Chapter 46 : Dividing the Soup

“A big jar of butter?”  

“Hiss, is that true?”  

The other sisters-in-law in the yard were all shocked when they heard what Yang Yufen said.  

“Really! Why would I lie to you? You don’t know, it’s a huge jar! I think it contains at least ten pounds of butter.”  

Yang Yufen declared this with absolute certainty.  

She didn’t forget to grin as she urged Lu Fangfang to hurry up and serve her some soup.  

“Impossible!”  

Li Shulan refused to believe it.  

It was simply ridiculous to extract more than ten kilograms of butter from a cow’s bones.  

“Why would I lie to you? Just go inside and check for yourself, there’s a big jar in the house.”  

Yang Yufen grabbed Li Shulan and pointed toward the house.  

Seeing the large jar in the cupboard, Li Shulan was still skeptical ten kilograms of butter was just too much to believe.  

“Not that much, not that much.”  

Lu Fangfang didn’t want to draw too much attention.  

She quickly ladled a bowl of beef bone soup, shoved it into Yang Yufen’s hands, and winked at her. “Sister Yufen, go eat now.”  

As soon as Yang Yufen saw the beef bone soup, she completely forgot about boasting about Lu Fangfang.  

She took the bowl, sat at the children’s table, and began eating.  

“Hmph, I knew it was impossible,” Li Shulan muttered.  

But despite her words, doubt started creeping into her mind. Could it actually be true?  

Seeing Lu Fangfang busy serving soup, she quietly sneaked into the house.  

Quickly walking up to the cupboard, she lifted the lid of the jar, inside it was filled with a creamy white substance.  

“Hiss!”  

“Oh my god, oil….a whole jar of oil!”  

Two of her sisters-in-law had followed her inside. When they saw the jar full of butter, their mouths fell open in astonishment.  

That much butter could last an entire year.  

A sister-in-law with long braids murmured, “This is incredible, really incredible. If anyone dares to call Comrade Lu a spendthrift again, I’ll spit in their face!”  

Spendthrift? Pah!  

What kind of so-called spendthrift could produce ten kilograms of butter?  

Li Shulan’s face turned extremely ugly, those words were practically a direct slap in her face.  

She scrutinized the jar closely and said, “This jar weighs at most four or five kilograms, it can’t possibly be ten!”  

“Four or five kilograms is still a lot! I don’t even use that much oil in a whole year. And this is butter it’s way more fragrant than the rapeseed oil you buy.”  

Hearing her sister-in-law’s words, Li Shulan realized she had no way to refute it, and her mood instantly soured.  

—

“Sister Shulan? Hmm?”  

Back in the yard, just as Lu Fangfang had finished scooping up a bowl of beef bone soup, she noticed that Li Shulan had disappeared.  

Seeing a few sisters-in-law peeking into the house, she immediately understood.  

Putting down the small basin in her hands, she hurried inside.  

“Ahem, sister-in-law, the beef bone soup is ready, let’s go outside.”  

Lu Fangfang swiftly snatched the lid from Li Shulan’s hands and placed it back on the jar.  

“Comrade Lu, how did you manage to do this?”  

“Yeah, Comrade Lu, how did you make so much butter?”  

Aside from Li Shulan, the other two sisters-in-law eagerly asked for her secret.  

“Oh, nothing special. I just cooked it a little longer and crushed the bones before boiling them again.”  

Lu Fangfang replied casually.  

Everyone in the compound had heard the sound of her smashing bones yesterday. Honestly, even if she didn’t explain, they could have guessed.  

“I see.”  

The sisters-in-law all took mental notes.  

Li Shulan secretly remembered as well, next time she got some bones, she would definitely try it herself.  

A few of them walked out of the house and started chatting with the sisters-in-law who had just arrived.  

The news that Comrade Lu had used beef bones to boil a jar of butter spread quickly.  

