At Shen Qiyue’s command, the two little ones hurried off to do as told. She herself gently applied the crushed herbs from the courtyard to her forehead and wrapped it with a strip of cloth.
The cool sensation of the herbs made her shiver, and her mind cleared a bit.
Then she carried the firewood Shen Dayun had left and neatly stacked it against the western wall of the courtyard.
She had been an orphan her whole life, highly self-sufficient. Having served as a village official in the countryside for several years, ordinary tasks like slaughtering chickens, gutting fish, chopping wood, and starting fires were naturally no trouble for her.
With Huzi and Taotao helping out, Shen Qiyue worked quickly, and within less than half an hour, a rich aroma wafted from the kitchen.
Taotao tugged at Shen Qiyue’s clothes, constantly standing on her toes to peek into the pot, while Huzi, tending the fire below, kept swallowing his saliva.
When the time was about right, Shen Qiyue told Huzi to put out the fire in the stove.
She lifted the lid, and a plume of white steam rose, followed by a rich, mouthwatering fragrance that instantly filled the air.
“Second Sister, it smells so good!” Huzi couldn’t help but stand up and look into the pot.
Shen Qianxue took out a few chipped porcelain bowls, rinsed them at the well pump, and filled one to the brim with chicken. After a moment’s thought, she fished out a drumstick and placed it on top.
“Huzi, take this to Brother Dayun. We’ll wait for you to come back to eat.”
“Okay.” Huzi replied, wrapped the bowl with a worn rag to protect his hands, and carefully carried it out of the courtyard.
Shen Qiyue filled another bowl with chicken, added the other drumstick, and carried it to the main room.
Madam Bai was already awake, puzzled about where the smell of meat in the courtyard was coming from, when she saw Shen Qiyue bring a full bowl of chicken to her bedside.
“Qiyue, where did this come from?”
“Brother Dayun brought it. I already had Huzi take a bowl to them as well. Mother, please eat.”
Madam Bai sighed: “Dayun is such a good boy. He grew up with Lihua, and the two of them have feelings for each other… Alas, but your grandmother doesn’t think highly of him…”
Shen Qiyue blinked. No wonder Shen Dayun was so attentive to them—so he had a history with her eldest sister.
“Qiyue, what about Huzi and Taotao? Did you keep any for yourselves? These are such good drumsticks—you three should split them.”
Madam Bai habitually tried to save the good things for the three children.
Shen Qiyue stopped her hand. “Mother, we all have some. You need to nourish yourself properly so the little brother can grow strong. Once you’re healthy, you’ll be able to take better care of us in the future.”
Tears welled up in Madam Bai’s eyes again: “My poor children…”
Seeing her about to cry again, Shen Qiyue quickly shoved the bowl into her hands. “Mother, please eat. I’ll go serve food for Huzi and Taotao.”
She hurried out of the main room and happened to see Huzi bounding back into the courtyard with an empty bowl.
There wasn’t much meat left in the pot, but Shen Qiyue still divided it evenly into two portions and added a chicken wing to each of the little ones’ bowls.
“Second Sister, why don’t you have any meat?” Taotao pointed at Shen Qiyue’s bowl, which was full of mushrooms.
“Second Sister, here, take this.” Huzi picked up the chicken wing from his bowl and tried to give it to Shen Qiyue.
Shen Qiyue quickly spread her fingers over her bowl to cover it. “Don’t give it to me. You two don’t understand—all the nutrition is actually in this mushroom soup. I don’t eat meat. I need the nutrients.”
Huzi and Taotao didn’t know any better and believed her, so they stopped urging her to eat meat and just told her to drink more of the mushroom soup.
The three of them sat in the kitchen, happily eating their warm meals.
“Huzi, what are you sneaking a bite of? Smells so good!”
Suddenly, two figures—one big, one small—appeared at the kitchen door.
The big one was none other than Shen Changshan, the eldest of the Shen family, who had just fled in disgrace, with a burlap sack slung over his shoulder.
