The scholar leading the group had just arrived at the entrance of the Song Family Courtyard, raised his hand, but hadn’t had a chance to knock when the courtyard door whooshed open.
Old Granny Wu and Madam Gu led the way out and faced the scholars head-on.
Old Granny Wu was holding a broom, visibly impatient: "What are you doing? What are you doing, crowding around my door? What do you want?"
The scholar originally held a righteous deanor.
But righteousness aside, with a broom almost hitting his face, he had no choice but to retreat two steps.
Adjusting his stance, he said, "How rude of you, old woman! We are here demanding an explanation for these wives and children. You don’t invite us in, rather co out holding a broom? What is this supposed to an?"
Old Granny Wu fiddled with her ear: "I, an old woman, can’t read and don’t understand your so-called anings and taphors. They say good dogs don’t block the path, yet you scholarly types are blocking my door. What do you want? I’m telling you, my house is full of won. You’re thinking of bullying us because we’re won, huh?"
Madam Gu added urgently, "Indeed, which academy are you scholars from, to run here blocking the door? What ulterior motive do you have? Don’t co closer! Advance one more step and we’ll call for people!"
The scholars’ faces flushed red, muttering: "Disgraceful! Disgraceful! What nonsense! What nonsense!"
Yet they dared not move forward another half step.
"We just wanted to ask why these wives and young brothers sought a bowl of sauce from your family, yet you not only refused them but also scolded these won? We heard your family even has a scholar; is this how a scholar treats guests?"
"Ugh! What kind of guests are they? Slling sothing nice and running with bowls for free? Do they deserve my sauce? I say, you scholars look well-dressed, but why can’t you talk like humans? If a group suddenly cos to your house asking for this and that, would you give it to them?" Old Granny Zhang stood behind Old Granny Wu and others, pushed them aside, pointed at the lead scholar’s nose, and cursed.
The lead scholar, sprayed with saliva, quickly wiped his face with a sleeve and furiously replied, "It’s just a bit of sauce, why be so stingy? The Saint said—"
"What did the Saint say? Which Saint said to give away my sauce? Bring the Saint here, I’ll ask him myself!" Old Granny Zhang stepped forward aggressively.
The scholars looked at each other; where were they going to find the Saint?
"Ignorance! Ignorance! The Saint said, it’s written in the Saint’s book," one scholar said.
"Bull! Which book of the Saint said that? Bring the book! I’ll let my son-in-law check! Don’t try to fool , my son-in-law is also a scholar! He never said the Saint ntioned anything like this, so why are you claiming it? Is the Saint your family property?" While Old Granny Zhang wasn’t knowledgeable in books, her skill in arguing was unmatched.
In just a few words, she left the scholars speechless.
Indeed, no Saint ever said such words, but looking at Old Granny Zhang’s face, they were infuriating.
"Won and little people are hard to sustain—"
"Bullshit! Your mother isn’t a woman? Wasn’t she hard to sustain? One after another you scholars keep equating your mother to a little person, do you deserve to be called scholars? If I were your mother, knowing I’d give birth to such senseless entities, I’d have strangled you at birth for peace of mind!"
Old Granny Zhang hated what above all? She despised scholars like Wang Yongan.
Useless in doing anything, always claiming to be right regardless of what they say! Look down on this, look down on that, but don’t even realize what they are themselves!
If it weren’t for her son-in-law Song Chongjin and Gu Zikai changing her views on scholars, she would’ve wanted to scratch every scholar she t.
She couldn’t tolerate the talk of won and little people either, like with what happened to Eldest Brother last ti, talking about won and little people, didn’t her daughter curse back then? Cursed Li Jinlong into speechlessness, clearly her daughter spoke with reason then!
Old Granny Zhang kept those words in mind, trusting her daughter’s judgnt implicitly. Upon hearing them this ti, she applied them imdiately and effectively.
"Shrew! Shrew!" The scholars couldn’t argue well, and cursing was even worse, they could only stomp their feet and curse Old Granny Zhang as a shrew.
Wang Yongzhu heard this, sneered, and walked out of the courtyard, scanning the scholars before restraining Old Granny Zhang: "Mother, why argue with these people? Scholars have read themselves into fools, not knowing social manners or understanding the world, only citing classics but couldn’t differentiate humans from books. Their brains might as well be walnut-sized. Arguing with them is unremarkable, claiming slight superiority over bookworms isn’t any dignity."
"You... you this woman, who are you calling a fool through reading?" The lead scholar stamred, irritated that a family mber of a scholar speaks either so crudely or with words piercingly sharp.
"Oh, you actually understood I was calling you reading fools? Is it not the case? Speaking perpetually about what the Saint said, far more than what the Saint himself ever spoke! Each of you is no youngster anymore, read plentiful books, are those brains just for show in your heads?"
"Today, let’s not talk about anything else! Are those wives’ words true? Is there nobody beside to remind you? You refuse to listen to sense, yes? You insist that our scholar’s family mber bullied them, is that it?"
"Since you’re so eager to ddle in these trifles, I’ll fulfill your wish today! Let you understand thoroughly!"
"Our family is brewing sauce, wild mushroom sauce, everyone knows this sauce isn’t cheap, right?" Wang Yongzhu asked the onlookers, gesturing around.
Everyone, watching the scene unfold, nodded quickly: "Indeed! Each year we make just a small pot, worth about a tael of silver!"
"Last year, my family wouldn’t have brewed it if not for my mother-in-law’s craving; it’s not sothing ordinary folks indulge in without reason!"
"Let these scholars know, this sauce isn’t your everyday fernted soybean sauce. Are the mushrooms free? Is the at free? Is the oil free? Is the firewood free? Truly, those who don’t manage a household don’t realize the cost of basic necessities!"
Wang Yongzhu looked coldly at the scholars, showing embarrassnt from listening to the onlookers.
"No household makes such good sauce casually! Why did ours make it? Because my mother was indeed ill a while ago, the neighbors all know! Thanks to the neighbors and my husband’s classmates’ support, my mother’s health gradually improved. My mother thought of everyone’s kindness, though with little to repay! Now being wild mushroom season, brewing so sauce to share is our family’s small gesture of thanks!"
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