Chapter 13 : If she pretended not to hear, wouldn’t that be letting her get away with her veiled insults?

“Damn it, Yan Xiaoyue, you’re trying to kill me! If I don’t fight back today, I’ll change my surname to yours!”

Qi Lan nimbly climbed out of the pit, her body still covered in a yellow, unidentified substance that emitted a foul stench.

Yan Xiaoyue entered the house, retrieved a hoe from behind the door, and pressed it against Qi Lan’s neck.

“Qi Lan, if you dare take another step, I’ll kill you. Even if your son becomes rich later, you won’t enjoy his wealth.”

Yan Xiaoyue’s words flustered Qi Lan. “You wretched woman, what are you yelling about? Just you wait! If I don’t skin you alive today, my name isn’t Qi Lan!”

Qi Lan ran out. A kind-hearted woman reminded Yan Xiaoyue, “Xiaoyue, Qi Lan went back to her parents’ home. Her family is not easy to mess with. If you anger her, you might not be able to stay here anymore. Why not take this opportunity to separate the family? I heard Old Man Jin said the family would split after Jin Chaocheng got married.”

Yan Xiaoyue expressed her gratitude. “Thank you, Aunt. Thank you for your advice. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

She felt that not only she, but also Qi Lan, had plans to separate the family. Otherwise, wouldn’t they have to follow Jin Qingyang back to the capital city when he returned?

Qi Lan was even more anxious than she was.

“I didn’t realize you were so capable.”

Jin Chao stood at the doorway, coldly watching Yan Xiaoyue navigate the crowd. He had expected to see Yan Xiaoyue being bullied, but unexpectedly, the petite woman had driven his sister-in-law back to her parents’ home.

“No, it was just a coincidence.”

Yan Xiaoyue dared not admit her capability. Otherwise, the villagers would avoid her.

As if on cue, when Jin Chao appeared, the surrounding people dispersed, disappearing without a trace.

Seeing that everyone had left, Yan Xiaoyue went inside to cook. She found Jin Chao had already put the ingredients in the kitchen. She took them out.

“Jin Chao, help me stoke the fire.”

She wasn’t the type to shoulder all the housework. Household chores were a shared responsibility. Why should men be treated like ancestors and do no work at home?

That wasn’t how things were done in her household. Even in the original owner’s family, Wang Yunyun hadn’t done any housework after her marriage. Considering how much her second brother doted on her, it was surprising she even left him; she must have a masochistic personality.

Jin Chao, hearing her voice, sat down by the stove and started the fire.

Yan Xiaoyue took out the pork she had cut, separating the fatty parts to render lard in a dry pot.

When the aroma of the lard filled the courtyard, she poured the rendered oil into a jar, leaving a little bit in the bottom of the pot with the cracklings, which she would save for making buns.

She added the spices she had bought into the pot, frying them until fragrant, before adding the large bone she had received as a gift to boil.

“Keep an eye on the pot. If the water gets too low, use a low flame or call me. I’ll go wash the pig offal.”

Yan Xiaoyue went outside, carrying the smelly pig offal.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw several pairs of eyes staring at the kitchen.

“Aunt, what delicious food are you making?”

The little girl who had asked her for food that morning came running out again.

“Nothing much, just a hot pot. It has meat and vegetables, and it’s spicy and delicious.”

Yan Xiaoyue blushed, looking at the children and smiling.

“Aunt, you smell so bad.”

Several children, wanting to see what was in her basin, leaned in closer, only to have the smell hit them in the face.

“Scram!”

Yan Xiaoyue didn’t like the Jin family, nor these children. They were so impolite; their parents must not have taught them properly. She hadn’t missed the disdain on the little girl’s face; it was clear in her eyes.

Seeing the little girl run to the house opposite, Yan Xiaoyue knew she had gone to tattle.

“Aunt, you’ve offended your second aunt; you’re in for it.”

A young boy came out, looking rather unfamiliar, but his face was strikingly similar to Jin Qingyang’s.

Could this be Jin Qingyang’s child?

She found it terrifying.

“What are you looking at? Do I look like Jin Qingyang? Haha…Aunt, I’m his younger brother, so I naturally resemble him.”

“Who are you, and what does it have to do with me?”

Yan Xiaoyue looked at the boy with a puzzled expression, then turned back to cleaning the pig innards.

She loved stir-fried pig intestines; they smelled awful, but tasted delicious.

“Nothing, but Aunt, if you feed me, I’ll help you fetch things from home.” The boy raised an eyebrow; he was truly a smaller version of Jin Qingyang.

“I don’t like your face; you can stay away from me.” Yan Xiaoyue genuinely disliked his face.

“You…ingrate.”

The boy angrily stomped away.

Yan Xiaoyue watched him go and smiled. She took out a bag of baking soda and began to scrub the pig intestines.

She had more than just this; she had things in her space, but she wasn’t used to using them.

She was still getting used to this identity and would forget about the space.

She wondered if the spring water in her space would turn into the kind of spiritual spring she had read about in novels.

She used her fingertip to draw water, and to her surprise, water actually appeared.

After cleaning the pig intestines until only a faint smell remained, she was very satisfied.

She would save the intestines for grilling or stir-frying, to eat later that night.

She would use the rest of the pig stomach and tripe for the hot pot.

“The pot’s boiling.”

Jin Chao’s voice came from the kitchen. She looked back, only to find Jin Chao standing by the window, looking at her.

Her heart skipped a beat. She didn’t know if Jin Chao had seen her actions just now. Although she had her back to the kitchen, if she was mistaken for a monster, her life would be in danger.

“Coming.”

Yan Xiaoyue turned around, forcing a smile. It seemed she couldn’t criticize people behind their backs anymore; otherwise, she wouldn’t know how she’d die.

Avoiding Jin Chao’s gaze, she walked towards the kitchen, feeling annoyed. Why would a small kitchen have such a large window?

And this well, everyone in the village fetched water, but their house had a well pump; it was truly advanced.

“Jin Chao, go call Father and Mother to eat. Sister-in-law probably won’t be coming back today.”

Yan Xiaoyue knew that even if Qi Lan returned, her family wouldn’t come. As Jin Chao’s wife, Qi Lan’s family wouldn’t dare to provoke her.

“Okay.” Jin Chao nodded and went to the backyard.

The Jin family’s house was structured such that the eldest son lived in the back, in a space that had been prepared from the start.

The second son lived next to them, with a passageway between their houses leading to the eldest son’s house and the parents’ rooms.

The second sister-in-law’s kitchen was opposite hers. Since her sister-in-law wasn’t home, the second sister-in-law wouldn’t call the elders for dinner.

At that moment, she heard a commotion from the opposite house.

“Look, I’m the most aggrieved in this family. The child just wanted a meal from her, and she’s the new daughter-in-law! She’s so disrespectful. What’s the big deal? Can a child’s meal bankrupt us or something?”

Her second sister-in-law’s voice was loud; she could hear it clearly from the kitchen.

Now that Jin Chao had gone to the backyard, she was starting trouble, was she?

If she pretended not to hear, wouldn’t that be letting her get away with her veiled insults?