Yu Jin’s happy expression froze. He looked as though he had seen a ghost.
“Yu Yangyang? How is that possible?! She can’t even break a piece of firewood!”
Yu Yan also looked at Yu Yangyang. He had refrained from questioning her on the mountain because he was afraid of attracting attention, but now he was puzzled too, waiting for her explanation.
Yu Yangyang calmly looked at everyone.
“You might not believe me if I told you, but it ran into me by itself. I just happened to catch it.”
Yu Lan shouted excitedly,
“Sister is amazing!”
Yu Yangyang smiled and gently rubbed his head. The little guy was quite supportive.
Yu Yan’s expression was difficult to read, and he said nothing.
But he clearly remembered paying attention to their surroundings while coming down the mountain. He hadn’t seen anything at all.
Yu Jin’s voice suddenly rose an entire octave. His voice, already distorted by puberty, became even more shrill.
“Are you trying to imitate Rongrong?!”
Rongrong could find wild chicken eggs, wild duck eggs, and even catch wild rabbits.
Was Yu Yangyang now copying her?
But no matter what she did, she could never compare with Rongrong!
Yu Yangyang lowered her eyes.
“But the fact remains that I caught a chicken. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”
Yu Jin’s voice became even sharper.
“What kind of attitude is that?!”
Yu Yangyang ignored him.
She had figured it out.
Yu Jin was an absolute die-hard fan of the female lead. There was no way she could change his mind, so she simply chose to ignore him.
Bai Lan frowned.
“Yu Jin, shut up! Why do you have so much to say? Hurry up and boil some water!”
Yu Jin was extremely aggrieved.
“Why do I need to boil water?”
Bai Lan: “…”
“Should I boil the water to scald you instead?”
Why boil water?
Obviously, they needed boiling water to pluck and clean the chicken!
One by one, they were all foolish and rebellious. Her Yangyang was still the best.
There was nothing more to say. This chicken must have been sent to Yangyang by that mysterious immortal.
Bai Lan lovingly took Yu Yangyang’s hand.
“Yang’er, you must be exhausted after being out for so long, right? Don’t worry about anything else. Get some rest. Your second brother can handle killing the chicken and cooking.”
Yu Jin: “…”
Was he not her biological son?
But they were killing a chicken—actual meat!
Their family hadn’t eaten meat in so many years that Yu Jin had almost forgotten what meat tasted like.
So Yu Jin still worked enthusiastically.
Unlike Yu Yangyang, the others simply couldn’t sit still. In the end, the entire family came out to help butcher the chicken.
Yu Lan couldn’t help much, so he stood nearby and watched.
He absolutely had to witness the chicken being slaughtered and put into the pot with his own eyes.
The wild vegetables Yu Yangyang had gathered weren’t wasted either. The fresh ones were sorted out and washed clean. They could be added to the chicken soup later, making the broth even sweeter and more refreshing.
They worked from the glow of sunset until the sky was filled with stars.
The moment the lid of the pot was lifted, the fragrant aroma of chicken soup filled the entire room.
It smelled incredible!
Bai Lan had no idea what kind of seasonings Yu Yangyang had given her, so she simply added a little of everything.
The entire pot of soup seemed completely transformed. Even the slightest trace of gamey smell had disappeared!
Bai Lan quickly filled a large bowl with chicken meat and handed it to Yu Yangyang.
“Yang’er, hurry and eat.”
Yu Yangyang glanced at Yu Lan, who was staring at the meat eagerly.
“Give it to Lan’er first.”
Bai Lan scolded her lightly, then poured half the meat back into the pot before handing the bowl to Yu Lan.
Yu Yangyang: “…”
There really was no need for that.
Yu Lan, however, wasn’t upset at all. He eagerly accepted the bowl, but he didn’t immediately pick up his chopsticks.
Yu Yangyang was puzzled.
“What’s wrong, Lan’er? Don’t you like it?”
Yu Lan sniffled and shook his head.
“No. It smells so good. I just want to smell it a little longer. I’m afraid I might never get to eat it again.”
