CH 32.1

By the time Wang Shuping got home, the three clan elders had already left. Wang Wenhe was lying on the bed while Wang Qian and Wang Yan were sitting at his bedside. Wang Wenhe was pale and obviously angry. Wang Shuping’s wife Wang Shen carried a bowl of medicine to the room, making Wang Shuping frightened. “What’s wrong with father?” Wang Shen whispered, “Father’s heart is not well. I just asked Grandpa Sun to come and check him, saying that father is very angry. Old Aunt Wang went to Wang Dafu’s house to make trouble and later she came to father to make a decision for her. But she was kicked out by mother.”

Wang Shuping coldly said: “What did she want to do this time? They take part in every trouble.” When she saw that her son had come back, Wang Qian burst into tears and said to Wang Wenhe who still didn’t say a word, “I told you that you can’t count on that family, but you didn’t listen. Now, people in the clan can throw dirty water on our family at will and there’s nothing you can do about it. Are you still the patriarch or not?” Wang Shuping took the medicine bowl from his wife and went to the bed. “Mother, don’t say anything else. Father is not feeling well. Father, drink the medicine. Yan help grandpa up.” Wang Yan helped his grandpa sit up, while Wang Shuping fed his father the medicine. After drinking the medicine, Wang Wenhe coughed a few times, his whole person looking very dispirited.

Wang Shuping handed the empty bowl to his wife and rubbed his father’s chest. Without avoiding letting his son and wife hear it he said, “Yan, there is a packet in father’s sleeve, take it out.” Wang Yan obediently took out a paper bag from his father’s sleeve and smelled a medicinal scent. Wang Qian wiped her tears. “What is it?” Wang Shen also asked curiously. Without explaining it Wang Shuping just said, “Yan, open it.” Wang Yan put the paper bag on the bed and opened it. When he saw the golden yellow and beautiful wild chrysanthemums inside, everyone else froze and even Wang Yan looked up. “Father, are they chrysanthemums?”

Wang Shuping still did not explain as he just said, “Count eight flowers and prepare with your mother four cups of water, use boiled water to brew it.” Wang Yan was full of doubts, but he counted to eight and got off the bed, going to the kitchen with his mother. Wang Qian asked, “Did Shijing give this to you?” Wang Wenhe’s hand moved, but Wang Shuping just continued to rub his father’s heart and said, “It’s made by Yunan. Mother, take a look.” Wang Qian picked up one and said in surprise, “It’s dry. Is this dried chrysanthemums?”

“It’s not that simple.” Wang Qian smelled it again. It was very fragrant and she said, “It doesn’t smell like direct sun-drying, sun-drying would leave a moldy smell.” Wang Shuping sighed. “Shijing’s wife really has a good brain. If it wasn’t for father always favoring that family, how could Shijing and his family be so distant from father and our family? Didn’t they sell the jam recipe to the Zhao family because father always favors that family?” Wang Shuping advised, “Mother, father is also acting for the sake of our family so don’t be angry. Every time I go over, Shijing and Yunan are always polite. This chrysanthemum tea, Shao Yunan, also insisted on giving it to me, saying that it is for Wang Yan to drink.”

“Ah? Why is it for Wang Yan?” Wang Shuping smiled but didn’t explain. Then Wang Shan and Wang Yan came back. Wang Yan showed a surprised expression, but Wang Shan’s expression was also full of novelty. She put the tray on the edge of the bed. On the tray there were four cups of water and in each cup were two large, bright yellow chrysanthemums. The wild chrysanthemums on the mountains near Xiushui Village were big, so that just two of them could make a cup of tea that had a taste of bitterness mixed with sweetness. Because Shao Yunan used spiritual spring water when he was preparing it, it also had some different aromas.

“Father, is this chrysanthemum? Can you drink it in water?” Obviously Wang Yan had already tasted it, since he already picked up his own cup. Wang Shuping continued, “Father, mother, this chrysanthemum brewed water is very peculiar, try it.” Wang Qian looked at her daughter-in-law and grandson and picked up a cup, while Wang Shuping picked up another cup, blew on it and fed it to his father. “Father, please also try it. This chrysanthemum drink has a cooling effect and can help heal colds. You have been very busy lately, so you should try It.”

This time, Wang Wenhe did not refuse and just opened his mouth and took a sip. The drink was still a little hot, so he didn’t drank too much, but he could still taste that the water carried a peculiar taste he had never tasted before. It was both bitter and sweet at the same time. Wang Shuping then explained, “Yunan said that this chrysanthemum tea is good for the liver and eyes, and can help with healing a cold and sore throat. It is also the same as tea and can be brewed at any time to drink, so he prepared this bag for Wang Yan to drink. But I think it would also be good for you to drink. Father, you should not blame Shijing and Yunan. It is thanks to Shao Yunan coming to us today that we learned that someone is fooling others under our name.”

Wang Shao hurriedly whispered to her mother-in-law to persuade her to let her husband continue to talk. Wang Shuping fed his father a sip of chrysanthemum tea again and said, “Father, it is also because of things like this that Shao Yunan and Shijing are afraid that someone would come and make trouble, especially if our family sided with that family. So they could only sell the jam recipe to Zhao Lizheng. Otherwise how could they not take such a profitable deal for themselves. They said that they originally wanted to give it to me, but Shao Yunan asked me that if Wang Zhisong asked you for the jam recipe, would you give it to him or not. But I didn’t know how to answer him. He also asked me if we earned money selling the jam, would we use the money to subsidize that family. Then I also didn’t know how to answer him. I didn’t want to say it, but father you might indeed have done so.”

Hearing this, Wang Qian covered her chest and said, “You are an old fool! Giving money earned by our family to that family. We all know that no matter what we give to that family, it will never come back!” Wang Yan hurriedly held his grandmother and interjected. “Grandpa, everyone in our private school knows about little Uncle Wang. There are also people asking me if I know him, saying that we are from Xiushui Village. Fortunately, Zhao Congbo told them that he and I were only members of the same clan and not from the same family, so we are not close. Otherwise I would have been laughed at.”

Wang Yan had wanted to say this for a long time, but he was afraid of annoying his father and grandfather. “Just look at that!” Wang Qian was so angry that she wanted to slap the old man a few times to wake him up. then she said angrily to Wang Yan, “What little Uncle Wang! Call him Wang Zhisong!” Wang Shuping didn’t expect that Wang Zhisong’s story would spread even to the ordinary private school, so he could only imagine how ‘famous’ Wang Zhisong was in the county school. Wang Shen asked anxiously, “Did Shijing give you this chrysanthemum tea? For our family to make?”