Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Chapter 57 The Silly Woman Waiting for Her Man to Eat

Outside the courtyard, at the main gate, Zhai Qingming pretended to cover his eyes, peeking at Zhang Changyao and Yang Wuni through his fingers.

"You never come earlier or later, you just happen to show up when I need to do something."

"Spit it out if you have something to say, otherwise get lost and stop interrupting my emotional rant."

Zhang Changyao released his grip on Yang Wuni and then nudged Zhai Qingming on the shoulder.

"If I had a fart, would I be here looking for you?" Zhai Qingming replied to Zhang Changyao with a grin.

"What's wrong? Tell me." Zhang Changyao and Zhai Qingming spoke concisely, regardless of age.

"I'm going to pick up my wife tomorrow. I need to borrow your carriage and your servants."

Zhai Qingming's smile faded, and he spoke to Zhang Changyao in a serious tone.

"Just a few people, no more than that, my horse is about to give birth."

Zhang Changyao pulled Zhai Qingming along, and the two of them sat on a wall that was knee-high.

"Nobody else is allowed to come, including you, me, and the new bride. Even the matchmaker and others aren't allowed to come. We still have to go and deliver the gifts."

Their family didn't want to send their child off to the wedding, saying they were too busy at home.

Zhai Qingming swung his legs, looking up at the sky.

"That's great! Since they're not coming to deliver, you've saved yourself the cost of a meal, haven't you?"

Zhang Changyao was happy for Zhai Qingming and slapped him on the back.

Zhai Qingming was caught off guard and was immediately slapped to the ground by Zhang Changyao.

"You little rascal, you didn't know your own strength! How am I supposed to get into the bridal chamber if I hurt my back?"

Zhai Qingming did not get up but sat on the ground, leaning his back against the wall.

"What can we do then? I can't go help, so you'll just have to watch!"

Zhang Changyao is careful with his jokes; he doesn't tell anything too outrageous.

"Are you two going to pick up the bride early tomorrow?"

Stop chatting and go inside to sleep. Come over for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Yang Wuni knew about Zhai Qingming's family situation and knew that no one would get up early to cook for him.

I urged those two to go back to sleep early so they wouldn't miss tomorrow morning's business.

Zhai Qingming realized that Yang Wuni was doing this for his own good, so he got up, dusted himself off, and went home.

"Zhang Changyao, aren't you hungry? You're still chatting away with someone."

Zhai Qingming has already finished his meal. Can you afford to compensate him?

It turned out that Yang Wuni was worried because Zhang Changyao hadn't eaten yet.

"It's okay to eat a little later. Didn't I just take a bite out of you?"

"One kiss from you could fill my stomach for half a day, do you believe it?"

Zhang Changyao put his arm around Yang Wuni's shoulder, and the two went into the house.

"You silly woman, I'm back late, so you should eat first, okay?"

If your husband doesn't come home, you won't eat first.

This isn't the old society anymore, where people still had to obey the rules of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues.

Zhang Changyao saw Yang Wuni lift the quilt on the kang (a heated brick bed).

As they brought out all the food, I felt another wave of emotion.

He couldn't understand how a woman like that could be disliked.

"Zhang Changyao, you dare let me eat first? Once I start eating, there won't be any left for you."

You're telling someone who's never been full to let me eat first, haha! Looks like you've never been hungry before.

Yang Wuni placed the dish on the most stable board in the middle of the table.

She ladled half a bowl of porridge for herself and ladled a whole bowl for Zhang Changyao.

The remaining batter was poured with water, regardless of whether Zhang Changyao could eat his fill.

Pick it up and go out to feed the chestnut horse that had been walking all day.

"This woman cares more about the animals than herself; she's adorably naive."

Zhang Changyao poured some of his bowl of noodle soup into Yang Wuni's bowl.

Make sure the batter in both bowls looks about the same.

It's called a dish, but it's really just steamed potatoes with some soybean paste and scallions mixed together.

There was no oil at home, so Yang Wuni wouldn't let Zhang Changyao buy any.

She said it's the same whether there's oil or not; in fact, without oil, you can save on vegetables.

