Hi! I’m so sorry for not updating—I was incredibly busy last week and couldn’t find the time. To make it up to my readers, I’ve unlocked 9 chapters for you! Enjoy~

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Chapter 8

Qin Qingman was not at all concerned about the lively atmosphere next door at Zhu Hongxia’s house. With the troubles of blind dates now behind her, she was happier staying at home with Chuchu, living a quiet life.

With the New Year approaching, and given the remaining supplies, they had to tighten their belts.

Calculating the food stored in the pantry, Qin Qingman decided to make multigrain buns for breakfast.

“Sister, we still have a lot of dried wild vegetables, the ones we dried in spring and summer.” Chuchu said, following Qin Qingman and looking up at her. He too was worried about food.

Ever since they had experienced hunger, he preferred to eat sparingly, not daring to consume even a little grain.

Without food, hunger could truly kill!

“I know. If we mix the wild vegetables into the grains and ration it carefully, we should make it through until spring. But we also need to eat some meat to replenish our bodies. Both of us are still a bit weak.” Qin Qingman said, gently touching Chuchu’s worried little face.

After two months of dietary recovery, their health had improved somewhat, but for bodies that had suffered as much as theirs, meat was especially needed to help them recover.

Red meat could not only replenish iron but also many essential trace elements, and for children like Chuchu who were still growing, it was even more crucial. Without meat, his growth would be stunted.

That was why Qin Qingman had been thinking about meat these past few days.

When Chuchu heard Qin Qingman mention eating meat to improve their health, he immediately thought of the delicious taste of chicken.

Licking his lips, the child, both hopeful and sensible, said, “Sister, before the New Year, the village will definitely slaughter pigs. Our family will get some. We just need to wait a bit, and soon we’ll be able to eat meat.”

The 1970s were not like the era of reform and opening up. At that time, all goods were controlled by the collective and could only be purchased with ration coupons or distributed by the state. Fortunately, they lived in the countryside, where not everything required ration coupons as in the cities.

Their village raised pigs, cows, and sheep. Although most of the livestock was handed over to the state, some would be returned to the village. During the festive season, the village secretary would arrange for the slaughter of pigs and sheep, and at that time, the villagers would receive a portion of the meat based on the number of people in their households, and their family would also get a share.

Qin Qingman, having arrived in this era, was aware of the characteristics of this time.

Previously, she had been lucky enough to use barter to get some food supplies from a few relatives.

But when it came to meat, it was something that couldn’t be traded for, no matter how much one wanted it.

Because everyone was short on meat, no one was willing to part with it. The only way to eat large amounts of meat was to hunt it yourself in the mountains. If you hunted your own game, you only had to hand over half to the state, and the other half was yours.

Looking out the window at the mountains covered in snow, Qin Qingman felt a yearning, but in the end, she decided against it.

With her body and health, Qin Qingman was in no condition to go hunting. Not to mention climbing a mountain, she would probably be gasping for breath just by hiking up a hill.

“Sister, the mountain is dangerous. Only hunters should go up there. The snow has been so heavy recently that even the hunters in the village aren’t daring to go up.” Chuchu, being particularly sensitive, noticed Qin Qingman’s restless thoughts and quickly tried to dissuade her.

Worried and scared, the child reached out and tightly grabbed Qin Qingman’s hand.

“Sister, don’t go up the mountain. Don’t worry, I know it’s dangerous up there.”

Faced with Chuchu’s concern, Qin Qingman felt her heart soften.

At the same time, she truly didn’t dare go up the mountain alone. The mountains of this era were not like those in later years. There were many wild animals in these mountains—bears, tigers, wild boars—any one of which was not something she could handle.

“Sister, there are old bears up there, they can eat people.” Chuchu, still uneasy, couldn’t help but warn Qin Qingman.

Qin Qingman: …Bears don’t eat people, but one swipe of a bear’s paw could crush a person’s skull.

After discussing the dangers of the mountain, the siblings happily went about preparing breakfast.

While making the multigrain buns, Qin Qingman added black bean flour, cornmeal, and a little wheat flour to the dough, letting it ferment. The filling was made from dried shepherd’s purse and shredded radish.

