Su Yunyi was truly starving. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the ingredients, and she quickly welcomed him in. “I’ve just filled the basin with water. You’ll feel more comfortable if you wash your face after drinking.”
She took the items from his hand and placed them by the stove in the kitchen she had just cleaned. Picking up some dry grass and branches nearby, she began to start a fire.
Xiao Ze watched the girl, whose face was still dewy with water, skillfully start a fire, and was astonished. He began to doubt if his memory was faulty. In his previous life, she had never cooked since they got married, and they had always relied on others for meals.
He shook his head, which was still not entirely clear, and walked towards the inner room.
As soon as he lifted the curtain, he was shocked again by the tidy room. The smell in the house when he first woke up had made even him feel nauseous. How could the house have changed so much in just a short while he was out?
He lay on the bed, pressing his head that ached from the hangover, and continued to sort through his thoughts.
Su Yunyi was speechless at the empty kitchen. There was nothing in the kitchen except salt. The flour bin was empty, and there wasn’t a drop of oil in the oil can. Even if she was a great cook, she needed ingredients.
The saying “Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice” was a true depiction of her current situation.
The book had mentioned this Xiao Ze: he was known for drinking, gambling, and beating his wife, with a terrible reputation.
Su Yunyi couldn’t help but cast a resentful glance at the thatched cottage. With this kind of family, they were still gambling.
Fortunately, it was summer. This house would be life-threatening in winter.
Her mind wandered, but it didn’t stop her hands from working quickly. Cornmeal had a rough texture and tasted better when scalded with hot water.
Su Yunyi poured the cornmeal into the boiling water and stirred continuously. The ingredients from this era were truly fragrant. Just scalding it brought out the full aroma of the corn. Su Yunyi couldn’t help but swallow.
Since there was no oil at home, she couldn’t make pancakes. Su Yunyi could only use chopsticks to support the enamel bowl and steam them.
Xiao Ze thought about it and still didn’t believe Su Yunyi could cook. Fearing she would ruin the flour he had painstakingly borrowed, he got up to check.
As a result, a wave of aroma enticed his appetite.
As if remembering something, his face darkened again.
This lazy woman, in their previous life, wouldn’t even care when the baby cried from hunger, lying in bed until his eldest sister-in-law came to make rice porridge for the child.
However, he wasn’t a good person either.
Now, he watched her eyes intently fixed on the corn cakes steaming in the pot.
It was as if she was looking at some delicacy.
Xiao Ze, in a mischievous mood, stretched out his long arm, snatched the freshly steamed corn cakes from Su Yunyi, broke off a piece, and threw it into his mouth. A fragrant aroma filled the air.
Looking at Su Yunyi, who was glaring at him with tears welling up in her eyes, Xiao Ze couldn’t bear to eat all the corn cakes.
He threw the remaining large piece back into her hand: “It’s disgusting, you eat it yourself.”
Su Yunyi, on the verge of tears, held the small cake in her hand and forced the tears that had reached her eyes back down.
After eating one to her heart’s content, she was still hungry and steamed another one.
Xiao Ze watched helplessly as Su Yunyi ate the entire bowl of cornmeal, leaving none for him.
He thought she had changed her ways, but it seemed he had thought too much.
She was still so selfish and greedy!
Xiao Ze’s stomach growled even more from anger.
He walked to the door impatiently: “Aren’t you leaving yet? I saw Mom buying meat when I went to borrow rice.”
Su Yunyi immediately regretted eating too much cornmeal earlier.
She followed Xiao Ze towards the village. Along the way, they met many people wearing straw hats and carrying hoes, returning home from work in the fields.
Seeing Su Yunyi behind Xiao Ze, everyone looked at them with curious eyes.
“Xiao Laosan, is this the city girl your mother found for you?”
Xiao Ze’s face darkened. He had a bad reputation. Seeing that he didn’t respond, the person who teased him pouted and walked away sheepishly.
A few steps later, they met an auntie. “Girl, did your parents leave?”
Su Yunyi recalled the scene of being sent to marry by that dark and thin couple.
She whispered, “Mm.”
“Are you really here to marry Xiao Laosan?” she whispered again, gesturing with her fist: “Aren’t you scared?”
Gossiping was truly an unchanging topic for women from ancient times to the present.
“Auntie, Xiao Ze is quite good. We’re going to Mom’s for dinner now. I’ll chat with you again later.”
Based on their interactions so far, Xiao Ze didn’t seem to intend to hit her, and his eyes were clear. Before she understood the situation, she didn’t want to say anything that could be misunderstood.
Xiao Ze didn’t expect her to speak up for him. He had indeed been a scoundrel before, and these aunties weren’t wrong. But seeing her defend him like this, he felt a strange sensation.
Then he thought, it was her first day here, and she hadn’t gotten familiar with them yet. Recalling her heroic deeds in her previous life, Xiao Ze’s face darkened again.
He didn’t wait for her and walked ahead on his own.
As they spoke, they had already reached the Xiao family’s courtyard.
His second sister-in-law, Jiang Yunxia, was strolling in the yard with a child. Seeing them arrive, she called out to the kitchen: “Laosan brought his wife over.”
Xiao Ze’s mother hurried out: “Laosan’s wife is here, let’s eat.”
Su Yunyi rolled up her sleeves, wanting to help, but was stopped by Xiao Ze’s mother: “You can’t do any work today. Your eldest sister-in-law has almost finished.”
She then went to call the younger ones to prepare for the meal.
The three children were dressed in rags, their faces and hands black. Hearing that it was time to eat, they all gathered around the table, grabbing at the chopsticks with their hands.
Su Yunyi instantly lost her appetite. She wanted to take them to wash their hands, but his second sister-in-law retorted, “City people are just too particular.”
Su Yunyi looked at her earnestly: “Sister-in-law, being particular can prevent illness, and it’s just washing hands, it’s not troublesome.”
The children, hearing their new aunt speak in a soft, sweet voice, smelling nice, and being from the city, eagerly listened to her and went to wash their hands, each extending their hands to her for praise.
Su Yunyi praised them one by one and gave each of them a piece of candy she had brought from home.
The little rascals were instantly won over by Su Yunyi.
“Little Auntie!”
“Little Auntie!”
They kept calling out.
Jiang Yunxia, furious, grabbed Hu Tou’s ear: “You’re bought with just one piece of candy? Look at you. Your second aunt is usually so good to you, but you’re never this enthusiastic.”
“Little Auntie smells nice, we just want to listen to her.”
Only Xiao Ze looked at Su Yunyi with a complex expression.
Why could she smile so happily at other people’s children, yet in her previous life, she had neglected her own child? Recalling the child who was never recovered from the reservoir, Xiao Ze felt a pang of sadness.
Looking at Su Yunyi playing with the children, he became even more agitated.
“A few pieces of candy are not worth being so happy about. If you’re not going to eat, then get out.”
His usual bad behavior was notorious in the village.
Not only were the children afraid of him, but his sisters-in-law also didn’t dare to argue with him.
He was shameless and would only embarrass himself if he made a scene.