Chapter 22: Wang Jinhua’s Jealousy and Envy!

What in the world was that?

Why did it smell so good?

Wang Jinhua paused, turning to look at Xie Youshun, who was sitting in the courtyard drinking water.

“Eldest? Do you smell something?”

Xie Youshun paused, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air, a look of confusion on his face.

“What smell? I don’t smell anything! Are you…” Before he could finish, a cool breeze swept past, carrying a rich, savory aroma that drifted straight into his nose.

The rich scent of lard!

And shiitake mushrooms!

Wait, the smell of green onions was incredibly strong! They must have sizzled them in hot oil!

Xie Youshun suddenly stood up. The aroma was so strong that he thought it was coming from their own kitchen, and he couldn’t help but peer inside.

Unfortunately, the stove was cold and empty, holding nothing but a few cold sweet potatoes left over from that morning.

After a long, exhausting day, his stomach was growling loudly, and his body was desperately craving grease.

Smelling this aroma now made him so restless that he wanted to stand up and rummage around to find its source!

“Where is that smell coming from?”

Wang Jinhua’s heart filled with suspicion and doubt.

She turned her head and looked to the left.

Next door was Blacksmith Wang’s house.

He had a good trade and was considered one of the wealthiest households in the village. Since it was still the New Year period, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to eat some meat.

But hadn’t Blacksmith Wang taken his wife and children to his mother-in-law’s house this morning?

She had even run into them and chatted for a bit, and they said they wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.

Then this smell… As a sudden thought popped into her head, Wang Jinhua shuddered.

Impossible!

They had just gone through the household division!

Besides, they had only taken some broken pots and pans. She had hidden all the rice and flour long ago. How could they make something that smelled like meat out of the dozen or so catties^[1] of sweet potatoes they had carried over?

As these thoughts flashed through her mind, she suddenly remembered!

That was it!

That rascal Xie Zhao had brought back a slab of meat when he returned today!

But wasn’t that supposed to be saved specifically to nourish his wife’s body?

Ever since he came back from the county seat, his relationship with the second brother’s family had been terrible. They had barely seen each other all year, and when they crossed paths on the road, they looked at each other like enemies. It was a miracle they hadn’t come to blows!

Why was he willing to bring out the meat now?

Her mind was filled with doubt, but her feet instinctively carried her toward the courtyard wall.

The courtyard wall wasn’t high to begin with, built years ago just as a symbolic boundary line. When Wang Jinhua poked her head over, she immediately saw the three of them sitting by the threshold, eating noodles from large bowls.

The New Year lanterns were still hanging, and the setting sun cast a reddish glow over the scene.

Three large bowls were filled to the brim with white noodles, topped with a layer of bright, glistening shiitake mushroom and minced meat gravy.

There was so much of it!

It was practically dripping down the sides of the bowls!

Xie Tian was carefully mixing her noodles with her chopsticks. Before they were even fully mixed, she couldn’t wait any longer and shoved a large bite into her mouth.

Wow!

It was delicious!

White flour was a refined grain that they only got to eat during major holidays.

Even then, it usually had to be mixed with potatoes. With so many people in the family, only the male laborers got to eat a large bowl. A girl like Xie Tian would be lucky to get a bowl of noodle soup with a few stray noodles floating in it, and even that was considered a rare treat.

Let alone a bowl filled to the brim with meat-sauce noodles!

It was so fragrant!

The rich aroma of the shiitake mushrooms and the savory minced pork was incredibly intense. In later generations, no one would touch that thick layer of oil, but in the 1980s, it was the ultimate nourishment.

When one’s body was starved of grease, this was exactly what they craved.

Xie Tian chewed, narrowing her eyes in pure bliss, and couldn’t help but bounce her leg in delight.

Xie Cheng nudged her and said in a low voice, “How is that proper behavior for a girl?”

Xie Tian hummed twice but didn’t argue, obediently pulling her leg back.

Xie Youzhen was also eating with his head down. This was already his second bowl.

It was truly delicious!

The glistening, oily noodles slid down his throat, bringing him such sheer pleasure that he broke into a sweat despite the freezing weather.

Xie Tian quietly looked at Xie Cheng, who was eating his noodles, and asked, “Brother? Are we just going to let it go? The square table^[2] and the cabinet Dad made were hidden by Aunt! She’s gone too far!”

Xie Cheng glanced at her but said nothing.

“Just eat!”

“Oh.”

Meanwhile.

On the other side of the courtyard wall, Wang Jinhua and Xie Youshun stared with wide eyes!

“What a spendthrift!”

Wang Jinhua couldn’t help but curse, her heart aching with jealousy as if bitten by a thousand ants!

Xie Youshun was now gnawing on a cold sweet potato, but the more he chewed, the more bitter he felt. He couldn’t help but think.

If we hadn’t gone through the household division…

…I would have been able to get a bowl of those noodles no matter what!

“The second brother is so unfilial!”

Xie Youshun muttered, “It’s one thing not to give us any, but how could he not even bring a bowl over for Mom and Dad?”

Wang Jinhua glared at him.

How could she not know what her husband was thinking?

“Just you wait! When Jinlong comes back tomorrow, I’ll have him buy a few catties of meat for you too! What’s the big deal about eating meat? As if we can’t afford it!”

She spoke loudly, and her voice carried over to the other side of the yard.

Xie Tian snorted, muttered a curse, and wolfed down the rest of her noodles in a few bites.

Whew.

So full!

After they finished eating, they tidied up. As darkness fell, a dim kerosene lamp was lit inside the house.

“Alright, where did you get the money?”

Inside the room, the three of them sat casually on a broken bench, while Xie Zhao squatted opposite them.

The scene looked very much like a joint trial^[3].

Xie Youzhen frowned, staring at Xie Zhao as he said softly, “Er Xiaozi, we can be poor, but we can’t steal or rob. Your wife is giving birth, and the money your mother took over might not even be enough. Where did you get the money to buy all this? Did you go to the Chen Family again?”

Xie Cheng also stared at him, his brow furrowed. “If nothing else, that milk powder costs five yuan a bag. I’ve seen it at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.”

Such expensive milk powder.

Where would Xie Zhao get the money?

The only explanation they could think of was that he had gone back to the Chen Family to get money.

A wave of bitterness washed over Xie Youzhen. He felt miserable. Thinking back to how he hadn’t been able to resist eating the white noodles and minced meat sauce earlier, he wished he could slap himself hard across the face.

“I’ll go back to the mine the day after tomorrow. Once I earn some money, I’ll give it to you so you can return it.”

Xie Cheng stared at him and said in a low, muffled voice, “Second Brother, I know you don’t want to stay in the Xie Family, but you can’t go back to the Chen Family either.”

“It’s not worth throwing away your pride for this money.”

Xie Zhao couldn’t help but look up at Xie Cheng, the eldest brother he had hated most in his past life.

Xie Cheng had the most unyielding temperament.

In his past life, the two brothers had barely interacted. He only knew that Xie Cheng had provided most of the family’s income.

Whenever Xie Cheng returned from the mine, he would use their few meetings to lecture him.

He would lecture him on how to behave in society, the traditional duty of filial piety to their parents, and the importance of caring for their younger sister.

Piece by piece, lecture by lecture, all of Xie Cheng’s brotherly concern had felt like sharp knives to the Xie Zhao of back then, filling him with nothing but resentment and bitterness.