Chapter 25: The Insatiable Lei Family

Page 1 of 3

Lei Haizheng was not one to sit still. When he saw that the table held only braised pork and a few vegetable dishes, he thought he would sneak into the kitchen to see whether there was anything else worth having. Who could have guessed that he would happen to overhear this conversation?

He did not know which room belonged to Tong Chuxue, but that was no obstacle. There were only a few rooms in all; he could search them one by one when the time came.

He had never imagined that the seemingly inconspicuous little Tong Chuxue could get her hands on something so valuable. Others might not know, but he had heard people at the gambling house in town say that dendrobium was exceedingly expensive—and exceedingly difficult to find. He had no idea how Tong Chuxue had managed to have such good luck.

Lei Haizheng was lost in his thoughts when a voice suddenly startled him.

“What are you doing here?”

The speaker was a girl in her teens. Lei Haizheng recognized her vaguely; she seemed to be the girl who had helped serve the dishes at the table earlier. Seeing her appear in the back kitchen, he naturally assumed she was Tong Chuxue’s friend.

“Hey, why are you staring at me?” Wu Zhenzhen felt increasingly uneasy under Lei Haizheng’s scrutiny. There was something about his gaze that made her uncomfortable.

Lei Haizheng deliberately moved closer to her and took a deep breath. “You smell wonderful! Little miss, whose family are you from? How come I’ve never seen you in the village before?”

“What’s it to you?” Wu Zhenzhen immediately retreated several steps, unwilling to spare him even a glance.

Lei Haizheng did not mind. His lecherous eyes roamed over her from head to toe, lingering especially on her full curves until they could scarcely move away.

Sensing his gaze, Wu Zhenzhen widened her eyes and turned her back on him, trembling with anger. She was just about to shout when Lei Haizheng fled as though the soles of his feet had been greased.

Inside the kitchen, the sounds of cooking and conversation drowned out the commotion outside. Tong Chuxue had no idea what had happened. When she saw Wu Zhenzhen come in, she hurriedly ushered her back out.

“The smoke and grease are heavy in here. You should wait outside.”

“It’s all right.” Wu Zhenzhen smiled. “I just came to see if there’s anything I can help with.”

The dishes were nearly finished, and Tong Chuxue did not stand on ceremony with Wu Zhenzhen. Together, they carried the food out to the table.

All the guests had taken their seats, and Xu Jinniang also emerged from the kitchen.

Luo Changhua suggested, “Before we begin, why not ask the village head to say a few words?”

The others chimed in enthusiastically.

Tong Shan rose to his feet. “From today onward, Sister Xu and little Xue have moved into their new home, and I’m happy for them. They’ve suffered a great deal over the years, but now their hardships have finally come to an end. Their days will only get better from here.”

As he spoke, Tong Shan raised his cup, and everyone else lifted theirs as well.

Men and women alike were expected to drink a cup, except for the youngest children.

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

Luo Hui’an also picked up his cup, but Lin Chunyan stopped him. He insisted, however, and in the end she could only let him be.

Tong Chuxue had spared no expense for today’s occasion. She had bought only the finest liquor from the town’s distillery, with a smooth, lingering flavor.

Lei Haizheng took a sip and smacked his lips in satisfaction. “Now that’s a drink with some kick.”

Xu Jinniang, however, looked at the Lei family with puzzlement before turning to Tong Chuxue. Tong Chuxue quietly explained in her ear, “They’re the family of the Tong family’s son-in-law.”

Xu Jinniang understood at once.

Still, Tong Chuxue studied her expression and saw that Xu Jinniang was clearly unfamiliar with the Lei family. It seemed the Lei and Luo families did not visit one another often.

How laughable. They scarcely kept in touch on ordinary days, yet whenever there was a feast, they suddenly became relatives.

Meanwhile, because they had been forced to contribute two copper coins, the Lei family devoured the food with astonishing speed, as though they had not eaten in ten days or half a month.

Before long, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and began taking their leave.

Tong Shan had many matters to attend to and was the first to go. The third branch of the Luo family also said they had to return home to work.

