When Su Laotou and Wu Pozi returned, the sky had completely darkened. Each of them carried loads either on shoulder poles or their backs, the weight bending their spines almost double. Their faces were streaked with sweat, tracing through weathered wrinkles before dripping to the ground.
As the heavy burdens landed, all three simultaneously sighed in relief, as if they had set down not just grain but the weight of life itself.
“Finally finished harvesting. Let’s all rest properly at home for a few days before anything else,” said Wu Laopozi, wiping sweat from her forehead after the exhausting day.
Su Laotou went to fetch water to wash his hands and face, calling to Chen Shi who was still tending to the grain: “Qingshan’s mother, don’t rush with that. Just leave it be. The grain is too damp to store immediately.”
Without turning around, Chen Shi replied, “It’s alright, Father. I’m just spreading it out evenly.”
This grain would be their food supply for the coming year, and Chen Shi took it extremely seriously. For the next six months or more, they would depend entirely on this harvest. With the court unable to deliver military pay, they could only rely on their meager farmland and raising small livestock to survive.
At times like these, Chen Shi would recall her parents’ advice from years past. Back then, she had been too young, believing that hard work alone would gradually improve their circumstances. Yet after all these years, life hadn’t gotten better—it had become increasingly difficult.
Compared to her third sister who married the village carpenter, or her fourth sister who married into a town rice shop, Chen Shi had clearly drawn the short straw. She couldn’t even present decent gifts during seasonal visits home.
Although her in-laws were kind, her husband treated her well, and her children were filial and sensible, Chen Shi sometimes felt pangs of regret. If only she had married into a better-off or even ordinary family like her third and fourth sisters, perhaps things wouldn’t be so difficult now…
“Grandpa, Grandma, Mother—are you done washing? Come quickly and try Fifth Sister’s stir-fried river snails with chili! It’s delicious!” Su Tao hurried out from the inner room upon hearing voices. She and Su Li had just bathed and washed their hair, which remained damp, and they wore only undergarments.
Seeing her like this, Chen Shi immediately scolded, “Go put proper clothes on immediately! You’re not a three-year-old child anymore. What would people think if they saw you like this?”
Although rural areas didn’t enforce strict separation between men and women, people in this dynasty remained quite conservative.
Su Tao stuck out her tongue and quickly retreated back into the room.
Meanwhile, Su Li, hearing Chen Shi and the others return, properly dressed and went to the kitchen.
The rice porridge had cooled, but the dishes were still kept warm in the pot. Now that everyone had returned, Su Li naturally needed to serve the meal.
Tonight’s dishes were much more substantial than lunch—there was stir-fried river snails with chili, cold cucumber salad, and pickled vegetables. The stir-fried river snails had lost some of their initial aroma after sitting awhile, but they still looked appealing—glossy with oil, the red chilies complementing the snail meat, appearing perfectly suited to accompany rice.
Su Laotou, having finished washing first, filled a bowl with porridge and sat at the wooden table. His eyes immediately fell on the stir-fried river snails with chili—the aroma was simply irresistible. He studied the dish carefully, trying to identify what it was, until he recognized the river snails he had always disliked. His enthusiasm instantly waned.
What could be good about river snails? They’re fishy and smelly, Su Laotou decided. Resolving not to eat them, he turned his chopsticks toward the cold cucumber salad instead.
This was the first time he had seen cucumbers cut into long strips and smashed; usually, they were sliced and served cold. But Su Laotou thought again—his granddaughter didn’t know how to cook, so it was understandable that she’d prepared them this way.
Still, the dish didn’t look half bad.
Su Laotou took a bite.
?
Spicy, fragrant, and crispy, with a hint of sourness and sweetness?
Su Laotou was astonished. Was this still cucumber? How could it taste so delicious? He quickly stuffed the remaining cucumber into his mouth.
So good, so good. Su Laotou quickly scooped a mouthful of congee, and his eyes lit up again—it tasted even better with the congee.
And why was this congee with long beans so delicious too? Every grain of rice had bloomed, warm and just the right temperature—neither too hot nor too cold. The long beans were cooked until soft and tender, leaving a fresh, fragrant aftertaste in the mouth.
These were all ordinary everyday dishes—why did they taste so exceptionally good this time?
