Chu Youhuan was awakened by the tantalizing aroma of food. Following the scent to the kitchen, she saw Chu Songqiang, dressed in a black tunic, wielding a spatula in front of the stove. In the pot was a large grass carp stewed until tender and soft, scattered with slices of ginger, chili peppers, and Huoxiang leaves, releasing an intense, mouthwatering fragrance.
Having eaten bland meals for two days straight, Chu Youhuan couldn’t help but swallow her saliva shamelessly.
Noticing her little reaction, Chu Songqiang couldn’t resist raising an eyebrow proudly. “Smells good, doesn’t it?”
Chu Youhuan nodded decisively, making Chu Songqiang burst into laughter. He immediately declared that he would give her the softest, most tender piece of fish belly to eat later.
Zhao Chunrong, who was sitting behind the stove controlling the heat, rolled her eyes in exasperation, but a smile still crept onto her face. “When haven’t we given the best to Huanhuan?”
After saying this, she thought of something and called out to Chu Youhuan, “Go to the backyard and call your brother back. We’ll be ready to eat soon.”
Hearing this, Chu Youhuan’s eyes flickered. She immediately nodded and accepted the task, trotting toward the kitchen’s back door.
After she left, Zhao Chunrong and Chu Songqiang exchanged a glance. The latter scratched the back of his head and whispered, “Aren’t you afraid Huanhuan will get a cold shoulder?”
“Then she deserves it.”
Although their hearts had softened after this incident, and as parents, they intended to downplay the matter, the fault ultimately lay with Huanhuan. She was the one who owed Deming an apology. If Deming couldn’t forgive her, they wouldn’t force him to pardon his sister.
Chu Songqiang glanced at the back door and then brought up another matter. “You’ll need to keep an eye on things at home for a while. I have to work with the Gongshe leaders to prepare for the free clinic.”
Hearing this, Zhao Chunrong suddenly looked up, her face showing surprise and delight as she pinpointed the key point. “They chose our village?”
Chu Songqiang smiled and nodded. He had thought the matter was dead in the water, but unexpectedly, after work yesterday afternoon, the Gongshe had called him in for an emergency meeting. That was when he learned that the higher-ups had ultimately chosen their Ganye Village.
With this incredible news, the couple chatted animatedly about the matter, but the atmosphere in the backyard was the complete opposite.
“Brother, it’s time to eat.”
As soon as Chu Youhuan stepped outside, she saw Chu Deming chopping firewood in the open space of the backyard. She curved her lips and waved at him. Hearing the commotion, he lifted his eyelids to glance at her, then lowered his head again to continue with his work, not sparing her another look.
Seeing this, Chu Youhuan didn’t feel embarrassed. She walked over to the water vat on her own, scooped some water to wash her hands, and only spoke again after finishing. “I’m heading back first. Hurry up, Brother.”
She came quickly and left just as fast, failing to notice that a pair of eyes watched her for a long time after she turned away.
Chu Deming pursed his lips, took a deep breath to suppress the inexplicable irritation rising in his heart, put down the axe, walked to the water vat, washed his hands carefully, and only then entered the house.
Several dishes were already laid out on the dining table. The Huoxiang Yu sat in the center, accompanied by a few side dishes: scrambled eggs with wild chives, cold dressed purslane, stir-fried chili peppers with pickled vegetables. The combination of meat and vegetables was visually appealing, aromatic, and delicious—enough to make anyone’s mouth water. It was even more sumptuous than their Dragon Boat Festival meal last time.
But what surprised Chu Deming more than the food was Chu Youhuan, who was helping set the bowls and chopsticks at the dining table.
You have to understand, in the past she was the type who only knew how to have clothes handed to her and food brought to her mouth. When it came to work, she would avoid it whenever possible. So what act is she putting on today?
Chu Deming was inwardly puzzled, but he didn’t show it on his face. He helped serve the rice before sitting down at the table.
Not only him, but Zhao Chunrong and Chu Songqiang were also somewhat surprised. However, thinking of what their daughter had said in the hospital, they felt she was genuinely repentant and gradually making changes for the better. Unconsciously, a hint of relief appeared on their faces.
Under the gaze of three pairs of eyes, Chu Youhuan felt extremely uncomfortable. Fortunately, the next moment, the appearance of a young boy saved her.