During the conversation, Tong Chuxue swept the corner of her eye around the courtyard and discovered that Lei Haizheng had disappeared. Her instincts told her at once that something was wrong.

In any case, Xu Jinniang could handle the third branch of the Luo family on her own. Tong Chuxue took two steps back and headed toward the rear courtyard.

As soon as she entered, she happened to see Lei Haizheng sneaking out of the kitchen. He was even carrying one of their coarse porcelain bowls. If Tong Chuxue had not mistaken it, the bowl clearly contained an old hen stewed in broth.

So that was it—he had come to steal a chicken from their home.

Now that the banquet was over, surely even if something happened, it no longer had anything to do with whether it was auspicious or not.

Tong Chuxue gave Lei Haizheng a cold smile, seized the large broom beside her, and swung it at him. She had chosen a freshly made broom, the kind normally used to sweep the courtyard. It was quite large, and when swung, it could cover nearly half a person’s height.

Caught completely off guard, Lei Haizheng was struck and began hopping around in an attempt to dodge.

Tong Chuxue had no intention of giving him a chance to speak. She shouted, “Help! There’s a thief!”

Xu Jinniang, who was in the front courtyard, rushed toward the rear courtyard the moment she heard this.

When everyone arrived, they were greeted by the sight of Tong Chuxue single-handedly “beating” Lei Haizheng.

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

Luo Changhui recognized her own son at once and hurried forward to shield him.

“Hey, little Xue, you’ve got it wrong! This is my son, not a thief!”

Tong Chuxue temporarily lowered the large broom and put on an expression of sudden realization.

“Oh! So it’s Brother Lei. Why did you leave the front courtyard and come to the kitchen? And why are you carrying one of our bowls?”

Lei Haizheng was truly ridiculous. Though he had already been beaten until he had nowhere left to hide, he still clutched the stolen old hen tightly in his hands.

In the blink of an eye, Luo Changhui was the first to react.

“Little Xue, you misunderstand. I asked him to bring me a bowl of chicken soup.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right. My mother wanted some soup, so I came to the back kitchen,” Lei Haizheng admitted quickly.

“So that’s how it is.” Tong Chuxue feigned concern. “When I entered the rear courtyard just now, I happened to see someone carrying one of our bowls. I acted in haste and struck first. Brother Lei, are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Perfectly fine.” Lei Haizheng forced out a smile. He could hardly admit that he had been beaten senseless by a young girl.

“However…” Tong Chuxue changed tack. “Why is there not a drop of soup in your bowl? It’s filled entirely with meat.”

Lei Haizheng had come looking for meat in the first place, so naturally he would never have ladled himself any soup. But that directly contradicted Luo Changhui’s explanation.

“Little Xue, I simply like eating meat and don’t care for soup. Surely you aren’t so stingy that you begrudge your aunt even two pieces of meat?” Luo Changhui stepped in front of Lei Haizheng, making it perfectly clear that she intended to protect her own.

Like mother, like son. Before Tong Chuxue could say a word, Lei Qianfu added, “Haizheng, go to the kitchen and fill a bowl for me too.” Then he turned to Tong Chuxue with a smarmy grin. “You wouldn’t begrudge me one, would you, little Xue?”

Whether she was willing or not made no difference. The Lei family had plainly come to take advantage of her, and Tong Chuxue knew that no matter what she said, they would find some way to argue back.

After hearing his father’s order, Lei Haizheng filled another bowl for Lei Qianfu with just as much meat. Husband and wife stood there eating straight from their bowls in front of Tong Chuxue, utterly without shame. Nearby, Luo Changhua already felt too embarrassed to look at them.

But the Lei family did not care in the least. Since they could not carry the food away, eating it on the spot meant they would not be losing out.

After gnawing through a bowl of chicken, the couple found their mouths a little dry and demanded that Lei Haizheng bring them some chicken soup.

Tong Chuxue walked over with a smile and took the bowls from their hands.

“As the hostess, how could I make guests serve themselves? I’ll fill them for you.”

Every member of the Lei family was foolish without exception. Seeing Tong Chuxue step forward of her own accord to serve the soup, they assumed that their imposing attitude had cowed her.

Page 3 of 3