Chapter 2

Wen Yue didn’t notice the women’s expressions and was only thinking about explaining things for Zhou Yao. She smiled and said, “You misunderstand, Zhou Yao didn’t hit me. The doctor said I fainted due to malnutrition. This morning, Zhou Yao even bought me two big meat buns to help me replenish my nutrition.”

She spoke softly and gently, pulling out the unfinished meat bun from her pocket.

The meat buns were about the size of a fist; one was enough to fill her up.

She had originally planned to give the other one to Zhou Yao, but he had said he’d already eaten, so she put it in her pocket to bring back, thinking she could reheat it for lunch.

Wen Yue knew that food was precious in this era and didn’t want to waste any.

“Haha, is that so?” The woman forced a laugh, inwardly cursing. Of all times to speak up, she had to choose now, making the earlier conversation seem foolish. Zhou Yao’s wife was just like him, neither of them is a good person!

She couldn’t help but add sarcastically, “Must be nice to have money to buy meat buns. I haven’t even tasted what meat buns from outside are like.”

Wen Yue didn’t catch the undertone in her words and sincerely replied, “They’re quite good. You could buy one to try.”

And they’re big with plenty of filling, much more substantial than the meat buns in the future.

Lin Fang forced another laugh, “I don’t have the good fortune like you, to eat whatever I want.”

“At least you know your own limits,” Zhou Yao chimed in, his tone calm as he glanced at Lin Fang.

Lin Fang shut her mouth, quickly finished hanging the clothes, placed the wooden basin under the eaves, and went back inside, shutting the door with a snap.

The other woman also left quickly.

Wen Yue, realizing belatedly, turned to Zhou Yao, “You don’t get along with them, do you?”

Zhou Yao didn’t bother to respond, instead unlocking the kitchen door and walking in.

Feeling awkward standing there, Wen Yue quickly followed him.

The kitchen wasn’t very large. In front of her was a traditional earthen stove she had only seen on TV, with two pots on top. The fire pit had a small stool in front of it, with neatly bundled hay and firewood behind it.

Against the wall was a small counter for chopping and placing items, with cooking utensils hanging above it. Next to the counter was a cabinet for bowls. There seemed to be a small partitioned area, though its purpose was unclear.

While Wen Yue was taking in the kitchen, Zhou Yao was already at the small counter, skillfully cutting meat. His eyes were downcast, long, curled eyelashes casting shadows on his face. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and his brows were furrowed in concentration, though there was a hint of impatience.

As he chopped, his biceps bulged against his sleeves, and thick veins stood out on the back of his hands, highlighting his strength.

“Are you cooking?” she asked, eyes widening slightly.

“No,” Zhou Yao replied without looking up, his tone flat, “I’m carving flowers.”

Wen Yue caught a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

She remembered that since her marriage, Zhou Yao had been the one cooking while she, as the original character, stayed in the room crying, waiting for the meals to be served. She would eat while continuing to cry.

Afterward, she recalled the taste of the food.

… Ugh.

“How about I do it?” Wen Yue closed her eyes, somewhat reluctant to face it.

Zhou Yao’s cooking was quite good, but it didn’t taste great.

The original owner could manage to eat it, but Wen Yue might not be able to, as she was a bit picky.

“?”

Zhou Yao lifted his eyelids to look at her, stared at her for two seconds, then said, “Fine,” and quickly finished cutting the remaining meat. He placed the knife down decisively and turned to start the fire.

His actions seemed so impatient.

Wen Yue looked at the ingredients on the cutting board, considering making stir-fried green peppers with meat, shredded potatoes, and Mapo tofu.

Just as she was about to wash the vegetables, Zhou Yao’s lazy tone came, “By the way, the rice is not cooked yet, you cook it first.”

His instructions were quite smooth.

Wen Yue responded with a soft voice, “I don’t know how.”

She had never cooked rice using a traditional stove.

“You can cook vegetables but not rice?” Zhou Yao raised his dark brows, his tone cold and his expression one of disbelief.

Wen Yue lightly bit her lip, “Can you show me once? I’ll learn.”

“… Fine.”