After she started living on her own, she became Zhang Kaiju, a stingy husband.

After feeding the chestnut horse, Yang Wuni went up to the kang (a heated brick bed) and saw Zhang Changyao waiting for her.

When she saw the extra bits of mushy dough in her bowl, tears welled up in her eyes.

She can't stand others being nice to her, and she's most afraid of others being nice to her.

She feared that her life would be too short to repay what she owed others.

"Wu Ni, you need to eat more when you're at our house. Only when you're well can I be well."

Zhang Changyao picked out the largest piece of potato and put it in Yang Wuni's rice bowl.

"Yes! I'm fine. I've always wanted to live a good life."

Every day when I sit at the table to eat, I feel that being alive is pretty good.

Yang Wuni shook her head with a wry smile, then nodded in response to Zhang Changyao.

That night, Zhang Changyao did nothing but hug and kiss Yang Wuni repeatedly.

At this moment, he loved this poor, foolish woman to the core.

Yang Wuni sat up abruptly, not knowing what time it was.

He hurriedly got out of bed to cook and heat up the food, which startled Zhang Changyao so much that he sat up as well.

"Wu Ni, it's still early in the night, it's too early to cook now."

Zhang Changyao grabbed Yang Wuni's apron, dragged her into the bed, and held her down to sleep.

"Zhang Changyao, if I sleep any longer, I'll oversleep, and then you won't have anything to eat."

"It takes most of the day to go back and forth; I can't go hungry."

Yang Wuni pushed away Zhang Changyao's hand that was pressing down on her, covered him with the blanket, and let him go to sleep.

He got up and warmed the water, first feeding the chestnut horse until it was full, and then giving it half a bucket of hot water.

Only after answering "Good, red horse" correctly can you start cooking and heating up the dishes.

After preparing the meal, she sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and looked at the moon outside the door.

As dawn broke outside, she felt it was about time.

Then he turned around and reached into Zhang Changyao's blanket, telling him to get up and call Zhai Qingming over for dinner.

Zhang Changyao finished dressing, put his hands in his sleeves, and went to call Zhai Qingming.

Zhai Qingming had already gotten up. When he saw Zhang Changyao arrive, he got up and got out of bed.

He glanced at his parents, who were sleeping like pigs, and let out a long sigh.

"Zhai Qingming, why didn't you bring your little red flower? You have to bring one when you pick up your wife."

Zhang Changyao glanced at Zhai Qingming's wrinkled clothes, which were missing something, and reminded him.

"I didn't buy it. I still have to go to town. I'll just wear it for a day and then throw it away, which would be a waste of money."

Zhai Qingming washed his face in a basin on the floor.

Some people wet their hair with water, smooth it out, and make it as shiny as a calf licking it.

The two of them left the yard one after the other and arrived at Zhang Changyao's house.

"Didn't your family make you a new quilt? The bride can't possibly come up on a cartboard like me, can she?"

After the two finished their meal, Yang Wuni glanced at the bare car floor as she saw them off.

"I didn't do anything. I didn't even tell my parents. It wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"Wait a moment, I'll go inside and get the old bed sheet that Dad took off, which he made into a quilt, and put it on the car."

Zhang Changyao, go to your father's room and borrow the little red flower for Zhai Qingming to wear.

When you're getting married, you have to make it look like you're getting married.

"If you two go like this, people will think you're just going out for a visit."

Yang Wuni went inside, brought out a small, clean, and neatly made quilt, and laid it on the car bed.

"Dad, when Qingming is going to pick up his wife, can you find some red flowers from our family for him?"

Zhang Changyao knocked on Zhang Kaiju's window frame and whispered to him to look for the little red flower.

Zhang Kaiju knew that Zhai Qingming was going to pick up his new bride.

Without delay, he got out of bed, rummaged through the box, found the little red flower, and slipped it through the crack in the door.

After all this commotion, it looked like they were going to pick up the bride.

Just as the two were about to leave the courtyard, they heard Zhao Xiulan calling from inside the house, "Changyao, wait a moment."