Jiang Wan parted her lips slightly and obediently accepted the piece of pork hock into her mouth.
"Mmm—"
The pork hock was soft and tender, melting the moment it touched her tongue.
Scalding broth wrapped around the sticky, gelatinous meat, bursting across her palate.
There were no extra seasonings—pure, unadulterated meatiness was enough to inspire admiration.
Because it was too hot, Jiang Wan couldn't bear to spit it out. She could only pant hurriedly while fanning her mouth with her hand.
After hastily swallowing it in two quick bites, her eyes curved into crescents as she praised, "Delicious! Mother, your cooking is wonderful!"
Hearing this, the smile lines at the corners of Madam Yu's eyes deepened. "Good that it's delicious, good that it's delicious. You didn't eat much at noon—have some more."
As she spoke, she picked up another piece of pork hock and fed it to Xiao He.
Watching the two children eat with such satisfaction, Madam Yu felt a steady, grounded happiness in her heart.
This meal was a rare extravagance.
Even Zhou Xianggui, who usually kept to his room, had made a rare appearance.
The four of them sat around the old square table in the main hall, gazing at the soybeans stewed with pork hock, the pickled vegetable paste, and a plate of steamed wild greens whose shape was hard to discern—feeling a long-missed sense of stability.
"We ran out of rice at home today. I took some dried wood ear mushrooms and traded them with Widow Sun next door for two liang of rice to tide us over."
As Madam Yu carefully divided the pork hock among the three of them, she secretly stole glances at Jiang Wan from the corner of her eye, as if testing her reaction.
The Zhou family was now under the daughter-in-law's management.
The few meager savings they had were also in Jiang Wan's hands.
Jiang Wan swallowed the food in her mouth and nodded, her expression unchanged. "Mother, you can handle these matters as you see fit. Later, I'll go to the grain shop in town to exchange for some rice. The new rice hasn't come in yet this year, so I'll have to settle for old rice."
"Just buy one dou," Zhou Xianggui set down his chopsticks and instructed. "Buy a small amount. The closer it gets to the new rice harvest, the cheaper the old rice gets."
"Alright, I'll listen to Father."
Jiang Wan acknowledged the instruction and said no more, burying her head in focusing on the pork hock in her bowl.
That large bowl of pork hock was generous in portion, and Jiang Wan alone devoured nearly half of it.
When she finished, she still wasn't satisfied and scooped half a bowl of the broth with soft, glutinous soybeans to mix into her rice.
She ate until her belly was round and full, with fine beads of sweat soaking her temples.
The Zhou family didn't mind how much she ate—on the contrary, they kept adding food to her bowl, urging her to eat more.
In their eyes, Jiang Wan was now the pillar of the Zhou family. If she didn't eat enough, how could her body keep up?
"Mother, no need to add more for me. Sit and eat yourself." Jiang Wan pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her mouth, set down her bowl and chopsticks, and said to the people at the table, "Take your time eating. I'll head back to my room to get the silver and go exchange for grain."
Xiao He quickly swallowed the food in her mouth. "Sister-in-law, do you want me to come with you?"
Jiang Wan waved her hand. "No need. It's broad daylight, and it's not like I can't find my way. I'll go by myself."
With that, she turned and left the main hall.
Saying she was going back to her room to get silver to exchange for grain wasn't entirely true.
Her real plan was to buy some broken rice from the Mall and secretly mix it into the coarse rice she bought from the grain shop.
Madam Yu's eyesight was poor, and Xiao He was young with little experience.
As long as she handled it carefully and mixed in small amounts each time, no one would be able to tell the difference once it was blended into the old rice.
Back in her room, she closed the door.
Jiang Wan focused her mind, and her consciousness sank into her thoughts…
[Purchase successful! Broken rice 5kg/12.9 yuan]
[Balance: 69.2 yuan]
As the chime sounded in her mind, a sack full of broken rice grains appeared in the crate.
She glanced at it, closed the lid, and slung her basket onto her back before heading to the grain shop in town.
The grain shop was at the end of town, a business owned by Master Chen of Yongchuan County.
It was simply named Chen's Grain Shop.
The most bustling tavern and teahouse in town were also under the Chen family's hand.
It was only natural that Chen's would want to swallow up Zhou's General Store.
This time of year was the most cost-effective moment to buy aged rice.
A dou of aged rice cost only eighty-six wen, nearly ten wen cheaper than last month's grain price.
Though the texture was a bit coarse and there were more impurities, it was enough to feed their family of four for several days.
Jiang Wan didn't linger. She paid, bought the rice, and hurried back home.
Once home, she took advantage of no one watching and mixed in about a quarter of the mall's broken rice.
The broken grains nestled among the aged rice, nearly indistinguishable to the naked eye.
After finishing this, Jiang Wan carried her basket into the kitchen.
Only Xiao He was in the kitchen washing dishes; Madam Yu and Zhou Xianggui were nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Mother?" Jiang Wan asked casually, taking out the rice sack and pouring it all into the cleaned grain jar.
Xiao He turned around. "The sun was too strong. Father said he felt a bit better, but his body was getting musty, so he asked Mother to help wipe him down."
"Oh." Jiang Wan responded, feeling sticky herself, and asked, "Is there any water left? I'd like to wash up too."
Hearing this, Xiao He hastily wiped her hands and lifted the lid of the wok by the chimney.
Standing on her toes to peek inside, she replied, "There is. The small pot is boiling hot; just add some cold water."
Jiang Wan folded up the empty grain sack and called out to Xiao He, "Alright, call me when Father's done washing."
Then she slipped back into her room.
To make future trips and transactions easier, Jiang Wan switched her pickup point to the grain sack.
