Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12010

Si Xi left those words behind, turned around and went to the kitchen to continue serving dishes for Xiu Hong and the others.

Sanxi also stood up, patted his stiff bottom, and said, "Ha, Fourth Brother dotes on his wife, it makes me envious. I happen to have a wife too, so I'll go and pamper her a bit to make her happy."

After saying that, Sanxi jogged after Sixi and they went out the door together. The two brothers walked side by side toward the kitchen, chatting and laughing all the way.

Inside the main room, Si Xi's father, Da Xi, and Er Xi, the three of them, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Erxi was the first to come to his senses. He immediately stomped his feet and pointed outside, as if there were raging floods and ferocious beasts outside.

"Dad, you really have to do something about this, or things will turn upside down in our family, with women taking advantage of men's necks to defecate!"

Da Xi was also filled with panic, looking to Sixi's father for help, hoping that he could take charge of things for everyone.

However, Si Xi's father's gloomy face remained so for only a few breaths before he slumped his shoulders and let out a long, helpless sigh.

"The fourth brother and the others have all separated their households. Even if a woman steps on his neck and poops, it's none of our business!"

"Besides, you all heard it just now. Fourth Brother said he's willing, and he's willing himself, so why should we care? Isn't that like a dog trying to bite a mouse, meddling in other people's business?"

“Dad, you’re saying so much, but you still can’t control it!” Erxi’s words revealed their father’s guilty conscience.

Sixi's father glared at Erxi and swung his pipe as if to hit Erxi on the head. Erxi quickly protected his head and dodged to the side.

Just then, Sanxi and Sixi returned to the main room, carrying food in their hands: "Dad, dinner's ready! Where's the others? Why haven't they come yet?"

"Your second sister-in-law isn't feeling well and she got upset by some people, so she can't come," Erxi said irritably. When he mentioned "some people," he deliberately glanced at Sixi.

Sixi understood that Erxi was blaming Xiuhong, because Xiuhong and her sister-in-law had a verbal altercation earlier in her mother's room.

Si Xi was too lazy to argue about trivial matters, so she simply pretended not to understand and continued setting the table.

All the wives in the family came, except for the second son's wife, who had previously brought steamed egg custard to her mother-in-law.

Da Xi's two children also arrived, and the main room immediately became crowded and lively.

Si Xi's father couldn't hit Er Xi anymore, and Er Xi couldn't continue to bully Si Xi. Everyone else quickly surrounded Si Xi's father and sat down in the main seat. After that, they all found their own seats and sat down, waiting for Si Xi's father to take the first bite before they dared to start eating.

Unlike his other brothers, who immediately sat down as soon as their father did, Sixi pulled out a long bench and then put his arm around Xiuhong's shoulder, saying, "Wife, sit with me."

"Okay." Xiu Hong smiled slightly and, with Sixi's help, sat down steadily.

Sixi was very happy and quickly sat down next to Xiuhong, then put the chopsticks into Xiuhong's hand.

"Wife, eat whatever you want, don't be shy," Sixi instructed.

Xiu Hong nodded again. It was impossible for her to be reserved, after all, she had helped cook this meal.

How could I be shy or embarrassed to eat the food I cooked myself?

"Eldest daughter-in-law, is your mother still not coming to eat?" Sixi's father looked up and asked Daxi's wife, who was standing to the side, as a matter of routine.

Da Xi's wife, standing behind Da Xi, nodded immediately upon hearing this: "Yes, Mother said she wasn't feeling well, so she wouldn't be coming, but she did eat the steamed egg custard I brought her."

"That's good, let's eat too. A bowl of steamed egg custard won't starve her!" Si Xi's father said, raising his chopsticks to signal, then sticking one chopstick into the braised pork and tofu dish in front of him.

The braised pork and tofu were leftovers from yesterday's banquet. The pork was three parts lean and seven parts fat, and after being braised and heated several times, all the fat inside was rendered out. It was not only fragrant but also had an enticing color. As soon as it was placed on the table, it immediately attracted everyone's sense of smell.

This dish is what Sixi's father likes to eat. His sons can have a couple of pieces, but his daughters-in-law and grandchildren are not allowed to touch it.

However, this doesn't mean that people don't crave braised pork.

Moreover, although there are about seven or eight dishes on the table, more than half of them are vegetarian dishes, pickled dishes, or dishes mixed with a little bit of pork skin and pork cracklings.

The only real main dish was braised pork with tofu, a meat dish, so everyone was eating, and the sounds of bowls and chopsticks clattering and people chewing could be heard around the square table.

However, both openly and secretly, many eyes kept glancing at that braised pork and tofu dish.