When they were steamed, the multigrain buns smelled delicious, making Chuchu nearly drool.

“Sister, this smells so good. I’ve never eaten such fragrant multigrain buns before.” Chuchu said, and he wasn’t exaggerating. The original owner’s cooking skills were only average.

Moreover, with limited supplies, the original owner would never even think of using extra oil when cooking, whether making dishes or buns.

With such ingredients, it was no wonder the multigrain buns turned out tasteless.

Qin Qingman was different.

Her culinary skills were superb, and she didn’t hesitate to add good ingredients. Even ordinary multigrain buns could be made so delicious that they were irresistible.

Qin Qingman knew she was different from the original owner. After breaking open a bun to cool, she handed it to Chuchu, saying, “I added sesame oil, green onions, and chicken broth to the filling. It’s no surprise it tastes so good.”

Upon hearing this, Chuchu was immediately convinced.

With good ingredients, even simple multigrain buns were bound to taste better than before.

Taking a big bite of the fragrant bun, Chuchu looked completely satisfied. Not to mention, he also had a bowl of chicken soup with some chicken meat in front of him.

After finishing their warm breakfast, the siblings collapsed into their chairs, feeling completely content.

Satisfied, utterly satisfied.

Just when Qin Qingman and Chuchu thought life was starting to look brighter, next door at Zhu Hongxia’s house, there was also a scene of laughter and joy.

Even though Qin Lei and Zhu Hongxia were not entirely happy about Liu Hechang becoming their son-in-law, they couldn’t help but yield, as their daughter was willing. Since their daughter was willing, there was no need for them to play the villains.

After all, Liu Hechang becoming their son-in-law would also help with the work for their two sons.

So, after a brief awkward moment, the Zhu Hongxia household became harmonious again.

Everyone had their own little thoughts, and the group of scheming individuals somehow found a way to get along.

Liu Hechang brought generous gifts when he visited—meat and sugar—and Zhu Hongxia didn’t call Qin Caiyun to help her cook, but instead, she took her younger son and went about slaughtering a chicken and soaking mushrooms to make a real chicken stew with mushrooms.

The rich fragrance began to waft through the air, spreading to the surrounding area.

Qin Xiang’s house, being the closest to Zhu Hongxia’s, was the first to be affected.

Smelling the aroma of chicken stew with mushrooms, Qin Xiang’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Qin Dongmei, couldn’t help but twitch her nose and asked curiously, “Mom, why are they killing a chicken and eating meat at Aunt Zhu’s house? It’s not even the New Year or anything.”

Qin Xiang didn’t know the reason either, but just now, she had seen a figure, and after a brief moment of shock and surprise, she chose to stay quietly at home, not going over to Zhu Hongxia’s house to join the gossip.

She didn’t want Qin Caiyun to lead her daughter astray.

So, when she heard her daughter’s question, Qin Xiang immediately darkened her face and scolded, “Why should you care about why Aunt Zhu’s family is killing a chicken to eat meat? How other people live their lives is none of our business, and it has nothing to do with us.”

Jiang Dongmei, completely caught off guard by her mother’s sudden outburst, was left in a daze. She looked at her father, Jiang Linshan, who was sitting by the stove, warming himself.

She was the only child in the family, and her father was rather fond of her.

Jiang Linshan had already heard from Qin Xiang about the commotion at Zhu Hongxia’s house. He and his wife had the same thought: such matters, which were not exactly proper, should be kept from their daughter. If her heart became wild and unruly, it would be them who suffered later.

After all, marriage was never a simple matter.

Not wanting to speak bluntly to their daughter, Jiang Linshan quickly changed the subject. “Dongmei, we’re killing a chicken and eating meat today too.” They had been eating vegetarian for months, and with the New Year approaching, it was time to eat some meat to break the fast.

Sure enough, when Jiang Dongmei heard that their family was also killing a chicken to eat, she immediately forgot all about Zhu Hongxia’s house and clung to Qin Xiang, acting spoiled.

Originally, Qin Xiang didn’t want to kill a chicken, but seeing how her daughter was craving meat, she gritted her teeth and finally agreed to slaughter a chicken.

Scenes like this were playing out in several households around Zhu Hongxia.