The sisters-in-law looked at Lu Fangfang in surprise. They hadn’t expected that the newly arrived Comrade Lu possessed such a skill.  

Hearing their praises, Li Shulan felt even more uncomfortable.  

“Niuniu, go home right after you finish eating,” she instructed her daughter.  

Then, picking up the small basin, she turned to leave.  

“Um?”  

Li Shulan glanced casually at the firewood burning under the pot and suddenly froze.  

Why did the firewood look exactly like the ones at her house?  

The firewood in her home was all spruce, which her husband had specially brought back from a farm at the foot of the mountain. It was unique in the entire family compound. So where did Lu Fangfang get it from?  

Li Shulan angrily strode toward Lu Fangfang and asked, “Where did you get the firewood?”  

“Firewood?”  

Lu Fangfang was momentarily stunned, then pointed at the kids at the table and said, “The kids brought it to me.”  

“The kids? Niuniu?”  

Li Shulan’s heart sank as she turned to look at her daughter.  

At that moment, the children at the table suddenly went silent, each trying to bury their heads under the table.  

Especially Niuniu, she looked at her mother guiltily and quickly turned away.  

Li Shulan almost couldn’t breathe.  

Oh, what kind of daughter was this? She had come here just to set her up!  

Seeing that her sisters-in-law were all enjoying the spectacle, she felt too embarrassed to stay any longer. She picked up her small basin and stormed off angrily.  

Lu Fangfang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Sister Shulan, the kids meant well don’t blame them.”  

She had already figured out what had happened. The firewood the children had brought must have come from Li Shulan’s home.  

For some reason, this realization made her feel rather satisfied.  

“Pah! Stop pretending to be so nice!”  

Li Shulan felt even more frustrated.   

After Li Shulan left, the atmosphere in the courtyard became much more harmonious.  

Lu Fangfang quickly turned her attention back to her other sisters-in-law.  

She picked up a ladle and began serving beef bone soup to them.  

Each sister-in-law had brought different containers small enamel basins, bowls, large jars, and aluminum lunch boxes. Lu Fangfang filled them up one by one.  

“Comrade Lu, that’s enough, that’s enough this will be plenty for us!”  

“Comrade Lu, you’re so kind. If you ever need anything, just let me know, and I’ll definitely come to help!”  

“That’s right, Comrade Lu! Now that you’ve joined the family compound, we’re all one family. If you need anything, just ask. No need to be polite!”  

The sisters-in-law looked at the fragrant beef bone soup and began singing Lu Fangfang’s praises.  

No matter what happened in the future, since Comrade Lu had shared something today, they would surely return the favor.  

Lu Fangfang responded modestly, then asked about quail eggs, goose eggs, and duck eggs.  

“Duck eggs and goose eggs? You can find those at Sister Guihua’s house. She raises several ducks and geese. Sister Guihua is kind-hearted, Comrade Lu, if you go talk to her, she’ll definitely be willing to help.”  

“I’ve never heard of quail eggs,” said the younger sister-in-law.  

She turned to look at the others.  

“I haven’t heard of them either.”  

“I’ve seen wild quails, but I’ve never seen anyone raising them.”  

The sisters-in-law shook their heads.  

Lu Fangfang felt a bit disappointed, but at least duck and goose eggs were available, so she expressed her gratitude.  

A short while later, Sun Manling arrived with a small basin.  

Lu Fangfang handed the task of making the meat soup over to Yang Yufeng, then took Manling by the hand and led her into the house.  

“Sister Manling, do you know where Sister Meijiao’s house is?”  

Lu Fangfang planned to personally deliver a pot of beef bone soup to Sister Meijiao’s house. After all, Meijiao had sold her the cow skeleton at an insider price, and she couldn’t forget that kindness.  

“Oh, and I should also bring some to the captain’s house,” she added, feeling a little embarrassed.  

Her family still owed the team leader a debt, she couldn’t overlook that either.