Yu Yangyang’s expression became complicated.
Her voice was soft and gentle.
“There will be more in the future. Hurry and eat before it gets cold.”
Yu Jin scoffed.
“You really think you’ll always be this lucky?”
Yu Yangyang glanced at him.
She thought to herself that if only to prove Yu Jin wrong, she would probably have to produce a chicken, duck, or rabbit every few days.
Yu Yangyang mentally entered her space and took a look around.
She watered everything with a thought and quickly inspected the space.
The crops she had planted had already grown into tender green seedlings. They should be ready for harvest in another two or three days.
The saplings had also grown into small trees, with quite a few leaves sprouting from them.
Beside the house, the chickens and ducks had laid nests full of eggs. They should be brooding soon.
The rabbits were huddled together, whispering to each other.
Most likely, they were dating.
Hmm.
It seemed the day when she could freely enjoy an endless supply of chickens, ducks, and rabbits wasn’t far away.
With that thought, Yu Yangyang spoke with confidence.
“Who knows? Maybe I’ll bump into another one in a couple of days.”
Yu Lan had already transformed into Yu Yangyang’s devoted little follower.
“Sister definitely can!”
Yu Jin snorted.
Bai Lan handed him his bowl. There were only a few pieces of chicken inside.
He frowned.
“Mom, why is there so little?”
Bai Lan casually replied,
“Oh, I thought you could fill your stomach just by talking.”
Yu Jin immediately felt wronged.
Yu Yangyang talked too!
Why did his mother keep treating them differently?
This had happened several times already!
Bai Lan ignored him.
This chicken belonged to Yangyang. Why should he criticize her while still expecting to enjoy the benefits?
He wanted equal treatment?
Fine.
When he apologized to Yangyang, she would give him an equal portion.
Yu Jin angrily shoved a piece of chicken into his mouth.
“!!!”
His eyes widened.
This—this was unbelievably delicious!
So fresh and flavorful that he almost bit his tongue off!
The Yu family became completely absorbed in eating chicken.
Meanwhile, the four members of Li Zhong’s family sat quietly in a corner. They had also cooked some porridge using the coarse rice Bai Lan had given them earlier that day.
The aroma of meat drifting over from the Yu family was enough to make them restless, and their mouths watered.
But Li Zhong’s family didn’t dare hope they would get any meat.
Being able to eat a bowl of porridge was already more than enough for them.
Unexpectedly, Bai Lan brought them a bowl of meat.
Li Zhong immediately became flustered.
“Sister-in-law, how can we accept this?”
Since the Yu family didn’t like being called master and mistress, Li Zhong had naturally changed the way he addressed them.
Bai Lan placed the meat beside their clay pot.
“Take it. Chunjuan and your mother both need to build up their strength. You’re a grown man and can manage, but they can’t.”
Besides, the chicken had been extremely plump. Even after removing the feathers and internal organs, there were still three or four pounds of meat left.
Li Zhong was considered part of their household now. Bai Lan couldn’t bring herself to let them eat alone.
Of course, she couldn’t give them too much either.
There were several grown men in the Yu family, after all, and Yu Lan was at an age where he could eat an astonishing amount.
Bai Lan naturally wanted to save more for her own family.
Li Zhong’s eyes reddened.
“Thank you.”
Of the entire bowl of chicken, Li Zhong only ate two pieces.
He gave the rest to Chunjuan and his mother.
Chunjuan ate a few pieces herself, then gave the remaining meat to the old woman.
Everyone in the family managed to eat a few pieces.
Yet those few pieces of meat were the best food they had tasted in a very long time.
They had never expected to receive any meat at all. Being given coarse-rice porridge had already made them overwhelmingly grateful.
Chunjuan wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes.
“Husband, you made the right decision. We’ve met good masters. We must be loyal and faithfully follow them.”
Li Zhong nodded firmly.
The entire chicken was eaten clean.
They even poured the chicken soup over their rice.
Today was definitely the fullest they had eaten in several years.
Even so, everyone still wished they could chew up the chicken bones themselves.
It was absolutely delicious!