Chapter 657: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 657: A Disturbance (2)
Mo Yan and the others had been busy all morning and were quite sore. They were relieved when others came to help and gladly put down their knives and aprons.
At this moment, Da Ni’er brought tea to the helpers, pouring each person a bowl.
Mo Yan took a sip and found it sweet with sugar. She wasn’t fond of such sugary tea, so she reluctantly drank half a bowl and set it down on the table. However, a seven or eight-year-old child spotted it, eagerly ran over, and drank the remaining half of the tea, finishing it off and even licking the bottom of the bowl.
Mo Yan stared in shock, reaching out to stop the child, but it was too late. She wasn’t upset about the child drinking her tea without asking but was bothered by the lack of hygiene, which made her uncomfortable.
“Hey, you greedy little thing, why did you drink your family sister’s tea?”
The child’s mother, one of the women helping out, initially thought the child was being clever for drinking the tea. Seeing Mo Yan’s displeasure, she thought Mo Yan was upset about the tea and quickly set down her bowl. She pulled the child over and began scolding and hitting him.
The child, not understanding much, started crying loudly when his usually gentle mother was both scolding and hitting him. Soon, his face was covered in tears and snot, looking pitiful.
What was initially a minor issue became quite awkward for Mo Yan. She quickly stepped in to stop the woman from hitting the child further. “He’s just a little kid; it was only half a bowl of tea. If I’d known he liked it so much, I’d have given him a whole bowl. Aunt, there’s no need to hit him so hard. If you hurt him, it’s painful for him and distressing for you as well.”
With an excuse to back down, the woman stopped hitting the child but muttered, “Children shouldn’t be spoiled. If they make mistakes, they need to be punished until they understand what they did wrong. Otherwise, who knows what trouble they might cause when they grow up!”
“Aunt’s way of teaching is admirable. This child looks obedient, and you’re certainly a blessed aunt!” Mo Yan smiled and agreed, with others also joining in to comfort the woman. She finally stopped and put down the knife.
At this age, children are already sensitive to their self-esteem. After being scolded and hit in front of so many people, the child’s fear shifted to a sense of grievance. He angrily grabbed a small clay figure he had been playing with, and quickly ran out of the courtyard, disappearing from sight.
Mo Yan, feeling a bit uneasy, reminded the woman to find the child.
The woman, now cutting vegetables again, replied without looking up, “This little rascal is more timid than a rabbit. He won’t run far. He’ll come back when the meal is served.”
Mo Yan figured the village was relatively safe, and despite the disagreements among adults, they wouldn’t harm the children. So she decided not to press the issue further.
This small incident was soon forgotten. As the sun climbed higher, the temporary stoves in the courtyard were fired up. The chopped vegetables and meats were added to the pots, and after some stir-frying, they turned into a variety of delicious dishes.
Apart from the Mo family, the Wu family had no other relatives in the village. The guests invited to the housewarming were all people who had a good relationship with the Wu family.
Around noon, Mo Qingze, having rested, arrived with the family’s tables. Other invited guests also brought tables, chairs, and benches. Yang Bao and several village elders arrived before the meal began, offering gifts and taking their seats at the head table, guided by Tietou.
With the head table filled, everyone found their seats and waited for the dishes to be served. Surrounding each table were groups of children. Since children couldn’t sit at the table, the adults who brought them had them stand by the side with bowls and chopsticks. When the dishes arrived, they would be given some.
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