Zhou Yao casually tossed the wood he was holding aside, walked to the rice jar, lifted the lid, bent over, and scooped out a bowl of rice to pour into the pot.

Wen Yue felt something was off and asked, “Aren’t you going to rinse the rice?”

Zhou Yao shrugged, “Don’t worry, it won’t kill you.”

“No, it has to be rinsed,” Wen Yue couldn’t accept it. Poor conditions were tolerable, but unhygienic practices were really hard to bear. She boldly grasped Zhou Yao’s rough wrist and, facing his somewhat fierce gaze, said, “It’s not clean. Eating it like this can make you sick.”

“You know my health is poor. If I get sick, I’ll have to go to the hospital again.”

Zhou Yao was convinced. He grumbled, “Fine, fine, rinse the rice. It’s really troublesome.” He frowned, turned, and poured the rice into a basin, half-heartedly rinsed it a couple of times.

Just as he was about to pour the rice into the pot, Wen Yue scooped up a ladle of water, her watery eyes silently meeting his, stubborn to the core.

Zhou Yao resignedly rinsed the rice two more times. By the end, he was extremely impatient, surrounded by a strong aura of frustration, as if he could explode at any moment.

He suppressed his anger, threw the rinsed rice into the pot, added water, and then took the lid off the hook and covered the pot. He glanced sideways at the seriously looking girl and asked coolly, “Got it?”

“That’s it?” Wen Yue was somewhat surprised.

“Yes, that’s it.”

It was quite simple.

“Then I got it.” Wen Yue nodded, her eyes curving into a sweet smile, completely unbothered by his cold expression.

Having crossed over to an unfamiliar world, this man in front of her was the only one she could rely on, so she would endure his bad temper and try to avoid conflicts. After all, from the original owner’s memories, the relatives were even harder to deal with.

If she were sent back, she would either die or suffer greatly.

Wen Yue reassured herself, her smile grew even sweeter as she said softly, “Thank you for showing me how to do it.”

She has dimples at the corners of her mouth, and when she smiles, the dimples appear, making her look beautiful and harmless.

Zhou Yao scoffed coldly and sat down on the small stool.

For someone nearly 1.9 meters tall, the small stool seemed quite inadequate. His long legs had no place to rest, so he sat with his legs apart, elbows on his thighs, and methodically stuffed dry grass into the stove.

The flickering flames in the stove reflected on his face, raising the temperature and making it somewhat hot.

Zhou Yao rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong arms. The white shirt underneath was stretched slightly by his chest muscles.

He slowly stuffed the firewood while occasionally glancing at the petite figure in the kitchen.

With the rice problem settled, Wen Yue began preparing the dishes.

She carefully re-washed the meat chunks Zhou Yao had cut, washed the potatoes and tofu twice, and then cut them into slices and cubes.

The seasonings on the traditional stove were fairly complete.

The pan heated up, and Wen Yue poured vegetable oil into it. After adding the chopped ginger and garlic to the pan, she stirred until the aroma was released, then added the meat chunks and stirred with a spatula. The enticing meat aroma filled the kitchen.

Zhou Yao glanced at Wen Yue as he added firewood to the stove, then lowered his gaze and looked up again, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.

The smell was quite on point. It seems that the ancestor I married is not completely useless.

Wen Yue didn’t notice Zhou Yao’s gaze.

In her previous life, she was a homebody. When not working, she liked to stay at home following tutorials to make crafts or learn cooking. After mastering a recipe, she would invite her friends over, and seeing them eat with gusto gave her a strong sense of accomplishment.

So her cooking skills were quite good.

The steam wafted out of the chimney.

With the kitchen heating up, Wen Yue’s fair forehead began to bead with sweat. Stray hairs stuck to her face, making it a bit itchy. She tucked her hair behind her ear and focused on putting the final shredded potatoes into a plate.

Then she lifted the lid of the pot and, once the obstructing white steam cleared, took a look inside.

The rice was done.

“It’s ready to eat,” Wen Yue wiped her sweat with the back of her hand.

Zhou Yao quickly responded, getting up and carrying the dishes from the stove into the room, his steps quickened as he smelled the aroma from the plates.

His long legs made it easy for him to exit the small kitchen in just a few steps.

