Chapter 155: The Head of the Household

When Qin Huiyin hurried to the old ancestral home, she saw that a few makeshift stoves had been set up near the water well. Several large pots were filled to the brim with river crabs, and their rich, savory aroma drifted through the air, distracting the artisans so much that they could hardly focus on their work.

During their break, the artisans craned their necks, staring eagerly in that direction.

Tang Cheng patted a young lad on the shoulder and snapped irritably, "What are you staring at? Believe it or not, I'll gouge your eyes out!"

"Hehe, I don't believe it. Brother Cheng wouldn't be that heartless," the young man replied with a cheeky grin. "Brother Cheng, what is the mistress cooking? It smells amazing."

"River bugs," Tang Cheng answered honestly. "Aren't these things crawling everywhere? If your mouth is watering, go find a stream, catch a few, and boil them yourself."

Tang Liwu was the first to spot Qin Huiyin, and she called out happily, "Yinyin is back!"

Li Taozhou was stirring the crabs in the pot. Hearing Tang Liwu's voice, she looked up and accidentally got a puff of smoke in her face. Rubbing her eyes with one hand, she said, "Daughter, are you hungry? Mother saved some food for you."

Qin Huiyin walked over, took out a handkerchief to wipe her mother's eyes, and said, "We ate big meat buns in town, we aren't hungry."

The young man who had been craving the crabs stared fixedly at Li Taozhou. Li Taozhou had a slender, graceful figure with curves in all the right places, hair as smooth as silk, and skin as tender as a freshly peeled egg. Such beauty was rare not just in the countryside; it would easily hold its own even in the county seat. No wonder these hot-blooded young lads were rooted to the spot, completely captivated.

"If you're tired of living, shall my brother give you a lift?" Tang Cheng sidled up and whispered menacingly in the young man's ear.

The young man shuddered and said awkwardly, "Brother Cheng, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that the mistress is exceptionally stunning."

"Who doesn't know that Aunt Taozhou is beautiful? But you've been working here for days, and you love wandering around the village during breaks. Surely you've heard of her fearsome reputation?"

The young man shuddered again, and any lingering romantic fantasies vanished entirely from his mind.

Qin Huiyin walked over.

Seeing her, Tang Cheng immediately hurried forward. "Little Sister Huiyin, take a look and see if there's anything that needs improvement."

Noticing how much more attentive Tang Cheng was to Qin Huiyin than to Li Taozhou, the young man asked the veteran artisan beside him, "Master, isn't Brother Cheng acting a bit too much like a flatterer? What could that little girl possibly know?"

"The design blueprints you've been looking at were drawn by that very little girl. What do you think she knows?" the veteran artisan said while taking measurements. "That little girl is also the one who calls the shots in this household. Do you still think she's unimportant?"

The young man stared in astonishment at Qin Huiyin's retreating figure.

Now that he looked closer, he realized she was truly no ordinary young girl.

As she spoke, Tang Cheng's expression turned serious and he listened with rapt attention, clearly placing great importance on her opinions.

Today's seasoning paste had been supervised by Tang Liwu and Li Taozhou, with the others assisting. Qin Huiyin tasted it and found the flavor identical to her own. From now on, such tasks could safely be left entirely in their hands.

Madame Zhou walked in, took Li Taozhou's hand, and said, "Sister Taozhou, come over to my house for dinner tonight. I want to properly thank you both."

"My daughter already told me. The business deal went through, and the deposit was enough. Congratulations!" Li Taozhou smiled. "All right, I won't stand on ceremony with you. As soon as I'm done here, I'll come over to help you out."

"No, no, I can manage on my own," Madame Zhou hurriedly replied. "You've been working hard all day. If you come and help me on top of that, won't you be even more exhausted?"

Xiang Chuntao chimed in with congratulations, "Aunt Zhou, congratulations on finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But let me warn you, watch out for that mother-in-law of yours. She was acting all unhinged the past couple of days, but I reckon she's come to her senses today. Knowing she can no longer depend on her precious spoiled Jinbao, she might just come back to make your life miserable again."

Madame Zhou's face turned pale. "Surely not?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Li Taozhou said snappishly. "An old woman like her who doesn't rely on her son—how else is she supposed to survive on her own? Since Zhang Lei is unreliable, she has no choice but to turn back to you."

Madame Zhou left in a daze.

Li Taozhou shook her head. "Utterly spineless."

Wang Jiuying said sympathetically, "Aunt Zhou is so pitiful."

"Pitiful my foot," Xiang Chuntao rebuked, tapping Wang Jiuying on the head. "How many times do I have to tell you? If you don't make yourself strong, no one can help you."

Zhang Dachuan used an ox cart to bring back a mother and son. Their luggage was minimal—each carried a small bundle as they stepped down from the cart.

The woman was around Madame Zhou's age, though her hair was much whiter. Although she wore clothes covered in patches, her hair was meticulously combed, marking her as a neat and efficient person.

The teenage boy was younger than Zhang Dachuan and Zhang Erchuan, with handsome facial features and clear eyes. Upon seeing Madame Zhou, he bowed deeply and respectfully, bringing tears to Madame Zhou's eyes.

"Rong'er looks more and more like his father," Madame Zhou murmured.

Madame Pang looked at the young man before her, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Indeed, the boy not only looks like his father, but he has his temperament, too. Sister, Dachuan told me everything. Thank you for still remembering the two of us. We aren't even sure if we can be of any help, but if we can't..."

"Sister-in-law, Rong'er is the most promising child in our family; of course he can help. I know what you're worried about. We were like real sisters before we got married, and even though we've had our respective struggles over the years and haven't kept in close touch, surely you aren't going to treat me like a stranger now? Come inside quickly, don't just stand at the door."

While the neighboring house was bustling with activity, Qin Huiyin's side was lively as well. Once the day's tasks were finished, Qin Huiyin took Tang Liwu and Tang Yixiao to visit Third Uncle Tang, only to be told by a neighbor that he had gone fishing with an old friend.

"I set a few fish traps today, I might as well go check if any fish walked right into them," Tang Yixiao said.

The three sisters headed toward the river and, from a distance, heard Third Uncle Tang arguing with a lean, skinny old man.

"You stubborn old codger, I've told you many times not to put fish into my traps. My eyes aren't failing yet, I don't need your pity," the skinny old man said.

"And I've told you, I did it by accident and put them in the wrong place. Do you think I'm desperate to put fish in your trap? If I pity you, who's going to pity me? I'm an old man with no wife and no children, yet here I am pitying someone who has sons and daughters!"

"Third Uncle..." Qin Huiyin called out sweetly. "We've been looking for you for ages, what are you doing all the way out here?"

Third Uncle Tang turned around, saw the three of them, and chuckled heartily. "Nothing much going on today, so I came down here to fish with this foul-tempered old man to pass the time. Who would've thought this old fellow is such a miser."

"Grandpa Song," Qin Huiyin and the others greeted the old man nearby.

Old man Song nodded and reeled in his fishing rod. "I'm heading back too."

Third Uncle Tang watched Old man Song's retreating figure and sighed softly. "That stubborn old man just can't see things clearly! His son is useless and his daughter-in-law is shrewish. He earned all that money when he was young, but instead of keeping anything for himself, he handed it all over early on. And now look at him—in his old age, he's despised as useless, and even getting a meal means enduring his daughter-in-law's nagging."