Xiu Hong was an exception. She had eaten this kind of vegetable a lot when she was at her parents' home. Moreover, she had been busy with her wedding these past two days, running back and forth between her parents' home and her husband's home, and also dealing with her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law picking on her.

She was very tired, which affected her appetite. She only wanted to eat light food and didn't really want to eat greasy, fatty meat.

However, she was quite interested in the other bowl of stir-fried rapeseed with pork cracklings placed next to the braised pork.

But because the dishes were placed a bit far away, she couldn't reach them by stretching her arms while sitting, so she stood up... but she didn't really want to go through all that trouble.

So I just glanced at it briefly and didn't look at it again, continuing to eat the dishes placed in front of me with my rice.

Si Xi suddenly stood up, leaned over and picked up two pieces of braised pork, then placed them into Xiu Hong's bowl in full view of everyone.

"Huh? Why are you putting food on my plate?" Xiu Hong was a little surprised when she saw the braised pork suddenly fall into her bowl. She looked up and blurted out the question instinctively.

"It's too far, I'm afraid you won't be able to reach it," Sixi said gently.

Xiu Hong pursed her lips, feeling warm inside. She thought, "I doubt any woman in this world would resist her husband serving her food."

Sanxi's wife joked from the side, "Oh dear, it's better to be born later in life! In our family of men, the fourth brother got married the latest, but he's the one who loves his wife the most!"

Da Xi's wife finally managed to find a seat next to Da Xi and his two children. The three of them took up four-fifths of the long bench, leaving only one-fifth for her. She could only sit on one side of the bench, with the other half hanging in the air, making it even more difficult to pick up food.

Seeing Si Xi serving Xiu Hong braised pork in public, while her husband was busy eating meat and chatting with his father-in-law and the others, Da Xi's wife felt a pang of jealousy. She didn't dare do anything to Da Xi, so she turned her head and gave Si Xi and Xiu Hong a strange laugh.

"Tsk tsk, Fourth Brother, you're spoiling your wife way too much! According to our family rules, this bowl of braised pork is for the men to have with their drinks. You've given it all to your wife, so what are the men supposed to have with their drinks?" Da Xi's wife said with a smile, but her teasing words didn't sound kind at all.

Just as Sixi was about to speak, Xiuhong quietly tugged at his sleeve, signaling him not to speak yet.

Xiu Hong looked up at Da Xi's wife again, then glanced at the two pieces of meat in her own bowl, and the half-full bowl of braised pork left on the plate. Xiu Hong tilted her head: "Sister-in-law, there are probably more than twenty pieces of braised pork and more than ten pieces of tofu left in this bowl."

“Each of the men in my family gets four or five pieces of braised pork and two pieces of tofu to go with their drinks, while I only get two pieces in my bowl. How come the men have no food to go with their drinks?”

"Fourth sister-in-law, you can't say that. According to our family rules, meat dishes like these are reserved for the men to have with their drinks. The men work hard in the fields, so we have to give them priority."

"Sister-in-law, I won't eat my portion. I'll save it for my wife!" Sixi said. He then stood up, leaned over, and put three pieces of braised pork and two pieces of tofu into Xiuhong's bowl in one go.

"Wife, just eat without worry!" Sixi looked at Xiuhong with eyes that said, 'Don't be afraid, I'll support you.'

Xiu Hong felt a warm current surge through her heart again. She nodded and looked at Da Xi's wife again: "Sister-in-law, you heard it too, I ate my husband's portion."

After Xiu Hong finished speaking, she picked up a piece of braised pork and took a small bite. "Mmm, delicious. Sixi, you should try some too, let's eat together."

Xiu Hong put two pieces of meat into Sixi's bowl. Sixi ate one piece and nodded repeatedly, "Delicious, really delicious."

Da Xi's wife was so angry that her face turned red. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Sanxi's wife put down her chopsticks and said with a light laugh, "Fourth brother and fourth sister-in-law are such a perfect match. You treat me well, and I treat you well too. They are a delightful couple."

"Sigh, I can only be envious, I don't have that kind of luck..."

"Say less and eat quickly." Sanxi also started eating, and he put two pieces of braised pork into Sanxi's wife's bowl.

Sanxi's wife was both surprised and delighted. "Oh my, what wind blew this out? I'm almost afraid to eat this meat."

Sanxi then shoved a piece of meat into her mouth: "What's there to be afraid of? What you're eating is also my portion. I'm telling you to eat, so just eat. Nobody dares to say anything!"

Seeing the two couples, Sanxi and Sixi, being so sweet and affectionate at the dinner table, Erxi rolled her eyes and said with disdain, "It's just a meal, what are you two doing? It's annoying to watch!"

