Chapter 105: Sisters-in-law
White Duckweed Brigade.
Mountain Pond Village.
Jiang Dehu was busy changing his son's diaper after he had defecated. After untying the diaper and tossing it aside, he felt a headache when he saw his son's bottom covered in feces and urine.
Although he was already the father of two children, his wife had always been the one taking care of them, with occasional help from his mother and sister. He had no experience in childcare, so when faced with this situation, he had no idea how to clean it up.
Unfortunately, his mother and sister weren't home at the moment, and he couldn't find them even if he wanted to call for help.
His sister-in-law was at home, but Jiang Dehu opened his mouth and couldn't bring himself to call out. The child had been crying for over ten minutes. If his sister-in-law had been attentive, she would have come over to see what was wrong.
Since she didn't come, there was no point in forcing the issue.
He had no choice but to do it himself.
Fortunately, Jiang Dehu wasn't completely clueless. Although he had no experience in childcare, as the saying goes, "Even if you've never had pork, you've at least seen a pig." He had seen his wife cleaning up the baby's mess when he came home from work.
So, Jiang Dehu recalled his wife's actions and began working with clumsy hands. It took him several minutes, and he was sweating profusely by the time he finally cleaned up and changed his son's diaper.
At this point, the crying child finally quieted down.
Seeing this, Jiang Dehu felt a great sense of accomplishment, as if he had achieved something monumental.
When Bu Dafang returned home with the packed dishes, she saw her husband holding their son and grinning foolishly. She couldn't help but ask, "What are you grinning about?"
Seeing his wife return, Jiang Dehu felt a wave of relief. Today's experience of taking care of the baby had taught him that it was impossible to manage without a woman at home.
Hearing his wife's question, Jiang Dehu said proudly, "Dafang, our son just had a bowel movement, and I cleaned him up and changed his diaper. Don't you think I'm amazing?"
Bu Dafang was speechless, but since her husband's behavior deserved encouragement, she couldn't dampen his enthusiasm. She nodded insincerely and said, "Yes, amazing!"
Jiang Dehu chuckled, then noticed his wife carrying several bags and asked, "Dafang, what are you carrying?"
Bu Dafang placed the food on the table and said, "These are rare delicacies. I packed them up and brought them back for you to try."
Jiang Dehu's eyes widened in surprise. Nowadays, when you attend a wedding, you usually bring back some leftovers. He had never heard of anyone packing up so many leftovers. He didn't know what to say.
What puzzled Jiang Dehu the most was where all these leftovers had come from.
As Bu Dafang began unpacking the dishes, Jiang Dehu held his son and went over to take a look.
When he saw the contents—meatballs, egg rolls, boiled chicken, boiled duck, braised pork, stir-fried pork, and more—his eyes widened in shock. These were all top-notch dishes, and his mouth began to water as his stomach growled.
Bu Dafang glanced at her husband, divided the dishes into two large bowls, and said calmly, "Wait a moment. I'll take a bowl to your parents and brother and sister-in-law first, then come back to cook for you."
Hearing this, Jiang Dehu was touched. No matter how dissatisfied his wife was with his parents and brother's family, she still remembered to share the good things with them. That was enough.
He was a man of few words and didn't know how to express his feelings. He simply said, "Hmm," and secretly resolved to treat his wife better in the future.
Since Bu Dafang had brought back a lot of food, she only took a small portion of each dish to fill the large bowl.
There were two large bowls. The one for her brother and sister-in-law was about 70% full, but for her parents-in-law, Bu Dafang kept adding to the bowl until it was overflowing.
She first brought the food to her parents-in-law's house. Finding no one home, she placed it on the table and covered it with a lid.
Then she returned with the other bowl for her brother and sister-in-law.
Jiang Dehu had five siblings. His elder sister had been married for a long time, and he and his eldest brother had moved out of their parents' home.
Although they had moved out, everyone still lived in the same old house, but they cooked and ate separately.
The two households were separated by a patio. Bu Dafang arrived at her brother and sister-in-law's door with the dishes and called out, "Sister-in-law, are you there?"
"Dafang, what's the matter?" Mrs. Jiang responded, opening the door.
Bu Dafang handed over the bowl and said, "My uncle's cousin got married today, so I packed some food and brought it back. Here's a bowl for you to try."
When Mrs. Jiang opened the door and saw the hearty dishes in the bowl, a glimmer of surprise flashed in her eyes. She immediately reached out to take it, smiling politely, "Oh, Dafang, you're so thoughtful. If you brought the food back, you should keep it for yourself. Why give it to us?"
Bu Dafang smiled and said, "Don't be polite, sister-in-law. I brought back a lot and left some at home."
Mrs. Jiang said happily, "Then I won't refuse. Wait a moment, I'll transfer the dishes and return the bowl."
Bu Dafang nodded and waited at the door.
Soon, Mrs. Jiang transferred the dishes to her own bowl and handed the empty bowl back to Bu Dafang, asking, "Dafang, your uncle's family hosted a banquet, and there are so many delicious leftovers. The feast must have been sumptuous, right?"
Bu Dafang smiled and said, "Of course. There were over twenty dishes, and the portions were generous. There was even seafood that was so delicious it's hard to describe. Sister-in-law, you should have seen it. When the three seafood dishes—spicy crab, pan-fried prawns, and steamed sandworms—were served, everyone ate and praised them. All fifteen tables finished the seafood. Everyone was so full they didn't dare to get up for a long time!"
Mrs. Jiang was stunned. Over twenty dishes, including three such delicious seafood dishes? She had never heard of such a banquet before.
"Dafang, your uncle's family must be very well-off!"
Bu Dafang felt a surge of pride and continued, "Not just well-off. My uncle's family is probably unmatched in their village, maybe even in the entire Pine Mountain Commune…"
Bu Dafang briefly described her uncle's family's situation—their monthly income, the house they lived in—leaving Mrs. Jiang even more stunned.
At this moment, Mrs. Jiang couldn't tell whether her sister-in-law was telling the truth or just exaggerating to impress her.
(End of this chapter)