Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 50 - How the Farce Ends

Chapter 50: How the Farce Ends

Chapter 50: How the Farce Ends

“Mother, Xiao’er is still young and doesn’t know much, she didn’t do it on purpose.

She only spoke because she saw me busy soothing her little sister,” Mrs.

Liu felt bitter inside.

How could her own daughter be considered as a cost to the family, lacking manners?

The majority of the family’s income was earned by her daughter.

Mrs.

Shen snorted, “If she’s so sensible, then she should make a doll for her little aunt as well since she made that rag doll.

I command you to send over two dolls by tomorrow morning.”

Make dolls for her little aunt?

Xiao’er was at a loss for words.

Her little aunt was so much older than her and she was expected to deliver two dolls by tomorrow morning, meaning she had to make them overnight.

Absurd!

Mrs.

Li also chimed in saying, “Xiao’er, it wouldn’t matter if you made a few more dolls since you’re already making two.

Your cousins will definitely love them.

Make two for each of them as well.

I don’t need much, they just have to be different.

If I can’t sell them, I can use the cotton stuffing to make gloves.

After all, I heard Jingjie telling Zhi’er that their home has plenty of these cotton-filled dolls.

They are quite valuable.”

Xiao’er thought that Mrs.

Li really had no sense of politeness.

She was incredibly thrifty and shameless.

Two dolls per person weren’t much, but with four children in her family that totaled eight dolls.

The demand for different designs on top of it all was unbelievable.

Just as Xiao’er was about to refuse, Shen Yuzhu spoke first.

“Mother, I only want Jie’er’s doll, I like that one!” Shen Yuzhu couldn’t bear the fact that Shen Jingjie refused to give her the rag doll earlier.

She considered this as her nephew’s disrespect towards her.

In this house, apart from the head of the family and the eldest nephew, all good things should be passed down to her.

This concept was instilled in her due to Mrs.

Shen’s long-term favouritism.

In the Shen family, Mr.

Shen’s philosophy was that everything lucrative should first go to the main family, and then to their only daughter.

The members of the other branches existed solely to assist the main family and Shen Yuzhu.

The cries from Jingjie’s little sister grew louder while Jingjie was also crying, “This is mine, I won’t give it to my little aunt.” It didn’t matter how much Shen Chengzu and his wife tried to coax him, he refused to let go.

Upon hearing Jingjie’s words, Mrs.

Shen berated, “You beast, you’re such a disobedient son.

Everything in this Shen family is mine to distribute as I please.

If I say it’s your little aunt’s, then it’s hers.

Now hand it over!”

Upon hearing these words, Shen Chengzu and Mrs.

Lu turned pale.

They didn’t know whether it was due to anger or grief.

“Old woman, what nonsense are you talking?

What right do you have to speak in such a way?” Master Shen furrowed his brows upon hearing this.

They were now a separated family and followed the main house’s lead.

They could no longer treat belongings of other branches as common property as they used to.

If it were old times, the rag doll would have already been handed over by the fourth branch.

Shen Chengyao, returning home and hearing the cries from upstairs, quickly parked the bullock cart and entered the house.

Seeing the purplish face of his crying daughter in Mrs.

Liu’s arms, he felt heartbroken.

Xiao’er walked over to Shen Chengyao and said softly, “Dad, ask grandpa to let mom go back and feed little sister.”

Shen Chengyao nodded his head, “Dad, we’re back.”

“It’s good that you’re back, son.

Look at this mess caused by the rag doll your daughter made,” Upon seeing Shen Chengyao return, Mrs.

Shen rushed to report.

“Dad, what’s going on here?

I could hear the crying from far away outside.

There are a lot of people gathered outside the house because of the noise.

Let my wife go back to feed our daughter before people think something has happened,”

Learning that a crowd had gathered outside their house, Master Shen’s face darkened.

He lost face due to this commotion.

He blamed Mrs.

Shen for making a mountain out of a molehill, the fourth branch for not being understanding and Xiao’er for her lack of fairness.

He responded as if he just heard the cries of Xiao’er’s little sister, “Aiyo, go console her at once!”

Upon hearing this, Mrs.

Liu felt as if she was granted an amnesty, “Father, I’ll go back right away.” Saying this, she hurriedly picked up her daughter and rushed back to the room.

However, Mrs.

Shen was unfazed, insisting on her daughter’s demand for Jing Jie’s rag doll.

She hadn’t got hold of them yet.

In this house, no one could challenge her authority, everyone should obey her commands.

She extended her hand towards the family of the fourth branch, “Hurry up and bring out the doll.

You should respect your little aunt by letting her have the first pick.

You should only keep it if she doesn’t want it.

Since she has asked for it and you’re not willing to give it, that’s disobedience!

Bring it out quickly, and apologize to your little aunt.

