“Sigouzi’s Crafty Mother”

 

“A chicken can’t have two owners, right? Today, let’s solve this mysterious case together!” After Jing Yi finished speaking, he courteously bowed to all directions, instantly setting the atmosphere in motion.

 

Upon hearing this, everyone thought it was a good idea. After all, if anyone said something wrong, it was their own problem. If the chicken couldn’t be caught, it could only blame itself. They didn’t want to offend those who were just there to watch the show.

 

So some villagers who were standing at a distance also approached, forming a tightly packed crowd around the involved parties. Layers upon layers of people filled the surroundings, responding one after another:

“Great! This method is good!”

“Why not? Let us learn from the officials!”

“Xiaoyi has a good idea. You should remember what your own chicken looks like!”

“What if Xiaoyi is doing big business in town?”

“I think this cage should be more secure. It’s still showing some gaps!”

 

After Jing Yi finished speaking, Sigouzi’s mother’s greedy eyes stared directly at the chicken cage, as if she wanted to dive in and find out the truth. Now that she heard the people around her agreeing with this method, she knew that she had to comply, even if it didn’t work. Her eyes turned, and she began to raise her neck and shout, “I definitely know what my chicken looks like! But I’m afraid this little hoof might hear it, so let him speak first.”

 

“Alright. Xiao Tao, why don’t you go first?” Jing Yi saw that Sigouzi’s mother was willingly jumping into the pit, so he naturally went along with her. Xiao Tao nodded timidly, about to speak.

 

Jingmu saw this and quickly called a halt, saying, “Wait! What’s going on? The people from the Shitou family are still here listening, right? You’d better walk away for a bit. Otherwise, later on, if both of you say the same thing, we’ll mistakenly accuse you again!”

 

Jing Yi: “Mom is really knowing!”

 

The people around also realized what was happening and started gossiping:

“What are they doing? Xiaoyi already said to stay away, but why is she still sticking around? She must be eavesdropping.”

“Who cares if I want to listen? Pah!” Sigouzi’s mother muttered and walked away. Only then did Jingmu pat Xiao Tao’s hand, signaling him to continue.

 

Xiao Tao, feeling nervous and uneasy, began to describe, “The chicken in my house is a hen, small in size. We’ve only been raising her for a little over half a year, and she just started laying eggs. She likes to run around normally, so she ran out this time. She is a light brown color with some brownish patterns, but the feathers on her legs are relatively white.”

 

Jing Yi exchanged glances with the aunties who had just followed him in. It was mostly settled now.

 

“Aunties! It’s your turn. Please come over. Thank you for waiting.” Jing Yi politely beckoned Sigouzi’s mother, who was peering from all directions into the gaps of the chicken cage, to come over. Sigouzi’s mother slowly walked over, hesitating and lingering, but she kept looking inside the cage from all angles. However, she didn’t say anything.

 

It wasn’t until people around began to grow impatient and urge her that she finally spoke. However, as soon as she opened her mouth, someone first uttered, “Hurry up, hurry up! Damn it!  It’s not your chicken, huh!” Who knew she had encountered a tough opponent this time. The old lady immediately fought back, “You wicked old hag! If it’s your chicken, then speak up!”

 

She knew better than to provoke someone strong. So she turned her head, pretended not to hear, and started talking about her own chicken, saying, “In our house, the chicken is a hen, an adult chicken. It’s probably about one or two years old. Its body is mostly reddish-brown. Ah, I can’t remember the details too well. Who spends their days squatting in the chicken coop to observe them!”

 

Jing Yi saw that she had finished speaking and took over the conversation, saying, “Alright, both of you have finished speaking. Is there anything else to add?”

Xiao Tao shook his head, and Sigouzi’s mother said there was nothing else and urged him to hurry up, her face showing a triumphant joy.

 

Jing Yi ignored her provocation and said to the people around, “So both of them have nothing more to add. We have all heard it clearly, so let’s reveal the answer.”

 

“I knew it was my chicken! This little rascal dares to steal my things and make up lies! Let me tell you, you poor wretch, don’t even think about it!” Sigouzi’s mother proudly exclaimed, her voice loud.

 

“I didn’t do it!” Xiao Tao anxiously retorted, tears immediately welled up in his eyes. He didn’t understand what was happening and why the chicken wasn’t his chicken anymore.

 

“Stop spouting nonsense, you old hag! It’s my chicken! Look, whichever one you look at is your chicken! Why don’t you go steal it!” At this moment, a heavyweight woman stepped forward, pointing at Sigouzi’s mother’s nose and scolding her.

“Oh my, Wang Auntie, you misunderstood. This is not the chicken you and Xiao Tao were arguing about. This is the one Auntie Wen just mentioned, and I said I would hold it for her for a while.” Jing Yi smiled falsely and apologized to Sigouzi’s mother.

 

Saying that, he pointed towards a man standing outside the crowd, “The chicken was with Amo just now.” Following Jing Yi’s gesture, everyone looked and saw the chicken in the man’s hands. It was a small hen, not fully grown, with a pale yellow color and some brownish patterns. The feathers on its legs were white, just like Xiao Tao described.

 

Sigouzi’s mother looked at the other chicken, unable to react, not even realizing that she was being scolded.

Xiao Tao was also dumbfounded, forgetting to cry, still trying to understand what had happened.

 

“Auntie, look, this one really doesn’t seem to be your chicken. Maybe you just misjudged because the chicken ran too fast.” Jing Yi thought of creating some trouble for Sigouzi’s family, but he didn’t want to escalate the situation with them. Otherwise, people in the village would say that the Jing family was heartless and cold.

