Mo Yan had initially thought the woman in front of them was big and strong, and he had been ready to step forward to protect Shen Youyou.
But what happened next left him stunned.
Although she was small and slight, Shen Youyou moved with incredible agility. In a flash, she snatched the broom from the woman and swung it directly at her.
Hu Shi didn’t even have time to react—the whole thing happened too quickly.
By the time she recovered, the two of them had already walked away, and all she could hear was a voice drifting in the air:
“Don’t try to act all high and mighty if you’re not capable! Pathetic!”
Hu Shi was fuming. She wanted to explode with anger, but as the girl said, there was nothing she could do—Shen Youyou had clearly gotten stronger since her illness. The sheer force of her presence was almost suffocating.
Shouting after them, Hu Shi cursed:
“You little brat, just wait! I’ll get back at you someday!”
Then she dragged her son home, berating him along the way:
“You too! Such a big boy, yet you couldn’t even handle a little girl? And after eating so much good food, you still act like a fool! Why didn’t you run?”
Shen Dong thought to himself with disdain,
“Still blaming me? You didn’t handle it any better. What a joke.”
Though he thought this, he didn’t dare say it aloud—or else his mother would twist his ear. Survival first.
As the teacher always said, “A gentleman waits ten years for revenge.” He would endure for now, confident that he’d have his chance eventually.
Meanwhile, Mo Yan walked behind Shen Youyou, smiling.
He hadn’t expected her to be so fierce.
There was no need to protect her—she was more than capable of protecting herself.
Shen Youyou was truly special, unlike any woman he had ever met in the capital, and very different from the gentle and elegant imperial sisters-in-law.
When they returned to the mountain, they saw the three little ones gathered with Li Shi, looking at something.
“Mother, we’re back!” Shen Youyou called out, breaking the quiet.
“Sis! You’re back! Come see! We have little chicks!”
Shen Youyou and Mo Yan hurried over, and indeed, a small group of six or seven chicks were pecking at the ground, chirping cheerfully.
Mo Yan was amazed. Though he had caught many wild chickens before, he had never seen such tiny chicks. He reached out and stroked their soft, yellow down.
Tuanzi and Yuanzu chattered non-stop.
“Yoyo Sister, I caught these bugs for the chicks! Auntie said chicks love bugs—they grow faster and will lay eggs for us later!”
“Yeah, I caught this grasshopper—it jumped so fast! Took me a while to catch it. Uncle, I’m awesome, right?”
…
Listening to the children chatter endlessly, Shen Youyou asked curiously,
“Mother, where did the chicks come from?”
Li Shi looked a bit embarrassed and explained,
“I originally went to Aunt Chuan’s to get some vegetables, but I saw that their chicks had hatched. I thought we could raise a few for eggs, so I traded a fish for these chicks. The kids were so happy. We even made a simple chicken coop together!”
Shen Nan, excited, introduced it to his sister:
“Look, Sis! This is the chicken coop we built for the chicks! Pretty, right? They even have their own yard.”
Shen Youyou thought it was wonderful—having small animals at home made the household feel more pastoral. She praised the children for their effort.
The kids even named each chick and eagerly took on the responsibility of caring for them daily. Shen Youyou thought this would be a good learning experience and agreed with Li Shi’s approval.
Meanwhile, at Xu Family Eatery, it was midday.
Many regulars had come for lunch, but they were in for a surprise.
After their usual dishes were served, the waiter brought out a dish they had never seen before.
“Dear customers, this is a new dish from our eatery. Please enjoy it on the house.”
Most patrons initially thought it would be mediocre, but upon tasting it, they were stunned by its unique flavor. Those who received the spicy duck neck were particularly delighted, savoring each bite.
One table had a drunkard. He had planned to drink only later, but after tasting the duck, he immediately thought how perfectly it would pair with alcohol. He waved for the waiter and ordered a pot of good wine.
Bite after bite, sip after sip—they enjoyed themselves immensely.
But just as his appetite was whetted, he discovered the complimentary duck was already gone.
The drunkard was annoyed—such stingy portions! He hadn’t even gotten his fill!
He quickly waved the waiter over:
“Waiter! Bring me another serving of this dish, a big one! I’ll pay! Don’t be so stingy!”
The waiter hesitated, explaining,
“Sir, sorry, there’s not much left. That was all we had.”
“What? I just got hooked and it’s gone? How do you run a business like this?”
The drunkard slammed his fist on the table with a loud bang, startling the waiter.
Hearing the noise, Xu Gang came out from behind the counter, smiling and explaining:
“Sir, please calm down. This duck is a new dish. We weren’t sure if customers would like it, so we made only a small amount. We’re honored you enjoy it.
The day after tomorrow, it will officially be on the menu. To apologize, when you come back, you’ll only pay half price for the dish. How does that sound?”
The drunkard couldn’t argue with that and grumpily agreed:
“You better mean it! I’ll be here the day after tomorrow, and you better charge me half price, or I won’t hold back!”
He even waved his fist, trying to intimidate the owner a bit.