Ms. Ye immediately took a disappointed step back, while Old Lady Hua’s eyes practically bulged with anger.
Yang Chuxia noticed that Old Lady Hua had smooth, white skin and a round, plump face. She thought about how life in the old Yang Family must have been hard, yet this woman could still maintain such an appearance. Then she remembered the scene she had witnessed earlier and figured that Old Lady Hua’s lover must have provided her with good food.
Yang Chuxia’s eyes narrowed, thinking that the old woman must be enjoying herself too much and always causing trouble. It seemed she would have to find an opportunity to get both the old woman and her lover thrown into the pond to purify the Yang Family’s feng shui. From then on, Yang Chuxia paid extra attention whenever Old Lady Hua left the house alone, but that is a story for later.
Returning to the present, after giving the Yang Family a good scolding, Yang Chuxia went back to help Ms. Wang prepare dinner.
"Mom, I’m going to town tomorrow. Let’s use up all the vegetables we have left tonight and cook some extra dishes. I’ll buy more vegetables when I’m in town."
"Alright, everyone has been working really hard these past few days." Ms. Wang said as she continued the conversation.
As a result, the dishes in the third branch of the family were even better than usual that night. The large, square-cut pieces of meat were exactly how everyone liked it.
They also slaughtered the remaining live chicken and cooked it with potatoes in a red-braised dish, which was fancy enough for a village feast.
When Ye Zi’an returned, he even brought back a roast chicken from the restaurant, authentic Wangquan roast chicken. Paired with some vegetarian dishes and boiled fish slices, the table was filled to the brim.
However, there were too many people, and the third branch couldn’t accommodate everyone. Some had to squat near the door with their plate, the smell of the meat wafting far and wide.
The other children in the Yang Family were so envious that they were practically drooling. Yang Qingbao and Yang Dongxue, both too young to understand, kept crying and making a fuss when they saw others eating meat. Ms. Wang, kind-hearted as she was and with so many people around, felt she couldn’t be too stingy and gave each of them a few bites of meat.
Seeing this, Yang Chuxia pursed her lips but didn’t say anything.
Ye Zi’an just laughed, "They’ve been crying and making a fuss. If Aunt hadn’t given them any, people would say she’s stingy, even to the point of arguing with children over food."
"I know. It’s just that I can’t stand it. Yunyun is even younger than Qingbao, but you don’t see her crying and making a fuss whenever she sees something good to eat."
"Anyway, you’ll be moving away from here soon, and out of sight means out of mind."
"You’re right." Yang Chuxia nodded. "By the way, I heard Auntie Li say that things have been a bit unsettled in town recently. Is that true?"
Ye Zi’an nodded with a somber expression, "Yes, that’s true. In fact, not just in town but also in several villages to the south of the town. Quite a few young girls from the villages have been mysteriously disappearing, and others have gone to town to buy things, only to vanish without a trace. None have been found."
"Oh, I see. I’ve been so busy these past few days that I haven’t been to town. I thought Auntie Li was lying to me."
"Hey, didn’t I tell you a few days ago not to go into town and to let Uncle Three handle things if you needed something?"
"Hehe, I forgot." So that’s what the boy was trying to remind her of that time. However, she had been busy then and forgot about it as soon as she turned her head. She sheepishly touched her nose. "But you know our family’s situation. It’s impossible for me not to go to town. Besides, I’ve already arranged for the drunken crabs with your restaurant, and they’ll be ready tomorrow. This time, I’ve prepared big crabs, so I’ll personally have to negotiate the price."