Her family was very worried about Ji Yanshu, afraid she was only pretending to be carefree while hiding her sorrow in her heart.
After she ate two large chicken drumsticks in a row, everyone felt relieved.
As long as one could eat and sleep, even the biggest problems would pass.
It was just a matter of time.
The chicken soup was simmered until it was a clear, glistening yellow, its aroma assailing the nostrils. Ji Yanshu took a bite of a steamed bun, then a sip of chicken soup.
She ate with great relish!
Mother Ji placed a chicken wing in Ji Yanshu’s bowl, smiling as she said, “Eat this chicken wing, and my precious girl will fly higher and higher in the future.”
Ji Yanshu had been hearing this since she was a child.
The elders always said that eating chicken wings would lead to steady advancement, allowing one to fly farther and farther.
Hearing it again now, she felt an inexplicable touch of sadness.
She didn't have any particularly great ambitions and was very content with her current life.
Just being able to stay by her family's side was happiness enough.
Exhaling imperceptibly, Ji Yanshu teased, “If I fly too high, you won’t be able to see me anymore.”
Mother Ji laughed. “Then you can just fly back. Your father and I will be waiting for you at home. Home is right here; it’s not going to run away. You children can fly east, south, west, or north with peace of mind.”
Ji Yanshu replied, “I’m not flying anywhere. I want to stay home and eat your cooking for the rest of my life!”
Mother Ji said, “Don’t be silly!”
What parent didn’t want their children to stay by their side?
But once children grew up, you couldn’t hold them back.
If their fifth child married someone in the Production Team, they could still see each other every day.
If she married far away, they would probably only see her during holidays and festivals.
She was the only daughter in the family, and the youngest at that. No matter where she went, Father Ji and Mother Ji would worry.
But there was nothing they could do. Their child was already grown, and they had to prepare themselves mentally.
Seeing that the mood was turning sentimental, Ji Xiangbei put a chicken foot in Ji Yanshu’s bowl.
“Don’t just think about flying. Keeping your feet on the ground is what really matters.”
Ji Yanshu huffed. “I think you just want the chicken wing for yourself and are trying to shut me up with a chicken foot!”
Chicken wings and chicken feet were both favorites of Ji Yanshu’s; it was just that the siblings were used to bickering.
Father Ji and Mother Ji were long accustomed to it.
Placing the chicken tail on her son’s plate, Mother Ji said, “This part is delicious. I’ll save it for you.”
Ji Xiangbei cried out about the favoritism. “I should have let her be born first so I could be the younger brother. The youngest is the treasure! Then you two wouldn’t bully me every day.”
Mother Ji retorted, “If you were a girl, your father and I might have doted on you. But you’re a troublesome rascal who does nothing but vex people. Back then, a human trafficker lured you away with just a meat bun…”
Hearing his dark past brought up again, Ji Xiangbei’s face burned.
He truly couldn’t understand how he could have been so gluttonous as a child.
If his fifth sister hadn’t been clever enough to call for help, who knows which forgotten corner he’d be in now, eating chaff and wild greens.
“Alright, alright, I won’t fight with her over it. Just don’t bring this up again. If you do, I’ll get mad at you.”
He was a twenty-year-old man, after all. He had his pride.
Mother Ji’s eyes were full of mirth. “It’s good to bring it up often, lest you get tricked and led away again someday.”
Ji Yanshu chimed in, “Exactly. You need to be reminded of the lesson.”
“I’m a grown man. Who would still try to trick me?”
Ji Yanshu’s tone turned hauntingly quiet. “You can also be tricked in a relationship.”
In her past life, her older brother had also gone into business, and he never married.
It wasn't until he was in his thirties that he considered settling down.
In the end, he was scammed out of a large sum of money.
Ji Yanshu had only learned of this when Zhou Heng told it to Xu Huifang as a joke, back when her soul couldn't leave Zhou Heng's side.
Unfortunately, as a ghost, there was nothing she could do.
Ji Xiangbei let out a huff. “You little brat, you dare to jinx your brother?”
“It’s just that I was tricked, so I’m giving you a reminder. You have to be discerning when you look for a partner in the future.”
The air suddenly fell silent.
For once, Ji Xiangbei didn’t bicker back at Ji Yanshu.
He placed a meaty piece of chicken in her bowl. “Eat up. Get yourself all plump and healthy, and piss Zhou Heng off.”