The sack was light and sturdy.
Folded, it took up no space; opened, it had just the right capacity. It was convenient to carry anywhere and far more discreet than the water jar or the crate.
To confirm the feasibility of this "mobile mall," she thought for a moment and purchased a small pack of sesame candy from the mall.
[Traditional Handmade Sesame Candy 25g/1.6 yuan]
[Balance: 67.6 yuan]
Feeling the small hard lump that suddenly appeared in the sack, Jiang Wan let out a relieved breath. "It works normally."
She reached into the sack and pulled out the sesame candy.
The 25g sesame candy was just one stick, wrapped in yellowed paper, about as thick as a thumb and as long as a palm.
She broke off a small piece and put it in her mouth.
"Crack."
Crisp, fragrant, and sweet—the toasted aroma of sesame and the sweetness of maltose blended perfectly on her tongue.
It was the familiar taste from her memories.
"Sister-in-law, Mother has already mixed the water for you. It's your turn now." Xiao He called from the doorway.
"Coming!" Jiang Wan opened the door and saw Xiao He about to turn away, so she quickly called out, "Xiao He, wait!"
Xiao He turned around with a bewildered look, her big eyes blinking. "Sister-in-law, what is it?"
Jiang Wan said nothing, took two quick steps, and shoved the remaining sesame candy into her mouth.
Xiao He instinctively opened her mouth and accepted the unexpected treat.
"Sister-in-law, what is thi—"
Before she could finish, Xiao He's eyes flew wide open.
She happily took the food from her mouth. "Sister-in-law! This is sesame brittle! Where did you get it?"
Jiang Wan was amused by her adorable little expression.
She reached out and brushed the stray hair from Xiao He's face, smiling. "Never mind that, just eat it."
"I get to eat it myself?" Xiao He wrinkled her nose, then licked her lips. "Sister-in-law, can I share some with Mom and Dad?"
Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Of course you can."
Xiao He was at that age where cravings for treats were common.
She hadn't expected that the child's first reaction to receiving a snack would be to share it with her parents.
"Thank you, sister-in-law!" Xiao He gave her a sweet smile, broke off most of the sesame candy, and pressed it into Jiang Wan's hand.
Clutching the remaining small piece, she dashed into the main room like a happy little sparrow, chattering away.
"Dad! Mom! Quick, try this! Look what sister-in-law gave me…"
Surprised voices from the Zhou family drifted out of the main room. Jiang Wan pressed her lips together, lowered her head, and put the sesame candy in her hand into her mouth.
Sweet.
Delicious indeed…
As night deepened, the bright moonlight illuminated the earth, heralding another scorching sunny day tomorrow.
In the courtyard, Madam Yu and Xiao He were washing the family's soiled clothes.
Jiang Wan had brought out a sewing basket and sat in the yard, stitch by stitch, marking the special burlap sack.
There were too many sacks at home; without some kind of marking sewn on, they'd easily get mixed up.
Madam Yu wrung out the wet clothes in her hands and, seeing how clumsy Jiang Wan was with the needle, couldn't help but advise, "Xiao Wan, put that down. Tell me what you want embroidered, and I'll do it once I finish the laundry."
Though she didn't know why Jiang Wan wanted to embroider patterns on a burlap sack, she just couldn't bear to see Jiang Wan doing chores.
In her mind.
Jiang Wan already worked hard running business outside; at home, she should rest well and recharge.
Back when Zhou Xianggui was the pillar of the family, it was the same, and now it was the same for Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan adjusted the sack on her lap and said helplessly, "Mother, you should take care of your eyes. When I find some time, I'll take you to the county to see a doctor."
Madam Yu waved it off dismissively. "Why waste the money? These are just old ailments of mine. It's nothing serious."
She paused, then lowered her voice, speaking with concern. "It's your father's health that worries me… sigh…"
"Oh, right!"
Jiang Wan suddenly remembered she hadn't added tonight's "dose" for Zhou Xianggui yet. She quickly bit off the thread, slung the empty sack over her shoulder.
She stood up. "Mother, I'll go pour Father a bowl of water."
Madam Yu didn't look up, just reminded her, "Alright, be careful, don't burn your hand…"
"I know."
After pouring the water, Jiang Wan took out a capsule of amoxicillin.
She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she didn't choose to open the capsule and mix it with water for Zhou Xianggui to take. Instead, she handed the capsule directly to him.
"Father, this morning I met a physician on the road. He gave me this, saying it can cure your illness. Would you like to try it?"
As she expected, Zhou Xianggui simply picked it up, gave it a brief look, and swallowed it.
"Water…"
Jiang Wan immediately handed him the bowl of water and only felt at ease after watching him swallow it.
She asked curiously, "Father, aren't you afraid this medicine might be poison?"
Zhou Xianggui chuckled, a note of resignation in his voice. "Not afraid. Your father has made plenty of enemies, but not to the point where someone would go to the trouble of poisoning me. Besides, look at me now—am I even worth anyone's effort…"
He set down the water bowl and cleared his throat. "Actually, I feel much better today. My chest isn't as tight as before."
Jiang Wan sighed inwardly: Could the medicine be taking effect already?
Looking at Zhou Xianggui's face, it was indeed not as ashen as it had been that morning, and the frequency of his coughing had slowed.
Jiang Wan felt somewhat relieved. "That's good news. Rest well—I won't call you to help with the lard rendering tonight, so you don't have to worry about the smoke and flames harming you."
Zhou Xianggui nodded and cautioned, "Although Yongxing Town has simple and honest folk, it's still not quite proper for a woman like you to be out alone at night… Remember to bring Xiao He and your mother along to the pork shop. With more people, there's safety in numbers, and they can lend a hand as well."