Chapter 137: Not Even Returning a Few Bowls and Plates
"Letting people help with the fieldwork and then tricking them like this, this is just too..." Zhang Liliang didn’t have the heart to finish his words. He stealthily glanced at Bai Yihong, picked up his wine glass, and proposed, "Let’s drink, let’s drink."
Bai Yihong responded with a dry laugh and clinked glasses with him. In fact, he also understood that if it weren’t for Bai Ruozhu’s grandiose gesture of delivering food, they would definitely have eaten the meals sent from the old mansion. If they didn’t finish it or dumped it, the old mansion would surely make trouble. But how could they stomach that meal?
In the end, the old mansion had really duped them. However, it was unclear whether this order was given by the old lady, done by the Wang Family on their own or tacitly approved by the grandpa?
After eating a couple of rolls that his sister had quickly made for him, Bai Zehao picked up the food and headed towards the old mansion. People who saw him on the road curiously asked, "Zehao, what are you doing? Who are you delivering this delicious-smelling food to?"
"It’s a meal my sister cooked. Today, several uncles and brothers have helped our family with the fieldwork. Ruozhu has prepared a whole table of a wine feast to thank them. She said it wouldn’t be fair if we were the only ones eating it, and asked me to send some to our grandparents as well." Bai Zehao told the truth, not exaggerating a bit.
The people listening praised them, saying that all the children in the second branch of the Bai Family indeed excelled in filial piety. After Bai Zehao left, they quietly carried on discussing amongst themselves, some calling the second branch of the Bai family foolish, some saying they were too filial, and more talked about how partial and unprincipled the old mansion was.
When Bai Zehao arrived at the old mansion with the food, Grandma Bai’s face was as bright as a blooming flower. She immediately placed the food at her table and didn’t even want to return the basket or the bowls to Bai Zehao.
Considering the precedent of not being able to retrieve the bowls and plates he previously sent, Bai Zehao simply stayed put, saying, "Grandma, please clear out the basket and the dishes first so I can take them back. There are many guests at home, we are running short of dishes."
Not that he was more frugal than his grandmother, but with two extra bowls and plates borrowed today, the house was indeed short of utensils due to the number of guests.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Bai became unhappy, retorting, "Can I eat your bowls and plates? After we finish eating, you can come and collect the dishes!"
She’s pretty haughty, isn’t she!
Bai Zehao, who had learned from his little sister’s bouts of wit and fighting spirit against the old mansion, wasn’t panicked by the situation. With a smile, he said, "Take your time eating, Grandma. For now, just let me borrow some of the extra dishes in your house. We can swap them out tomorrow."
"What? You’re even counting my bowls and plates now? Do I owe you anything just because I accepted some food from you? Go and spread this around, aren’t you afraid of being labeled a backstabber?" Grandma Bai burst out complaining.
"As I’ve said before, I’m just borrowing them, not taking them. We have guests at home that need them. Grandma, you wouldn’t let our guests go without dishes just because of this minor issue, would you?" Bai Zehao calmly said, suppressing his anger.
Bai Ruozhu previously told him that whoever becomes angry first in a dispute tends to lose because once you get angry, you lose your calm, and when you’re not calm, you may lose your control, usually losing the upper hand and failing to argue convincingly.
Grandma Bai was suddenly silenced. After pondering for a moment, she said, "Those are your guests, not mine. Why should I worry about everything for your family? If this is the case, then the division of the family is meaningless. After all, it was initially proposed by your mother!"
Grandpa Bai had already heard the commotion. He was angry with Bai Zehao for bringing the food and blocking him from going to the second branch of the family to thank the guests. Hearing Grandma Bai’s words, he couldn’t help but scold her in his mind for her incorrigible habit of being stingy and taking advantage of others. If he didn’t say something now, it would really be embarrassing in front of the guests.
"Why are you making a fuss? Just go and borrow some dishes for Dalang. Neighbors can lend things to each other, but you won’t lend to your own family, what does that make us?" Grandpa Bai murmured furiously.
Grandma Bai glared at Bai Zehao, then reluctantly brought out the worst dishes from the kitchen. Bai Zehao couldn’t help but curl his lip when he saw them. These dishes either had chips on the edges or little cracks. The dishes he had brought to the old mansion were much better than these.
Well, he wasn’t a particularly picky person, as long as there were enough dishes for their guests, it didn’t matter.
After bidding farewell to his grandpa, Bai Zehao put the dishes in the basket and headed home.
At the second branch of the Bai Family, food was prepared quickly. Rongrong ran into the kitchen wanting to help, but Bai Ruozhu was afraid that she might get burned by hot water or oil, so she hurriedly made a sugar-coated tomato for her to take outside and eat, then she went back to her busy work.
The men were seated at a large table, with a smaller table set up not far from them for Lin Ping’s daughter, Rongrong’s mother, Bai Ruozhu, and Rongrong. The dishes served were the same as those on the big table but in less quantity. Rongrong’s mother tasted every dish and kept praising how delicious it was.
By the time Bai Zehao came back, all the food had already been served. He placed the basket in the kitchen, returned to his seat, and started eating heartily. Although he ate every day, he still loved the food his little sister cooked. If he ate slowly, there would be none left.
Bai Ruozhu glanced at the basket and asked, "Brother, these aren’t our bowls and plates, are they?"
Bai Zehao quickly chewed and swallowed the food in his mouth before replying, "Grandma said she will let me collect the bowls and dishes after they finish eating. I told her we have guests at home and are short of dishes, so I asked her to give me the extras to use."
Bai Ruozhu burst out laughing. Ah, her elder brother had also learned not to take disadvantage, although his skills still needed improvements – the good bowls and plates sent had been exchanged for the worst ones.
When the final soup was served, Bai Ruozhu also washed her hands and sat down at the table to eat with the women.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu coming, Wan Minglu’s eyes lit up again, he raised his wine glass and proposed, "I suggest we toast a drink to Sister Ruozhu. Thanks to her excellent cooking skills, we get to taste such good food today."
The crowd agreed and raised their glasses. Bai Yihong and Lin Ping, whose daughter was being complimented by others, were all smiles and raised their glasses happily.
As Bai Ruozhu was nursing, she couldn’t drink alcohol. She used water as a substitute for wine, raised her glass, and said with a smile, "Thank you all for your praises. In fact, I should be toasting to you. Thanks to the hard work my father, brothers and everyone else put into the fields, Little Dengdeng and I can live worry-free at home. We particularly owe a big thank you to Uncle Zhang, Deity Zhang, Brother Wan, and Zhou Chuang for your help, without which our entire family’s food supply would be affected."
Zhang Liliang laughed and said, "Let’s toast to you first, and then discuss other matters."
"Alright, then let me drink first as a sign of respect!" Bai Ruozhu very generously gulped down the water in one go, even though it was just water. Of course, if she weren’t nursing, she would have gladly drunk some light wine to express her sincerity.
Next, Bai Yihong didn’t let Bai Ruozhu toast everyone. Standing up, he drank three glasses in succession, his eyes reddening as he said his toast. From his heart, he appreciated those who came to help, and he also felt somewhat emotional - those who offered help were sometimes closer than his own family!
Just at the moment when the atmosphere was at its best, a voice calling out from outside was heard, "Yihong, I came over to take a look and also to thank the guests!"