When they returned to the family compound, the sun had yet to set. They ran into quite a few people along the way. Sticking firmly to her principle—if you don’t greet me, I won’t greet you either—Lin Zhi didn’t utter a single word.
Her reputation was terrible, but the twins were a different story. Everyone they met greeted them warmly, though the same people cast scrutinizing looks at her.
Lin Zhi knew exactly what they were thinking. Had she hit the children? Why had she suddenly become diligent? How long could she keep this up?
Since none of it was said out loud, she pretended not to notice. No matter how unreasonable she might be, she couldn’t control what others thought in their hearts.
As soon as they got home—before she even set anything down—the twins stood in front of her with their hands behind their backs, tilting their heads up, blinking their watery eyes at her.
Lin Zhi was speechless. These two boys were lightning-fast when it came to asking for money.
She went into the house and opened the cabinet that was always kept locked. Reaching inside, she rummaged around and pulled out a small cloth bundle.
She opened it in front of the twins, revealing the few remaining bills inside. Wincing in pain, she took out fifty cents.
Little He Ze stood on tiptoe to peer into the cloth bag. When he saw that only a few yuan remained, his eyes widened dramatically.
“This is all we have left? Dad gives you fifty yuan a month—there’s really nothing left at all?”
His tone was so exaggerated it practically screamed you’re such a spendthrift woman.
Lin Zhi’s mouth twitched. She rolled her eyes at him while putting the cloth bundle away. “Didn’t you already know that? What’s with the shock?”
“If you think I spend too much, then give that fifty cents back. I still think it’s not enough.”
She made a move to snatch it back. Little He Ze quickly hid his small hand behind his back and grabbed his brother, running toward the next room.
“You said it’s ours. That means it’s ours!”
The two brothers immediately started bustling around in the other room. Just from the noise, Lin Zhi knew they were definitely trying to find a hiding spot for the money.
In a space that tiny, where could they possibly hide it? Besides, once she’d given it, would she really have the shamelessness to take it back?
Stroking her chin thoughtfully, Lin Zhi decided that if they ever truly reached rock bottom, being shameless might not be such a bad thing after all.
Locking the cabinet, she stepped outside and told the boys to sort the mushrooms by type while she went to cook.
They’d eaten porridge for several days now. It should be fine to switch to slightly thicker rice.
She cooked half a jin of rice, adding an extra bowl of water, then went to rummage through the cabinet again.
Over the past two days, she had grown fond of the feeling of “digging things out” from the cabinet, so she didn’t even bother fetching items directly from the grocery store anymore. If she needed something, she would just pretend to search in there.
There were still plenty of supplies inside. When things ran low, she would secretly replenish them.
“Mom, what are we eating today?” Little He Ze called from the doorway while sorting mushrooms, seeing her fussing around inside.
“Rice porridge. And I’ll steam a few slices of cured meat. Three slices each for you two, and a big bowl for me.”
“How big is one slice?”
“This big!” Lin Zhi gestured with her hand, unsure how else to describe it.
Little He Ze compared her hand with his own and nodded in satisfaction.
Each slice was almost half the size of his palm—that was plenty. Before this, forget about eating meat; they weren’t even allowed to look at it.
He turned back to his task, continuing to sort mushrooms, not forgetting to pull his younger brother close and whisper conspiratorially.
Lin Zhi glanced at them but didn’t interfere. After taking out what she needed, she began washing the rice.
Before the rice was even done cooking, waves of meaty aroma drifted over from next door. Lin Zhi stood in the courtyard and took a deep breath, once again marveling at the female lead’s excellent cooking skills.
They were both cooking, yet when she steamed cured meat, the smell barely traveled. But the neighbor’s cooking could break through the courtyard walls, drift several meters, and dive straight into her nose.
The fragrance nearly made her drool. Yet the two children acted as if they hadn’t smelled a thing, not even lifting their heads.
Lin Zhi rubbed her face, squatted in front of them, and tapped each of their heads. “Don’t you smell that aroma from next door?”
The brothers looked up at her, then nodded in unison. “We smell it.”
“You’re not tempted?”
They shook their heads. “No. We’re having meat too.”
And it was cured meat at that—much more fragrant than the neighbor’s.
Deep down, Lin Zhi admired children like this. Once they had meat of their own, they weren’t tempted by others’. Unlike her—eating from her own bowl while eyeing the pot, and even thinking about what others had hidden away.
After sighing inwardly, she watered the vegetable patch and then picked out some mushrooms to wash for dinner.
Tonight’s meal was fairly abundant: cured meat with mushrooms and greens, plus an egg soup. A proper three dishes and one soup.
Though not perfect in color, aroma, and taste, it wasn’t bad at all. Lin Zhi stood before the table with her hands on her hips and once again praised her own diligence and cleverness.
Improving a little each day—before long, her cooking might surpass that of small restaurant chefs.
“Stop dawdling. Come eat!” she called out, sitting down and starting without waiting.
By the time the twins washed their hands and returned, she had already finished half a bowl.
“Hurry up. Today’s dishes are delicious. If you’re too slow, I’ll eat it all.”
With that warning, the twins stopped holding back. Their little hands moved at lightning speed. Before Lin Zhi could swallow her next bite, half the dishes on the table were gone.
She glanced at their bowls—the vegetables were piled high, practically overflowing.
Black lines seemed to flash across her forehead. What was this supposed to mean? Was she, an adult, slower at grabbing food than two little kids?
She simmered with competitive spirit, while the twins feared she might finish everything. None of them held back. Like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, the bowls were empty in the blink of an eye.
When she finally put her bowl down, Lin Zhi realized she had stuffed herself. Patting her chest and hiccupping, she supported her waist and slowly walked outside.
“I’m full. You two eat slowly.”
After pacing around the courtyard until the hiccups stopped, she fetched a small stool, sat down, and took over the mushroom cleaning.
The mushrooms were already sorted. She just needed to trim the bottoms and lay them out to dry.
Once the twins finished eating and tidied up the table, they squatted in front of her together, propping their chins on their hands.
“When are we making mushroom sauce?” they asked vaguely.
Lin Zhi glanced at them. “There’s only a little meat left. If we make mushroom sauce, we won’t have any meat to eat.”
“If we make mushroom sauce, doesn’t the meat still count as meat?”
Lin Zhi paused mid-motion. Huh. That actually made sense. Even if turned into mushroom sauce, the meat was still meat.
“Fine, then let’s make it. If we turn it into sauce, it’ll last longer anyway.”
She set aside some imperfect mushrooms and spread the rest out to dry.
“You two wash these mushrooms clean. I’ll go prepare things in the kitchen. Make sure they’re really clean, or we’ll be chewing on sand.”
“We’ll definitely wash them clean!” Little He Ze shouted extra loudly, as if to prove himself.
Lin Zhi stepped back dramatically, patting her chest as though startled. When she saw him covering his mouth and giggling, she finally turned and headed into the kitchen.