Sixi swallowed the meat in his mouth and said to Erxi, "Second brother, everyone should love their own wife. If you feel upset, you can go and love your sister-in-law too."

Xiu Hong said, "That's right. Second sister-in-law is pregnant and needs nutrition. As her husband, you can't just think about your own mouth."

"Which eye of yours saw me neglecting her? She has food and drink, I've been good enough to her!" Erxi retorted indignantly.

Xiu Hong just smiled and didn't say anything. Sanxi's wife said, "Second brother, your wife is still hungry in the house waiting for you to bring her food. You'd better eat quickly and then go deliver the food to her!"

Da Xi slammed his hand on the table: "Alright, alright, all of you, shut up! It's just a piece of meat, what's the big deal! Just eat your food!"

"We have to give our eldest brother face. Second brother, third brother, let's all eat and not talk!" Sanxi chuckled, trying to smooth things over. The others nodded in agreement and buried themselves in their food.

No one spoke, but from the long table where Da Xi and his wife were sitting, came the timid voice of a child.

"Mom, I want to eat meat too." The one who spoke was Da Xi's daughter, who was just three years old this year.

Da Xi's wife glanced at the bowl of meat, her face full of embarrassment, and then glanced at Da Xi out of the corner of her eye.

Da Xi remained silent about this.

But the youngest daughter was still snuggling in her mother-in-law's arms, saying, "Mommy, I want to eat meat..."

Da Xi's wife had no choice but to quietly nudge Da Xi. Da Xi turned around impatiently, glared at the mother and daughter, and scolded, "What are you eating? You're just a child. Eating too much meat will make your stomach bloated and you won't sleep well at night!"

Da Xi's wife had no choice but to coax her little daughter in her arms, "Sweetie, we won't eat meat. Meat doesn't taste good, and it will make your tummy hurt."

Although the youngest daughter still craved meat, she dared not make a fuss under her father's stern gaze. She simply hid in her wife's arms, biting her fingers pitifully.

At this moment, the overjoyed six-year-old son also started making a fuss, "Mom, I want to eat meat."

Having learned her lesson from earlier, Da Xi's wife quickly scolded her son, "Stop fooling around..."

"Why are you scolding him? What's wrong with a boy eating a piece of meat?" Da Xi turned his head and glared at her again. Then, he got up, picked up a trembling piece of pork belly, and fed it to his son: "Eat slowly. If it's not enough, Dad has more."

The son ate with his mouth full of oil, his cheeks bulging, nodding as he ate.

Si Xi's father also cast a doting look at his eldest grandson and nodded in agreement.

The youngest daughter, who had been nestled in her mother's arms and sucking her fingers, couldn't sit still anymore. She nuzzled her head against her mother's chest, her voice trembling with anxious sobs: "Mommy~"

Da Xi's wife said to Da Xi, "Honey, give our daughter a bite too, so she won't cry..."

"What's wrong with crying? What kind of girl is it to be so greedy? She'll be laughed at when she gets married!" Da Xi said irritably, shaking off his wife's hand and glancing at his daughter. "Stop crying, or I'll throw you out!"

Seeing that his youngest daughter's face was still covered in tears, Da Xi impatiently picked up a piece of tofu, dipped it in the broth, and stuffed it into his daughter's mouth to stop her crying.

"It's all your fault for spoiling her!" He didn't forget to scold his wife, Da Xi, at the end.

Da Xi's wife blushed and lowered her head to coax her daughter, while her eyes kept glancing at Xiu Hong and San happy's wife's bowls, both of which had meat in them.

Sanxi's wife pretended not to see the pleading look in her sister-in-law's eyes, but Xiuhong was struggling with her inner conflict.

The couple's preference for sons over daughters is so obvious, they don't even try to hide it.

Actually, Xiu Hong had wanted to give two pieces of meat to that girl earlier, but after hearing Da Xi's veiled insults, Xiu Hong immediately stopped her saintly heart.

If a father doesn't care about his own daughter and leads the way in trampling on her, then there's no point in others trying to befriend him.

The only thing to blame is that little girl's bad luck in being born into such a family.

Seeing that neither Xiuhong nor Sanxi's wife paid any attention to her, Daxi's wife felt both bitter and ashamed. She watched as her daughter finished eating the tofu and then stared longingly at the meat bowl, swallowing her saliva.

Worried that continuing like this would anger Daxi and her father-in-law, Daxi's wife simply picked up her daughter and took her back to the side room ahead of time.

As for her own fact that she had only eaten two bites of food and was still hungry... none of that mattered anymore.