The small one… looking at him, he seemed like a miniature version of Shen Changshan—surely his precious son?
“Dad, it’s chicken! It’s chicken! I want some too. Let’s bring some back for Mom and Brother. Huzi, give me the meat!”
Huzi’s chopsticks froze, and he instinctively looked at Shen Qiyue, his eyes filled with deep fear.
Taotao, who had been sitting beside Huzi, quickly grabbed her bowl and ran over to Shen Qiyue’s side.
Shen Qiyue was instantly furious. The brat’s entitled tone, combined with the fear in Huzi’s eyes and Taotao’s reaction—
It was clear this little bastard had bullied Huzi and Taotao plenty in the past.
Seeing Shen Qiyue slowly stand up, Shen Changshan remembered how she had lain motionless on the ground earlier, and the attitudes of the villagers and the village chief. He instinctively took a step back.
“Stubborn girl, I’ve brought the grain the village chief said to give you. Here it is.”
Shen Changshan tossed the grain on the ground but lingered, drawn by the smell of meat. “Ungrateful girl, eating alone at home without thinking of your elders. Hurry up and fill me a bowl—I’ll take it back for your grandparents to taste.”
Shen Qiyue let out a cold laugh. “You wish. No meat here, but I’ve got a full bowl of poisonous mushrooms. Want me to bring some to Grandmother?”
Shen Changshan stiffened and quickly looked at the bowl she had set on the ground.
Sure enough, they were poisonous mushrooms!
He then looked at Huzi’s bowl—there were some there too! This Shen Qiyue had lost her mind, eating poisonous mushrooms to court death?!
Xiaoshuan was still tugging at his sleeve, clamoring for meat, when Shen Changshan grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
“You little brat, you looking to die too? Get moving, now!”
Shen Changshan’s heart was pounding with fear the whole way. He’d been there when someone in the village was poisoned to death last year—the sight of it… tsk tsk.
He sprinted, intending to report to the village chief, but skidded to a halt at the turn near the village entrance.
Even if those little brats got poisoned to death, it had nothing to do with him. Besides, if they all croaked, wouldn’t that little runt end up in his care?
And then…
At that thought, a cruel smile crept across Shen Changshan’s face. He turned around and headed for his own home, planning to come collect the bodies at dawn.
Shen Qiyue had finally had a proper hot meal after all these days since she’d arrived, and she felt strength coursing through her body.
Seizing the moment, she directed Huzi to lay out the herbs they’d gathered in the courtyard to dry.
She quickly steamed three of the potatoes she’d stolen the night before, then led Huzi and Taotao in mashing all the green seasoning fruits into juice.
Afraid of failure, she first mashed the smallest potato into a paste, swallowed nervously, and with trembling hands poured the green juice over it, stirring quickly.
This… should work, right? She picked up a piece with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.
Ugh… Shen Qiyue gagged and spat it out.
“Second Sister, is it that bad?” Huzi also took a bite and spat it out with a frown.
“It might be too concentrated. Huzi, scoop some hot water—let’s dilute it.”
Huzi didn’t understand what his second sister was saying, but following his principle of strictly carrying out her orders, he quickly added a small bowl of water to the green juice.
Shen Qiyue gritted her teeth at the waste, mashed another potato, and poured the diluted seasoning juice over it.
Taotao couldn’t wait and took a bite, her eyes instantly going wide.
Shen Qiyue’s heart lurched. Failed again?
“Second Sister, it’s delicious! Even better than roasted!” Taotao clapped her hands and jumped up.
Shen Qiyue’s heart relaxed. It worked!
It looked like her seasoning cultivation plan could be put on the agenda. After the market trip tomorrow, she’d go up the mountain and gather more seeds to plant in the Space.
Thinking of her plan, Shen Qiyue felt a surge of energy, as if she were back in her past life, leading the village in answering the call of policy, tackling hard problems head-on.