Su Laotou was puzzled, but his mouth didn’t stop moving, taking bite after bite.
When Wu Pozi and Chen Shi entered, they saw Su Laotou buried in his meal. Both assumed he must have been extra hungry from working hard that day.
“Don’t eat so much—you’re almost finishing the cucumbers, and your daughter-in-law hasn’t had any yet,” Wu Pozi reminded him.
Only then did Su Laotou realize he had lost control and eaten too much. He quickly put down his chopsticks and smiled sheepishly. “Heh heh, the cucumbers today were just too tasty—I couldn’t help myself.”
Chen Shi, standing nearby, said,
“It’s alright, Mother. If Father enjoys them, let him eat more.”
It wasn’t anything rare—there were plenty of cucumbers in the field. No need to fuss over them.
Hearing this, Wu Pozi didn’t press further. She gently poked the river snail meat with her chopsticks.
“What’s this dish? Why aren’t you eating it?”
With that, she picked up a portion for herself before Su Laotou could stop her. He could only manage a pained expression.
“Stir-fried River Snails with Chili?” It took Wu Pozi a while to make out the dish in the dim light.
Chen Shi also looked over. River snails?
Why did they smell so fragrant?
Thinking this, she couldn’t resist adding a little to her bowl as well.
Then, cautiously, she took a taste.
This flavor…
So fresh, so tender, without a trace of earthy fishiness.
Was this really river snail meat? Chen Shi was doubtful. In her memory, wasn’t river snail meat tough and hard to chew?
Meanwhile, Wu Pozi, upon hearing it was river snail meat, didn’t have much of a reaction, merely frowning slightly before eating.
Yet the moment it entered her mouth, even Wu Pozi, who didn’t usually care much about food, was taken aback.
How could it be so delicious!
At her age, she preferred strong flavors, but given the family’s circumstances, seasonings like salt were always used sparingly in cooking. She never complained—after all, in these times, having food to eat was already a blessing. What right did she have to be picky?
So, when she tasted this dish, Wu Pozi felt as if her taste buds had come back to life. Before she even swallowed, she couldn’t resist taking another bite.
Su Laotou had been secretly watching the two of them try the dish from the start. Seeing them eat without saying a word, he grew curious but forced himself to sound nonchalant. “Well? Is it good?”
But Wu Pozi acted as if she hadn’t heard. “Why don’t you try it yourself and find out? Don’t tell me you haven’t tasted it yet?”
This remark only showed how well Wu Pozi knew what kind of person her husband was.
Su Laotou coughed at these words, but in his heart, he had already condemned this dish to death. It must be tasteless, which was why his wife spoke so.
However, Chen Shi spoke up, “Father, you should try it. It’s quite delicious.”
His daughter-in-law Chen Shi was not one to speak carelessly. Since she said so, Su Laotou was somewhat convinced.
“Alright, then I’ll give it a try.”
Truth be told, Su Laotou had wanted to taste it from the start—it smelled incredibly fragrant—but he couldn’t shake the memory of that one bad experience he’d had before.
“!!” Su Laotou took a bite and couldn’t believe it. He quickly picked up another mouthful and ate it again.
This… this…
It was absolutely delicious, completely different from the river mussel meat he remembered. It was savory, aromatic, and spicy, and even the chili peppers had a meaty flavor. If he hadn’t personally pried open the river mussels for his granddaughter that day, he wouldn’t have believed this was river mussel meat.
But he had already eaten three bowls of bean porridge. No matter how delicious the dish was, his stomach was too full to take any more.
What regret!
If he had known the river mussels would be this tasty, he would have had a cup of liquor—it would have been perfect with drinks.
What a pity.
.
Meanwhile, when Su Tao, now dressed, entered the room, she saw that almost all the dishes on the table were nearly finished.
“Grandpa! Grandma!!! How could you almost finish everything? My river mussel meat, wuuu wuuu…”
She had specifically waited for them to return so they could enjoy the delicious food together, but instead, they had nearly eaten it all, wuuu wuuu wuuu…
Su Tao felt wronged and couldn’t hold back her tears.
Seeing this, both Chen Shi and Wu Pozi felt a bit guilty. The meal today was simply too delicious, and they had unintentionally eaten more than they should.