 

There was an awkward silence on the scene, and everyone leisurely watched the drama unfold.

 

“Oh my, nephew, now that you mention it, I indeed seemed to have been mistaken.” Sigouzi’s mother realized there was no hope and immediately gave in, taking advantage of her thick skin.

 

“Xiao Tao, come here. Take the chicken back home, and make sure to take good care of it from now on.” Jing Yi handed the chicken to Xiao Tao.

 

Turning around, he saw Sigouzi’s mother trying to sneak away, so he spoke before she got too far, “Auntie, since you’re not looking for the chicken anymore, why don’t we go and check the fields in the south? There are a lot of people now, and we can all help in the search.”

 

The people around joined in the teasing, saying that it was unlucky to lose something on New Year’s Eve and that they should help in the search. They also mentioned that it was cold outside, and the chicken must be suffering, so it would be easier to find with so many people together.

 

Putting Sigouzi’s mother in an awkward position, she reluctantly walked back, grumbling, “No need, no need. Don’t bother, I’ll go by myself.” Saying that, she walked with a sour face towards the fields outside the southern part of the village.

 

Regardless of whether she liked it or not, she had to put on a show. It would take a while to find the chicken, and it was freezing cold, which would be hard for her. But it was her own doing. At this point, the onlookers finally dispersed.

 

After this incident, no one would dare to provoke the Jing Yi family in the future, mainly because they didn’t dare to provoke Jing Yi himself. Both Jing Yi’s father and mother were kind-hearted people.

 

Xiao Tao was extremely grateful and expressed his thanks. Jing Yi’s mother told him not to worry about it and held his hand, which was cold, urging him to go back home quickly to warm up.

 

“Um, thank you, Auntie.” Xiao Tao looked at Jing Yi’s mother and sincerely thanked her. Honestly, he had never received so much care and protection from his own mother before, nor had anyone ever stood up for him. It was only after marrying into Xiwancun and having a good mother-in-law like that he experienced the warmth and care of elders. However, his mother-in-law was also gentle and not good at handling things, so he didn’t expect Jing Yi’s aunt, whom he had just met, to stand up for him and protect him. He was very grateful.

 

Meanwhile, Jing Yi’s mother and son continued to buy tofu. Their pants and shoes were wet and damp from stepping on the snow, but they didn’t feel cold. Having done a good and fair deed, Jing Yi’s mother felt extremely happy. She walked with an air of pride. “Let you bully an honest person! Let you badmouth my son behind his back! Hahaha!”

 

Due to the delay on the way, Jing Yi accompanied his mother to buy tofu and hurried back home to start preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner. Dishes like pork ribs and chicken that required long stewing had been prepared by Jing Yi’s mother since morning. They were now kept in the kitchen, ready to be heated in a pot with water and served directly at dinner.

 

The kitchen stove was currently occupied, with Jing Yi’s mother steaming a dish of garlic-infused pork for Jing Yi’s father. It had just been placed in the pot and would take at least an hour to cook.

 

It was already past 3 pm, and it would be ready just in time for dinner. The cast-iron pot that had been set up in the yard a few days ago had been brought back from the shop, and it was still in its original position.

 

Jing Yi’s mother planned to use this pot specifically for frying. When frying, the smoke would be too much, so it was suitable to do it in the yard. Frying food was considered a novelty in the rural village. Even well-off families rarely did it, mainly because it required a lot of oil. Whether it was lard or vegetable oil, it was precious in the countryside. Even during the prosperous times of the Jing family, they had never done it. At most, they would use oil to pan-fry some dishes during the New Year, which was also considered “fried food.”

 

Therefore, at this moment, one by one, including Jing Yi’s father, were watching Jing Yi’s mother’s actions in the yard, occasionally lending a helping hand. Taking advantage of this moment, Jing Yi’s mother vividly recounted the recent incident in the village, of course, embellishing certain details. For example, Sigouzi’s mother’s rudeness and unreasonableness, Xiao Tao’s pitiful helplessness, Jing Yi’s intelligence and resourcefulness, and finally, Jing Yi’s bravery, righteousness, quick-wittedness, talent, gratitude, and reciprocation.

“Mother, you’re so amazing!” Xiao Shu joined in enthusiastically, immediately catching on to the story.

 

“Mother, you’re fantastic! How did you come up with this idea?” Xiao An was very interested in this tactic to deal with enemies and immediately asked Jing Yi’s mother.

 

“It was your big brother’s idea. But I played an important role in it,” Jing Yi’s mother said solemnly.

 

“Big brother!” With shining eyes, Jing An looked at his big brother. How was his big brother so capable!

 

Upon hearing his second younger brother’s interest, Jing Yi was quite pleased and said to him, “Xiao An, books contain a wealth of knowledge and beauty. Much of what your big brother knows comes from reading books.”

Looking at Jing An’s eager and shining eyes, Jing Yi gently patted his shoulder and said, “Xiao An, you’ll be turning eleven after the New Year. You’re a big kid now. How about big brother sends you to the town to study?”

 

Many children in the town started their education at the age of seven or eight, so Jing An was considered late.

 

“Big brother, I don’t know if I can learn. If I can’t, it would be a waste of money. It costs a lot of silver to study.” Jing An looked embarrassed and uneasy.

 

“I want you to study so that you can solve the problem of hunger and be self-reliant when you’re hungry, so that you can come up with solutions when you face difficulties, and so that you understand what a gentleman should and should not do in the future,” Jing Yi said gently.

 

“Remember, Xiao An, the purpose of our family sending you to study is not for official positions. Of course, if you have the ability and are willing to take the exams, big brother will support you!”

The last sentence could be described as full of grandeur.