Lu Meiyu felt a bit disappointed, but when she glanced at her space again, she perked up.
There was meat for sale! And it was good, fatty pork belly.
Fifteen copper coins per jin.
“System, only you care about me.”
The system didn’t respond—apparently it didn’t respond to whining.
Lu Meiyu didn’t care; as long as she could buy good things cheaply, whether it responded or not was irrelevant.
She generously bought a piece of meat from her space, along with a few old-fashioned candies, and happily returned to the village.
The meat was no different from what was sold in the market, thoughtfully tied with straw for easy carrying!
She had to admit, the system really went to some effort for her.
This time, the ox cart had few passengers, and Lu Meiyu wanted to just lie down on the boards.
But that wasn’t possible—in the ancient times, even the boldest, fiercest wife wouldn’t dare act so brazenly.
“Qing Sheng’s wife, you’ve struck it rich! You’re buying meat now.”
“You sold a fat rabbit, didn’t you?”
The village women teased her, envy in their voices.
“Yes, finally caught a rabbit, sold it for some copper coins, now we can eat well. My two kids are too thin.”
Lu Meiyu’s mood improved, and she began chatting more.
“In my opinion, it’s better to buy grains. That meat could buy several jin of grains.”
Even Lu Meiyu started calculating—this one jin of meat was worth seven jin of mixed grains in this life!
Luckily, she had bought the meat through her space, so it was nearly half price.
“No matter, the three of us haven’t eaten meat in ages. A few days ago, I got a chicken from my mother-in-law, and I slaughtered it the same day. It was so delicious.”
The women exchanged glances… what could they say?
They hadn’t realized before—Qing Sheng’s wife wasn’t one to carefully ration food!
Who would slaughter a chicken the same day it was acquired?
Wouldn’t you save it for eggs or trade for oil and salt?
Even if craving chicken, you’d usually wait for festivals!
Lu Meiyu laughed: “Anyway, no matter how frugal you are, if there’s no money, there’s no money. Better to eat it than let it go to waste.”
Aunt Li said helplessly: “Well, you’re not wasting it. Look at you—your face looks so much better now.”
Others noticed too—Lu Meiyu’s complexion had improved, rosy and fresh.
For rural women, her skin was exceptionally good.
Before, Lu Meiyu had always looked pale, even slightly greenish.
Only a few days, and now she looked lively and beautiful?
Was it because she had eaten a chicken?
Lu Meiyu was very satisfied with her appearance, judging by their reactions.
In her previous life, she had been delicate-looking, and only with makeup could she be considered pretty. This life, however, she was naturally beautiful, avoiding many detours.
Once she replenished her nutrition, she would look even better!
She went to Grandma Zhao’s house to fetch the two little girls and pay three months’ rent—ninety copper coins in total.
Though Grandma Zhao insisted it wasn’t urgent, who doesn’t need money?
She also gave Heya a candy before bringing the girls home.
On the way, she eagerly gave each girl two candies—bought in her space, affordable, six candies for three copper coins.
The sisters were enveloped in happiness, savoring the treats carefully.
“So sweet, Mom!”
“So delicious! Never had these before.”
Normally they never had candy—not even during festivals.
Lu Meiyu herself ate one; the sweetness was truly healing.
Seeing the sisters’ joyful expressions, she felt that, though exhausted from the day, it had been worth it.
Once back home, the girls were delighted to see meat.
Rice alone had been enough, but now there was meat too.
“Mom said we wouldn’t go hungry, do you believe it now?”
Lu Meiyu smiled as she sliced the meat.
Xiaoxuan carefully washed rice, saving the water in a basin to water the vegetable patch later.
Xiaowei’s big eyes sparkled with excitement, watching her mother and sister.
After cutting the meat, Lu Meiyu took the rice water to the backyard, picked some chili peppers and cabbage.
Chili stir-fried with meat, plain stir-fried cabbage.
The pork belly was cut into small pieces, placed in the pan, and slowly fried until slightly yellow, releasing oil.
She poured the oil into a large bowl to save it.
Lard smelled amazing!
Chili peppers were added to the pan, briefly stir-fried, then garlic and green onions—already making the air irresistibly fragrant.
Lu Meiyu’s cooking skills were average, but she was forgiving with herself and quite satisfied with the result; the girls were even more pleased.
She suspected that even without seasoning, the girls would have exclaimed “delicious.”
As they ate, someone arrived at the courtyard.
Lu Meiyu peeked out and saw her mother-in-law Zhang, two sisters-in-law, and the younger sister Liu Cuicui.
They moved quickly to the kitchen, shouting.
“So you really are eating meat! I heard from Aunt Li, but didn’t believe it. Eating alone with the elders around—this is unheard of! Even after the family split, isn’t this improper?”
Zhang was furious.
They grabbed chopsticks, aiming to take the meat.
The girls were terrified, unable to call for help.
Without a word, Lu Meiyu raised her electric baton. All movement froze.
Zhang fumed: “Lu! You are our eldest daughter-in-law, yet you eat meat yourself while the elders eat grain! There’s no justice in the world! Even after splitting, filial respect is a must.”
“I’m not talking with you. Liu Qingsheng earns 300 coins monthly, and it’s in your hands. If you want meat, buy it yourself. If you bother me again, I’ll act.” Lu Meiyu raised the electric baton again. “I said before, this stick only appears when I face injustice. You came to provoke me, want to try it again?”
The three women dared not advance, remembering the unforgettable sting.
Liu Cuicui grabbed a bamboo broom at the door, swinging it wildly while shouting, “I respected you as sister-in-law, so I didn’t hit you first. Now you think you’re the boss of our Liu family…”
Zhang worried for her daughter; the sisters-in-law were eager, hoping brave Liu Cuicui would knock the troublesome Lu Meiyu down.
Unexpectedly, Lu Meiyu kicked the broom aside. The black baton struck, and Liu Cuicui let out a scream, collapsing to the ground, pale as death.
Unbelievable.
Zhang screamed: “Lu, we’ll fight you!”
She grabbed a bench and shouted to the two daughters-in-law: “If you don’t join, I’ll punish you both.”
Wang and Zhou each grabbed a bench and rushed toward Lu Meiyu.
Xiaoxuan shouted: “Mom, watch out!”
Lu Meiyu pushed the two sisters away and struck the three women fiercely with the electric baton.