Xia Tian didn't dawdle any longer. She left her room to make breakfast, figuring Shen Nian didn't look like someone who could cook for himself.
Standing in the courtyard, she scanned her surroundings. Besides the three main rooms, there was a side room to the east. According to the local custom for building houses, the eastern room should be the kitchen.
Xia Tian walked straight to the eastern side room, and sure enough, it was the kitchen.
She rummaged around inside. In the grain crock were several sacks of grain. She opened them one by one and found white rice, white flour, millet, and cornmeal. There wasn't much, probably enough for five or six days.
The cupboards held cookware, bowls, chopsticks, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other seasonings, along with a few eggs. The assortment of condiments was quite complete.
Thinking of Shen Nian's sickly appearance, she guessed he probably couldn't digest food that was too hard. For breakfast, she would cook some Millet Porridge and fry a couple of Egg Pancakes—delicious and nutritious.
Putting her plan into action, Xia Tian washed her hands, filled the pot with water, and lit the firewood underneath. While waiting for the water to boil, she took out some millet, washed it, and set it aside.
She searched the kitchen but couldn't find any green vegetables or scallions. She recalled seeing what looked like a vegetable garden behind the house, but she didn't know if anything was planted there.
She went out the door to the vegetable garden to have a look. As expected, no vegetables were planted, but a small row of scallions grew along the edge of the plot. It was clear no one had tended to them; they were growing sparsely. Xia Tian plucked a few tender leaves and returned to the kitchen.
Seeing that the water was boiling, she found a clean, empty basin and ladled a scoop out. Then, she poured the millet into the pot, stirred it with a wooden spoon, covered the pot, and let it simmer over a low fire.
Next, she took out a porcelain bowl, poured in a little less than half a bowl of white flour, cracked in two eggs, added some seasoning and salt, and mixed it with lukewarm water to form a thin batter, ready for making Egg Pancakes.
Suddenly, it occurred to her that she hadn't asked Shen Nian if he had any dietary restrictions. It would be terrible if her good intentions backfired.
She hurried out of the kitchen. Stopping at the entrance to the main room without going in, she asked directly, "Brother Shen, I'm making breakfast. Is there anything you can't eat?"
"No," came the reply, his voice a bit hoarse. He was probably sleeping.
Xia Tian sprinkled some chopped scallions into the egg batter and stirred it evenly. She lit the small stove next to her, poured a little Rapeseed Oil into the small iron skillet, and began to fry the pancakes.
By the time the Egg Pancakes were done, the Millet Porridge was also ready. She ladled it into a large bowl, found a woven bamboo tray, placed the bowl and chopsticks on it, and carried it to the main room.
At the doorway, she called out, "Brother Shen, I'm coming in." Without waiting for a response, she lifted the door curtain and entered.
Placing the tray on the table, she invited Shen Nian to eat. "Brother Shen, I didn't know what you like to eat, so I just made some Millet Porridge and a few Egg Pancakes. See if they suit your taste."
Shen Nian got off the kang and sat down at the table. Seeing only one set of bowl and chopsticks, he glanced at Xia Tian. She smiled at him. "I ate before I left this morning."
Shen Nian said nothing and quietly began to eat. To his surprise, it tasted quite good. The Millet Porridge was thick and soft, and the Egg Pancakes were fluffy and savory. Her cooking skills were impressive.
She hadn't made much for breakfast. After watching Shen Nian finish his meal at a slow, deliberate pace, Xia Tian cleared the dishes. After washing and tidying up the kitchen, she poured Shen Nian a bowl of cooled boiled water and returned to her own room.
Having woken up early and bustled about until now, Xia Tian was feeling a bit sleepy. She climbed onto the kang, wiped the mat with a cloth, and spread out her bedding, preparing to take a nap. The bedding was all new, which put Xia Tian's mind at ease.
Just as she lay down, her hand brushed against the pouch in her robes. She took it out, opened it, and poured out the contents to count them. There were seventeen copper coins in total.
A wave of sorrow washed over Xia Tian. Although Xia Chenshi was powerless to protect her own children, her love for them was just the same.
All the Xia Family's money was controlled by Grandma Xia. Who knew how her mother had managed to save these few copper coins.
Her parents in her previous life had been the same. Although they favored her younger brother a little, they had still supported her through university. After she started working, they often came up with excuses to ask for money, but when she bought a house, they had given her over a hundred thousand yuan for the down payment.
Putting the pouch away again, she lay down properly and fell asleep in no time.
