Chapter 26 Bought a Few Baked Buns

Ye Xinyan followed Qi Younian's gaze and saw a small figure in the distance. She asked, puzzled, "Grandpa, what is that child picking up?"

Qi Younian replied, "He's collecting manure, picking up fertilizer for the fields." It was rather uncommon to see such a young child doing this work.

When they got home, Nanny Jin had already tidied up the yard, and despite the lack of cooking utensils, she still managed to boil some porridge in a small pot.

As Ye Xinyan was moving things into the house, she noticed a small bamboo basket on the kang bed, which contained a dozen cornbread buns.

Seeing Ye Xinyan look her way, Nanny Jin explained, "These were sent by Great Aunt through Sanshun. She said since we don't have cooking equipment, just eating porridge certainly won't fill us up, so these should tide us over for a couple of days."

Ye Xinyan smiled and said, "It looks like that boy, Sanshun, told them we only had porridge this morning. I was also thinking it's getting late, and there's no time to cook, so I bought a few baked rolls at the market."

When she first bought them, the fragrance of the freshly baked rolls almost made Ye Xinyan salivate. It's hardly surprising, given that for over half a year, she had been stuffing her stomach with nothing but mixed grain buns and cornbread.

White flour? She really hadn't had any of that.

Qi Younian took over the conversation, "Let's keep the cornbread for later, we'll have the baked rolls for lunch. While the rolls are still somewhat warm, we should have them before they get cold and are no longer tasty."

He had seen the glint in Ye Xinyan's eyes when she bought the rolls; she was clearly craving them. Considering that Ye Zi had been used to the life of the affluent, it was pitiful to see her now salivating over baked rolls. Once he started working and earning money, he would make sure his granddaughter could eat baked rolls every day.

After Qi Younian and Ye Xinyan washed their hands and faces, Nanny Jin served up the meal. Although they still didn't have a table for the kang, a new plate with six baked rolls was placed on the brand-new oilcloth, finally giving them something resembling a proper meal setting.

No sooner had the three of them settled down than laughter and chatter could be heard from the courtyard, "Second Uncle, this yard still needs some fixing up. We've come over to see if there's anything we can help with."

Qi Younian and Ye Xinyan exchanged a glance. He had already agreed with his older brother that, due to the urgency of farm work and the seasons not waiting for anyone, the family should prioritize the fieldwork and not come to help him just yet. Why then would Lady Han drop her work in the fields to come and help them tidy up the yard?

Ye Xinyan hurriedly stood up, intending to go and greet them.

Before she could step out, Lady Han and Lady Zhang from the third branch of the Qi family, with Zhang holding her two-year-old daughter Huahua, walked in.

Ye Xinyan quickly greeted them, "Second Aunt, Third Aunt, please come in and have a seat."

Qi Younian, still seated on the kang, called out as well, "Dagen's wife and Dongzi's wife have arrived. We were just about to eat, and you've come at just the right time. Join us for some food. Xinyan, serve the aunts some porridge."

Lady Han spoke up first, "There's no need for formalities, Second Uncle, we just had our lunch not long ago. With Second Uncle just returning, I'm sure there are many things that need settling. We've just come to see if there's anything we can help with." She peered briefly at the plate on the kang and remarked, "Ah, having lunch now? That's a bit late, isn't it?"

The food for Qi Younian was laid out on the small kang in the outer room, and Lady Han's gaze was immediately drawn to the baked rolls on the plate.

Lady Han's gaze returned to the faces of the three members of the second branch of the Qi family, her smile becoming a little forced as she laughed and said, "Second Uncle certainly has seen a lot of the world, enjoying baked rolls already. Did you buy them in the county town? Just at noon, my mother-in-law had Sanshun send over some cornbread because she thought you and Ye Zi wouldn't be used to eating such things."

Upon hearing this, Lady Zhang stepped forward excitedly to look at the baked rolls in the plate and exclaimed, "You really are eating baked rolls! They cost two wen money each, and for just one more wen, you can buy a pound of mixed grain. Even during the New Year, people in our village wouldn't indulge in a baked roll."

The little girl in her arms also stared at the plate with eager eyes, drool dripping down onto the front of her clothes.

Qi Younian's face changed, but in the end, he didn't say anything else, only explaining, "I went to the county town to buy household items today, and it got late on the way back, so there wasn't time to cook, and that's why I bought a few shaobing. Since it's a rare treat, let's give two to the children to enjoy."

"Yes, give one to Huahua too," Ye Xinyan hurried, wrapping a shaobing in the greased paper it came with and handing it over to Huahua. She then wrapped up the rest and stuffed them into Lady Zhang's arms.

Now that they had been seen, these few shaobing were clearly not enough to divide between the main and third branches of the Qi family, so rather than leaving a couple for others to complain about, it was better to take them all away and be done with it.

Lady Zhang quickly freed one hand to catch the paper-wrapped package.

Lady Han did not stop her, but made a show of reluctance, "That won't do, Second Uncle was planning to have the shaobing for lunch. If we take them, what will your family eat?"

Qi Younian patiently explained, "Ye Zi and I went to the county town early in the morning. We didn't know that your mother-in-law had brought over wowo, so we bought a few shaobing. Shaobing is best eaten warm, so take them and let the children have some. We're all adults; we can eat anything. Plus, we have the wowo that your mother-in-law brought over, which is just as good."

Ye Xinyan brought over two bowls of water, "Aunt, sit down and have a drink."

Lady Han quickly waved it off, "No need, since you haven't had your meal yet, we won't disturb you further. We'll head back first. Second Uncle, Ye Zi, please remember to call on us if there's work to be done. We're all family, let's not be strangers to each other."

Watching Lady Han leave with her party and the children, then glancing at the empty plate, Qi Younian sighed, "Nanny Jin, bring up the wowo from this morning."

He felt an unpleasant taste in his mouth, knowing that where there are people, there will always be disputes, even within one's own family. Lady Han must have come over because she heard they had brought things back from town, checking out the situation, and happened to encounter them with the shaobing. They were feeling indignant because of the wowo that the main branch had brought over.

After leaving Qi Younian's home, Lady Han and Lady Zhang walked a little before they began dividing the six shaobing, each taking three.

Earlier, when a few village children had come looking for Sanshun to play, their family happened to be taking a break on the patch of farmland, drinking some water.

Lady Han heard that Qi Younian had hurried back with the donkey cart and thought she should check it out, to see just how well-off this Second Uncle was and whether he might take a share of the property from Qi family's main branch and third branch.

Lady Han found an excuse to come back, thinking it improper to go over alone, so she conveniently called Second Aunt from the third branch, Lady Zhang. As it turned out, apart from Qi Yougui, most of the Qi family members were worried about Qi Younian coming back to divide the family assets, just to varying degrees.

Lady Han and Lady Zhang got along on a regular basis, and shared the same concerns about the return of the Qi family's Second Uncle.

And there it was, no sooner had the main branch's Second Aunt called, Lady Zhang followed, and it was not in vain; she gained three shaobing. For people like them, it wasn't something to casually afford and indulge in.

Lady Zhang tore a small piece of shaobing for her daughter and tucked the rest away in her bosom, speaking with regret, "We don't even know what Second Uncle bought in the end, we left before we had the chance to see everything."

Lady Han snorted coldly, "Just by these few shaobing, it's clear they aren't truly wealthy. What can you buy without money? Nothing more than some cheap household necessities they absolutely need."

Lady Han's visit gave her an estimate of the Second Branch family's finances. Seeing the few shaobing and the clearly new oilcloth and coarse porcelain dish on the kang, she knew that this Second Uncle wasn't a wealthy man.