Chapter 168: Chapter 168: So Annoying

Translator: 549690339

“Uncle, it’s entirely up to you.” Zhuang Qingning said, “But it’s so good you came at this time. I just bought a herring from the town and was planning on cooking a tomato fish dish. Such a big fish, Qingsui and I can’t finish it. Once it’s done, you can take some home and you and Aunt won’t need to cook dinner tonight.”

“You can also taste my cooking skills…”

Although, she didn’t guarantee it would be incredibly delicious, after all, it was her first time cooking this dish since moving here, and she wasn’t certain if her culinary skills had rusted over time.

“That’s not necessary.” Zhuang Jingye waved his hand, “You two keep it and enjoy. I’m actually not a big fan of fish…”

While speaking, Zhuang Jingye looked towards Zhuang Qingning’s strainer.

Zhuang Qingning immediately knew what he wanted, she laughed and removed the stone pressing on top of the strainer, grabbed a handful of mung bean sprouts from inside, and put them into Zhuang Jingye’s small colander. “They would be dried perfectly by tomorrow morning. Despite one less night’s drying time, they’re mostly done, even a bit fresher and softer. You can ask Aunt to fry or mix them cold, they will taste good either way.”

“That’s what I’ve been thinking about.” Zhuang Jingye happy received and said, “Last time, Aunt bought a pound of bean sprouts, paired with your tofu and tofu sheets, together with cucumber, tomato, and peanuts, dressed in chili oil, it was so heavenly…”

Zhuang Jingye could feel his mouth watering as he spoke.

Zhuang Qingning laughed at his reaction.

As the two of them conversed cheerfully, Zhuang Yuanren stood off to the side, feeling a tumult of emotions, as if his heart was a bottle of mixed flavors, it was so uncomfortable. His face took on a listless expression, similar to an eggplant beaten by frost.

!!..

In the past, when he returned from school and wanted to talk with Zhuang Jingye, Zhuang Jingye always looked happy and talked with him for a good while, even when he was tired, he wouldn’t stop.

But this time, it was as if Zhuang Jingye didn’t see him at all, and he was just eagerly conversing with Zhuang Qingning.

In Zhuang Jingye’s eyes, he, the future scholar, was not as good as Zhuang Qingning, a tofu-making woman?

Even the bean sprouts cultivated by Zhuang Qingning seemed to be more important in Zhuang Jingye’s eyes?

Zhuang Yuanren’s hand, which was holding the bamboo basket, clenched and then clenched again, turning as white as his knuckles. He no longer had the face to stay there, so he turned and left.

Feeling dispirited.

Zhuang Jingye, holding the bean sprouts, was still talking to Zhuang Qingning. It wasn’t until he noticed that Zhuang Yuanren had left that he turned around and looked at Zhuang Yuanren’s retreating figure. He let out a sigh of relief, saying, “I’m glad he’s gone.”

“Did Uncle, the village chief, see him just now?” Zhuang Qingning was somewhat surprised.

She thought that Zhuang Jingye hadn’t seen Zhuang Yuanren at all.

“How could 1 miss such a big person? You’re really a joker.” Zhuang Jingye laughed, “As soon as I came in, I saw him, but I deliberately ignored him to teach a lesson and make him reflect. I want him to manage Zhuang Ruman and Mrs. Song so that those two troublemakers start behaving.”

“Zhuang Yuanren is very proud, and losing face like this, especially in a matter related to his study at the county’s official school, he would do anything to regain his dignity. Just wait and see how Zhuang Ruman’s family turns upside down.”

“That’s enough. I have to go now. It’s getting late, I should go back and have Aunt prepare dinner. Dayong is home today, he has prepared a pot of wine, and I want to enjoy a drink.”

“Take care, Uncle.”

Zhuang Qingning saw Zhuang Jingye out and quickly returned to prepare the fish.

Once the fish was cleaned of scales, gutted, and washed thoroughly, it was taken to the cutting board to be sliced into fillets.

Meanwhile, Zhuang Jingye, carrying the mung bean sprouts, returned home in high spirits. As soon as he entered the house, he called Mrs. Ye to prepare a cold bean sprout dish.

“Look at how happy you are, as if you’ve found some silver.” Mrs. Ye said as she washed the sprouts.

“Well, it’s not exactly silver, but it makes me happier than finding silver.” Zhuang Jingye explained the incident regarding Zhuang Yuanren to Mrs. Ye as he laughed smugly, “Let Zhuang Ruman be arrogant for a while. With a scholar in their family, they’ve become so proud that they almost can’t remember their own names. They wish their eyes could grow on top of their heads. Let’s see if they can keep their cool now!”

“Just with my little manipulation, their family will have to act according to my wishes without a single difference. What is this called, it’s called strategy!”

“You may not understand it even if I explain, but I still need to tell you about this. Listening to these kinds of things more often will eventually teach you these skills, and not all problems can be solved by direct confrontation.”

“I know.” Mrs. Ye pursed her lips but didn’t say anything else.

Zhuang Jingye was on cloud nine, he continued, “On the other hand, I really don’t understand what’s going on in Zhuang Ruman’s family’s pig-like brains. They spend their whole day thinking about how to scheme against others, and can’t bear seeing others live a good life, always hurting themselves in the process, and they don’t seem to find it tiring.”

“People always reap what they sow. If you do evil deeds too often, heaven will have its own judgement. Maybe they will remain silent for now, but one day, they might be taken away directly!”

“If they are really taken away, wouldn’t it liven things up in our village?” Mrs. Ye frowned.

If someone was suddenly gone at this age, it would most likely be due to an accident. Regardless of the cause, it would disrupt the peace of the village. As the village chief, it wouldn’t be good for Zhuang Jingye.

“What a relief it would be to have one less troublemaker.” Zhuang Jingye didn’t seem to care, “Everyone is annoyed by such people. If one day they were taken away, people would probably say ‘Heaven is fair.”‘

“That’s true.” Mrs. Ye nodded, “Such people, you’d want to stay as far away from them as possible, and you can be sure that no one would have sympathy for them.”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

Zhuang Jingye waved his hand impatiently, “Enough talking about others’ business, go and prepare the cold dish quickly. Dayong is coming home soon, right? The child’s been tired all day, let him have a hot meal when he comes back. No need to keep him waiting.”

“Alright.”

Seeing Zhuang Jingye so concerned about her nephew, Mrs. Ye’s face lit up with a smile as she went into the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Zhuang Yuanren returned home in a daze, handing the bamboo basket to Mrs. Song.

“What happened?” Mrs. Song saw that his face was pale when he handed her the basket with the eight eggs still inside. She asked him in confusion, “Didn’t you go?”

Zhuang Yuanren didn’t answer Mrs. Song’s question, but walked straight into the house to Zhuang Ruman’s bed.

Seeing Zhuang Yuanren’s condition, Zhuang Ruman didn’t look surprised, raising his eyebrows, he said, “She didn’t treat you well, did she?”