He glanced at Su Zhi’s slender arms and legs, easily imagining how she’d soon be sweating and panting in the fields. The amount of work she’d manage in a whole day wouldn’t even match what he could do in half a day.
With that in mind, he dismissed Su Zhi’s idea without a second thought.
Su Zhi puffed her cheeks as she combed Yue Tiantian’s hair but didn’t get angry. She just remembered that almost all the noodles from last night had been eaten—not only was there nothing for breakfast, but she also didn’t know what to pack for him to take to the fields.
After thinking it over, Su Zhi hesitantly spoke up, “How about we make do with something simple for breakfast? I’ll bring you lunch at noon. There really isn’t much left to eat at home anyway.”
Yue Chunhan had originally planned to stuff his lunchbox with a couple of corn cakes as usual, but hearing Su Zhi’s voice, he unconsciously pulled the corn cakes back out and responded, “Okay.”
There wasn’t time to cook much for breakfast. Su Zhi made do with the corn cakes Yue Chunhan had steamed earlier, forcing them down with a small dish of pickles.
Yue Tiantian used to enjoy munching on corn cakes. Although she’d had a bowl of noodles yesterday, she didn’t complain about the coarse texture of the corn cakes today either. Her round, adorable little face chewed seriously on the cake in her hand, her still slightly chubby cheeks rosy and glowing.
Today, Su Zhi had used the previous hair accessories to style Yue Tiantian’s hair into two beautiful braids, parted down the middle. The loose braids hung over her shoulders, each tied at the end with hair bows made from the original host’s modified gauze scarves. She looked pretty as a little princess.
Yue Tiantian couldn’t wait to run out and show off her new hairstyle to her little friends. Recently, thanks to her pretty hair accessories and unique, lovely hairstyles, she’d earned the envy of many children in the village. Yue Tiantian was proud and happy, playing outside with extra joy, which made her especially attached to Su Zhi lately.
Since Su Zhi needed to bring Yue Chunhan lunch at noon, she ate breakfast absentmindedly, her thoughts already on what to make for lunch.
There was still plenty of the flour Yue Chunhan brought back yesterday. He mentioned wanting to make steamed buns—should she try steaming some today?
What to serve with them…
Su Zhi glanced at the vegetables and fruits in the yard, planning to make the best of limited resources.
Living in the countryside meant vegetables weren’t scarce, but meat was rare. Most households kept pigs to slaughter for the New Year, and some couldn’t even afford to raise pigs, only buying a little meat during the holidays to satisfy their cravings.
The Yue household didn’t have a pig. Su Zhi hadn’t seen any meat on the table since she arrived. The wild boar Yue Chunhan hunted earlier was sold to someone else in exchange for a bag of white flour. Supplies were relatively scarce.
Su Zhi wasn’t particularly fond of meat herself. She’d been vegetarian since birth and could only tolerate lean meat if she had to eat it. Too much would make her queasy, and she wouldn’t miss the taste of meat even if she went a year without it. So, she could accept the situation in Yue Chunhan’s household for now.
The chickens in the coop were layers, kept for their eggs to sell. Their meat wasn’t great but was still a rare resource reserved for holidays.
Although she couldn’t slaughter chickens freely, eating a few eggs should be fine. Su Zhi planned to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes and disanxian (a stir-fry of potatoes, eggplants, and green peppers) to go with steamed buns for Yue Chunhan’s lunch.
Once she decided, she chewed her corn cake faster.
After breakfast, everyone had their tasks. Yue Chunhan washed the dishes while Su Zhi and Yue Tiantian cleared the table. Once everything was tidy, Yue Chunhan put on his long-sleeved coat and headed out to work. Yue Tiantian skipped outside to play, and Su Zhi began her preparations.
First, she needed to let the dough rise.
After rummaging around, Su Zhi finally found a small bag of yeast in a corner of the cabinet. The packaging was very simple, but after sniffing it, it seemed fine and usable.
