She carefully washed the wild vegetables clean, pinching off the inedible parts at the bottom.
Then she took the five liters of oil out of the system, the system had thoughtfully changed the plastic container into a jar.
Qiao Xihe had just poured the oil into the pot when she suddenly heard a faint sound behind her. She turned around and saw Shen Wanyin poking her little head into the kitchen.
Seeing her turn around, the little head shrank back a bit.
Qiao Xihe smiled gently and said, “Is little Yin’er hungry? Wait just a moment, it’ll be ready soon.”
The oil was nearly hot enough, and Qiao Xihe poured in the wild vegetables. The sizzle that followed sounded, to Shen Wanyin’s ears, like the most wonderful music in the world.
It seemed like she hadn’t heard the sound of cooking in a very long time.
There was no scallion, ginger, or garlic to bring out the aroma, but the fragrance of the wild vegetables itself still drifted out steadily, making Shen Wanyin’s mouth water uncontrollably.
She couldn’t help edging further into the kitchen. Qiao Xihe assumed she was simply too hungry and was about to say something to comfort her, but instead heard Shen Wanyin ask quietly, “Did the stepmother hit Sister just now?”
Qiao Xihe was stunned for a moment.
So Shen Wanyin had come to check on her?
A wave of emotion suddenly welled up in her chest, and she quickly said, “No, she didn’t hit me. And she won’t hit any of you again from now on either.”
“Really?” Shen Wanyin’s eyes went wide with disbelief. Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the kitchen.
The door curtain was pushed aside, and the person who came in was Shen Wanzhou.
Seeing Shen Wanyin standing there safe and sound, he immediately looked relieved.
Qiao Xihe: “…”
She felt wronged, but she said nothing.
Shen Wanzhou had been so focused on worrying about Shen Wanyin that only now, relaxing, did he notice how good the dish Qiao Xihe was frying smelled.
Even he couldn’t help swallowing, but he still picked Shen Wanyin up and carried her out.
Qiao Xihe had just finished frying the wild vegetables when she suddenly heard the system’s voice.
“Ding! Side quest triggered: drive off the troublemaker, and receive as reward one anti-wolf stun baton, one koi fragment, and one lottery draw.”
An anti-wolf stun baton! Now that was a good item, no telling when it might come in handy.
But, a troublemaker?
“Where’s the troublemaker?” Qiao Xihe asked, confused.
The moment she said this, she heard a woman’s sharp voice from outside: “Tang Yifang, get your ass out here!”
Qiao Xihe frowned and hurried outside.
She saw a fierce-looking woman standing in their courtyard, with a six- or seven-year-old child beside her, hiding behind her, looking guilty.
“What are you shouting for? Is someone dead in your family, do I need to come mourn?” Tang Yifang also walked out from inside, cursing without mercy.
“Who are you cursing!” The woman, named Wang Qiucui, was so furious she nearly jumped in place. “You can’t even control your own little wretch, and you dare shout at me? Who do you think you are!”
“How haven’t I controlled her? Explain yourself clearly today!” Tang Yifang rolled up her sleeves, taking a stance as if ready to brawl.
Wang Qiucui wasn’t intimidated either. She sneered and dragged the little boy out from behind her. “My Xiongzi invited your youngest over to play at our house a few days ago, and your youngest ate up every bit of our rock sugar! I checked today and the jar’s completely empty! You’ll pay me back!”
Qiao Xihe remembered now, the book had indeed mentioned this incident, though only in a few brief lines.
The rock sugar hadn’t been eaten by Shen Wanyin at all, Xiongzi had eaten it himself, and once caught, he’d pinned the blame on Shen Wanyin.
Wang Qiucui lived in the same village as them, and she’d never gotten along with Tang Yifang, so naturally she’d rushed straight over to demand an explanation.
According to the book, Tang Yifang and Wang Qiucui had a huge fight, and no money was paid, but Tang Yifang hadn’t believed Shen Wanyin’s word at all, and had given little Yin’er a savage beating, and in the book, Qiao Xihe had stood by, gloating.
Heh. She wasn’t going to let anyone slander little Yin’er like that with nothing but empty words!
“I didn’t eat it!” Shen Wanyin, standing to the side, opened her eyes wide, stamping her feet in urgency. “I didn’t eat anything at your house! Why is brother Xiongzi lying? My father said people who lie aren’t good children!”
“You little brat, who are you calling a liar? My Xiongzi never lies! No wonder, a child with no mother, no manners! Tang Yifang, you’d better pay up!”
Naturally, Tang Yifang didn’t care how anyone insulted Shen Wanyin, but she didn’t want to pay up either, so she worked herself up, about to start arguing with Wang Qiucui, but instead, a large broom came crashing down hard onto Wang Qiucui.
“Oh, my mother!” Wang Qiucui let out a wail from the blow, instinctively covering her head. “Who, who dares hit me!”
“I’m the one hitting you!” The person holding up the broom was none other than Qiao Xihe. She sneered coldly and swung the broom again. “You dare insult my little sister, beating you to death would be letting you off easy!”
“You, you little wretch…”
Wang Qiucui tried to fight back, but Qiao Xihe gave her no chance at all, the broom came down again and again, fast and precise, leaving her with no way to strike back, only able to cover her head and flee.
She ran circles around the courtyard, with Qiao Xihe chasing after her, hitting her all the while, until Wang Qiucui was screaming from the pain.
Tang Yifang and the five children were all stunned into silence.
“Qiao Xihe! You fatherless piece of trash…”
“You had a father but he never taught you anything, how are you any better than me? My little sister said she didn’t eat it, then she didn’t eat it. Why don’t you go ask that precious son of yours, and check whether the rock sugar stuck his teeth together!”
The moment he heard this, Xiongzi’s little face went pale with fright.
“Bullshit! There’s no way my son would…”
Before she could finish, Qiao Xihe swung the broom down again.
“You’d better shut that useless thing under your nose!”
Tears finally came to Wang Qiucui’s eyes, and all she could do was scream in desperation, “Stop hitting me, stop! I admit I was wrong, is that enough!”
Qiao Xihe happened to be tired by then too, and at these words she finally stopped, planting the broom on the ground, putting her other hand on her hip, glaring at Xiongzi, and shouting angrily, “Xiongzi! You’d better tell the truth, who actually ate your family’s rock sugar?”
Xiongzi’s face went white with fear, but he still stubbornly said, “I didn’t eat it, it, it was all Shen Wanyin!”
Shen Wanyin burst into furious tears. “I really didn’t eat it! Father taught me not to take other people’s things without asking!”
Shen Wanjin hurried to comfort her, while Shen Wanzhou and Shen Wanmu both clenched their fists, Shen Wanmu even took a few steps forward, as if he were about to go beat up Xiongzi.
“Well then, still not telling the truth?” Shen Wanyin gave a chillingly grim smile, and even Xiongzi was scared into tears by her.
“Who are you trying to scare?” Wang Qiucui had already wiped her tears away by now, her whole body ached, but seeing her son cry hurt her even more.
Shen Wanyin raised the broom again, and Xiongzi was frightened out of his wits, shouting, “Don’t hit me, if you’re going to hit someone, keep hitting my mother, don’t hit me!”
Wang Qiucui: “…”
“Hahaha…” Tang Yifang let out a burst of gloating laughter. “Wang Qiucui, what a fine son you’ve raised!”