Chapter 97: Wishful Thinking

"You! Get up, stop sleeping! I want to sleep, but with you sighing and groaning, how am I supposed to rest?" What kind of person was he—she was about to drift off, and he’d been sighing beside her for ages, only to wake her up. He might as well let her sleep, but there was never such a thing.

"If I ask you what’s wrong, you won’t say. You won’t sleep, and you won’t let others sleep. What exactly is your problem?"

"I’ve been working all day, inside and out, and you—"

As soon as his wife started her relentless questioning, Chen Daliu sat up as well. "It’s the middle of the night, can’t you stop fussing? If you’re not tired, you can go stitch shoe soles."

"That wouldn’t waste kerosene!" Mrs. Chen muttered under her breath. "You’re not the head of the household, so you don’t know how expensive rice, oil, and salt are!"

"Alright, alright, I won’t argue, I won’t sigh anymore. You go ahead and sleep."

"No!" Mrs. Chen insisted. "Tonight, you must tell me what’s on your mind."

Driven to desperation by her persistence, Chen Daliu had no choice but to share his worries.

"Earlier, I heard Xiaocong say that the young mistress gave him a popsicle. But do you know, that popsicle—I bought it for her with two pennies, just so she could try something new." He wasn’t upset that his son received the young mistress’s favor; rather, it was because the young mistress, so young, was already so sensible, and that made him feel uneasy.

"I took the young mistress into town today, and didn’t even manage to let her have a hot meal. Even though the comrades at the state-run restaurant looked down on us, it’s partly my fault too. I finally bought her a popsicle, but she kept thinking of our Xiaocong back home, guarding the ox cart, and saved the popsicle for him especially."

"The more sensible the young mistress is, the worse I feel inside. If Old Bai were still here, the young mistress wouldn’t have to be so grown-up." At this, Chen Daliu sighed once more.

"You fool! Chen Daliu, I swear, you’ve been so muddle-headed lately. Luckily, the young mistress is generous and doesn’t hold grudges." Mrs. Chen scolded him and rolled her eyes, but it was so dark—without the kerosene lamp—Chen Daliu couldn’t see, lacking Bai Xi’s night vision.

He was baffled by her rebuke. "What did I do?"

"You know it’s cold now, why don’t you go freeze outside?"

"In the dead of winter, the young mistress is still so little, and you buy her a popsicle? Don’t you know popsicles are meant for hot summer days?"

"I, uh..." Chen Daliu was dumbfounded.

Mrs. Chen continued her tirade, "Thank goodness the young mistress didn’t eat it. If she’d caught a chill and gotten diarrhea, I would’ve told Mother, and she’d have taught you a lesson!"

"Ah, I really didn’t think about that. I just..." Chen Daliu finally realized his mistake, scratching his head, wishing he could go to the treehouse and apologize to Bai Xi.

"I never knew you could be this dense!" Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes again.

Chen Daliu, mortified, stammered, "I—I really didn’t think about it, it’s just—today was my first time going to town with the young mistress. I was happy, I... I was so happy, I forgot all about it."

Though the man had erred, it was understandable. Anyone else would have been overjoyed in his place.

Everyone in the village knew Chen Daliu took his eldest son to accompany the young mistress into town, while Mrs. Chen stayed home working. Several people came by to ask about it, all green with envy—everyone wanted to get close to the young mistress.

"I keep telling you not to underestimate women, thinking we know nothing. If you won’t talk, if I don’t remind you, you’ll make the same mistake again." If others found out, they’d think the Chen family resented the young mistress, secretly mistreating her.

"Yes, yes, it’s my fault. Wife, you’re right." Chen Daliu, seeing Mrs. Chen about to continue her lecture, quickly pleaded for mercy.

They chatted for a while longer, and Chen Daliu spoke of what happened at the department store.

"You don’t know, the young mistress truly cares about everyone in our village."

Mrs. Chen, unsurprised, replied, "Of course I know. The young mistress had Xiaohei hunt, and shared so much meat with the villagers—who doesn’t know that?"

Recently, her own family came by and happened to catch Chen Rui delivering two pounds of meat. Upon hearing that people of Niuluo Village could eat meat several times a month, they were immensely jealous.

In these times, who could afford meat several times a month? Even the best hunters had to sell their catch to buy other necessities.

Knowing Niuluo Village was living so well, who wouldn’t envy them?

Mrs. Chen’s sister-in-law even wanted to match her niece with Chen Xiaocong, and if not, at least marry her off to a young man from Niuluo Village.

But Mrs. Chen refused outright—wishful thinking!

She knew exactly how impractical her sister-in-law’s niece was. Born a rural girl but looked down on rural folk, all airs and pretension, dreaming only of marrying a city worker, convinced of her own beauty, expecting everyone to fawn over her, looking at everyone with disdain.

Mrs. Chen had no intention of letting someone like that marry into Niuluo Village, only to stir up endless trouble; she’d be caught in the middle.

Besides, the meat was a reward from the young mistress; everyone was happy and grateful to receive it. But the young mistress couldn’t always provide meat for the village. If one day it stopped, the villagers wouldn’t mind, but someone married in for that benefit might.

The villagers cherished the young mistress, and she protected them in turn. That’s what made their days harmonious and happy.

She may have been just a woman, lacking worldly experience, but she knew well the truth that a gift of a bushel brings gratitude, a gift of a sack brings resentment.

Others might not understand, but her husband was the village head; marrying into Niuluo Village meant following rules and understanding sense, and her sister-in-law’s niece was not that sort.

The villagers all kept to tradition. Their ancestors were graced by the Bai family, and Old Bai protected them. Naturally, they were sincerely devoted to the young mistress. Even newly married women, if confused at first, would never break the rules.

Mrs. Chen politely refused, but still let her sister-in-law take half a pound of meat home.

Chen Daliu, hearing this, paused—indeed, everyone in the village knew these things without him saying a word.

"I mean, when I accompanied the young mistress shopping at the department store, she didn’t buy anything for herself. She specifically asked about clothes and shoes, all in adult styles. She said that when she has the chance, she’ll outfit everyone in the village with new attire."

He paused, then continued, "She’s still so young..."

Mrs. Chen felt deeply moved—indeed, the Bai family always had the villagers in their hearts, working for everyone’s sake. How could they not love and respect her?

"People always say there’s something wrong with us for looking after the young mistress this way, but what do they know? The young mistress is so good to all of us..."