With the Mapo tofu still left to cook, Wen Yue took a bowl, scooped rice, and slowly carried both the rice and dishes outside.

There were more people in the yard now. Two similarly looking middle-aged men and another young man stood at the kitchen door washing their hands. They turned their heads to look as they heard the noise.

Wen Yue glanced at them, pausing her steps, her mind automatically recalled their identities.

The darker-skinned one was her second uncle, Zhou Jianghai, the taller one was her third uncle, Zhou Qingshan, and the young man was Zhou Jianghai’s eldest son, Zhou Guangzong.

No one spoke. The three men’s gazes were fixed on the dish in Wen Yue’s hands. Living in the same yard, it was hard to ignore the smell wafting from the kitchen. After a morning of labor, they were already hungry, and the smell made their stomachs growl even more.

The dishes looked appetizing, and Zhou Qingshan really wanted to taste them.

Unaware that Zhou Yao was also at home, Zhou Qingshan glanced at the seemingly easy-to-handle niece-in-law, cleared his throat, and spoke in an elder’s tone, “Are you eating? What did the doctor say? Is everything alright? When Xiao Yao comes back, I’ll have a word with him about—”

“You really like blocking the door, don’t you?” Zhou Yao’s tall figure appeared at the door, his sharp eyes scanning Zhou Qingshan and the others with a powerful aura of pressure.

Wen Yue was startled and, coming to her senses, quickly said no and hurried inside.

Zhou Yao turned and went back.

Zhou Qingshan immediately shut his mouth upon seeing Zhou Yao, quickly drying his hands and pretending nothing happened, but his steps hastened as he slipped into the kitchen.

Zhou Jianghai and Zhou Guangzong followed closely behind.

As soon as Zhou Qingshan entered the kitchen, he confronted Liu Cuicui, “Why didn’t you tell me that little bastard was home?!”

“You didn’t ask me,” Liu Cuicui, who was stir-frying, was taken aback for a moment before adding, “He took his wife to the hospital. Since his wife came back, he must have come back with her. What did you do?”

Zhou Qingshan spat out, “Nothing much, just cook your meal!”

He glanced at the pot.

The dish was a large amount of cabbage stalks and green chili peppers stir-fried with minimal oil. Compared to the fragrant and colorful Mapo tofu he had seen earlier, the food at home looked unappetizing, almost like pig food.

“Can’t you add a bit more oil?” Zhou Qingshan expressed his dissatisfaction.

Liu Cuicui rolled her eyes, “Does oil grow on trees? How much money do we have at home?”

Lin Fang chimed in, “That’s right, Third Brother, do you think we’re like that little bastard with a wealthy father? We can’t afford to pour half a pot of oil into our dishes!”

“That little bastard has such a good life. I wonder how much money my big brother left him,” Zhou Qingshan grumbled, then as if remembering something, lowered his voice, “I heard from Wen Guoqiang that Wen Yue is soft-tempered and easy to handle. You two should get on good terms with her while the little bastard is away.”

Liu Cuicui fell silent, her movements slowing as she pondered her husband’s intentions.

Lin Fang wasn’t pleased, “Why should I build a good relationship with her? She’s not worthy!”

“Second Sister-in-law, don’t be so narrow-minded,” Zhou Qingshan grinned, “The little bastard likes to wander. When he’s not at home, isn’t it natural for you, as elders, to ask her for a few things? As long as she doesn’t say anything, the little bastard won’t know.”

If they couldn’t handle Zhou Yao, could they really not handle his wife either?

Lin Fang’s eyes lit up, her mind racing with thoughts about the things in Zhou Yao’s home. She smiled and praised, “You’re still the smartest, third brother. My man only knows how to work in the fields and can’t get anything done.”

Zhou Jianghai, standing nearby, remained silent.

Zhou Qingshan smiled and said nothing. Once Lin Fang and her family left the kitchen, he whispered to his own wife, “Be smart and don’t stand out. Just follow Second Sister-in-law and pick up some things. Don’t go too far.”

Liu Cuicui retorted, “Do you doubt my abilities?”

She wasn’t as foolish as Lin Fang, who did everything without considering the consequences!