Nian Nian didn’t realize her mother was teasing her and confidently said,“Then I can do it tonight.”
Jiang Mengning: “……”She really shouldn’t trust this little girl.
“Nian Nian, this isn’t how you start a fire. The match burns too fast, and the stick is too thick—it won’t catch.”
She tried to explain,“Let’s first take some sticks out, stuff in some straw, and see if that works.”
A total novice at life—maybe it wouldn’t be long before this era forced her into becoming a housewife.
She couldn’t just expect things to be handed to her.
Nian Nian looked at her mother, smiling brightly.“Mommy, it takes me forever to light a fire. I don’t even know when it will work.”
In short, her fire-making completely depended on luck.
Jiang Mengning laughed, wiping the soot off her daughter’s nose.“It’s okay, it’s okay. Hard work pays off. If we try together, we’ll definitely get the fire going.”
She tried the method she had just thought of—taking out some sticks, stuffing dry straw inside, and lighting the straw with a match.
The fire in the stove immediately caught.
Both Jiang Mengning and Nian Nian clapped their hands in delight.“It’s lit! It’s lit!”
But before they could even finish celebrating, the fire gradually died down and eventually went out.
Jiang Mengning: “……”Really? Must everything be this difficult?
“What are you two doing? Why’s there so much smoke?”
Feng Xiulian walked in and saw mother and daughter faces covered in soot like two mischievous cats. She burst out laughing.“Hahaha! Look at you two—your faces are all covered in stove ash!” She laughed until her stomach hurt.
Jiang Mengning: “……”
Feng Xiulian hurried over.“This isn’t how you light a fire. Move aside, I’ll teach you.”
She took all the sticks out of the stove, then added some thinner sticks.
She arranged them in a triangular shape so the stove wasn’t completely blocked.
She stuffed straw in the empty space at the bottom and lit it. The fire blazed up immediately—very little smoke, and it burned steadily.
The fire in the stove became strong, and the pot dried up quickly.
Feng Xiulian asked,“Madam, what are you making?”
Jiang Mengning quickly brought out the honeycomb and water.“Just pour these into the pot and boil it.”
“Here, let me help.”
Feng Xiulian first poured in the water, then added the honeycomb.
“This isn’t just honey, is it? What are you making?”
She had touched the honeycomb and noticed some honey still clinging to her fingers. Smelling the sweet scent, she put a finger in her mouth and licked it.“Wow, this is really sweet.”
Jiang Mengning: “……Yes, it’s sweet.”
She quickly covered the pot, afraid Feng Xiulian would reach in again.
Not that she was stingy—this was just unsanitary!
Feng Xiulian didn’t even realize anything was wrong. Coming from a rural background, she wasn’t particular about such things.
“Madam, you’re really beautiful—your skin is so smooth, like a peeled egg. The more I look at you, the more I like it.”
Jiang Mengning: “……Thank you!”
“Why thank me? We all live in the compound, men train together, and us wives have to stick together. It’s really no different from family.”
“Close neighbors are better than distant relatives. If you ever need anything, come find me—I live next door.”
This woman was overly friendly, but Jiang Mengning could tell she had no bad intentions. No need to guard herself.
Noticing Feng Xiulian staring at her, Jiang Mengning asked,“What do you want from me?”
Surely she didn’t just come over to chat?
“Hehe, well… I’m embarrassed to say,” Feng Xiulian fidgeted.“It’s like this. This morning, when we ran into each other at the toilet, after you left, I followed out and saw Captain Huo running with his men.”
“You know me—I can’t keep my mouth shut. I said exactly what I was thinking. Right in front of Captain Huo, I said your butt was white and round and that you’d definitely bear him a son.”
“And then… Captain Huo didn’t seem happy. I didn’t realize it at the time. Later, my husband told me off too. So I thought, when Captain Huo comes back, maybe you could say a good word for me? That I didn’t mean it and am sincerely apologizing.”
She didn’t think it was wrong—she assumed Huo Jinyan was annoyed only because so many people were around.
Jiang Mengning was stunned.
This woman really had no filter.
“Sis-in-law, some things you just can’t say out loud. Saying that in front of so many people—of course he’d be upset! Anyone would be!” Feng Xiulian pouted.
“I really want to smack my own mouth. I’ll never blurt things out in public again. Next time I’ll apologize privately.”
Jiang Mengning: “……”She really can’t control her mouth. But whatever, other people’s mouths don’t affect her.
She couldn’t help but ask,“So, Huo Jinyan really got angry when you said that?”
“Yes! His face went dark, he looked really mad!”
Jiang Mengning smirked. Angry! And he could actually get mad over her? How rare.
“Madam, I think you two shouldn’t have conflicts. Captain Huo is young and capable, you’re beautiful—they make such a great match. If you live well together, how many people in the compound would envy you? How happy you’d be!”
“They say ‘family harmony brings prosperity.’ In a household, nothing is worse than shouting matches. Us women, we should serve our husbands and raise our children well. Let the men look good outside—that’s better than anything else. We gain reputation, and the family prospers.”
“Don’t worry, you’re smart—you’ll understand all this.”
She genuinely wanted to give good advice, hoping women could live harmoniously.
Jiang Mengning had been exposed to modern ideas—her mind would never allow her to just stay home serving a man! Why must women become housewives? Those who can earn should show their talents outside, not be bound by home and children. Even with kids, she wouldn’t give up her dreams—she’d live the life she wanted! Life is short; if you don’t enjoy it, it’s wasted.
She didn’t argue with Feng Xiulian. Everyone thinks differently; everyone has their own way of finding happiness. No need to impose your ideas on others.
Soon, the honeycomb dissolved in the water. She filtered it into a clean container and let it cool and solidify into beeswax. To make lipstick, she would need tea oil or olive oil—things she still had to buy.
She temporarily stored the beeswax in a cabinet and would continue once she got the oil.
She had promised Nian Nian a pudding and wouldn’t break her word. Luckily, last night she found two bottles of milk she hadn’t used. No waste!
Making pudding was simple. Take a clean bowl, crack in three eggs, add sugar and milk, mix well, then steam for twenty minutes. Sweet, bouncy pudding!
Steam rose from the pot; the fire roared in the stove, filling the air with a sweet scent. Nian Nian’s nose twitched—it smelled amazing.
Feng Xiulian couldn’t help but lick her lips.“What is this? It smells so good! I’ve never seen milk and eggs cooked together like this—it’s such a fresh way to eat it!”