“The wok here can be lit now.” Seeing that the chicken had marinated long enough, Lu Zhenzhen looked up and said to Mother Gu.
“Mm.” Mother Gu responded. The two didn’t engage in casual chatter; whenever Lu Zhenzhen needed something done, she would say a word, and Mother Gu would answer and immediately carry it out.
Once the wok was heated, oil was added. When the oil was hot, the chicken pieces were added and stir-fried quickly over medium-high heat until the surface turned golden and tightened.
This step helped release the chicken fat to enhance the aroma and quickly lock in the moisture inside, keeping the chicken tender.
Using the oil left from stir-frying the chicken, along with some additional rapeseed oil, dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, ginger slices, garlic cloves, and other mixed spices were stir-fried over low heat until fragrant.
When the braising time was up, the lid was removed, and the heat was turned to high to reduce the sauce, making it thick and coating the chicken pieces, concentrating the flavors and releasing a rich aroma.
“Mom, what are you cooking that smells so…” Gu Shiwu rushed excitedly into the kitchen but stopped abruptly when he saw Lu Zhenzhen by the stove.
“Xiao Wu is back from school. Come tend the fire; I’ll go wipe the table and set the bowls and chopsticks.” Mother Gu said casually.
She thought her son would refuse, but to her surprise, Gu Shiwu replied softly, “Okay.”
Not only was Mother Gu surprised, but even Lu Zhenzhen looked curiously at Gu Shiwu. The boy today was different from the one in the original host’s memory.
At fifteen, the young man already had a tall, straight posture and sturdy muscles.
At this moment, his handsome face showed no trace of ferocity, nor did he resemble a wolf cub baring its fangs. Instead, there was a hint of awkwardness.
How strange!
No matter what expression the boy wore, in Lu Zhenzhen’s eyes, he was just trying to shed his youthful appearance.
The original host had lived under the same roof with the Gu family for a full 58 days, yet they were like strangers; they probably wouldn’t even recognize each other if they met outside.
Even Gu Ye, who had spent the night with her in hatred until dawn, had no clear outline in the original host’s memory.
The only memory was of him lying on top of her like a programmed machine, not stopping until dawn. The original host truly hated him.
But Lu Zhenzhen envied the original host. That silly girl had eaten so well, yet it left her with an endless aftertaste…
“Why is your face red?” Gu Shiwu’s voice during his changing period sounded like a saw being pulled, harsh and unpleasant.
“The steam from the wok made my face hot. It’s natural to turn red from the heat. Don’t you know that?” Lu Zhenzhen defended herself guiltily.
She couldn’t tell the young boy that she had just been reminiscing about inappropriate scenes in her mind.
“Oh, I didn’t expect the food you cooked to smell so good.” Gu Shiwu awkwardly praised.
Seeing the deep furrow between the boy’s brows, Lu Zhenzhen casually said, “I wasn’t good before. From now on, I’ll cook for you every day.”
As for whether she would actually cook every day, Lu Zhenzhen herself didn’t know. She said this because she didn’t want to ruin the rare pleasant atmosphere.
This was the first time in 58 days that Gu Shiwu hadn’t faced her with rejection. Although Lu Zhenzhen was also puzzled, she didn’t mind it.
“……” Gu Shiwu’s heart nearly skipped a beat. At this moment, he felt like acknowledging her as his sister-in-law, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Yesterday, when he heard she went to Xujia every day to collect debts, he didn’t believe it at all. But today, he believed it.
On his way home from school, he had seen with his own eyes how she threw Xu Yanqing onto the country path, sending dust flying and exuding an overwhelming aura.
That throw was truly fierce, making him feel incredibly proud in front of his classmates and cousins.
They all envied him for having an impressive sister-in-law, and said that everyone has moments of blindness, falling for someone unworthy.
To recognize a mistake and correct it is the greatest virtue.
Teacher Lu—no, his sister-in-law, his own sister-in-law—before she mistakenly entered his brother’s bridal chamber, their whole family had liked her very much.
She was kind, sincere, passionate in love and hate, and wholeheartedly good to Youth Xu and the Xujia family.
Not only did she use all her teacher’s salary to subsidize the Xujia family, but after school, she also worked tirelessly for them, toiling like an ox or a horse.
Even the donkeys in their village weren’t as diligent as Teacher Lu, truly.
When he learned that his brother had mistakenly consummated the marriage, he secretly gloated for a few hours. He had even vowed in his heart to respect her.
He would absolutely not be like Xu Yue’e, ordering his future sister-in-law to do everything.
Unfortunately, her actions… disappointed him too much, utterly shaming the old Gu family.
They became the laughingstock of Shuanghecun, and from then on, he began to hate her, growing more resentful with each passing day.
Who would have thought it was all just a misunderstanding? This made him deeply regret his earlier recklessness and impulsiveness, yet he didn’t know how to express it.
Recalling the past two months, whenever people passed by and saw her from afar, they would avoid her, afraid of having any interaction with her.
Gu Shiwu awkwardly said, “You… shouldn’t go out these next few days. I’ll fetch water and wash your clothes for you.”
“That won’t do. Tomorrow is market day, and I need to buy things,” Lu Zhenzhen said seriously.
“Tomorrow is Sunday, I’m off. I’ll go with you to the market,” Gu Shiwu said, stuffing a handful of firewood into the stove to hide his awkwardness.
“Alright,” Lu Zhenzhen didn’t refuse.
It was October 1975, and there had always been open markets here, though buying and selling weren’t allowed.
However, villagers from several villages could take their “surplus” goods to the road in front of the commune to exchange, which was called “going to the market.”
On the 1st, 4th, and 7th of each month were market days. Villagers could sell eggs from their homes, fish caught from the river, or loaches dug from the rice paddies to exchange for salt and daily necessities.
Daily necessities had to be purchased with ration tickets at the Gongxiaoshe, and there were no small vendors at the market.
Chickens and eggs could be sold freely, but pigs raised by villagers were uniformly purchased by the food station, slaughtered, and sold, with everyone buying them using ration tickets.
The original host was a regular at the market because she had a salary and money, often going to buy eggs and loaches to nourish the Xujia family.
Villagers nearby all knew her. Fifty-eight days ago, the original host had a good reputation, but over the past two months, she had become as infamous as mud throughout the entire commune.
Thinking of this, Lu Zhenzhen sighed, resting her forehead in her hand, regretting only that she had thrown the scumbag too lightly earlier—she should have taken the chance to break a few of his ribs to vent her anger!
Seeing this, Gu Shiwu’s protective instincts surged. “Don’t be afraid. Tomorrow, I’ll tell everyone that Xu Yanqing refused to repay the money he owed, and it wasn’t your fault.”
“Thank you. Both pots can be heated with a strong fire now,” Lu Zhenzhen said, her face beaming with a sincere smile.
The original host was a Lian’ainao, only capable of doing foolish things that let others soar while she bore the pain herself. But she was not the original host.
Grandpa Gu and Gu Ning finished work and headed home for dinner. Along the way, they heard people cursing Xu Yanqing, saying all sorts of things, and the insults were harsh.
“Xiao Ning, go find out what your sister-in-law did today. Grandpa will go to the brigade office to call your brother.”
“She’s not my sister-in-law. I won’t acknowledge her, and I won’t find out. I’m going to the ridge to gather some pigweed to take home,” Gu Ning said angrily.
As Lu Zhenzhen plated the final stir-fried greens, Grandpa Gu’s hearty voice rang out from the main hall, “Xiao Wu, what delicious dish has your mother cooked that smells so wonderful?”