In the evening, after the Old Zhou family had finished their dinner, Lady Liang served Old Lady Zhou a cup of tea, then sat down to chat about family matters, talking about everything from the scorching weather to the drought.
Lady Liang was good at conversation and smilingly said to Old Lady Zhou, "Mother, you are older than us and have eaten more salt than the steps we have taken. What do you think, will our area be hit by a drought?"
Madam Lu, who was sitting aside, sneered with disdain, thinking that her sister-in-law sure knew how to flatter—she had only been married into the family for a few days and already had their mother-in-law beaming with happiness. Hmph.
Zhou Xuennian, however, frowned and said, "Lady Liang, such things should not be carelessly talked about. If word got out, it could cause public panic. Be careful, as disaster often stems from careless talk."
What disaster? Although it hasn’t rained, everyone still has plenty to eat and drink. Where’s the disaster in that?
Lady Liang’s face stiffened as she said, "Elder brother, I was just talking within the family." She glanced at Zhou Xueli as she spoke.
Zhou Xueli might not have been successful in his studies, but with an honest nature and being freshly wed, he was affectionate with his wife and couldn’t bear to see her upset. He immediately said, "Big brother, I think my wife’s words are quite sensible."
Zhou Xuennian’s face darkened.
"Big brother, it’s been over twenty days without rain. The ground is all cracked, and the crops in the fields are wilting. If it doesn’t rain soon, this season’s harvest might be in jeopardy," Zhou Xueli said with a frown.
"Uncle, the weather has been so stifling. It looks like it might rain tomorrow," Madam Lu said as she vigorously fanned herself with a large palm-leaf fan.
"It’s better to be safe than sorry. I’ve heard that the Northwest is already suffering from the drought, with food prices rising. Mother, do you think we should also stock up on more food?" Lady Liang asked.
Upon hearing this, Madam Lu instantly looked over and asked, "Heard from whom, sister-in-law? Who told you this?"
Old Lady Zhou also looked at her, her brows knitting together—the prospect of a drought was not good news.
Lady Liang’s heart skipped a beat as she carefully watched her mother-in-law’s expression, "It was a coincidence, I bumped into sister-in-law today when I went to buy tofu."
At that, Old Lady Zhou’s expression darkened.
Madam Lu called out in shock, "You can’t possibly have heard this from Ying Mei and came back to alarm everyone, could you?"
Without waiting for Lady Liang to reply, she continued agitatedly, "Sister-in-law, you’ve just married into the family and might not know any better. You mustn’t believe everything people tell you—falling for sweet words at the drop of a hat. What would Ying Mei know? She barely steps outside her door, let alone ever having farmed. How would she know anything about droughts?"
"Mother, what is Ying Mei’s intention by telling sister-in-law these things? Is she hoping for chaos?"
Old Lady Zhou already looked displeased as she turned to her daughter-in-law, "Did she really say that?"
Lady Liang hadn’t expected her in-laws to be so resistant towards Madam Zhou and replied uneasily, "Sister-in-law also heard it from Wufu, who has already bought quite a bit of food to stock up. Mother, I was just concerned because the weather seems off, too hot."
’Wufu said it? That’s even more preposterous. What does that child know?’ Madam Lu’s sensitivity was triggered by the mention of that name; her voice rose sharply as soon as she heard it.
Lady Liang fell silent, glancing at Zhou Xueli from the corner of her eye.
"Mother, Wufu works in the town and could have heard it from someone else. I also feel the weather is abnormal. Mother, let’s buy some grains to store, just in case?" Zhou Xueli said.
"Nonsense, buying grains based on hearsay? We don’t have boundless silver at home. We still have our own grain supplies," Zhou Xuennian opposed the idea vehemently upon hearing the suggestion to purchase grains.