"That's enough, Second Sister, she was just saying it casually." Old Mrs. Zhu was clearly on the side of Xiao Zhao, implying that Chen was making a big deal out of nothing.
"Mom, why do you say that? This is no small matter. How can family members slander each other like this? My son is still young and can't stand it." Zhao immediately stood up and retorted, protecting Zhu Ping'an like a hen protecting her chicks.
"Second sister-in-law, why do you talk to mother like that?" Xiao Zhao avoided the main point and changed the subject, starting to accuse Chen of being disrespectful to Old Madam Zhu.
"You just know how to fan the flames!" Chen looked at Xiao Zhao with a sneer, her eyes full of contempt.
"That's enough. It's just a meal. What's the big deal?" Old Master Zhu slammed his pipe on the table and glared at his second and youngest sons, meaning that he wanted them to keep an eye on their wives so that they wouldn't have to have a peaceful meal.
Zhu Shouyi obediently reached out and pulled Chen, asking her to sit down and eat. Although Chen looked unhappy, she still sat down to give face to her husband.
"Dad, I'm doing this for the good of our family. It would be terrible if he were possessed by evil spirits and brought bad luck to our family." Little Zhao knew how to act properly. She gave face to Old Man Zhu, but kept the fact of him being possessed tightly under the table.
"Bullshit!" Seeing that Xiao Zhao was still not giving in, Chen got furious and wanted to scratch her.
"It's really disgraceful to be so petty." My uncle looked aloof and indifferent to worldly matters. He shook his sleeves, shook his head and sighed.
The eldest aunt watched with great interest and did not dissuade them. She even tried to cultivate the demeanor of a lady of a rich family, thinking that if her husband passed the imperial examination one day, she would be the wife of a scholar, and if her husband passed the imperial examination, she would be the wife of an official, so she would have to cultivate her demeanor. Seeing her two younger brothers and sisters making a scene without any image, she felt more and more that she was superior and had a great demeanor.
However, Zhu Ping'an sneered at his aunt. If it was a lady from a wealthy family, she would have put an end to the dispute long ago, instead of just watching the joke like his aunt did.
However, looking at his grandfather's dark face, Zhu Ping'an felt that this was not a good sign. After all, this was an era of feudal patriarchy. If he had a reputation for being unfilial, he would be criticized in the village.
"Mom, Aunt Four, what's wrong with you?" After washing his hands, Zhu Ping'an walked to his mother with his short legs, raised his chubby little face and asked curiously.
She was so cute and polite, and greeted Fourth Aunt in a friendly way, which made Fourth Aunt, who was slandering Zhu Ping'an just now, feel a little embarrassed.
"Your fourth aunt said that you were possessed by evil spirits." Chen glared at Xiao Zhao and said angrily.
"Mom, what does it mean to be possessed by evil spirits?" Zhu Ping'an asked like a curious baby.
So, Chen glared at Xiao Zhao again.
The old man also turned his eyes to Xiao Zhao, a little dissatisfied. Xiao Zhao's face was a little pale, and she felt that she was making a big fuss, but she couldn't let go of her face. She bent down to coax Zhu Ping'an and asked, "Zi'er, auntie wants to ask you, why did you start washing your hands and face recently?"
Zhu Ping'an was not really a five-year-old child, so he would not let her catch him with his words. He ran to Chen's arms and leaned against her comfortably. He looked at Xiao Zhao with innocent eyes and said, "Last time when Zhu'er was sick, the old man with a white beard who treated Zhu'er said that Zhu'er had an upset stomach because he ate something with dirty hands. Zhu'er didn't want to drink the bitter medicine, so he washed his hands and face before eating as the old man said."
Although it is shameful to act cute and ridiculous to pretend to be young, why don't you try to be mature as a five-year-old kid? Tired of living! I want to make barbecue to endorse myself (with salt)!
