Wu Hongliang was thinking about when he would finally get his wish and marry An Yanyan.
Jiang Jiyuan could see what Wu Hongliang was thinking. Wu Desheng had already come to him before, asking him to persuade Wu Hongliang not to daydream—people like the educated youths from the city were not meant to stay in their world. But ever since the new batch of educated youths arrived, Wu Hongliang had rarely come looking for him, and Jiang Jiyuan hadn’t found a proper chance to talk to him. Now that he himself had married Song Yunqiao, it was even harder to say anything.
Wu Hongliang leaned in and said, “Brother Yuan, how did you manage to win over Song the educated youth? Teach me.”
Jiang Jiyuan shook his head. He didn’t know how to explain.
Seeing that he didn’t want to say anything, Wu Hongliang said, “Come on, Brother Yuan, please. If I end up marrying An Yanyan, you’ll be a great contributor. I’ll definitely thank you properly.”
“It’s not that I won’t say it—I just don’t know how to put it into words,” Jiang Jiyuan answered honestly.
If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t even bother explaining. But Wu Hongliang was different. If it weren’t for Wu Desheng, his family might not have made it through those hard times. And Wu Hongliang himself had grown up playing with him.
Wu Hongliang said sarcastically, “Alright, alright, got it—you’ve got a wife now and forgot your brother. I understand.”
He knew Jiang Jiyuan’s personality well. If Jiang Jiyuan didn’t want to say something, even beating him wouldn’t make him speak another word.
Finding the conversation pointless, Wu Hongliang left not long after.
..
It was about time to cook lunch, so Song Yunqiao went to the kitchen, ready to show off her skills.
The Jiang family had a vegetable garden with tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, beans, and pumpkins. The tomatoes were already ripe. She picked a couple and, along with dried beans and potatoes, stir-fried a mixed vegetable dish. Seeing eggs, she thought the family had been working hard in the fields, so she also fried several eggs. For the staple food, she steamed rice mixed with coarse grains—these were her own rations, which she had brought with her when she moved into the Jiang family.
Ji Peilan came home early from work thinking about cooking, but as soon as she entered the courtyard, she smelled the aroma of food.
Song Yunqiao looked up and smiled, “Mom, you’re back.”
Ji Peilan nodded. “I’m back.”
Seeing her keep looking at the stove, Song Yunqiao said, “It was almost mealtime, so I made lunch.”
“I rushed back as fast as I could, but I was still late.”
In truth, Ji Peilan had never intended for Song Yunqiao to cook.
Song Yunqiao took the opportunity to say, “It’s okay, Mom. From now on, I’ll handle the cooking at home. I’m not good at field work, but I can cook.”
Ji Peilan felt very pleased seeing how sensible she was. Thinking about how people in the fields had been quietly waiting to see their family become a joke that morning, she now wished she could bring them home and show them how capable her daughter-in-law was.
While cooking, Song Yunqiao said, “Mom, since you’re back, don’t go out again.”
Ji Peilan happily replied, “Alright, I know. I’ll wash my hands and come help you in a bit.”
“No need, just rest. The dishes are almost done.”
Ji Peilan agreed and went off to wash her hands, smiling all the way.
..
Jiang Jianshan saw his mother return and went over, taking out the candy Song Yunqiao had given him.
Ji Peilan asked, “This is from your sister-in-law?”
Jiang Jianshan nodded.
“Since it’s from your sister-in-law, keep it.”
He also said she had given him not only milk candy but biscuits as well. Ji Peilan immediately understood.
She actually liked Song Yunqiao very much, but when she first learned her son was going to marry her, she had been worried. Liking the girl was one thing, but whether she could adapt to their rural family was another. Most importantly, Song Yunqiao was from the city—she feared they might not get along.
But so far, everything seemed to be going well.
..
When Jiang Jiyuan and Jiang Jijing returned home, they immediately smelled the aroma of food.
“Mom, what good food did you make today?” Jiang Jijing asked happily.
“It’s not me—it’s your sister-in-law who made it,” Ji Peilan replied.
“My sister-in-law? Which sister-in-law?” he asked in confusion.
“Your real sister-in-law. Who else do you think you have?”
If he had been standing closer, he would have definitely been slapped.
Jiang Jijing scratched his head. He had forgotten his brother had gotten married.
Jiang Jiyuan looked over at Song Yunqiao just as she was looking back at him.
She had already put the morning’s incident behind her and was now focused entirely on the meal she had cooked—her very first meal in the Jiang household.
“Wash your hands and come eat,” she said.
Ji Peilan chimed in, “Xiaoqiao is right. Go wash up and eat.”
No one could resist good food. Jiang Jijing immediately followed his brother to wash his hands.
Song Yunqiao and Ji Peilan brought the dishes to the table.
One stir-fried mixed vegetable dish and one tomato scrambled eggs. In later times, these would be simple dishes, but in this era, they were considered quite good—especially since Song Yunqiao used quite a lot of oil, which made the food especially fragrant.
Ji Peilan picked up her chopsticks first, and then the others followed.
After one bite, Jiang Jijing’s eyes lit up and he couldn’t stop eating.
Jiang Jiyuan was also slightly surprised—he hadn’t expected Song Yunqiao to cook this well.
Song Yunqiao noticed his expression.
By the end of the meal, all the dishes were finished clean. She even wondered if she had cooked too little.
Ji Peilan insisted on not letting her wash the dishes, so in the end Jiang Jiyuan and Jiang Jijing cleaned up.
When Jiang Jiyuan returned to the room, he saw Song Yunqiao reading a book.
“Thank you for your hard work,” he said.
Song Yunqiao looked at him, then understood what he meant.
“It’s nothing compared to working in the fields. I actually like cooking,” she said, then paused. “Did you eat enough?”
She noticed Jiang Jijing had eaten a lot, while Jiang Jiyuan himself hadn’t eaten much for an adult.
“I’m full,” Jiang Jiyuan replied.
Seeing her concern for him warmed his heart.
“My first time cooking, so I didn’t estimate the portions well. Next time I’ll make more,” she said.
“You can decide,” he replied.
He originally wanted to ask more about her cooking, but hearing that she liked it, he didn’t.
“Go rest,” she said.
Knowing he still had to go work later, she didn’t want to disturb him.
“You’ve worked hard too. Lie down and rest for a while,” Jiang Jiyuan said.
“I didn’t do much. I just cooked. You rest,” she smiled and returned to her book.
Jiang Jiyuan didn’t disturb her further and lay down to rest.
One read quietly while the other rested peacefully—the room was calm and harmonious.
Not long after, Jiang Jiyuan got up again to go back to work.