This matter will be resolved once you admit to your mistakes.”

But Jingjie refused to comply.

This was his first toy since his childhood.

Turning his back, he hugged Mrs.

Lu tightly and cried out, “I won’t give it, it’s mine.

I haven’t done anything wrong, I won’t apologize.”

Seeing Shen Jingjie turned so angry that his face turned black, Mrs.

Shen said, “Well, it’s a total mess now.

Can’t even ask for an item without refusal.

I wish I could’ve fed you to the dogs when you were born, would’ve saved me from the aggression now.

Fourth son, won’t you do something about this?”

Shen Chengzu and Mrs.

Lu lowered their heads.

Their children had been behaving well, so they didn’t see the need for any intervention.

They were also becoming increasingly impatient with Mrs.

Shen’s favoritism.

Master Shen initially didn’t want to interfere.

He believed in the traditional gender roles of men taking care of outdoor matters and women managing the household.

He thought that family members should be considerate towards each other.

However, seeing the fourth son was unwilling to be accommodating and the family feud was becoming a spectacle, he scolded, “Enough!

What nonsense are you talking about?

Jingjie is my grandson and the first son of the fourth.

Yuzhu is old enough, so why is she still interested in playing with a rag doll?

You should be teaching her housekeeping and finding her a good match instead, Yuzhu would come of age the next spring.

Bao’er’s marriage has been settled, can’t you show more concern?”

Upon hearing these words, Xiao’er had a sudden thought and curiously said, “Grandpa, is my young aunt going to be a housekeeper?

Why does she need to learn housekeeping?

The other day, I met a woman who asked me if my young aunt could do housekeeping and needlework.”

Hearing this, Mrs.

Shen stopped cursing and quickly asked, “What did that woman say?

Tell me quickly.”

Xiao’er mimicked the matchmaker’s tone and said, “She asked me, ‘Little girl, does your young aunt know how to keep a house?

How is her needlework?'”

Mrs.

Shen was pleased after hearing this.

Since the person only asked about her daughter’s housekeeping abilities and needlework skills and didn’t mention household chores or farming activities, it was clear that this was someone inquiring on behalf of a wealthy family.

A farmer would have asked about land tilling and such.

After hearing this, Shen Yuzhu quickly asked, “What did you say?”

“I said, my young aunt’s embroidery is excellent; her embroidered flowers look as real as the actual ones.” Xiao’er had seen Shen Yuzhu’s embroidered purse and indeed, the workmanship was outstanding.

Master Shen spoke up upon hearing that someone had been making inquiries about Shen Yuzhu, “Okay, everyone, let’s call it a day.

Be careful not to spread idle gossip about today’s incident.

Old woman, Yuzhu was just teasing Jingjie.

She wouldn’t really want his toy.

What’s the point of you getting involved and adding to the chaos?

Yuzhu, you need to be a good girl and stay at home to learn the doctrine of the mean, alright?”

“Father, I understand.” Shen Yuzhu said bashfully.

Finally, someone had taken an interest in her.

She turned to Jingjie, “I was just teasing you.

Don’t take it seriously.

Don’t go out and spread that I was grabbing your toy, okay?”

Jingjie, seeing that his little aunt wasn’t going to take his toy, nodded slightly in Mrs.

Lu’s arms.

Mrs.

Li, not wanting the doll incident just to pass, said, “Xiao’er, remember to bring those dolls to us tomorrow.”

“Young Aunt, do you still want the doll?” Xiao’er deliberately asked.

Although Shen Yuzhu really wanted it, her life’s major event was more important.

If it were known that she was still playing with dolls, it would ruin her dream of marrying into a wealthy family.

So, she bit back her desire and said, “I was just joking earlier.

I have to busy myself with embroidery and learning housekeeping.

I have no time to play with dolls.

That’s something for little children.”

“Second Aunt, I can deliver the doll for Xiao’er, but our dolls are for selling, not on the house.

You’d need to pay if you want eight.”

“You won’t take it, I am your second aunt…”

Mrs.

Shen was preoccupied with Shen Yuzhu’s situation and didn’t have the patience for all the commotion in front of her.

She needed to give Yuzhu some advice, so she hurriedly waved everyone away, “Go away, all of you!

What are you standing here for?

Mrs.

Li, aren’t you going to cook?

Do you want to starve me?”

Upon hearing this, Mrs.

Li was displeased with being assigned to cook again.

“Mother, I have been cooking for so long.

I’m sure my third and fourth sister-in-law would want to honor you as well.”

Seeing that they had hardened their wings and refused to give something as trivial as a toy, let alone during the distribution of the family assets, Mrs.

Shen thought it was time to show them a lesson, “Mrs.

Lu, you’ll be preparing dinner for us in the main room tonight.

Starting tomorrow, the three of you will rotate cooking duties every day.”