After Jiang Lian left, Ye Wen began preparing the eel.
She seasoned the eel strips she had already sliced and set them aside to marinate.
She heated the wok and poured in oil. For this kind of dish, the most important thing was using plenty of oil, so she added even more than before. She tossed in scallions, ginger, and garlic to release their fragrance, then added chili paste and dried chilies. After stir-frying until fragrant, she poured in the marinated eel strips, chili powder, green and red peppers, and onions, stir-fried everything evenly, and then removed it from the wok.
A large bowl of spicy stir-fried eel was finished.
Next, she made another dish to go with rice. Thinking that Jiang Lian, who was still in postpartum confinement, was not suitable for eating eel, Ye Wen prepared yet another rice-friendly dish. She also cracked three eggs, beat them well, and poured them into the pot where mixed-grain rice was steaming, making a bowl of steamed egg custard.
Before long, a hearty dinner was ready.
Wen Xiangnan tended the fire while staring intently at her mother’s movements. As step after step was completed, rich aromas drifted out of the kitchen, making her swallow hard in hunger.
In the west wing, Tian Chunhua listened to the sizzling sounds from the kitchen and smelled the tempting fragrance drifting over. She had long been too restless to sit still. Although she really wanted to go out and see what her mother-in-law was cooking, thinking about what happened at noon, she ultimately did not dare to move.
Just as Ye Wen finished wiping down the stove, she suddenly noticed a tiny figure at the kitchen door. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw little Xiaocao, just over a year old, sucking on her fingers and staring longingly at the steaming pot.
The little girl had only eaten one meal today and was already hungry. Now, smelling the food, she was utterly ravenous.
Although she looked somewhat undernourished, it was clear that Jiang Lian took good care of Xiaocao. Her hair was neatly combed, her clothes were clean, and her big grape-like black eyes blinked adorably.
Noticing that her grandmother was looking at her, Xiaocao instinctively shrank her neck.
Oh no! Grandma is going to scold me again!
In the past, whenever she came into the kitchen, Grandma would scold her, calling her a greedy little ghost reincarnated, saying her eyes were glued to the pot.
But this time, she waited and waited, and the expected scolding never came.
Xiaocao secretly lifted her eyes and saw Grandma carrying out a big bowl of fragrant steamed egg custard. She even drizzled soy sauce and pork fat on top and sprinkled it with bright green scallions. The rich aroma rushed toward her, making Xiaocao drool uncontrollably.
Ye Wen carried out the egg custard, then filled a large bowl with a heaping serving of rice and added some stir-fried vegetables. She placed everything on a tray, preparing to bring it to Jiang Lian.
When she passed the doorway, Xiaocao was still curled up in fear. Seeing how timid the child looked, Ye Wen wished she could drag out the original owner of this body and beat her senseless.
What kind of awful person had the original owner been, to scare a child like this?
Afraid of frightening her further, Ye Wen did not act too warmly. She only said gently, “Hurry up and come back to the room with Grandma to eat.”
Without caring whether the child understood or not, she lifted the tray and walked into the east wing room.
Inside, Jiang Lian was feeding Xiaofu. Seeing her mother-in-law bring food again, Jiang Lian felt both surprised and flattered. She never dared to talk back to her mother-in-law and only said softly, “Thank you, Mother.”
Ye Wen responded with a brief “Mm” and placed the tray on the stool by the bed. When she turned around, she saw Xiaocao sticking her bottom up and struggling, panting as she tried to climb over the threshold.
Ye Wen hurried over and lifted the child inside with one hand.
At this moment, Xiaocao’s eyes were filled only with the fragrant food. She had completely forgotten her fear of this usually fierce grandmother. After being carried inside, she toddled over on her short little legs to her mother’s side, whining for her mother to feed her.
Jiang Lian was still feeding the baby—how could she have time to feed Xiaocao?
Xiaocao grew anxious and opened her mouth, ready to bite at the food herself.
Ye Wen originally did not want to interfere, but seeing this, she could not bring herself to be so heartless. She took the bowl, mixed the egg custard with the rice, and fed Xiaocao spoonful by spoonful.
With her stomach rumbling, Xiaocao did not care at all who was feeding her. She just opened her mouth eagerly and ate nonstop.
“Slow down,” Ye Wen said. Seeing how delicious the child found even egg custard mixed with rice, swallowing it without chewing, she worried the child might not digest it well.
The bowl of rice she had served Jiang Lian was very large to begin with; she had intended for mother and daughter to share it.
After Xiaocao finished eating, only a small portion of the bowl was gone.
Perhaps because she had been fed, Xiaocao seemed less afraid of the grandmother who used to make her tremble. She even leaned against Ye Wen’s knee and rubbed against it.
Seeing that Jiang Lian had finished feeding Xiaofu, Ye Wen simply picked Xiaocao up. “Eat your meal in peace. I’ll take Xiaocao outside to play. Keeping her locked in the room all the time isn’t good.”
Jiang Lian stared in astonishment at the sight of her mother-in-law carrying the child out. Was this really the same mother-in-law who used to scold her and the children at the slightest provocation?
Could it be that her father-in-law truly had that much influence, even able to change her mother-in-law’s temperament?
If that were really the case, Jiang Lian felt less afraid of ghosts and spirits. After all, her mother-in-law’s former self had been far more terrifying than any ghost.
Looking at the egg custard in front of her, barely half eaten, Jiang Lian’s eyes grew moist. She even selfishly wondered whether her father-in-law’s soul could avoid reincarnation, so that her mother-in-law could stay like this forever.
Sensing her own thoughts, Jiang Lian quickly stuffed a large mouthful of rice into her mouth to hide her panic.
She was truly too unfilial!
Leaving Jiang Lian aside, Ye Wen carried Xiaocao outside.
Because the original owner disliked her, Jiang Lian feared her daughter would be scolded or even beaten if she went out, so she kept Xiaocao confined to the room. As a result, the child rarely went outside.
Now that Ye Wen brought her out, perhaps children were especially sensitive to kindness and malice. This grandmother was no longer as fierce as before and was even holding her.
Xiaocao was no longer so afraid. A child’s nature is curiosity toward everything. Now that she did not have to worry about being scolded, she began to look around boldly.
When Wen Xiangnan saw her mother carrying Xiaocao out, she was so shocked that the eel she was secretly eating almost fell out of her mouth. “Mom, you actually hugged that money-losing brat!”
The moment she said “money-losing brat,” Xiaocao instinctively shrank her neck. Clearly, she had been scolded with that term so often that it had become muscle memory.
Ye Wen frowned and shouted at Wen Xiangnan, “From now on, forget all those words completely. You’re about to become a grown girl yourself. If you keep those nasty words in your mouth every day, aren’t you afraid people will say you’re mean?”
Wen Xiangnan shrugged carelessly. “Didn’t I learn it all from you? Besides, I’m going to marry into a wealthy family in the future. As long as the master of the house likes me, who cares what those country people think?”
Ye Wen felt another headache coming on. She truly had the urge to drag this little brat over and beat her senseless. But thinking of her reform plan, she could only suppress the impulse and said earnestly, “Xiaonan, wealthy families care the most about manners. If you’re constantly spewing vulgar words, what respectable family would ever take a liking to you?”