Chapter 351 - 340
Ms. Qian tore off the last piece of pancake she had in her hand, stuffed it into her mouth, chewed slowly, and then swallowed before looking up at Junior Ms.Qian.
The family stared in disbelief.
Old Zhou had returned at some point and was now sitting on the side with his mouth agape, watching his wife as she looked at the eldest daughter-in-law. He touched his smoking pipe and finally said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, go and cook. We’ll have pancakes tonight. Make a few extra."
Junior Ms.Qian closed her mouth, "Alright," she responded, and turned to head to the kitchen.
The remaining three daughters-in-law saw this and immediately followed suit.
The room was suddenly left with only the Zhous, including the eloquent Mr.Zhou Si.
Old Zhou turned to his wife and asked, "What’s wrong with you?"
Ms. Qian had eaten three pancakes because her stomach had suffered from hunger before, which is why she always chewed her food slowly through the years. This time with the pancakes, she chewed them into fine pieces before swallowing, but the speed of her eating accelerated considerably.
The sight had startled the entire Zhou family.
Feeling sticky and uncomfortable, Ms. Qian did not answer Old Zhou but instead turned her head and ordered Zhou Xi, "Go to the kitchen and fetch some hot water, I’ll take a bath first."
The weather was beginning to turn cold. Water was hard to carry, and firewood was becoming precious, so the family didn’t bathe every day.