Chapter 4

"Enough, Second Son's wife, it's just a casual remark, isn't it?" Grandma Zhu clearly favored Xiao Zhao, her words implying that Chen was making a big fuss over nothing.

"Mother, how can you say that? This isn't a small matter. How can one of our own defame us like this! My son is still young and can't withstand such trouble," Zhao stood up, her eyebrows raised in defiance, protecting Zhu Ping'an like a hen protecting her chick.

"Second Sister-in-law, how can you speak to Mother like that?" Xiao Zhao deflected, shifting the topic to accuse Chen of being disrespectful to Grandma Zhu.

"You're just stirring up trouble!" Chen sneered.

"Enough, it's just a meal, what's the big deal?" Grandpa Zhu knocked his pipe and glared at his second and youngest sons, signaling them to control their wives and avoid making a scene during the meal.

Zhu Shouyi pulled Chen to sit down and eat. Although Chen was clearly unhappy, she still gave her husband some face and sat back down.

"Father, I'm just thinking of our family's well-being. If something goes wrong, it could bring us bad luck, and that would be disastrous," Xiao Zhao said with a sheepish smile, still clinging to the idea of being possessed.

"Shut up!" Chen, seeing that Xiao Zhao was still relentless, became furious, almost ready to scratch her.

"Quibbling over every little thing, truly a disgrace to one's upbringing," her elder brother-in-law, looking aloof and detached from worldly affairs, shook his head and sighed.

His wife watched with great interest, not intervening. She was trying to cultivate the demeanor of a lady, hoping that one day her husband would pass the examination and become a scholar, making her a scholar's wife. If her husband became a provincial official, she would be a lady of the household. She had to cultivate a grand and dignified presence. Seeing her younger sister-in-law and niece lose their composure, she felt even more superior and dignified.

However, Zhu Ping'an had a low opinion of his elder aunt. If she were a proper lady, she would have quelled the dispute instead of enjoying the spectacle.

But seeing his grandfather's stern face, Zhu Ping'an felt that this was not a good sign. After all, this was the era of feudal patriarchy, and the reputation of filial impiety could lead to being ostracized in the village.

"Mother, Fourth Aunt, what's going on?" Zhu Ping'an, after washing his hands, walked to his mother's side with his short legs, his chubby face curious as he asked.

So cute and polite, even the Fourth Aunt, who had just been defaming Zhu Ping'an, felt a bit embarrassed.

"Fourth Aunt says you're possessed," Chen glared at Xiao Zhao, her tone angry.

"Mother, what does 'possessed' mean?" Zhu Ping'an asked, like a curious child.

Chen glared at Xiao Zhao again.

Grandpa Zhu also turned his gaze to Xiao Zhao, his expression somewhat displeased. Xiao Zhao smiled sheepishly, feeling that she had overreacted, but her pride wouldn't let her back down. She bent down to coax Zhu Ping'an, "Zhe'er, Auntie asks you, why have you started washing your hands and face recently?"

Zhu Ping'an, though not a real five-year-old, wouldn't let his words give her any leverage. He ran to Chen's arms, leaning comfortably against her, his big eyes full of innocence as he looked at Xiao Zhao, "Last time Zhe'er was sick, the old man with the white beard who treated Zhe'er said that Zhe'er's dirty hands caused the illness. Zhe'er doesn't want to drink bitter medicine, so Zhe'er started washing hands and face before meals as the old man said."

Though it was embarrassing to act cute and childish, how could a five-year-old be mature? Are you tired of living? Do you want to go and barbecue yourself?

When mentioning the old man with the white beard, Zhu Ping'an subtly observed everyone's expressions. They were mostly convinced. Zhu Ping'an had done his homework; the old man with the white beard was a famous doctor in the county, rarely making house calls, and when he did, it was usually for high-ranking officials. The last time he treated Zhu Ping'an was purely coincidental, as he was visiting a friend and happened to see the Zhu family in a panic, feeling compelled to help.

"Enough, let's end this. No one should mention anything about possession or spirits again. We are all good descendants of the Zhu family. If I hear any rumors about our family outside, don't blame me for enforcing the ancestral laws!" Grandpa Zhu, who could distinguish right from wrong, didn't let the argument continue, ending the dispute with a bang on the table.

Family harmony is the foundation of prosperity. A thriving family is a crucial part of the family's success, and Grandpa Zhu wouldn't allow any rumors that could harm the family. He was determined to see the family flourish under his leadership.

The argument subsided, and Grandpa Zhu put down his pipe and picked up his chopsticks.

When Grandpa Zhu took the first bite, the Zhu family began their dinner, a typical scene of feudal patriarchy. Zhu Ping'an had grown accustomed to this over the past ten days. The only thing he still found hard to accept was the food on the table. The so-called dishes were mostly boiled or steamed with salt, and stir-frying seemed to be a luxury for the wealthy. The staple food was coarse grain buns, which were hard to swallow and tasted terrible. The porridge was bearable but too watery.

The amount of food served was controlled by Grandma Zhu. Men received two buns, while women and children received only one. The porridge was also different; men had thick porridge, while women and children had thin soup.

Grandma Zhu was also biased. The buns and porridge were distributed differently. The buns for her eldest son and fourth son were larger, while those for her own family and third son were smaller. Her eldest son received three buns because he needed to study and use his brain. Similar biases were evident in other aspects, such as the distribution of stir-fried eggs, which were more often given to her eldest son and fourth son.

Especially today, Grandma kept giving stir-fried eggs to the fourth son and his wife, who deliberately showed off to Chen, almost provoking her to bite her. The dinner table was tense, with everyone on edge, and the atmosphere was far from peaceful.

When Zhu Ping'an first arrived, he tried to take some eggs but was stopped by Grandma, who said the eggs were for the adults to replenish their strength, though she never gave any to his father.

Every family has its own troubles.

Not being able to eat enough or well is a severe punishment for a food lover.

Zhu Ping'an, with the mental age of a twenty-something, could endure it, but seeing the little girl Yu'er in Third Aunt's arms, biting her fingers and staring at the eggs with big, watery eyes, he felt a bit sorry for her.

At the dinner table, Chen, Third Aunt, Elder Sister-in-law, and Fourth Aunt often argued over various trivial matters, such as taking the same bun or the same dish. In short, the dinner table was never peaceful.

In fact, many of the family's conflicts stemmed from one word: poverty. If they were wealthy, these small matters wouldn't cause disputes. As the saying goes, "poverty breeds short-sightedness, and a thin horse has long hair."

However, looking at his small arms and legs, getting rich seemed extremely difficult. Many of his past experiences were not applicable here, and his expertise in ancient Chinese literature didn't help with inventions like glass or cooking skills. However, he wasn't entirely useless. He had several hundred years of common knowledge and knowledge of ancient Chinese, which could help him achieve prosperity, though it would be a long and arduous journey.