“Mom, look!”
Before the person even entered the door, his voice came in first. In the midst of his voice-changing period, he sounded like a quacking duck. Combined with his loud voice, it added an unintentionally comical effect to what he said.
Soon, a mud-covered figure squeezed in. The straw sandals on his feet were a complete mess, caked with wet mud. With every step he took, he left footprints, and in no time, the kitchen entrance was covered in filth.
Seeing that he was about to walk further inside, Zhao Chunrong’s vision darkened. She grabbed a broom and chased him out, scolding sharply, “You brat! Are you trying to piss me off on purpose?”
She had just swept the floor before dinner!
Just as he was about to taste the “broom stir-fry,” Chu Deshan quickly produced his lifesaver.
When Zhao Chunrong saw what was in the bucket her youngest son had brought back, she stopped her actions, but her expression didn’t improve much. Frowning, she asked, “Where did you get this?”
Chu Deshan knew what his mother was worried about and immediately replied with a grin, “The southern hills.”
The fields near the village were all guarded. If caught, not only would there be a fine, but they’d also have to undergo ideological re-education. Even if he had the courage of a bear or leopard, he wouldn’t dare mess with collective property. To get something good, he could only try his luck in the surrounding hills.
These days, anything edible in the hills had long been picked clean. Today, he had secretly ventured deep into the mountains and managed to catch these few small loaches in a ditch. Though they weren’t big, as long as it was meat, it was a treasure!
But he absolutely couldn’t tell his mother this, or he’d definitely get a beating.
Hearing that he got them from the hills, Zhao Chunrong felt slightly relieved. But she wasn’t foolish either and asked suspiciously, “You didn’t go deep into the mountains?”
Who knew where he got all that energy? Since summer break started, aside from helping the family work in the fields to earn Gongfen, he spent almost all his time roaming the hills and rivers, never stopping for a moment.
He was such a handful.
“No, absolutely not!” Chu Deshan would never admit it, shaking his head repeatedly.
“If you dare go, I’ll have your dad break your legs.”
The deep mountains were full of dangers. A few years ago, someone even encountered a “four-legged bandit.” Xiaoshan was just a half-grown boy. No matter how much he usually jumped around, if he really ran into one, he’d only be a snack for the beast.
Thinking of this, Zhao Chunrong couldn’t help but nag a bit more. But then she remembered that today they had a rare table full of good dishes, and Huanhuan had just returned from the hospital, so she decided to turn a blind eye. She chased him into the yard and had Chu Songqiang bring a few basins of water for Chu Deshan to wash himself clean.
Under the scorching summer sun, even a cold shower felt refreshing. Seeing that his mother wasn’t going to pursue the matter further, Chu Deshan immediately seized the opportunity to back down, repeatedly promising not to venture deep into the mountains again. Then, catching the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen, he hurriedly rinsed off, changed into clean clothes in his room, and finally reentered the house.
As soon as he stepped inside and spotted Chu Youhuan sitting on a chair, his smile vanished. He snorted coldly and subtly shifted his own chair closer to Chu Deming, as if afraid of getting too close to her.
“…”
Before the incident at Gongnongbing Daxue, the relationship among the Chu siblings could be described as deeply affectionate, harmonious, and loving. But after the incident, the brothers’ attitude toward the original host took a sharp turn for the worse. Chu Deshan even declared that from then on, he would act as if he no longer had a sister who had betrayed their eldest brother. Whenever they crossed paths, he would treat her with disdain, finding fault with everything about her.
Yet, in the story, after the original host’s accidental death, Chu Deshan was the first to rush to the Zhou family to seek revenge for her.
Chu Youhuan had come to understand that the Chu family members were all fiercely protective, tough on the outside but soft on the inside. However, she also knew that once cracks appeared in the wall of trust, repairing it would be difficult.
But no matter how difficult, for the sake of living a more relaxed and comfortable life in the Chu household in the future, she had to slowly mend those cracks.
Moreover, this could also serve as a final consolation for the original host.
So when Chu Deshan shot her another cold glare, she didn’t ignore it this time. Instead, she slightly raised her head and looked directly at him. Her red lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but she hesitated, afraid of being scolded, and reluctantly withdrew. Only her peach blossom eyes, identical to his, trembled pitifully.