That scoundrel thought his fifth sister was so deeply in love with him that she wouldn’t marry anyone else.
What a joke!
If his fifth sister lost weight, Zhou Heng would definitely think she was so lovesick over him that she couldn’t eat or drink.
He would surely be smug about it.
Therefore, his fifth sister absolutely could not lose weight!
Mother Ji glared at him. “We’re eating. Don’t mention people who ruin your appetite.”
As she spoke, she observed her daughter’s expression.
Ji Yanshu was holding a piece of steamed bun and eating with great gusto, not affected in the slightest.
Although Mother Ji was puzzled as to why her daughter had suddenly let go of Zhou Heng, as long as she was okay, nothing else mattered.
She wanted to give her daughter more meat, but Ji Yanshu stopped her. “I can’t even finish what’s in my bowl. If you give me any more, I’ll burst.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Don’t say that word.”
Ji Yanshu immediately shut her mouth and quietly gnawed on a chicken foot.
After finishing the chicken foot, she ate the chicken wing, and then the piece of meat her brother had given her.
She ate far too much at this meal, well beyond her usual portion.
Having been a ghost for decades, to be able to eat a hot meal again made Ji Yanshu feel blissful.
It was so good to be alive!
Seeing her eat so heartily made everyone happy.
At the dinner table, Mother Ji instructed her son, “Go send a telegram to your eldest brother tomorrow.”
“Mhm.”
“Let your second and third brothers know too.”
“I won’t forget.”
They were a family; it was only right to keep each other informed.
Mother Ji mulled it over in her mind. Perhaps she should have her daughter go to the army base for a blind date.
Soldier comrades were good.
They were responsible, dependable, and their allowance was enough to support a family.
If her fifth child married a soldier, with the army keeping him in line and her eldest son and his wife keeping an eye on him, he definitely wouldn't dare to act recklessly.
Unconsciously, Mother Ji’s thoughts drifted back to the rotten thing Zhou Heng had done.
This time, she had to vet the candidates carefully for her daughter.
Character was the top priority!
Pushing Zhou Heng out of her mind, the more Mother Ji thought about it, the more she felt that going to the army base for a blind date was an excellent idea.
But it was too early to mention it. She should give her daughter some time to recover.
If she didn't want to get married, then she wouldn't.
She was still young anyway, only twenty. There was no rush.
Ji Yanshu repeated the advice she had given Ji Xiangbei. “Don’t get angry over people who aren’t worth it. If we make ourselves sick with anger, it’s our loss. From now on, just ignore them when you see them, and don’t argue with them. Just treat them like thin air.”
Ji Xiangbei said, “Calling them air is giving them too much credit. I’d say they’re a foul fart. The farther away, the better, or you’ll be suffocated by the stench.”
Ji Yanshu gave him a thumbs-up. “You’ve got the sharper tongue. You’re my brother, after all.”
Ji Xiangbei lifted his chin, a smug look on his face. “I was born a few minutes before you, so I’ve seen a little more of the world than you have.”
Ji Yanshu couldn’t help but smile.
She earnestly reminded her parents, “You must stay far away from them.”
Father Ji and Mother Ji listened to whatever their daughter said.
Mother Ji said, “I get annoyed just seeing him. I can’t wait to stay far away. Your father is a man of few words; he won’t take the initiative to talk to him. You can rest assured.”
Zhou Heng was the Production Team’s sub-team leader. Even if they wanted to stay away, sometimes they couldn’t avoid him.
Ji Yanshu wondered if she should add some fuel to the fire behind the scenes, causing Zhou Heng to lose everything. Once he was no longer the sub-team leader, they would have no reason to interact.
But then she worried she might be shooting herself in the foot.
After all, Zhou Heng and Xu Huifang were the male and female leads of the book.
If she went against them, Ji Yanshu worried she might die a second time.
Ji Xiangbei said, “I just heard someone say they’re going to report Zhou Heng for improper relations between a man and a woman, to pull him down from his position as sub-team leader.”
In her past life, Zhou Heng had only married Xu Huifang after Ji Yanshu died.
Although Xu Huifang’s class background was not good, it was inconvenient for a grown man like Zhou Heng to raise a child alone.
So, people didn’t say much.
But the situation was different now.
On the day he was supposed to register his marriage, Zhou Heng had hooked up with another woman.
This was like handing a weapon to his rivals.
Ji Yanshu gave up on her idea. “Then we’ll just wait and watch the show.”