When talking about the old doctor with white beard, Zhu Ping'an glanced at everyone's expressions inconspicuously. Everyone was basically convinced. You should know that Zhu Ping'an had done his homework. This old doctor with white beard was not a simple person. He was a famous doctor in the county. He seldom saw patients, and even if he did, it was only for dignitaries. The last time he treated Zhu Ping'an was purely a coincidence. He happened to pass by on the way to visit a friend and saw the Zhu family in a panic. He couldn't bear it, so he took action.
"Okay, let's end this matter here. From now on, no one should mention anything like being possessed by evil spirits or anything like that. You are all good descendants of the Zhu family. If I hear any rumors outside that are not good about our family, don't blame me for using the family rules!" Old Master Zhu was able to distinguish the importance of each other. He did not let his daughters-in-law quarrel endlessly. He ended the dispute between them by slamming the table at the right time.
A harmonious family is the root of all prosperity. This has been a common understanding since ancient times. If there are rumors of evil spirits in the family, it will be very bad for the rest of the family. Mr. Zhu has been working hard for the prosperity of the family since he was young. He tightened his belt to support his eldest son's education for this purpose. He looked forward to the prosperity of the family in his hands day and night, and would not allow problems to occur within the family.
The dispute died down, the old man put down his pipe and started eating.
After Grandpa Zhu started eating, the Zhu family started to have dinner. It was very feudal and patriarchal. After more than ten days, Zhu Ping'an was no longer surprised. The only thing that was still difficult to accept was the food on the table. The so-called dishes were boiled or steamed with salt. I remember that cooking was gradually popularized after the method of extracting vegetable oil was introduced in the middle of the Qing Dynasty. Now cooking should be the patent of rich people. Farmers are reluctant to use animal oil for cooking. The staple food was steamed bread made of grains, mixed with wild vegetables. The color was weird and the taste was bad. It took a long time to swallow it. The taste of the porridge was acceptable, but it was too watery and reflected his fat face.
The amount of food at the table is fixed, and the amount is controlled by Old Lady Zhu. Men are given two pancakes, while women and children only have one. There are also differences in porridge. The ones in front of men are thick, while the ones in front of women and children are soupy.
Grandmother Zhu was also partial. When distributing bread and porridge, she treated them differently. The bread for the eldest uncle and fourth uncle was large, while her family and third uncle's family were small. In addition, the eldest uncle of the Zhu family had three breads because he needed to study. There were many other examples of partiality. For dishes that were not often cooked, such as scrambled eggs, Grandmother Zhu would give more to the eldest uncle and fourth uncle.
Especially today, my grandmother, whether to compensate or not, occasionally gave fried eggs to my uncle and aunt. My aunt also showed off to my mother, Chen, intentionally or unintentionally, which almost made my mother bite her twice. The whole dinner table was tense and the world was in turmoil.
I remember when he first came here, Zhu Ping'an tried to pick up an egg, but his grandmother blocked his way with chopsticks, saying that eggs were for adults to nourish their bodies and they were tired from work. However, Zhu Ping'an had not seen his grandmother share the eggs with his father.
Every family has its own problems.
Not eating enough or eating well is definitely a fatal punishment for a foodie.
After all, Zhu Ping'an was mentally in his twenties and could still endure it. However, he couldn't bear it when he saw Yu'er, the little girl in Third Aunt's arms, biting her fingers and staring at the eggs with her big watery eyes.
My mother Chen, my third aunt, my eldest aunt, and my fourth aunt would often quarrel at the dinner table for various reasons, such as taking the same pancake, picking up the same dish, etc. In short, the dinner table would never be quiet.
In fact, many conflicts in the family can be attributed to one word: poverty. Even if one has a fortune, there will be no conflicts over these trivial matters. As the saying goes, a poor man has a short ambition, and a thin horse has long hair.
However, looking at my own weak arms and legs, it is extremely difficult to make a fortune. Many experiences from my previous life are difficult to apply here, and my major is ancient Chinese literature. I don't know about inventions such as glass making, and I am not even proficient in life skills such as cooking in the girls' time-travel novels. Of course, it doesn't mean that I am useless. I at least have hundreds of years of experience, common sense and knowledge of ancient Chinese. Making a fortune is a long way to go, but it is not out of reach.