Old Yu's shout immediately got the crowd talking.
Someone started to advise Mrs. Sun, "Mrs. Sun, your in-laws are so old now, how many more years can they eat meat? In a few years, all their teeth will fall out, and they won't be able to eat even if given meat. I say, your days for eating meat are ahead of you young folks."
"Exactly, you young ones should be filial, this meat should be given to your in-laws."
Yu Xiaolian deliberately glanced at the crowd, secretly noting who had just spoken.
Mrs. Sun didn't expect the tide to suddenly turn to support Old Mrs. Yu. She pondered a moment and said, "My Xiaolian was reckless, accepting such a lavish gift from Jiang the Hunter's family on her own. I didn't plan on eating it; I intended to return it.
If we go by what you mean and leave this game meat for my in-laws, then what about this favor..."
Mrs. Sun's words were clear enough: whoever eats it owes the favor.
Anyway, they can't eat it, old Mrs. Yu shouldn't think of eating either, better to send the game meat back to Jiang the Hunter's family unchanged.
"This game meat is for Yu Xiaolian, which greedy mouth is shamelessly trying to steal my sister's food?"
Jiang Lin suddenly emerged from the back of the crowd. The commotion at the Yu Family had been going on for a while, and some kids watching the spectacle heard what was happening and ran to the Jiang Family to call Jiang Lin.
"Oh, Jiang Lin is here, just in time to clarify. How come you're calling Yu Xiaolian your sister?"
"Just a pretend sister, huh? Haha..."
Several young men of similar age to Jiang Lin joked.
"Come on, stop it." Jiang Lin waved his hand at several childhood friends in the crowd. Then he said to old Mrs. Yu, "This stuff is for Yu Xiaolian. I don't charge her. Others eat, sorry, wild rabbits are eighty copper coins each, wild chickens sixty copper coins each. A total of two hundred copper coins, you want to eat, pay first."
"Two hundred copper coins? You're robbing money!" Old Mrs. Yu pursed her lips, then said to Yu Changfu, "Return the game meat to him, we can't afford it."
Yu Changfu responded and quickly went to the kitchen, retrieved the prepared wild chicken and rabbit, and handed them to Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin smirked roguishly, "Oh, all cleaned up already, quick hands, huh."
As he spoke, he picked up the basket that Yu Xiaolian had knocked over on the ground, put the wild chicken and rabbit in the basket, and said to Mrs. Sun, "Actually, I only gave Xiaolian one chicken, but Xiaolian said your cooking skills were great. I thought I'd borrow your pot to cook two more, for me and my dad."
Jiang Lin placed the basket in Mrs. Sun's hand, "Aunt, although my dad and I live by hunting, we eat plenty of game meat, but our skills are poor, and the meat we cook turns out tough and hard. I wanted Xiaolian to bring back a few to ask you to stew for us, I didn't expect this much commotion."
Jiang Lin secretly winked at Yu Xiaolian, who immediately understood, and said, "Brother Jiang, when I got home, I hadn't even entered the house, and my granny snatched the basket. She even threw away the wild vegetables I dug up. Lucky you came, or I wouldn't get a bite of this meat."
Jiang Lin patted Yu Xiaolian's shoulder, then turned to look at old Mrs. Yu and the others, "Hey, I say if some people have a greedy mouth, they might as well lick each privy in the village, perhaps some dung will carry a meaty flavor!"
"You brat, aren't you asking for a beating? The meat's been returned to you, get out of my house now."
Yu Changfu shook his fist, but didn't move forward because he knew they weren't a match for Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin got the true skills of Jiang the Hunter, capable of taking on ten people alone, no problem. Otherwise, he wouldn't be the leader among the young men in the village.
"I didn't come to your house, I'm visiting my aunt." Jiang Lin asked Yu Xiaolian, "Which is your house? I need to go in and wait for my aunt to stew meat for me."
Yu Xiaolian pointed with her small hand, and Jiang Lin strode into Yu Xiaolian's house.
Mrs. Sun hesitated for a moment and then followed him inside.
Behind them came old Mrs. Yu's cursing voice, "Little slut, already knows how to flirt with men at such a young age. Bah, eating stew, aren't you afraid it'd choke you to death."
"Oh... Changhe is back."
The crowd made way, and they saw Yu Changhe with a limp, carrying a bundle of willow twigs into the yard.
Yu Changhe tossed the twigs onto the ground and looked at old Mrs. Yu, "Mom, what's going on at home? What's everyone doing here?"
When old Mrs. Yu saw Yu Changhe return, she immediately sat down on the ground, crying with tears and snot, "Son, your wife and daughter teamed up with outsiders to bully me. Oh… my poor fate, never seen any daughter-in-law in the village dare raise her voice to her mother-in-law, yet I got stuck with such an unfilial thing. Oh, I don't want to live anymore..."
Yu Changhe was confused and looked to old Yu, "Dad, what's happened?"
Old Yu glared at Yu Changhe fiercely and shouted, "Ask your wife!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Changhe couldn't care less about old Mrs. Yu on the ground, hurriedly walked back.
He was afraid something might have happened to Mrs. Sun. Once inside, seeing Jiang Lin sitting by the kang, he paused.
Glancing again to see his wife and daughter unharmed, he instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
Mrs. Sun told Yu Changhe what had happened, though Yu Changhe felt old Mrs. Yu was unreasonable, he knew not giving meat to his parents would be something others would criticize.
He hesitated for a moment and then spoke, "How about... once it's ready, we send them a bowl."
Mrs. Sun picked up a wild chicken, "Sending it later won't earn acknowledgment, take advantage of the crowd outside, openly give it to them to avoid gossip about us being unfilial."
Yu Changhe laughed and took the wild chicken, "I understand."
Though Yu Xiaolian didn't agree with their approach, she didn't voice her objection.
Outside, Yu Changhe held the wild chicken's legs, handed it to old Mrs. Yu, "Mom, we won't eat this one, it's for you."
Old Mrs. Yu got up from the ground, accepted the wild chicken dismissively, "You're giving me the smallest one, huh."
Old Mrs. Yu took the wild chicken and left, Yu Changhe told the surrounding people, "Everyone, disperse, disperse, nothing to see."
"Yu second son, you still have some filial piety, indeed giving the chicken to your parents, young people have their time for eating meat later."
"Changhe is still dutiful, even after the family split, not resenting his parents, good for him!"
Among the crowd, Mistress Feng sighed and turned to go home too.
After returning home, Yu Changhe said to Jiang Lin, "Child, take these two back, Xiaolian doesn't understand, bringing everything back, this stuff can be exchanged for quite a few copper coins at the townhouse tavern."
Jiang Lin stood up, "Uncle Changhe, I just dug a hunting pit, haven't shared it with everyone yet. Yesterday caused Xiaolian to fall into the pit, these game meats are my apology. You can eat them or sell them, I'm not taking them back. My dad is waiting for me at home, I should go."