“Where did all this meat come from?”
Shen Hongcui, who hadn’t tasted meat in half a year, was stunned. As she stared at the several large pieces of dried meat left in the aluminum lunchbox, she nearly drooled.
Had Li Xuelian gone mad? Or had Shen Yao turned to banditry?
Li Xuelian and Shen Hongcui had never gotten along.
Back when Shen Yao came of age, seeing how the girl Shen Ling always trailed behind him calling “Brother Yao,” Li Xuelian had considered a marriage alliance. Firstly, the two families lived close by and their circumstances were similar; secondly, Shen Ling had sturdy hips and a round bottom, indicating she was capable.
Who would have thought Shen Hongcui would outright refuse, scornfully saying her family was too poor.
That in itself wasn’t a big deal—poverty was a fact, and if they didn’t want the match, she wouldn’t fuss.
But Shen Hongcui had a sharp tongue, spreading everywhere that her Shen Yao was “a toad lusting after swan meat”!
Hah, as if her own daughter was any swan! It was laughable. Her new daughter-in-law, Yingying, was the real swan!
“Sister-in-law Shen, sorry to make you witness this, but Yingying specially brought this over, saying she was worried I wasn’t eating well!” Li Xuelian deliberately picked up a piece of dried meat, chewing it with exaggerated smacks.
Shen Hongcui glanced at the delicate Jiang Yingying, then at the dried meat in the box, and sneered, “Sister Li, it’s not that I’m criticizing you, but they say when marrying a wife, one should seek virtue. Only by being frugal can one live well.”
She then tugged at her own daughter. “Look at my Xiaoling, young as she is, she knows to save. If a woman can’t even store away dry rations, how can she manage a household well?”
Shen Xiaoyun couldn’t hold back. She glared angrily, her eyes wide. “Aunt Hongcui, what are you doing! This dried meat was specially saved by my sister-in-law for my mom. What’s all this about storing or not? Hoarding everything for yourself is just selfish!”
Li Xuelian pretended to scold her, pulling her back. “Xiaoyun, sit down! Is that any way to speak to your aunt?”
Shen Hongcui, ever sharp-tongued, wasn’t angered. Instead, she looked Jiang Yingying up and down with a sarcastic smile. “Oh my, Yingying is so pretty, just like a young lady from the city. With such delicate skin, you must take good care of it. If you were to work in the fields, you’d surely get scratched!”
Her words, both overt and covert, implied that Jiang Yingying was unfit for labor.
Jiang Yingying tilted her head, smiling innocently. “Aunt Hongcui, you should take good care of your skin too! Look, your face is even darker than my Yao brother’s! And Sister Xiaoling’s skin isn’t great either!”
She then patted Shen Xiaoyun’s hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, little sister. I still have some snowflake cream at home. You and Mom can both apply some tonight.”
Shen Hongcui’s face darkened further with anger. “Hmph! We’re all country bumpkins here. Putting on airs won’t turn you into a lady!”
She knew Jiang Yingying was pampered in her maiden family, but so what if her father was the village head?
Could he possibly supply their whole family with meat every day? Who knew how long they had to scrimp and save for this bit of dried meat!
Eat, eat, eat! Finish it all in one go, and later you’ll have nothing but air to swallow!
She turned away, shooting another glare. “Hah! Eating today without worrying about tomorrow—aren’t you afraid you’ll burst?”
Shen Yao frowned; her words were truly venomous. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Yingying cut in first: “Aunt Hongcui, if you’re craving some, I can spare a piece for you to taste. There’s no need to speak so harshly.”
“Who’s craving?”
Shen Ling found her flirtatious demeanor irritating. “It’s just a few pieces of dried meat. Do you think you can eat it for a lifetime?”
“That’s not really possible.”
Jiang Yingying shook her head honestly. “This is all the dried meat my mother left me.”
Upon hearing this, Li Xuelian suddenly found the meat in her mouth less appetizing. She quickly wrapped up the remaining dried meat. “Good girl, keep this safe and save it to eat slowly! We can’t finish it all in one meal!”
Jiang Yingying pouted her red lips. “Mother, you eat it! We’ll have other meat for dinner.”
Shen Hongcui sneered, looking at Jiang Yingying as if she were an idiot. “Hah, more meat? What, is meat going to fall from the sky for you?”
Even city workers wouldn’t dare claim they could eat meat with every meal!
No sooner had she spoken than a snow-white creature suddenly darted out from the woods behind them, as if being chased, and crashed straight into Jiang Yingying’s arms.
Then it lay still, obediently settling down.
A system notification sounded: “Luck points have been credited. Please check, host.”
Jiang Yingying smiled shyly. “Thanks to Sister Hongcui’s auspicious words, meat has indeed fallen from the sky for me…”
Shen Xiaoyun exclaimed in surprise, “What is this?”
Shen Yao reached over and lifted a rabbit from Jiang Yingying’s arms, also somewhat taken aback. “Did it run out on its own?”
Wild rabbits are naturally timid and fearful of humans. Not only would they not actively jump into someone’s arms, but they would also flee at the slightest sound.
Today was truly a rare sight.
The rabbit was large and plump, lying obediently in Shen Yao’s grasp as if resigned to its fate.
Shen Hongcui’s eyes turned red with envy, itching to snatch it away immediately. “Young man Shen Yao, this rabbit can’t belong to you!”
Shen Xiaoyun quickly stood up, blocking her view. “The rabbit ran into my sister-in-law’s arms, so it’s hers!”
Such a big rabbit—how many meals could it make!
Shen Ling could no longer maintain her composure. She stood up, her sturdy frame resembling a small hill. “There are only our two families here. We should split it equally!”
“Dream on! This is my sister-in-law’s!”
Though Shen Xiaoyun was thin, she refused to back down.
This was a big, fat rabbit! She wouldn’t give up even a rabbit’s tail, let alone half of it!
Relying on her own fierceness, Shen Hongcui stretched out her arm, intending to snatch the rabbit from Jiang Yingying’s arms. But Jiang Yingying nimbly dodged behind Shen Yao, peeking out with a feigned, innocent smile. “Aunt Hongcui, you’re scaring me!”
“You little vixen, hand over the rabbit!”
Shen Hongcui was so angry her eyes turned red, but Shen Yao was strong, tall, and imposing. She only dared to shout from where she stood, not daring to step forward.
Jiang Yingying held the rabbit with one hand and grasped Shen Yao’s arm with the other, looking as innocent and pitiful as a little white flower. “Brother, look, she’s scolding me and trying to take my things!”
Shen Yao lowered his cold gaze to his arm, where her slender, jade-like fingers stood in stark contrast to his sun-darkened skin.
He withdrew his gaze, took the rabbit back, and looked at Shen Hongcui. “This rabbit belongs to my family. If you want it, trade for it with grain.”
What nonsense! The rabbit was hers—she didn’t want grain; she wanted meat!
Jiang Yingying discontentedly pinched Shen Yao’s lower back and complained in a coquettish tone, “Brother Yao, I don’t want to trade!”
“Alright, then we won’t trade.”
Shen Yao’s tone softened slightly as he handed the rabbit back to her. But when he spoke again, his voice was cold and firm. “She said no trade, so don’t even think about it.”
Shen Hongcui nearly fainted from fury—when had she ever agreed to trade with grain?
But Shen Yao paid her no mind. Instead, he hoisted the hoe and slammed it heavily into the ground, his voice dripping with bone-chilling menace: “Time to work, Aunt Hongcui. Step aside!”