Chapter 17: Raising Suspicions

“I can’t do farm work, but I can cook,” Jiang Yuman said, looking up with a slight hint of melancholy. “As long as I can help my family, I’m content.”

Fu Jingchen didn’t expected her to say that. He instinctively looked at her.

Her eyes were misty, and her lips were slightly pursed, appearing both fragile and self-reproachful.

His heart softened a bit.

Although their marriage had been a result of her schemes, after marriage, she had been thoughtful and knew how to act cute, making him unconsciously consider her feelings.

Even though some unpleasant events had occurred, human emotions were complex.

Now that she could come down to the countryside and put in the effort to cook, ensuring that her family had meals waiting for them, Fu Jingchen felt a pang of sympathy for her.

“You’re already doing great. We’ll handle the work in the fields; just stay at home,” he said, looking at her earnestly.

Seeing his serious expression, Jiang Yuman knew he was speaking from the heart.

“I’ll make sure to cook two meals a day,” Jiang Yuman promised. “It’s just that I struggle to get up in the morning.”

Fu Jingchen nodded. “No need to get up early; I’ll handle that.”

He knew his wife likes to sleep in, and given her current condition, she definitely needed more rest.

Ultimately, he felt that their family had burdened her. Thinking back to the way she used to live, Fu Jingchen felt a knot in his heart.

Jiang Yuman was immediately touched. “Thank you, Husband.”

Fu Jingchen lightly coughed, still not used to being called that by her, and awkwardly got into bed.

Jiang Yuman chuckled silently, not calling him out on it. She stretched and climbed into bed, planning to take an afternoon nap together.

However, once in bed, the baby in her belly kept moving around, making it impossible for her to fall asleep.

“What’s wrong?” Fu Jingchen, noticing her tossing and turning, opened his eyes and asked.

“It’s nothing; the baby is just moving a lot, and I can’t sleep,” she replied.

Hearing this, Fu Jingchen turned to her and placed his hand on her round belly, leaning closer as he softly said, “Don’t disturb your mother; sleep now.”

Jiang Yuman held her breath for a moment, surprised. “It really stopped moving! It appears to hear you!”

Fu Jingchen’s lips curled up slightly.

Jiang Yuman looked at him and placed her hand over his.

When Fu Jingchen looked at her with curiosity, she blinked her beautiful eyes and said, “Thank you, Husband.”

Her lush hair casually rested against her neck, making her fair skin look even more delicate, causing Fu Jingchen to avert his gaze slightly.

He felt a bit dry in his throat.

However, with the baby in her belly, he couldn’t do much.

…

The couple managed to take a short afternoon nap.

It wasn’t until someone outside called for work that Fu Jingchen quietly got up and went out.

At two o’clock, the sun was blazing, and the people on the road looked as wilted as sunburned vegetables, all lacking energy.

After days of hard work and meager meals, it was a wonder anyone had strength left.

Watching the villagers, the Fu family felt uplifted, recalling the delicious meal they had at noon.

When a family works together, even sour times can turn sweet!

Zhou Yun, observing the energetic Fu family in front of her, felt puzzled.

Once they got to the fields, she couldn’t help but ask a few people from the educated youth point, “By the way, Xiaofang, did you see them come out to cook today?”

As she spoke, she glanced at Fu Jingchen’s family.

Xiaofang thought for a moment and shook her head. “I didn’t see them. I cooked early, so maybe they were in the back.”

“I didn’t see them either,” the other two girls shook their heads as well.

That was strange.

If the whole family hadn’t come to the kitchen to cook, did that mean they hadn’t eaten?

But they looked so lively, which seemed unlikely.

While chewing on the hard-to-swallow sorghum cakes in the house today, she kept thinking about the meaty aroma she had caught when she first entered the kitchen.

The smell was delightful; she couldn’t have mistaken it.

Connecting the dots, Zhou Yun thought about how the Fu family hadn’t come out to cook, and the source of that meaty aroma couldn’t be unrelated to them.

Could it be that lazy daughter-in-law was secretly eating meat at home?

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

“Zhou Yun, why are you dawdling? You’re the slowest of us all,” the record keeper said, noticing Zhou Yun lost in thought.

She had been paying attention to Zhou Yun for a while; while she was good at work, she had a habit of talking too much.

“Okay, I’ll hurry up.”

Zhou Yun didn’t dare offend the record keeper and quickly grabbed her sickle to get back to cutting wheat.

But she had already mentally noted down the strange meat smell.

She had to find out what was going on with that.

…

Jiang Yuman was unaware that Zhou Yun was still pondering this matter.

However, after hearing Zhou Yun’s comments in the kitchen, she had become more cautious.

After her afternoon nap, she took the ingredients to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Since she had made a big meal at noon, she planned to keep it lighter for the evening.

Taking out three tomatoes and five eggs, she decided to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes. She also chopped up a piece of pork rib to make corn and radish rib soup.

The soup was mainly for nourishment, light yet revitalizing.

Instead of making white flour buns, she opted for cornmeal buns.

Cornmeal buns were the most acceptable coarse grain for Jiang Yuman; they were smooth and didn’t get stuck in her throat.

Plus, they had a lovely corn fragrance.

She planned to make just these two dishes, as they were substantial enough, and there was no need to be extravagant in the countryside.

Having already enjoyed a large pot of braised pig trotters at noon, they had received plenty of nutrition.

Once the meal was ready, Jiang Yuman stored everything in her space, waiting for her family to return to eat.

The items in her space would maintain their original state and wouldn’t get cold.

Still, having her own kitchen would be more convenient.

After tidying up, it was still early. Jiang Yuman looked at the fabric stored in the room and began to contemplate her sewing needs.

They hadn’t brought many clothes, and now during the autumn harvest, they needed to change their undergarments daily, which were already insufficient.

She herself couldn’t even sew.

Jiang Yuman recalled that in the book, Yao Zhenjiang’s sister-in-law, Yao Simeng, could sew and had brought a sewing machine as part of her dowry.

She could try to find an opportunity to discuss getting help with making clothes.

Although the Yao family was the brigade leader’s family, they weren’t well-off. The parents were worried about their daughter, Yao Simeng, and the three sons had tight budgets.

Offering some benefits shouldn’t be a problem.

Jiang Yuman had no intention of avoiding suspicion with the female lead from the book.

Not to mention that both families were currently living under the same roof at the educated youth point; it was impossible to avoid seeing each other.

With Fu Jingchen being such a good man, and given their circumstances, he wouldn’t betray her.

One must learn to adapt to their environment and make use of everything around them.

Moreover, there were many preparations to be made.

Currently, they needed undergarments for the adults, and soon she would also need to prepare clothes for the baby.

Jiang Yuman calculated the days; the baby would arrive in early winter, so she needed to be well-prepared.

Especially for materials like cotton!

There was no heating available, and without a heated bed, if the baby was dressed too lightly in the cold, it would be heartbreaking if the baby got sick.

After all, she had already been a mother for a few days; she was starting to cherish this little one.