With yesterday’s experience kneading dough for noodles, Su Zhi felt increasingly confident. She mixed the flour with warm water, adding it bit by bit before kneading.
She dissolved the yeast in warm water and gradually worked it into the dough. The dough slowly came together, starting as dry fragments and becoming smoother the more she kneaded.
Su Zhi found a relatively warm spot on the kang, placed the dough bowl there, covered it, and then draped a warm quilt over it to let it rise slowly.
For steamed buns, letting the dough rise was the most crucial step. If it didn’t rise properly or the yeast was killed by heat, the buns would turn out hard and dense, without any softness.
Fortunately, Su Zhi remembered not to use boiling water to dissolve the yeast.
While waiting for the dough to rise, Su Zhi stood in front of the chicken coop—she needed to collect eggs.
Yesterday afternoon, when she was kneading dough for noodles, she’d added an egg to make the dough more elastic. She’d gone into the chicken coop then too, but this morning the chickens were especially lively. As soon as she entered, they seemed frightened, flapping and flying everywhere, clucking loudly.
Su Zhi almost got hit in the face by flapping wings. She quickly bent down and took a few steps inside.
The chicken coop was clearly built by Yue Chunhan himself. The enclosed outer area was for the chickens to roam and sunbathe. Against the wall was a small brick-and-tile shed with straw covering the ground, where a few chickens were wandering.
The nesting area was cleverly designed—a hole opened in one wall, leading to a small, square nest where a few hens were brooding, a dedicated spot for laying eggs.
Su Zhi chose a spot, trying not to disturb the brooding hens. She felt inside the nest and found two or three eggs still slightly warm. She quickly grabbed them, tucked them into her clothes, and dashed out of the coop, afraid the other chickens might attack and peck her, but thankfully they didn’t.
To make the eggs tender, Su Zhi cracked them into a bowl, added a little water, and whisked them evenly, setting them aside.
The tomatoes picked fresh from the yard were plump and full, looking vividly red. After basking in the sun, their skins were still warm. Ripe to the point where they seemed ready to burst at a touch, their deep red color was something the thick-skinned, modified tomatoes used for cooking in later times couldn’t compare to in freshness.
Su Zhi thought they’d taste delicious even eaten raw, and stir-fried, they’d be even more flavorful.
She also prepared the eggplants, peppers, and potatoes. Sitting on a small stool, she carefully peeled the potatoes. The potatoes grown in the village varied in size. Yue Chunhan had sorted them into several baskets—the good ones saved for later, starting with the smaller ones first.
Because they were so small, Su Zhi thought they’d be perfect for making crispy little potatoes, though peeling them for cooking was quite a chore.
Su Zhi had woken up early. By the time she finished preparing everything, she realized it was still too soon—the dough wasn’t ready yet. So she picked up the watering can and watered the flowers in Yue Chunhan’s yard.
There was a small flowerbed in the yard, planted with some unknown flowers that looked like they’d been casually scattered, along with a few rose bushes.
Even in the cold autumn, these roses bloomed vibrantly. Their pink petals unfurled, exuding a refreshing fragrance. Su Zhi leaned in, took a deep breath, and felt her mood brighten for the entire day.
Meanwhile, Yue Tiantian ran out to play with her little friends but didn’t find the joy she expected.
She wore two beautiful braids, each tied with blue and pink hair bows that looked like flower buds. Her round, chubby baby face was fair and adorable, with bright, clear, round eyes shining.
This stylish look, as usual, drew praise and envy from her little friends, but not everyone was pleased.
Li Yanyan, the youngest daughter of Aunt Li at the village entrance, was about the same age as Yue Tiantian. She pouted discontentedly, “They’re just hair bows. I’m not impressed.”
Her hair was messy, clearly an attempt to mimic Yue Tiantian’s hairstyle from the day before, but it was a clumsy imitation. Without Su Zhi’s skillful hands, the result was almost painful to look at.
