Chapter 13.1

The next morning, Lu Nong woke up naturally after a good night’s sleep.

The first thing she did was reach for the mechanism box. She felt it by her pillow and sighed in relief.

Strangely, why had it ended up at the head of the bed?

Could it be that she pushed it away last night because it was uncomfortable to hold?

Lu Nong pondered… it wasn’t impossible.

She tended to be restless while sleeping, often waking up at the foot of the bed. However, these past few days of sleeping beside Pei Ji’an, she had actually stayed in her original position the whole night.

It was likely because she was sharing a bed with a stranger, which made her feel a bit on edge. Lu Nong felt a sense of pride, thinking that she had maintained her ladylike demeanor.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, followed by Aunt Wu’s voice from outside, sweetly coaxing her like a child, “Young lady, are you awake? I made bird’s nest soup. Come have a bowl.”

Lu Nong felt an overwhelming urge to run out and hug Aunt Wu, showering her with kisses. Aunt Wu was just too good to her! Honestly, being pampered felt amazing.

Without hesitation, she jumped out of bed, intending to land gracefully like she did the morning before. However, reality was a stark contrast to her beautiful imagination, her legs wobbled, and she fell to the floor with a thud.

“…”

Lu Nong lifted her arms and realized they felt heavy. It was probably due to lifting heavy objects and walking long distances yesterday.

Aunt Wu outside the door was startled. “Young lady, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine! I just tripped,” Lu Nong quickly responded, scrambling to her feet to open the door for Aunt Wu.

“You’re a mother now, how can you still be so careless?” Aunt Wu entered, checking Lu Nong’s arms and legs closely. Only when she saw that Lu Nong was unharmed did she breathe a sigh of relief.

“I told you I’m fine! Hehe, Aunt Wu, you’re the best,” Lu Nong said, drooling over the bowl of bird’s nest soup on the tray Aunt Wu was holding.

“First, go wash up,” Aunt Wu said, swatting Lu Nong’s eager hands away.

“Okay,” Lu Nong replied reluctantly as she walked into the bathroom to quickly freshen up.

After finishing her morning routine, Lu Nong passed by Xiao Huai’s room and pushed the door open, intending to give her baby a good morning kiss. To her surprise, the room was completely empty.

“…” It was obvious where Xiao Huai was.

Lu Nong was speechless. Aunt Wu had clearly taken Xiao Huai back to his room last night. Could it be that Pei Zheng, that kid, got up early and took Xiao Huai away?

She didn’t bother looking for him in Pei Zheng’s room and went back to her own. Aunt Wu was no longer there. Lu Nong picked up the bowl of rock candy bird’s nest from the table and savored it slowly. Bird’s nest had benefits like enhancing beauty, delaying aging, and boosting immunity. The bird’s nest that Aunt Wu prepared was a true delicacy.

After finishing one bowl, Lu Nong felt quite satisfied.

Today’s health KPI was achieved!

Later, she planned to hand over a few pages written by Doctor Yuan to Aunt Wu for help with her health (preparing delicious food).

Lu Nong had plans for the day, but she felt unwell as soon as she got up. She could only laze around, finishing her bird’s nest and lying back down to rest. She stayed in bed until noon, when she finally felt a bit better.

During this time, Aunt Wu did not come upstairs to wake her.

…The Li family’s children, along with Lu Nong, all had poor morning habits. They often skipped breakfast and were grumpy when woken up. Eventually, Lu Nong’s uncle simply declared that if they weren’t hungry, they didn’t need to be called.

That was why Aunt Wu’s tone sounded so gentle when she knocked on the door, as if she was coaxing a child, clearly having gained experience from dealing with a few little troublemakers.

Feeling rejuvenated, Lu Nong decided to accomplish her morning plan—taking photos.

That’s right, Lu Nong wanted to take some portraits of herself, some mother-and-son pictures with Xiao Huai, and a family photo with Aunt Wu.

In the 1960s, there were no smartphones or electronic devices, so people couldn’t record their lives at any moment. Time passed unknowingly, and when they wanted to reminisce, they couldn’t find any evidence.

At that time, the only way to capture moments was through photographs.

Since she was going to take pictures, she had to look her best.

The first step to achieving that perfect look was to apply a facial mask.

Unfortunately, face masks had not been invented yet, so Lu Nong went to the kitchen and found the most basic facial mask tool—cucumbers.

She sliced the cucumbers into thin rounds and placed the slices on her face. Although the effect wasn’t as good as a hundred-dollar mask, it was all-natural. Plus, with her youthful skin and plenty of collagen, the cucumbers were more than sufficient for hydration.

After putting on the cucumber slices, she turned her head and startled Aunt Wu, who was preparing lunch.

“Why put cucumbers on your face instead of eating them? Isn’t that a waste?” Aunt Wu asked, puzzled.

“I’m taking care of my skin, you don’t need to worry about it.” Lu Nong replied, mumbling as she leaned over to peek at what Aunt Wu was cooking for lunch.

There was scallion-braised tofu, dry-fried green beans, and crispy pork. Lu Nong was surprised to see Aunt Wu had also made winter melon and pig trotters soup.