She slept soundly and deeply, and by the time Xia Tian woke up, it was already past noon.
She scrambled up, her stomach growling. Shen Nian was probably starving too.
She had just promised her boss this morning that she would perform well, yet she had slept until now.
She left her room and tiptoed to the door of the main room to listen. The sound of a faint cough came from within. She turned and hurried to the kitchen to cook.
She started a fire, boiled water, and mixed dough. Soon, she had prepared two bowls of noodles. She poached an egg in Shen Nian's bowl, sprinkled some chopped scallions on top, and carried it over on the tray.
"Brother Shen, come and eat. You must be starving, right? I accidentally fell asleep and was late making lunch," Xia Tian explained, embarrassed.
"It's fine." Shen Nian put down his book. Seeing only one bowl of noodles on the table, he didn't pick up his chopsticks.
"Mine is in the kitchen, I'll go get it." Xia Tian understood in a second. She quickly brought her own bowl in, sat on the other stool, and began to eat.
She never expected that the cold-looking Shen Nian was actually quite warm-hearted, she thought cheerfully.
In his twenty years of life, Shen Nian had never had such a simple meal. Even in the past few months since his downfall, Mu Yang would still prepare two dishes for every meal.
At the thought of Mu Yang, Shen Nian's heart sank slightly. If Mu Yang hadn't blocked that blade for him, he would have died long ago.
Unfortunately, Mu Yang still hadn't made it…
Shen Nian didn't move his chopsticks for a long while. Xia Tian looked up in confusion and saw him staring at the bowl. She understood instantly. "I saw we were low on eggs, so I only cooked one. You're not well, so you need to eat more nutritious things. I'll go buy some more from the villagers later. It's fine if I go without for one meal."
Shen Nian's hand, holding the chopsticks, paused. "There's no need for that."
This girl has a good heart, he thought, even if she always misunderstands.
"I know, I won't neglect myself. Brother Shen, hurry up and eat before the noodles get soggy," Xia Tian said. Seeing Shen Nian start to eat, she also began to eat quickly.
Although there were no side dishes and the noodles were just plain noodles in broth, they tasted good. This was the most comforting meal Shen Nian had eaten in the days since Mu Yang's passing.
After they finished eating, Xia Tian didn't rush out. "Brother Shen, I hear you coughing a lot, but you're not taking any medicine. Did you run out? Should we go see a doctor?"
Shen Nian's eyes darkened. "No need."
His illness was incurable.
Xia Tian didn't dare to press further. After all, they had only known each other for a day, and she didn't understand his condition. Saying too much could easily annoy him.
But they were living together, and besides, Shen Nian seemed like a decent person. She hoped he would live longer and more comfortably.
In this strange world, she would feel less lonely with someone to talk to and keep her company.
Life was already difficult for a woman in this era, let alone a single woman. It was doubly hard.
Having a companion, even one who was just like a boss, gave her some peace of mind.
"Well then, Brother Shen, the weather looks nice today. You should come out for a walk and get some sun in the courtyard. If you relax, you might get better soon," Xia Tian said, looking at Shen Nian a little nervously.
"Mm." In the end, his heart wasn't hard enough, otherwise he wouldn't have… Shen Nian frowned, not wanting to think about it further. He didn't know why, but lately, his mind had been prone to wandering.
Seeing that Shen Nian had agreed, Xia Tian was instantly delighted. She efficiently cleared the bowls and chopsticks and went out.
She scrubbed the pot clean, lit the fire again to boil water, and when it was ready, she filled the teapot from Shen Nian's room. She poured the rest into a basin, covered it with a lid, and left it to cool for drinking later.
Xia Tian moved the table, stool, and teapot from Shen Nian's room out into the courtyard, placing them under an apricot tree near the south wall. Then she called for Shen Nian to come out and sit.
Shen Nian watched the bustling Xia Tian. Not wanting to refuse her kind gesture, he left his room and went to sit in the courtyard.
Having not been outside for a long time, he felt a bit dazed at first. The March weather wasn't too hot yet. Sitting under the tree with a gentle breeze blowing was indeed much more comfortable.
Xia Tian saw Shen Nian sitting in the yard with his eyes slightly narrowed, lost in thought.
Not wanting to disturb him, she deftly went into the main room to clean up. Then she took out the clothes Shen Nian had changed out of, preparing to wash them.
There was no well in the courtyard, and she didn't know where to fetch water.
Just as she was about to ask Shen Nian, she heard someone calling from the gate, "Is Shen's wife home?"