“It’s good enough that there’s food to eat. And you’re still being picky!”
The words were just as harsh as ever, yet somehow they felt different this time.
“Mother…”
Li Xiuyun’s eyes reddened as she promised in a muffled voice, “From now on, I’ll embroider handkerchiefs properly to sell. I won’t be a burden to the family.”
As she spoke, she took out the handkerchiefs she had finished embroidering. “These are the ones I’ve completed these past few days. Please take them tomorrow to deliver, and help me get some new embroidery work.”
Wu Yulan accepted the handkerchiefs, but inwardly she had already decided that this embroidery work must not continue.
Childbirth greatly depleted one’s vitality. If Li Xiuyun forced herself to keep embroidering, her body would sooner or later break down.
“I know what I’m doing. Finish all this food—no wasting! I’ll have your sister-in-law come collect the bowls later.”
After speaking, Wu Yulan reached out to Chun Ni. “Come, eat with Grandma.”
Chun Ni glanced at the dishes on the table, then obediently took Wu Yulan’s hand. “Mother, I’ll come back to keep you company after I finish eating!”
The door closed again, though the window beside it was half open, so the room wasn’t dark.
In the fading glow of the sunset, Li Xiuyun saw a bowl of winter melon pork bone soup, a plate of preserved vegetables stewed with meat, a small bowl of fish, and a serving of baby bok choy laid out on the table.
As she sipped the sweet, clear winter melon bone soup, she thought of the changes in her mother-in-law these past few days. The dullness in her eyes slowly brightened.
She gently picked up her little daughter and softly spoke to the face that resembled her husband’s by seventy percent.
“Zhikang, do you know? Mother has changed these past few days. She’s been so good to me and the children. She hasn’t beaten or mistreated us anymore. She’s even stewed chicken soup for me, cooked fish and meat for us to eat!”
“Mother has changed for the better. Everything is getting better. If you could see her now, how happy you’d be!”
After speaking, Li Xiuyun pressed her forehead gently against her daughter’s.
“Come back safely from the frontier soon. Come back and see how obedient and adorable your little daughter is…”
…
Main hall.
Silence.
Everyone held their chopsticks, yet no one dared to be the first to start eating. The dishes on the table were simply too good.
White rice porridge, winter melon pork bone soup, stewed pork belly with preserved vegetables, pickled fish, crispy pork cracklings, baby bok choy—each dish was something they normally wouldn’t even dare dream of.
Wang Guiqin had assumed the meat and fish were meant for her younger brother-in-law. Seeing all the dishes brought to the main hall left her in disbelief.
“Mother, these dishes… are they all for us?”
Wu Yulan nodded. “Mm. Everyone worked hard today. Eat.”
Song Zhiyong glanced at the food before quickly looking away.
He was afraid that if he stared too long, he would never be able to swallow rice bran porridge again. After all, it was easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to return from luxury to frugality.
“Mother, I’ll just have rice bran porridge. Leave these for you and Fourth Brother.”
Wu Yulan ladled a bowl of bone soup for each person. “I fed the rice bran to the pigs. From now on, whatever I eat, you eat.”
Upon hearing that the rice bran had been fed to the pigs, Song Zhiyong hurried to stand up with his crutch, intending to retrieve it from the pigpen.
“Stop right there!”
Wu Yulan set down her bowl and chopsticks. “Have your wings grown strong enough that you don’t listen to your mother anymore?”
“Or are you thinking of splitting the family?”
At the mention of dividing the family, Song Zhiyong immediately turned back, lowering his voice. “Mother, I don’t mean to defy you. It’s just… I’m a useless cripple. It’s a waste for me to eat this food. That rice bran was perfectly edible.”
“Who says you’re useless? Once your leg is healed in a few days, you’ll be climbing the mountains to hunt for me again!”
As she spoke, Wu Yulan pushed the brimming bowl of soup right up to his mouth.
“Stop your nagging. From now on, whatever I cook is what you eat. If anyone keeps talking, get out of this house!”