While pig trotters could be cooked in various delicious ways like braised, sauced, or roasted, Aunt Wu had chosen to make a soup, clearly intending to nourish the body.

But Lu Nong hadn’t yet shared her plans for health preservation with Aunt Wu. How did Aunt Wu know?

Curious, Lu Nong asked.

Aunt Wu proudly replied, “Miss, don’t think of me as a fool. You used to ride horses and fence with the young ladies at home. How is it that now just carrying a suitcase makes you so out of breath?”

“Your body is too weak, I need to replenish it!” Aunt Wu stated firmly.

Lu Nong: “…” Old ginger still is still spicier^[1]The Chinese saying “老姜还是辣” (lǎo jiāng háishì là), literally translates to “old ginger is still spicier.” It means that older or more experienced people are … Continue reading.

She slowly gave Aunt Wu a thumbs-up, impressed.

At mealtime, Pei Ji’an and Pei Zheng returned one after the other. Pei Ji’an entered alone. Xiao Zhou had eaten there yesterday and felt embarrassed to come again today.

Pei Zheng, on the other hand, was carrying Xiao Huai in his arms, followed by a string of people, including Shen Jiming, who had mooched off a meal yesterday, and two unfamiliar boys, one fat and one thin.

The four of them tiptoed in together, as if they had just snuck back after stealing something.

It was obvious they intended to mooch another meal.

What a shameless act!

The room was small, four young men standing together were impossible to ignore.

Teenage boys can eat a lot, and with four growing youths, their appetites were substantial. Aunt Wu had prepared enough food for the household, but with a few extra people, it was clear there wouldn’t be enough.

If there wasn’t enough food, she would have to cook more, increasing her workload. Just thinking about it made Lu Nong unhappy, especially since one of the moochers was the annoying Shen Jiming.

Frustrated, Lu Nong crossed her arms and blocked the door.

“Ah! A ghost!” Pei Zheng screamed, backing away as if frightened, which amused Lu Nong and gave her a small sense of satisfaction.

“Ah, ah!” Xiao Huai echoed his brother.

“…Don’t imitate your brother.”

Feeling exasperated, Lu Nong gently pinched Xiao Huai’s little face and took him from Pei Zheng’s arms. The little one had been out playing with his brother all morning, his cheeks flushed with heat. He needed to change into clean clothes and wipe off his sweat. Otherwise, he might catch a cold.

“Hmph!” Before leaving, Lu Nong huffed at Pei Zheng.

Once Lu Nong went upstairs, Jiang Yu slowly commented, “Is this the stepmother you both said looks like a fairy?”

The sight of her with cucumber slices on her face was indeed shocking.

Pei Zheng awkwardly turned his head away. “Don’t talk nonsense. When did I ever say she looked like a fairy?”

“True,” Jiang Yu nodded. Just as Pei Zheng’s expression softened, Jiang Yu added, “But you did say, ‘Xiao Huai looks too much like his beautiful mother; when he grows up, he will surely charm a whole crowd of girls.’”

Shen Jiming was reveling in the drama when Jiang Yu immediately mimicked Shen Jiming’s tone and repeated his words:

“You said this, ‘Pei Zheng will have a hard time finding a wife in the future. Who would want to be her daughter-in-law when she is such a beauty? They are about the same age, and no one could compare to her face. A woman wouldn’t be able to handle being a lifelong supporting character, being talked about all the time.’”

“Always talking about beautiful women and how no one would dare to be Pei Zheng’s wife… Isn’t that just describing a fairy?” Jiang Yu concluded.

This time, both Pei Zheng and Shen Jiming’s faces darkened simultaneously.

Pei Zheng shot a glare at Shen Jiming and said, “Is this how you laugh at me behind my back?”

Shen Jiming frowned at Jiang Yu, replying, “Didn’t we agree not to tell Pei Zheng? You should be using that clever mind of yours for important matters, not for these trivial things.”

Jiang Yu shrugged, displaying an innocent look on his handsome, pale face.

At that moment, the chubby Zhang Kaiping, who had been silent until now, hesitantly spoke up, “Isn’t your stepmother’s attitude a bit unwelcoming? She came in here acting so arrogant, and your dad isn’t doing anything about it? I remember when Song Laixi’s stepmother first arrived, she acted all sweet and gentle because she was afraid Uncle Song would send her away.”

“Poor Pei Zheng. His dad never pays attention to him, so he’s probably getting bullied by his stepmother at home,” Jiang Yu said slowly.

As soon as he finished speaking, a petite girl wearing a sailor-style shirt and braids stormed into the Pei family home, fuming. “What? Pei Zheng is being bullied by his stepmother again? That’s outrageous! I’m going to tell Grandma Pei and Aunt Pei.”

“I saw it yesterday. Pei Zheng’s stepmother just left, and then he and Jiming were punished to run laps by Uncle Pei. It must be that woman’s doing,” the girl added, gritting her teeth.

Having witnessed and heard all this, the girl was convinced that Pei Zheng was being bullied by his stepmother. She turned around, ready to report the situation.

Pei Zheng felt a headache coming on and thought, “Why is that troublemaker Ye Huihui here?”