“Alright, alright, there’s still plenty left. We’ll leave the rest for you; we won’t eat any more,” Chen Shi said.
Su Tao finally stopped crying, hurried to serve herself some rice, and sat down.
Su Li, on the other hand, wasn’t very hungry. She had eaten a cucumber while picking them in the afternoon, and with the hot weather and her recent recovery, she had little appetite.
“Fifth Girl, did you cook all these dishes today?” Su Laotou, who had almost finished eating, suddenly asked. As his words fell, Chen Shi and Wu Pozi turned their gaze to Su Li, who was drinking porridge.
It wasn’t that Su Laotou doubted her, but cooking, like any other skill—how could someone who had never done it before manage to cook so well?
“I made them,” Su Li replied, knowing that this moment was inevitable. Once she got past her family’s scrutiny, she would have a valid reason to sell food in the county later.
Sure enough, upon hearing Su Li’s words, Wu Pozi suddenly looked at her in the dim light, “Who did you learn from?”
Her usually kind eyes now seemed somewhat unfamiliar, and Su Li felt a bit dazed, momentarily worried whether her earlier excuse would convince them.
Just as she hesitated, pondering how to respond, her fourth sister Su Tao, who had been buried in eating, suddenly spoke up, “Grandma, let me tell you, Fifth Sister has a natural talent for cooking!” She learned just by watching you, Mom, and others cook. Right, Fifth Sister?”
Su Tao seemed particularly delighted because Su Li’s cooking skills meant she would never have to eat the slop-like food her mother and grandmother made again!!
“You learned just by watching?” Wu Pozi clearly didn’t believe it. Others who’d never cooked might not know, but after all her years of cooking she understood perfectly – cooking was its own field of study. Without a master to guide you, you could never make truly delicious dishes. Especially with these river clams – someone who didn’t know how to cook would never be able to remove the muddy fishy taste.
Su Li began to panic. She suddenly regretted revealing herself so abruptly – she should have let them gradually accept it later. She could only blame her own impatience, wanting to help the family quickly.
“Yes, Grandma.” Su Li lowered her head, unsure what else to say.
Yet precisely because she displayed this manner, Wu Pozi’s suspicions diminished slightly.
The reason was simple – this was exactly how the original owner had behaved: timid and cowardly.
Wu Pozi mentally scolded herself twice. What was she thinking? How could the person before her not be her granddaughter?
Her tone softened somewhat. “You’re saying you learned just by watching us cook, is that it?”
Noticing Wu Pozi’s inexplicably changed attitude, Su Li nodded. “Yes, just by watching Mother and Grandma, and also when we attended banquets, watching other people.”
But to Wu Pozi, Su Laotou and the others, this came across as Su Li having learned by watching people cook – specifically by observing cooks at banquets.
That made sense. After all, the village banquets always hired famous cooks from all around.
But one doubt remained: Could someone really learn just by watching? Was that truly possible?
Yet if it weren’t possible, how had her granddaughter Su Li actually managed to cook these dishes, with flavors that could rival other cooks?
Su Laotou completely believed it though.
“Our Fifth Girl is truly remarkable, able to cook such delicious food without even being taught.”
He felt his granddaughter was extremely talented and was genuinely happy about it.
Chen Shi also showed surprise. This was the first time she’d learned of her youngest daughter’s talent. Then again, they’d never let her cook before, so it was normal not to know.
Then Chen Shi couldn’t help feeling pleased – not for any particular reason, but simply because with this skill, arranging a marriage would be no trouble at all.
She remembered how difficult it had been to arrange her eldest daughter’s marriage. If not for the generous dowry they’d provided at the time, it would have been truly hard…
Only Wu Pozi remained silent for a long time, lost in thought.
“What a pity your father and brothers aren’t here. It would be so good if they were.” Tasting the delicious food, Chen Shi couldn’t help thinking of her husband and sons. They’d been gone for nearly half a month already – when they returned, they’d likely have lost weight. She could only hope this year wouldn’t be too exhausting, that the Baihu’s household would provide better food, though she knew that was unlikely…
Mention of their sons and grandsons left both Su Laotou and Wu Pozi silent.
Starting a new story! Hope all you dear readers enjoy~ [Fighting][Fighting]