothers helped me collect a load of firewood.”
Zhulan asked,” No one from the Jiang family came?”
She had always wanted to ask, but her daughter knew that she and Zhou Shuren were busy and never came over again, so she had no chance to ask.
Xuemei sighed, “My father-in-law and mother-in-law wanted to come to live with us, but my husband didn’t agree. They got upset with us and didn’t come to help or visit. Even my older brother and sister-in-law didn’t lend a hand when we were moving, although they did help with moving the things.”
“Ever since my parents-in-law found out that my husband goes to the county yamen every day to help, they no longer ignore us. Our son and daughter have become their beloved treasures. It’s a pity that we can’t just simply forget what happened before, nor can we really forgive them for it. We’ll still give them the respect they deserve, but living with them is impossible.”
Zhulan really didn’t know that this happened, “Your parents-in-law are regretting their decision before to death.”
Xuemei felt proud and happy, “It’s a pity that there is no medicine for regret.”
Zhulan didn’t sympathize with the Jiang family and said, “Let’s eat tomorrow. Well, I’ll ask your eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law to go over and help. By the way, have you prepared all the meat and vegetables?”
Xuemei was embarrassed, “Mom, my eldest sister-in-law, and second sister-in-law have helped me a lot these days. I’ll do it myself tomorrow. It is not a trouble to cook for just two tables.”
When Xuemei saw her elder sister-in-law and her second sister-in-law again, it took her a while to accept how her sisters-in-law had changed. The elder sister-in-law managed things with ease, not at all like she used to do in a hurry when she thought of something. Now she was very stable.
The second sister-in-law had changed even more. Although she still combed her hair and covered her face, she did not bend down and cry in despair. Instead, she was more imposing than the elder sister-in-law, as if she had everything under control.
These two sisters-in-law had really helped her a lot these days. She couldn’t bother her sisters-in-law because she was a married woman after all.
Zhulan really wasn’t as concerned as Xuemei. Her perspective was more self-centered. After all, Li Shi was an excellent cook, and while her eldest daughter’s cooking was decent, she didn’t feel inclined to experiment. This was mainly because they had been eating similar dishes for the past two weeks, and she suspected there wouldn’t be much variation in the menu. She was starting to feel tired of it.
In contemplation, she said, “Your father and I have been eating stewed dishes for over two weeks, mostly chicken and meat. Moreover, cooking alone would be quite a hassle. If you can prepare something simple and convenient, it would be even better, and you’d save energy.”
Xuemei’s mouth twitched. She wasn’t naive, and she knew her own culinary skills well. Her mother’s words were a clear hint that the restaurants in the county town served good dishes like roasted chicken and stewed pig’s trotters. Buying them was a convenient way to have a main dish without having to cook. “Mom, I’ve thought about the menu. Can I discuss it with you?”
Zhulan knew that the eldest daughter was smart, so she must have understood her hint, “Yeah.”
Xuemei continued, “From Deyi Restaurant, we’ll order their roasted chicken and sauced pig’s trotters, and from Qijia Restaurant, we’ll get their braised rabbit meat and sautéed pig intestines. We’ll also have tofu soup, fried eggs, and for the main course, assorted noodles and steamed buns.”
Zhulan said without any embarrassment, “Not bad.”
Xuemei said with a wooden face, “Mom, I’ll go back first and come back to pick up the table and chairs tomorrow morning.”
“You don’t have to pick them up in person, we will take them with us when we go over.”
“Okay.”
Zhou Shuren chuckled when his eldest daughter left and said, “Did you sense the resentment in Xuemei’s words?”1
Zhulan replied, “Her resentment runs the deepest!”
Whenever she and Zhou Shuren visited someone, they were constantly served dishes, and most of the meals were quite similar. Dishes like sour cabbage stew with fatty meat were common, and the meat was often the fattiest. Because they were treated with great respect, every time they were warmly served and offered fatty meat. Even if she didn’t feel like eating, she had to smile and eat it. After all, it was given with good intentions, and the best parts were offered due to the high regard for them.
Fortunately, she had encountered similar situations in modern times more than once. While she didn’t particularly like Japanese cuisine when clients preferred it, she couldn’t just refuse politely. She could smile and eat it, even if she felt like vomiting later, without letting anyone see that she didn’t like it.
But this time she was going to her daughter’s house for dinner. She was an elder and there was nothing wrong with seeking some benefits for herself! (End of chapter)
