Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 76 - 76 077 Tianniu Gets Scolded_1

?Chapter 76: Chapter 077 Tianniu Gets Scolded_1 Chapter 76: Chapter 077 Tianniu Gets Scolded_1 Muniang looked up in surprise, her face breaking into a delighted smile, “Is that you, Tianniu? How come you’re here? Come and sit down.”

“I saw nobody in the yard, so I let myself in,” Tianniu said crisply.

“It’s fine, you can come over to Mrs. Lin’s house anytime,” Mrs. Lin said with a smile.

Such a well-mannered and lovely child, Muniang was happy just looking at her and turned to Hong Luo, “Go and get a package of the mung bean cakes I brought back from town last time.”

“Yes.”

Tianniu’s eyes lit up, no child could resist the temptation of snacks, let alone one like her who never had the chance to taste such treats.

Remembering the reason for her visit, she took out three embroidered handkerchiefs from her bosom, each delicately embroidered with butterflies, mandarin ducks, and peonies, and handed them to Muniang, “Sister Mu, these are handkerchiefs my mother embroidered, especially to thank you. Without you, my parents wouldn’t have reconciled. Tianniu also wants to thank you, but since my parents are busy with work in the fields, they couldn’t come, so they sent me. Please don’t mind.”

Her childlike words were filled with sincerity. Muniang took the handkerchiefs and smiled, “Such fine craftsmanship, this embroidery could probably outshine that in the Embroidery House.”

Seeing that Muniang liked them, Tianniu smiled proudly, “My mother’s embroidery is always the best, and it sells for the highest price.”

Muniang felt the handkerchiefs in her hands, such intricate workmanship required not only skill but also dedication and time. Mrs. Lin must have spent a great deal of effort on these three handkerchiefs, a gift’s value doesn’t lie in its price, but in its sincerity.

“I really like them, what matters is that your parents live well together,” Muniang said with a smile.

“Yeah! Tianniu also likes it when mom and dad get along well,” she had always been scared and nervous whenever her parents argued. As a young girl, she grew up mature and sensitive, and lacked a sense of security. Now that her home was harmonious, the mindset of the little girl had changed a lot.

Hong Luo brought over the mung bean cakes. Muniang pushed the plate towards Tianniu and stroked her head with a smile, “You little glutton, if you like them, eat as much as you want.”

Tianniu looked at the cakes, swallowed hard and timidly looked at Muniang, “Can I take a few pieces back for my brothers?”

Muniang felt a warmth in her heart, she had never seen such a thoughtful child; faced with the finest things, her first thought was of her younger brothers.

“Don’t worry, Sister here has plenty of tasty things. Go ahead and eat, and later I’ll give you two more packages of cakes to take back,” she reassured.

Only then did Tianniu reach into the plate and happily began to eat, murmuring as she did, “This is my first time eating mung bean cake. I saw Damu eat it once during the New Year, it made me so envious.”

The words amused everyone in the room, and Mrs. Lin’s eyes were twinkling with loving tenderness, “If you want to eat more in the future, just come to Mrs. Lin’s house, and I will treat you.”

By evening, Muniang finally finished making the “cards”, and since Muniang was busy with the cards today, she had no time to prepare dinner, so Mrs. Fang took on the task.

Just after dinner, Madam Liu arrived with Tianniu.

“Aunt, why have you come so late?” Muniang asked with a smile, thinking that Madam Liu came to express her gratitude in person. However, when Muniang saw Tianniu’s red-rimmed eyes, she realized it might not be for that reason.

“Speak for yourself!” Madam Liu pushed Tianniu forward, her tone somewhat harsh, startling Muniang.

“What’s the matter?”

Tianniu’s eyes were red and her voice was choked up, but she didn’t shed tears. She stuttered, “I’m sorry, Sister Mu, I shouldn’t have taken so many pastries from your home. I shouldn’t be greedy, asking you for things.” As she spoke, she handed over the two packets of pastries to Muniang.

It turned out Tianniu had taken pastries home, intending to give them to her brothers, but Madam Liu saw them and questioned where they came from. After learning the cause, she scolded Tianniu severely and dragged her back to return them.

Tianniu, just a child, naturally didn’t know how expensive mung bean cakes were—one cake cost a piece of silver. For a farmer’s family, that’s a significant sum, isn’t it? Madam Liu’s parenting was very strict, and she would not allow her children to do such things; of course, she was furious.

However, Muniang had recently been rather lavish and didn’t think much of the cost of the two packets of pastries. She gave them to the children because they liked them, not anticipating that it would cause such trouble.

Muniang hurriedly said, “Aunt, what are you doing? The child is still young, at an age when it’s natural to be gluttonous. She didn’t ask for herself; she wanted her brothers to enjoy the pastries too. I don’t mind the few extra pastries; let her take some home.”

Madam Liu, frustrated as if fighting against unyielding metal, said, “I’m certainly not angry with you. It’s just that this girl dared to ask others for things, and such expensive ones at that. I intended for her to come and say thank you, but she ended up taking home something worth many times more than the three handkerchiefs I accepted! Such ignorance of right and wrong, it’s as if I’ve raised her in vain all these years!”

Berated by Madam Liu, Tianniu began to sob. Having been disciplined strictly since childhood to avoid going astray, this eldest daughter, usually well-behaved and clever, had rarely been scolded before. That’s why Liu’s sudden outburst caught her off guard.

Muniang could only take the pastries and said to Madam Liu, “Aunt, don’t scold Tianniu anymore. The child has a good heart. If she knew how precious these mung bean cakes were, she wouldn’t have asked for them. It’s my fault; I didn’t think it through. The kids are still young; don’t be too harsh on them.”

Seeing Tianniu’s distressed look, Madam Liu’s eyes also reddened, “How could I bear to scold her? How could I not know how much the children long to eat mung bean cakes even just once? I’m strict with them because I want them to be successful in the future, to not struggle like I have. It’s better to endure hardship now for the benefit later. Otherwise, if they learn to be gluttonous and lazy from a young age, what will they do when they grow up?”

Understanding Madam Liu’s words, Muniang realized that she wanted her children to be strong-willed and absolutely could not tolerate them begging for things from others. If Tianniu easily got her hands on treats this time, she might think to ask again in the future. For Muniang, giving away a few pastries was a trivial matter, but for the children, it could potentially cultivate a bad habit.

When Tianniu saw Madam Liu’s eyes welling up with tears, she hastily said, “Mother, don’t cry. I won’t ask others for things anymore, I’ll be good from now on.”

Madam Liu wiped away her tears and, ultimately, could not say much more, only saying to Muniang, “I should return these pastries; spoiling the children too much isn’t good. It’s getting late today; I’ll come over another day to visit.”

But Muniang held onto Madam Liu, stuffing the two packets of pastries into her hands, “It’s one thing to teach the child a lesson, but we can’t make it too hard on them, can we? Tianniu said they’ve never tasted this flavor before, and they must be so envious seeing other children eat it. Take the pastries; after all, I don’t lack them. This time, it wasn’t Tianniu asking me for them; I gave them on my own.”