The day before, they had smelled the aroma of chicken soup from Qin Qingman’s house, and today it was the chicken stew with mushrooms from Zhu Hongxia’s house. After two days of being tortured by the scents, those families with a few chickens at home couldn’t resist the temptation any longer.

Having endured the winter so far, they knew that if the weather was good, the village would organize a large-scale mountain expedition before the New Year, and there would be meat to eat. So, in preparation for that, it made sense to kill a chicken now to supplement their bodies.

Thus, every household had meat that day.

The weather was indeed perfect today, with no snow or wind even by midday. Liu Hechang, having enjoyed the treatment of a new son-in-law at Zhu Hongxia’s house, took advantage of the occasion and, in a tipsy state, agreed to help Qin Lei arrange for his brother-in-law to get a job at the farm.

As a result, Liu Hechang became even more popular at Zhu Hongxia’s house.

Since it was their daughter’s choice, Qin Lei and Zhu Hongxia had accepted the situation. With the added benefit of arranging a job for their elder son at the farm without spending any money, the couple quickly grew optimistic about this marriage, which they could no longer change.

Moreover, once Liu Hechang became their son-in-law, the matter of their younger son finding work would be easily resolved.

Sacrificing one daughter in exchange for so many benefits, Qin Lei and Zhu Hongxia felt it was worth it.

Their attitude towards Liu Hechang became genuinely warm and sincere.

The meal lasted until after 2 p.m., and during the course of the meal, Qin Lei not only agreed to the marriage but also finalized the wedding date: it would be held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month—the most festive and reunion-filled day.

After a hearty meal, Liu Hechang and the matchmaker, taking advantage of the good weather, decided to head back to the town.

Since they had accepted Liu Hechang as their son-in-law, Qin Lei’s family naturally wanted to see him off personally. At that moment, Qin Qingman happened to be in her yard, carrying some firewood back into the house. The two parties unexpectedly crossed paths.

When Qin Qingman saw Liu Hechang, she inwardly cursed her bad luck.

To be honest, she didn’t want to see him at all. Just the thought of how Zhu Hongxia and the others had used this man to scheme against her made her feel disgusted. If she had known they would run into each other, she would have rather waited until he left before going out to the main house, even if it meant the firewood in the stove would run out.

With a sense of disdain, Qin Qingman pretended not to see them and buried her head in the firewood, heading straight to the main house.

Perhaps Qin Caiyun had grown a bit too confident, or maybe she thought the marriage was settled, but when she saw Qin Qingman, for some reason, she enthusiastically greeted her, “Qingman, carrying firewood?”

Her loud greeting was unexpected, drawing all eyes to Qin Qingman’s yard.

Qin Qingman felt uncomfortable, but she couldn’t ignore it. She reluctantly looked up and politely greeted Qin Lei and Zhu Hongxia, “Second Uncle, Second Aunt.”

“Qingman, come inside quickly! The fire will go out soon and the house will get cold.” Zhu Hongxia said, cold sweat sliding down her spine.

Zhu Hongxia had been shocked—what was meant to be an introduction between Qin Qingman and Liu Hechang had turned into the man becoming her own son-in-law. The whole situation felt terribly awkward, and she didn’t know how to introduce them anymore.

Qin Qingman had no desire to meet Liu Hechang, so she followed Zhu Hongxia’s words and turned, walking straight into the house.

At the door of Qin Lei’s house, Liu Hechang stood there, staring at the empty yard where Qin Qingman had disappeared, lost in thought.

Although it was only a fleeting glance, he had clearly seen Qin Qingman’s appearance.

Her face was as beautiful as the most exquisite flower, and her figure was as perfect as a goddess from a dream.

“Mother, is this girl named Qingman, Qin Qingman?” Liu Hechang looked at Zhu Hongxia and her family, his gaze deep and scrutinizing.

Seeing the dark expression on Liu Hechang’s face, Qin Caiyun’s heart skipped a beat in panic.

After two months of nourishing herself with good food and drink, Qin Qingman had transformed, glowing like a phoenix reborn.

She was far more radiant now, and working hard every day, there was no way Qin Caiyun could compare to her…