novelraw Chapter 446 - 427: Gaining Mr. Song’s Approval (1)
Chapter 446 - 427: Gaining Mr. Song’s Approval (1)
The next day, Chen the Third indeed arrived at the Song Family early.
Just as he parked his mule cart at the steps in front of the Song Family’s main gate, Tian Sanbao, who was there to be punished, came along, dejectedly carrying a wooden signboard.
Upon seeing him, Tian Sanbao felt his scalp tingle, "You, you, you... Chen the Third, why are you here again?"
Chen the Third pulled a large piece of dried soy sauce meat from his mule cart, threw it over his shoulder, and sneered, "What, I come to Song Family and I have to check in with you? Who do you think you are?"
Tian Sanbao was so intimidated by his fierce glare that he shrank his neck, "No, just asking."
Chen the Third glanced at him and deliberately said, "Mr. Song invited me for a meal, I can’t just eat for free, right? So I brought a piece of meat. Mr. Song didn’t invite you for a meal, did he? Tian Sanbao?"
Tian Sanbao sighed, how could Mr. Song possibly invite him for a meal?
After all, it was just a little joke with Song Jinxiu, yet Mr. Song looked at him as if he were a sworn enemy.
Tian Sanbao’s despondent expression made Chen the Third even more smug.
He hummed a tune as he carried the meat towards the back yard of the Song Family.
A few school children, backpacks slung over their shoulders, ran past him, heading over to tease Tian Sanbao.
Tian Sanbao, like trying to shoo away annoying sparrows, picked up a stick to chase the children away.
The oldest child led a face at him, then ran off laughing.
Arriving at the back yard gate of Song Jinxiu’s home, Chen the Third saw the gate open, and there was Song Jinxiu standing by the chicken coop, feeding the chickens.
The Song Family kept only five chickens, one rooster and four hens.
She retrieved three eggs from the coop, then heard heavy footsteps at the gate, looked up, and saw Chen the Third approaching, with a piece of dried meat wrapped in old cloth over his shoulder.
"Miss Jinxiu, this is from my mother, she told me to bring it over because I had a meal at your place yesterday. She said I can’t just eat for free, so she asked me to bring something as a thank you."
Song Jinxiu was surprised, such a large piece of meat, it must weigh at least ten pounds.
And it was dried meat!
Buying this at the market wouldn’t be cheap, dried meat goes for about seventy to eighty coins a pound.
"It was just a simple vegetarian meal, you didn’t have to go to such trouble." Song Jinxiu felt a little embarrassed.
The dinner she offered Chen the Third yesterday consisted of only three vegetarian dishes.
A bowl of stir-fried cabbage shreds, a bowl of egg custard, and a bowl of clear stewed carrots.
All of it together cost roughly ten coins at most.
Song Jinxiu repeatedly waved her hands, insisting she couldn’t accept it.
But Chen the Third wouldn’t take no for an answer and directly carried it into the kitchen.
He said as he went, "This must be hung up, otherwise it’ll get moldy."
As he spoke, he looked around the room, and finally noticed a hemp rope draped over the wooden ladder in the corner. He used the rope to tie the meat and hung it on the beam.
Thinking of something, he asked Song Jinxiu, "Does your kitchen have a rat problem?"
Song Jinxiu looked at the empty kitchen and replied with a bitter smile, "There are no rats because there’s nothing for them to eat."
Any grain she had was stored in the vat.
The vat lid and the vat were made of tile, which the rats couldn’t gnaw through.
As for some vegetables, she picked and ate them fresh every day.
Even the small amount of oil and salt she had were stored in little jars, making it impossible for rats to steal.
Chen the Third looked at the large piece of dried soy sauce meat on the roof, furrowing his brows, "But now there’s meat in here... "
Song Jinxiu already didn’t want to accept his things and quickly said, "Exactly, leaving it here will attract rats to gnaw on it, you should just take it back."
Chen the Third scratched his chin, "I’ll come back in the afternoon and bring a cat, we keep several cats at home."
Song Jinxiu, "..."
"Jinxiu, Jinxiu?" Mr. Song was calling from the main room, "Has the medicine been decocted yet?"
"Not yet, it’ll take a while longer." Song Jinxiu replied from the kitchen doorway.
Mr. Song walked into the back yard, "Who were you talking to?"
Song Jinxiu, with a slightly embarrassed expression, said, "Chen Sanlang came, he brought a large piece of dried meat, said it was to thank us for last night’s dinner."
She pointed towards the kitchen.
Chen the Third came over with a silly grin, "Grandpa Song, it was my mother who asked me to bring it, she said we can’t just eat people’s food for free."
Mr. Song gave him a glance and walked into the kitchen.
Indeed, there was a thick hemp rope hanging from the beam, with a large piece of dried soy sauce meat tied to it.
This piece of meat was heavy, at least ten pounds.
"This is too much, you’d better take it back." Mr. Song was reluctant to accept it.
But Chen the Third waved his hand, "I’m running errands in Qingshui River Village today, it’s a long way back home for lunch. Grandpa Song, could I trouble you to let me join you for a meal here?" He pointed at the meat, "Cook this for lunch? Stew it with some carrots, it’ll be soft, fragrant, and perfect with rice."