Chapter 180: Good Intentions Mistaken for Malice
Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Good Intentions Mistaken for Malice
Seeing the snow getting heavier, Fu Xiaoxiao frowned and looked at the sky; with the sudden blizzard, it’s a bit dangerous for her to take the two kids back now.
"The village chief said, everyone should go to the ancestral hall!"
Someone shouted to convey the village chief’s message. Fu Xiaoxiao thought about it and decided to follow them to the ancestral hall first.
Fu Xiaoxiao was close by, and as she entered the ancestral hall, she saw Aunt Zhang making ginger tea in a big pot. Upon seeing Fu Xiaoxiao, Aunt Zhang immediately waved at her.
"Xiao Xiao, come over quickly."
"Aunt Zhang." Fu Xiaoxiao brought a group of children in front of Aunt Zhang.
Aunt Zhang quickly grabbed a bowl and served a bowl of ginger tea to each of them. "Drink quickly, more people will come soon, and then there won’t be enough bowls."
Aunt Zhang was right, Fu Xiaoxiao made sure every child drank a bowl.
"Mrs. Fu, I don’t want to drink it. I’m not afraid of the cold." The kids were too young, and the unsweetened ginger tea was a bit spicy. They pushed it away after taking a sip.
"No, you don’t feel cold now because you just moved around, but soon you’ll start feeling colder just standing still. Drinking ginger tea will make you feel warm later." Fu Xiaoxiao told them seriously.
"Listen to Mrs. Fu and drink!" Niuwa understood Fu Xiaoxiao’s intention and urged his friends to obey and drink it up.
After Fu Xiaoxiao finished her bowl, Lu Lin and Lu Chen also stumbled through theirs, not caring about personal preference at the moment.
Handing the bowl back to Aunt Zhang, Fu Xiaoxiao noticed an empty pot beside her. Aunt Zhang looked at Fu Xiaoxiao. "Xiao Xiao, help me make another pot; I’m afraid there won’t be enough when more people arrive."
"Okay." Fu Xiaoxiao nodded. Lu Lin and Lu Chen rushed over to help start the fire and add wood, but the temporary firewood was limited, and seeing this, Niuwa led some kids to fetch more wood.
Fu Xiaoxiao sliced the ginger and put it in the pot, then filled the pot with water.
While the tea was brewing, a large group of people streamed into the ancestral hall, each carrying a coating of thick snow.
"The snow is getting heavier and heavier..." The villagers complained as they walked in.
"God knows if we can hold out."
"How did it suddenly start snowing heavily!"
The villagers looked up at the sky in worry, afraid that the snow piling up might collapse the frame.
"Alright, for now, we can only keep protecting like this." The village chief coughed a couple of times and walked to the center, all eyes on him with serious faces.
"The ginger tea is ready, everyone come over and have a bowl." Aunt Zhang timely shouted, drawing everyone’s attention.
"Ginger tea? Great, I’m freezing."
"Get in line, don’t crowd." The village chief called for everyone to form a line.
The villagers queued up, and Aunt Zhang served them while calling out, "Quickly return the bowls after drinking, otherwise, there’s no bowl for the next person."
With so many people, Aunt Zhang’s pot quickly ran out, and more than half still hadn’t had any.
"Gone?" Someone looked at the empty pot with a grim face.
"There’s more, don’t worry, I’m brewing some! Everyone will definitely get to drink." Fu Xiaoxiao came out to reassure everyone. "Could a couple of strong men help me? It’s too heavy for me to lift."
"I’ll help! I’ll help!" Several men stepped out of the crowd and followed Fu Xiaoxiao to the pot, where she directed them to ladle the ginger tea out.
Luckily, Fu Xiaoxiao’s pot was large and could brew two buckets at a time. Considering the population of Upper River Village, Fu Xiaoxiao filled a bucket as soon as the tea was ready and started brewing the next one.
When the men came out with the ginger tea, Aunt Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly served the next person in line.
The villagers drank their ginger tea, sighed with satisfaction, and in this frigid winter, a bowl of ginger tea was the best nourishment to warm their cold bodies.
After the villagers finished drinking, Xiao Heng led a group of educated youths forward. Aunt Zhang took out bowls used by others, ready to serve them, but the youths’ expressions changed.
"How many people have used these..." a female youth muttered softly, though before she could finish, Aunt Zhang, standing closest, heard it.
Aunt Zhang’s hand awkwardly stopped in mid-air, her smile froze, and the busy villagers around also turned with puzzled glances.
It didn’t take long for the villagers to decipher the meaning behind her words, and their expressions immediately darkened.
"If you think our used bowls are dirty, then don’t drink." A villager, never fond of educated youths, said coldly.
The female youth realizing she misspoke went pale, and Xiao Heng glanced at her sternly.
"Sorry, she didn’t mean it like that." Xiao Heng stepped forward to apologize to the villagers.
Xiao Heng had a decent reputation in the village, better recognized than most educated youths; he was hardworking and never complained of tiredness, willing to communicate without arrogance.
Upon hearing Xiao Heng, the annoyed villagers huffed but showed respect by staying silent.
"Aunt Zhang, I didn’t mean it..." The female youth came to her senses and hastily apologized to Aunt Zhang.
She just thought the bowls were unwashed, and that so many people had used them, it wasn’t sanitary.
But her words changed meaning once spoken.
When Fu Xiaoxiao came out, she sensed the coldness in the air and walked over to Aunt Zhang. "Auntie, what’s wrong?"
"They think the bowls are dirty." Aunt Zhang, though having received an apology, felt uncomfortable and aggrieved.
Kindly making ginger tea for them, yet ending up despised, not considering current conditions, with the cold weather outside, where was the time to wash bowls?
Fu Xiaoxiao looked at Xiao Heng, who pursed his lips, having explained such conflicts many times, and having reminded the educated youths frequently, but they still didn’t learn.
Were it not for them all being educated youths, he wouldn’t want to deal with them.
"Then don’t drink it! With the weather changing suddenly, my aunt was considering everyone’s well-being, kindly making ginger tea to warm our bodies to avoid freezing! It’s not like anyone’s forcing you to drink. If you have the leisure to want to drink, then go back to the youth point and get your cup or bowl. If you don’t want to drink, no one will make you. After all, this ginger tea is not mandatory." Fu Xiaoxiao glanced at the educated youths, understanding their intentions but knowing that they’d stirred anger, urging the release of tensions.
Otherwise, keeping this anger inside would be uncomfortable whenever remembered.
"Exactly, if you think it’s dirty, don’t drink it!" The villagers immediately voiced their pent-up frustration.
Aunt Zhang’s face looked considerably better, glancing at Fu Xiaoxiao who spoke up for her, and feeling the anger dissipate, she approached and patted Fu Xiaoxiao’s hand.
"Given the current circumstances, don’t you know where to settle? Who has the leisure to clean your bowl? Look at the snow on everyone’s shoulders; who’s got the mood to fuss over these? What’s more important, filth or frost? Being grown-ups and still can’t discern such minor things." Fu Xiaoxiao glared at the group of educated youths and rolled her eyes.
Xiao Heng had a smile in his eyes; he had wanted to scold them like this for a long time.