Li Yanyan claimed she wasn’t impressed by Yue Tiantian’s hair bows, but she was actually extremely envious. Earlier, she had cried and begged her mother to buy her similar bows, but these were made by Su Zhi herself—where could they be bought outside? Besides, Li Yanyan was the fifth child in her family, with four older sisters. With so many children, her parents had no time to bother with such trivial matters and simply brushed it off.
This only made Li Yanyan envy Yue Tiantian even more. Since Yue Tiantian got a stepmother, not only did she have such pretty hair bows, but her hairstyles also changed beautifully every day. If her own mother weren’t so good to her, Li Yanyan might have wanted Su Zhi as her stepmother too.
She glanced at Yue Tiantian’s pretty blue and pink hair bows. Made from gauze scarves, they resembled flower buds with cute tassels underneath, incredibly beautiful.
Li Yanyan glanced once, then again, trying hard to hide her envy but pretending indifference, forcing a calm expression. “My mom said I’m a big kid now. I don’t want to wear things only little kids wear. Besides, they’re not that pretty—just average. Hmph!”
The surrounding children looked at Yue Tiantian, then at Li Yanyan, feeling confused.
…Aren’t they both about the same age? And aren’t these hair bows really pretty? They thought they were absolutely lovely.
Li Yanyan used to be the leader among the children, but now Yue Tiantian was stealing the spotlight. Pouting, she pulled a ten-cent coin from her pocket and lifted her chin proudly. “My mom said hair bows aren’t anything special—they’re just for looking at, not eating. That’s such a waste. Fruit candy is much better—sweet and fragrant.”
Just then, the peddler arrived at the intersection right on time, carrying his wares and calling out along the street. Li Yanyan happily went to buy a handful of candies with her coin, holding them high in her palm to show her friends.
The old-fashioned fruit candies weren’t packaged beautifully, but in this remote little village, they were considered rare treats. Any child who got to eat a piece of candy was envied.
Now, Li Yanyan had nearly ten candies in her hand. The thin, glossy wrappers were slightly transparent, revealing the shiny candy inside. The children around her gasped, their eyes lighting up, mouths watering as they desperately imagined how sweet and delicious the candy must taste.
Li Yanyan had captured all the children’s attention. She grinned triumphantly and deliberately asked, “Well, compared to fruit candy, aren’t hair bows less special? Isn’t fruit candy better?”
The children stared fixedly at the candy in her hand, nodding eagerly, drooling. “Yes, yes! Fruit candy can be eaten, but hair bows can’t.”
“Hair bows aren’t exciting after looking at them for a while. Fruit candy stays sweet even if I don’t eat it right away.”
“I’ve never had candy before. Is it really sweet?”
“I really want to taste it. I’ve wanted this candy for so long, but my mom won’t buy it for me.”
“Yanyan, can I have a taste? I’ll trade you my toy.”
“…”
Li Yanyan reveled in the attention, deliberately ignoring Yue Tiantian, who stood alone on the sidelines. Though she still coveted Yue Tiantian’s hair bows, Li Yanyan pretended disdain, lifting her chin as she distributed the candies to the children who had spoken up. The few who didn’t get any could only watch enviously as the others unwrapped the candies and carefully licked them.
“What does it taste like? Is it really sweet?”
They crowded around the children who had candy, swallowing saliva and eagerly asking.
“So fragrant!”
“Really delicious!”
“…”
The children at the village entrance became a lively scene—some envious and jealous, some disappointed, others squabbling and playing.
Yue Tiantian was left out. Her pretty hair bows and exquisite hairstyle were still eye-catching, but today, all the attention and praise she usually received were gone. The other children were too busy fighting over and discussing Li Yanyan’s candy to care about her hair bows or hairstyle.
Li Yanyan sucked on her candy, watching Yue Tiantian standing alone not far away, and smiled smugly.
It looked like she was still the top kid in the village. Stealing that ten-cent coin from her grandma’s pocket wasn’t in vain!
As she gloated, Yue Tiantian, standing away from the crowd, watched the other children eating candy, unable to help secretly swallowing her own saliva.
She’d never had fruit candy either. She didn’t know what it tasted like.