Being beautiful and showing a hint of vulnerability gave her the upper hand, making others wonder if they were being too harsh.
Chu Deshan’s heart skipped a beat, and he nervously withdrew his fierce glare. But then it occurred to him: he had only glared at her, not laid a hand on her. Did she really have to put on such an affected and artificial act?
Right, how could he forget? His second sister was an expert at pretending. He had almost fallen for her act again!
Chu Deshan gritted his teeth in frustration and couldn’t help muttering under his breath, “Annoying creature, stop pretending.”
“What are you mumbling about?” Zhao Chunrong had long noticed the silent exchange between the siblings but hadn’t intervened until she heard her youngest son disrespectfully cursing. Only then did she speak up to warn him.
Hearing this, Chu Deshan pursed his lips but said nothing more. After a moment, he quietly moved his chair back to its original position.
Fine, if she started fake-crying and sobbing later, his parents would still blame him. After all, favoritism in the family wasn’t a new thing. A good man doesn’t fight with a wicked woman!
“Let’s eat,” Chu Songqiang announced, and everyone picked up their chopsticks.
Finally having a decent meal, Chu Youhuan didn’t hold back. She focused on the Huoxiang Yu, which was fresh and fragrant. She alternated between bites of fish and corn rice, occasionally picking up some refreshing chive and egg stir-fry. However, afraid that eating too much spicy food might affect the healing of the wounds on her face, she didn’t indulge much, only tasting a little to satisfy her curiosity.
When she noticed that everyone had almost finished eating and was about to get up for a drink of water, Chu Songqiang stopped her.
“Huanhuan, for the next few days, don’t go to work. Focus on recuperating first.”
Hearing that she didn’t have to work, Chu Youhuan was overjoyed, setting off fireworks in her heart, but on the surface, she acted obedient and sensible, appearing entirely at the mercy of her elders.
As for whether she would still have to work after recovering her health, that wasn’t within her current considerations. She would take it one day at a time, avoiding work whenever possible.
“And also, in a few days, doctors from the county hospital will come to our village for a free clinic. You should go get checked again then, so we can feel more at ease.”
Doctors from the county hospital?
Instantly, a tall and elegant figure surfaced in Chu Youhuan’s mind. Doctor Xu would probably come too, right? By then, the wounds on her face would have mostly healed, and she could return the ointment to him.
“I understand.”
After the meal, Zhao Chunrong tidied up the kitchen, Chu Songqiang led Chu Deshan to water the vegetables in their private plot, and Chu Deming returned to the backyard to finish chopping the firewood he hadn’t finished earlier.
Chu Youhuan didn’t want to do any work—after all, up until now, she had done household chores only a handful of times. But with everyone else busy, she felt somewhat awkward just standing by and watching. Besides, even though the original host was pampered and didn’t have to work in the fields to earn Gongfen, she would occasionally help with small chores at home.
After hesitating for a moment, Chu Youhuan picked up a broom, planning to clean up the mess Chu Deshan had made on the floor.
The task was light and not difficult—perfect for putting on a show.
By the time she dawdled her way through sweeping the floor, Chu Songqiang and the others had returned from the fields.
Chu Deshan was carrying two large cabbages. Before he could even brag to his mother about how well the vegetables had grown under the “nourishment” of his “fertilizer,” he spotted Chu Youhuan sweeping the floor at the entrance, cleaning up the mess he had made. Instantly, the wide grin on his face disappeared.
He wanted to say something, but he remembered his vow never to speak to her again. His face flushed bright red, and it took him a while to calm down. Huffing with indignation, he stormed past Chu Youhuan, rushed over to Zhao Chunrong, and whispered loudly, “Mom, didn’t we agree that I’d clean it up when I got back?”
Zhao Chunrong didn’t recall this agreement and didn’t understand what he meant. Frowning, she asked, “Clean up what?”
Chu Deshan choked, stammering for a long time without managing to explain. Frustrated, he tossed the cabbages aside and ran off to the backyard to find his brother.
“This kid, always so impulsive. He nearly ruined the cabbages.”
Chu Youhuan, who had just put down the broom, glanced back at the kitchen’s rear door, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips.
————————!!————————
Doctor Xu: Can I see my wife in the next chapter?