Chapter 352: Chapter 352: Having Count
Shen Yiguang walked up to Yang PeiMin and asked with a smile, "Thought of any way to cook them?"
Yang PeiMin glared at him, "Yeah, but first let’s see how many they’re preparing to cook."
She herself was quite fond of fish, it was just that she didn’t know whether he liked it, considering they had already killed two chickens and there was pork as well. Cooking too much fish that couldn’t be finished would be a waste, which was why she said that.
Shen Yiguang leaned close to her and whispered, "Tomorrow when we go back home, I’ll catch some for you, and you can cook them however you like."
"That would be great."
In the end, everyone decided to kill four fish, each to be cooked in different ways. Since each weighed around five or six pounds, it would be enough to satisfy their cravings.
Only then did Yang PeiMin return to the house contentedly.
However, upon entering, she noticed that something was off.
Yang Dahai’s expressionless face made it clear that he must be angry.
Following her, Yingzi seemed to have trouble moving her feet and even seemed to want to retreat backward.
"Yingzi," Yang Dahai called.
Yang Peiying, as if startled, took a few steps forward with her head down and called out, "Dad."
Yang Dahai called her into the east inner room to talk.
After the father and daughter left, Yang PeiMin glanced at Zhang Minghua and asked quietly, "Dad knows everything?"
Zhang Minghua nodded, "Your father is very angry. Keep your voice down later, don’t irritate him."
Yang PeiMin said with a smile, "Mom, you should be telling brother this."
By the time dinner came around, everyone knew about Yang Peiying’s issue.
Mainly because Bai Hehua, the gossip goddess, had spoken about it in the kitchen with the two sister-in-laws and then with their husbands. So now, everyone looked at Yang Peiying with disappointment.
Yang Peijun was the first to lose his patience, "Yingzi, if you didn’t look like our grandma, I would really suspect you were picked up from the side of the road..."
But before he could finish, Zhang Minghua smacked him on the head with a chopstick, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Rubbing his head, Yang Peijun complained, "Mom, can you not smack my head in front of so many people? The nieces and nephews are all watching. Do I, as their uncle, have no dignity left? Besides, I didn’t say anything wrong. Which one of us is as foolish as her? She’s really driving me crazy! Mom, you should be hitting your youngest daughter’s head..."
"You still can’t keep your mouth shut, even with meat to eat?"
Unafraid of death, Yang Peijun put on a helpless look and said, "Mom, we can’t just let this go. Peidi has really been led astray by Third Aunt. Look at what her mom has been doing these days, just to marry off her daughter for a good price, she’s forsaken her face and kinship. After dinner, let me go over there and give them a piece of my mind to see if they really do have such thick skins."
"Just calm down, Dad and Mom are keeping track of it," Yang PeiMin sneered at him.
Yang Peijun sneered back at her, "Speaking of which, you yourself have done..."
"Oh, is there no more meat?"
Yang Peijun quickly looked back at the bowl and, relieved to see the meat was still there, realized that Yang PeiMin was fooling him. Giving her another glare, he stopped talking and went back to eating his meat...
Yang Dahai spoke up, "After the meal, eldest, go call your Third Uncle’s family over. I have words for them."
Yang Peiguo nodded in agreement.
Yang Peihua lifted his head slightly and, prodded by his wife under the table, asked, "Dad, what are you planning on doing about this matter?"
Everyone looked at Yang Peihua with a bit of surprise. It really wasn’t like him to speak out like that. Today, he’d actually taken the initiative to speak up. Usually, he’d just go along with whatever anyone else said, and even if he were curious, he would wait for someone else to ask and would be content to just listen.
Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under everyone’s scrutiny, Yang Peihua considered burying his head and eating his food instead.
Unexpectedly, Yang Dahai responded to his question, "I’ve thought it over, and our Yingzi and the Yu Family are not a good match."
"Dad, does this mean you’re agreeing to what Yingzi has said, to pass this Mr. Yu off to Peidi instead?" Yang Peijun, ever the impatient one, blurted out.
Yang Dahai glanced at him indifferently, and Yang Peijun immediately shut his mouth. Then Yang Dahai continued, "I think your Second Aunt will come over tomorrow, and we’ll know how things stand then. Only thing is, before this whole matter is settled, none of you are to spread word of it."
Intimidated by Yang Dahai’s sternness, no one brought up the topic of Yang Peiying any further.
After the meal, Shen Yiguang had to leave. Zhang Minghua promptly asked Yang PeiMin to fetch four fish for him to take back. Shen Yiguang insisted on taking only two, saying he could catch them himself in his own village and suggesting the remaining fish be given to relatives and friends of the Yang Family.
Yang PeiMin pulled Shen Yiguang aside and whispered a few words, "I’ll come back to pick you up tomorrow. You need to behave yourself while here, okay? If Mom tells you to sit, then sit. Don’t go running around and stay out of trouble. Also, regarding Yingzi’s affair, if Dad and Mom have a decision, you don’t need to interfere, understand?"
Yang PeiMin nodded his head, "Okay, I got it. But, Comrade Shen Yiguang, you’re going to have a lonely night without me..."
Shen Yiguang patted the top of her head, "I hear you, my little tormentor. You didn’t take a nap this afternoon, so make sure you go to bed early tonight, got it? Don’t exhaust my son."
"Okay, okay, just drive safely on your way back."
Yang PeiMin watched Shen Yiguang leaving almost with a sense of reluctant farewell.
Bai Hehua and the others teased her, "Look at our little sister, she can’t bear to part with her brother-in-law. Oh my dear sister, it’s only for one night, just bear with it."
Yang PeiMin rolled her eyes at them but couldn’t help blushing, and looking at Zhang Minghua, she said, "Mom, your daughter-in-law is picking on me."
Zhang Minghua laughed heartily, playfully chiding them all.
Finally, she said, "I see you’re tired too. I’ll have Yingzi fetch some water for you to soak your feet in and you can head to your room to sleep early. We’ll have a good chat tomorrow."
Yang PeiMin nodded, understanding she wasn’t expected to meddle in the affair with her Third Uncle’s family, "It’s no trouble, I can draw the water myself."
"Don’t, the floor can be slippery."
Yang PeiMin, out of options, let Yang Peiying help her with the water.
It was the same room she used to share with Yang Peiying, neat and tidy, nearly unchanged from how it used to be.
Yang Peiying quickly brought in the water and set it down, "Sister, hurry up and wash, the water cools quickly."
Yang PeiMin nodded and decided not to take a bath that night. It was inconvenient here, so she’d just endure it.
Yang Peiying sat beside her, starting a conversation, "Sister, I’ve been using the things you gave me every day without fail, applying it twice a day. Peidi and the others say I’ve gotten whiter..."
In the dim light, Yang PeiMin took another look at her sister, not really able to discern much, but her skin did seem smoother and brighter, her eyebrows neatly groomed, her complexion rosy and her features more pleasant. She certainly looked better.
She nodded in affirmation, "You do look prettier. You’ll continue to look even better as time goes on."
Yang Peiying’s face lit up with surprise, "Really, truly?"
"Peidi’s sister-in-law even asked what I’ve done because I looked different. I didn’t tell her..."