The Comeback of the Charming Farmer's Wife

"Alright!" Ye Zi’an returned the embrace.

"That’s truly wonderful." Yang Qingtong said, "Brother-in-law, you really scared us there."

"Sorry to have worried you all."

"Thankfully, it’s all behind us now." Yang Qingtong then turned to Yang Chuxia and said, "Sis, brother-in-law is better now, shouldn’t we celebrate properly?"

"Absolutely, absolutely." Yang Chuxia hadn’t even spoken when Yangyang nodded vigorously, "Mom, we must celebrate. Tell the kitchen to make more delicious food. During dad’s illness, the baby has been so worried that I’ve gotten fat."

"Pfft..."

"Hehe..."

Ye Zi’an and Yang Qingtong were both amused by him.

"Yangyang, shouldn’t you be so worried that you can’t eat and have gotten thin instead? How did you end up getting fat?" Yang Qingtong asked him with a laugh.

He waved his hand like an adult and sighed, "Ah, uncle, you don’t understand. My mom really dislikes the word ’thin’ now. What did big brother say again? ’Startled what bird’? As soon as my mom hears the word ’thin,’ her first reaction is to worry whether I have caught dad’s sickness."

"Little brother, that’s called ’a frightened bird,’" she corrected.

"Right, right, that’s the phrase." Yangyang nodded again, "I think that’s how it is in Shandong now; everyone hates the word ’thin,’ so we all have to be fat, we’ve got to be fat!"

Yangyang felt that living in Shandong was freaking hard. Why did he have to turn himself into a fatty? Why, oh why?

These opinions were naturally something Yang Qingtong had heard of, and from time to time when she was out on the street, she would overhear such discussions.

Once, there was even a fight over this very word, which was quite funny. It started because someone said to another, "Hey, have you lost weight recently?" The other person reacted strongly, retorting, "You’re the one who’s lost weight, your whole family has lost weight, your whole family’s ill."

And just like that, it became a big deal. The two people had a public row, and gradually, the mindset of people on the streets changed. They liked to hear others say, "Hey, you’ve gained weight recently, haven’t you?" They also liked to hear, "Gaining weight is good; it’s healthy to be fatter."

Even more bizarre, some people purposefully ate more, indulged in good food, all in hopes that someone would notice and say, "Wow, you’ve gained weight!"

Over time, an aesthetic preference akin to that of the Tang Dynasty took shape in Shandong – "Fat is beautiful!"

Eventually, the concept started to spread throughout the whole of Great Zhou, which for many ladies who weren’t particularly slim, was a stroke of good fortune amidst disaster!

"Quit showing off," Yang Chuxia ruffled his hair, "Mom has already decided, we’ll have a great time tonight; I’m off to tell the kitchen now."

"That’s fantastic!"

Hearing that, Yangyang jumped up and down several times.

~~~~

Meanwhile, Mu Shaoling returned to his quarters and angrily threw his medical chest onto the table.

The noise was so loud that even Chengcheng, who was practicing walking, couldn’t help but turn to look at him.

Just a glance, and then the child turned back and continued to toddle along, holding onto the couch, at times even taking a few steps without support.

"What’s gotten into you, throwing things around as soon as you get back?" Commandery Princess Dongyang asked him, noticing his dark expression.

"I need to have a word with that little brat," Mu Shaoling said as he rolled up his sleeves and walked over to Chengcheng. He picked up the child and carried him off to the next room.

Suddenly hoisted into the air, Chengcheng kicked his little legs frantically, reaching out behind him and yelling, "Mom, mom, save me, save me!!"