Song Zhiyong thought he must have misheard and gave a bitter smile. “My leg is already ruined. How could it possibly be cured?”
Wu Yulan said nothing more. She was confident about restoring his ability to walk normally; whether it could be fully cured would depend on examining the injury first.
“Enough talk. Eat!”
Only then did everyone finally begin eating properly. Yet they all kept their heads down, drinking soup and eating porridge, not a single one daring to reach their chopsticks toward the dishes.
Wu Yulan had no choice but to divide the dishes evenly according to each person.
“No wasting food!”
After giving her warning, Wu Yulan carried her bowl out into the courtyard. She knew full well that only when this “vicious old woman” wasn’t sitting in the main hall would they dare to eat their fill.
Sure enough, after strolling around and coming back, the food had been eaten clean.
When Song Zhiyong saw his mother’s gaze fall on the empty bowl and chopsticks in front of him, his face flushed red. Just earlier he had been shouting that he wouldn’t eat, yet now he had polished everything off. Mother would surely think he had eaten too much.
He pinched his thigh. Song Zhiyong, Song Zhiyong—you’re already so old. How can you still be this greedy!
Mother had only just started treating them a little better. Couldn’t he restrain himself?
However, Wu Yulan glanced at the bowls and chopsticks and suddenly broke into a smile. “Mm, not a single grain of rice wasted. You all did well!”
Hearing his mother’s praise, Song Zhiyong froze.
Mother… not only did she not complain about him eating too much, she even praised him.
“Alright, go wash up.”
“Dalang, Erlang, you two aren’t going to the fields tomorrow morning. Come with me to the river to fish.”
Song Erlang responded excitedly, “Yes!”
Song Dalang nodded.
By the time the whole family had finished washing in turns, it was completely dark.
Wu Yulan leaned against the headboard, counting the silver in her hand.
Although she had earned 234 wen from selling fish today, she had also spent quite a bit buying things. Now she had ten taels of silver and 108 copper coins left.
With so little silver, it was impossible to redeem those two girls.
How could she quickly earn more silver?
“Hm? I still have the medical mall. What if I buy some things from there and then sell them?”
Glass cups, crystal goblets—such items would surely fetch a high price.
The moment the thought appeared, a notification popped up on the medical mall interface.
“The items in this mall are for the host’s personal use only and may not be sold.”
Seeing this message, Wu Yulan sighed. “Fine. Taking things from the mall to sell was never appropriate anyway. If someone with ill intent discovered it, it might bring disaster.”
With that thought, she gave up the idea of selling items from her space.
But if she didn’t sell them, she could give them away as gifts. It only said they couldn’t be sold—it didn’t say they couldn’t be given away.
If she gifted something and the recipient returned the favor, wouldn’t that work just as well?
Thinking of this, Wu Yulan curled her lips into a faint smile.
“I’ll fish for one more day tomorrow. If that doesn’t work, I’ll return to my old trade. Song Family Village has no shortage of mountains. Where there are mountains, there are herbs. Gathering some herbs to dry and process can also make money.”
Having made up her mind, Wu Yulan lay down to rest.
…
The mist quietly dispersed, and thin curls of cooking smoke slowly rose among the mountains.
“Hoo~!”
Wu Yulan stretched and exhaled a breath of stale air.
“The air in these mountains is truly fresh and pleasant.”
Looking at the rolling green hills, she thought how delightful it would be to build a small courtyard here in this peaceful little village and retire in comfort.
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Once she had set this big family in order and divided the household, she would build a small courtyard and live out her old age.
With a goal in mind, Wu Yulan felt full of energy.
In no time at all, she had prepared breakfast.
Other than her, no one in the family dared to enter the kitchen in the morning, because this household simply had no habit of eating breakfast.
Seeing everyone busy with their chores, she shouted,
“Stop working! Eat breakfast first!”
After shouting, Wu Yulan carried a bowl of vegetable and lean pork congee and took two eggs as she pushed open Li Xiuyun’s door.