Chapter 23: Eating Steamed Buns in the Field

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Su Li was utterly disgusted by Cheng Junnan’s teasing “Kiss, Mom!” and kicked him away. Cheng Junnan nimbly leapt forward, catching the bun before it fell, lowering his head to sniff it while saying, “I think I smell meat!” His fluid movements showed how deeply the phrase “eat” was ingrained in his soul. Even when being scolded, he didn’t forget to protect the basket.

“Did you wash your hands?” Su Li pulled Cheng Junnan away. He grinned and replied, “If it’s not clean, eating won’t hurt.”

Su Li retorted, “That cow dung is all natural with enzymes added—go ahead and eat that.” Cheng Junnan thought, “I’m not that eager.”

Su Li blocked him, and since he dared not push his own mother, he had no choice but to wash his hands. Yu Xiaohui, the third daughter-in-law, brought a jar of water from home for everyone to wash up a little.

Under the great locust tree, Su Li set down the basket and fanned herself, waiting for everyone to come over. Yu Xiaohui acted quickly, lifting the covered curtain and taking the two buns with different folds at the top, handing them to the third son.

“Eat quickly, I specially wrapped these for you.” Winking, Yu Xiaohui knew the third son would understand; he bit into one, oil dripping from his mouth, filled with green onion and lamb.

Then Yu Xiaohui gave one to San Niu, but this one was plain since he couldn’t eat too greasy. “Eat up.” San Niu nodded and sat steadily beside the third son. Father and son looked remarkably alike, silently eating their buns.

The second son’s family was more boisterous—four of them eating one bun after another, taking bites from left then right, catching every drop of oil that might fall with open mouths.

The fourth son and his wife were still putting on a show, eating one bun with two hands—one hand holding it, the other tearing it apart. If they hadn’t been so quick, Su Li might have thought they didn’t like it.

Her gaze shifted, and Su Li frowned. Beneath such a large tree, Miao Xiaocao insisted on sitting outside the shade with her children, looking as if she was being squeezed from both sides.

“Big girl, bring the second and third girls over here to sit; it’s sunny over there.” “Your mother’s got too much water in her brain—let her bask in the sun herself.” As soon as Su Li spoke, Miao Xiaocao nearly burst into tears. Su Li sighed, “You have five sons.”

Miao Xiaocao’s “son radar” instantly activated; she stopped crying, shifted her seat, and moved into the shade. Su Li said nothing, knowing she had repeatedly said she wasn’t biased toward sons, but since the other woman didn’t believe her, there was nothing to do.

The Cheng family’s buns filled with green onion and lamb instantly made the neighboring families’ cornbread seem less appealing.

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The aroma of meat was so overpowering that even the children began to drool. The old lady of the Wang family came over, holding her grandson’s hand.

“Su, little sister, the child’s fussing and I can’t manage him—can you spare one bun?”

Su Li stopped fanning and smiled warmly. “Look, I haven’t eaten any yet—I’m saving some for the children. We still have work this afternoon.”

“It’s just one bun. It’s for the children; don’t be so stingy.”

Su Li rolled her eyes, and since the other woman refused to take the hint, she resorted to shamelessness.

“Your face must have swelled from the sun—big mouth wide open, expecting something that’s neither your meat nor your dough.”

“If it’s for the children, I have to give it to you. I have six kids, and you come empty-handed asking for things. What kind of example is that? Why bother cooking at all? Just hand out a bowl to each at noon and be done with it!”

“And I saw you secretly pinching Gou Dan! That kid cried because he wanted a bun? That was all your doing—such a glutton.”

Su Li spoke so relentlessly that the old Mrs. Wang was about to retort angrily.

“Grandma, stop pinching me if you haven’t given me anything!”

Gou Dan’s words deflated Mrs. Wang, who angrily swung him away.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I’m telling the truth—my arm still hurts!”

Mrs. Wang quickly covered Gou Dan’s mouth, pushing and shoving as they left.

The Wang family’s son and daughter-in-law flushed red with embarrassment, ashamed to be caught like this.

Gou Dan was pretending to cry but also had real tears. At the Sun family’s place, downwind from Cheng’s, the whole family was drooling at the smell of meat buns.

The elders worried about the children and nervously brought over two cornbread cakes to exchange, fearing a scolding.

Su Li smiled and exchanged without hesitation, causing no trouble at all.

The Sun family was honest and nodded gratefully, taking a bun back to share, giving each grandchild a bite.

By contrast, the Wang family blushed even more. The whole family quickly finished eating and slipped into the fields to work.

The buns the Cheng family brought were all eaten. Su Li prepared to leave and deliberately called out to the fifth son, Cheng Junguo.

“Fifth son, time to go home.”

“Mom, the work’s not done yet! We just finished eating—still full of energy!”

Cheng Junguo gritted his teeth through shoulder pain and turned around with a face uglier than crying. How did it come to this?

Su Li chuckled to herself, that brat—his mother had plenty of tricks to deal with him.

“You’re doing great, fifth son. I’m proud of you! Keep it up! I’ll make you braised pork!”

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Cheng Junguo wanted to cry even more. Don’t tell him to keep it up—those words made him shudder.

The field cleared in the blink of an eye, and Su Li carried an empty basket back.

Back home, she prepared braised pork and continued baking mooncakes.

Around six o’clock in the evening, near quitting time, the braised pork was bubbling in the clay pot, its aroma drawing in stray cats.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, the front door was pushed open.

Su Li was stepping outside as Da Niu rushed in.

“Mom, there’s a fight!”

Su Li turned, turned off the stove, and locked the door in one smooth motion.

“Let’s go!”

Da Niu, eight years old, explained as they went.

“My mom was pulling peanuts today. Aunt Xiumei insisted she stole peanuts. My mom said she didn’t, and Uncle told me to come home and get you.”

The third son? Su Li quickened her pace. The third son was clever.

She didn’t think it was bad—this family was a mix of slow-witted, gluttonous, and pretentious. At last, there was someone with some brains.

At the peanut field, Su Li saw a crowd gathered in the distance, with the second daughter-in-law, Li Meilan, shouting.

“Nonsense! I didn’t take anything! You even searched my pockets—found nothing! Why do you keep accusing me?”

“Bullshit! Who else but you, Li Meilan, would be so greedy? Every time you work, you hide something in your pant legs or pockets. Today’s peanuts are several pounds less than yesterday. If it’s not you, then who?”

“It’s not me! I didn’t take anything!”

Li Meilan shouted, looking around, but everyone’s faces showed disbelief.

“Cheng Er’s family, just give it back. We all have things to do at home.”

“Yeah, just hand it over and be done. We have a ton of stuff waiting.”

“My chickens still haven’t been fed.”

One after another, people urged her, all convinced Li Meilan was stealing peanuts.

Li Meilan was genuinely aggrieved. She had taken peanuts before, but not today. Because she ate lamb at noon, she didn’t want to ruin the taste in her mouth with even a single peanut. Plus, she was looking forward to the braised pork dinner—why would she bother stealing peanuts?

What peanut could compare to braised pork?

Why did no one believe her?