Chapter 37: All Bark and No Bite

As for Huan-ya, after leaving the Song household, she slung her basket over her back and headed straight for the fields.

Many people on the road were sizing her up, but she pretended not to notice. By the time she reached the edge of the village, however, someone called out to her.

"Hey, hey, are you Huan-ya?"

Huan-ya paused, dodging the hand the woman reached out toward her, and asked, "Who are you?"

"My surname is Sun. You can just call me Auntie Sun."

She didn't know her; her aunt hadn't mentioned anyone by that name.

Huan-ya nodded perfunctorily and said, "Hello, Auntie Sun."

Then, she bypassed the woman and kept walking.

Auntie Sun hurried to grab her. "Huan-ya, Huan-ya, wait a moment! Auntie has something to tell you."

Huan-ya shook off the woman’s hand and stepped back. She felt quite annoyed, but not wanting to cause trouble for her aunt, she stopped and asked, "What is it, Auntie?"

Auntie Sun smiled. "You girl, what's the rush? Isn't the work in the Song family's field all finished anyway? Come here, come here, I have some good news for you!"

As she spoke, Auntie Sun reached out again to pull her.

Huan-ya dodged again and took another step back. "Auntie, I have things to do. I’m leaving now."

Ignoring the look on Auntie Sun's face, Huan-ya walked away from the village entrance at a brisk pace.

Auntie Sun’s expression collapsed instantly, and the onlookers nearby burst into laughter.

One person remarked, "I tell you, Auntie Sun, the girl doesn't care for you at all. You'd better give up on that idea!"

"None of your business!" Auntie Sun glared at the person, then, as if struck by a thought, her eyes lit up and she hurried off toward her own home.

When Huan-ya arrived at the fields, she used a sickle to turn over the corn stalks and picked up the kernels that had fallen to the ground, tossing them into her basket.

She worked with such vigor that she didn't notice the people watching her.

"Is that Huan-ya?"

"Must be. Guiying from the Meng family said as much. My, she may be small, but she’s certainly quick with her hands."

"Isn't she? If my girl were half as capable, I wouldn't have to worry about no one coming to ask for her hand."

"Pfft, your girl is fine. Mine is the one—lazy as they come. Even getting her up for breakfast in the morning is a struggle."

The two women shook their heads, lamenting that their own daughters simply couldn't compare. Yet, neither of them suggested calling their daughters over to help with the work.

The Meng family's plot was not far from the Song family's; only a few fields separated them. Since all the corn stalks had already been cut, one could see clearly across the expanse.

Mother Meng looked up and saw Huan-ya working.

She had heard people in the village talking over the past few days about the girl who had arrived at the Song household—a distant relative who was incredibly efficient at farm work.

"It would have been better if that girl hadn't come," muttered daughter-in-law Guiying, who had been dragged out to work early in the morning.

Mother Meng turned and glared at her. "Keep that nonsense to yourself!"

Taken aback by the shout, Guiying pursed her lips but couldn't help herself. "Mother, I didn't mean anything else by it. It’s just that in the past, whenever Auntie Song couldn't finish her work, she would hire people from the village. Why, the days Dazhu went to help, he could earn over ten coins—enough to buy a pound of meat, at the very least."

Mother Meng scoffed. "And what of it? Has the Meng family shorted you on meat? Or are you lacking for food and clothes? You’re so short-sighted!"

"I..."

"Dazhu!" Mother Meng cut her off, shouting to her eldest son, "Take your wife and get back to work! She hasn't done a lick of labor all day, but her mouth is sharp enough."

Mother Meng's voice was loud, and since the fields were full of workers, those who didn't care for Guiying burst into laughter at the remark.