Chapter 25 – Yuanbao

“Really?” Chen Aihong didn’t want to dampen her spirits, so she nodded and said: “I think this is a good sign!”

“Mhm mhm!” The little daughter-in-law was very happy to receive affirmation.

A wave of heartache surged in Chen Aihong’s chest. She looked at her daughter-in-law and asked gently: “Is taking care of Changdong very tiring?”

“Not at all.” Su Luyun didn’t linger on that topic and instead said: “By the way, Mom, I want to raise a dog. Can you help me see if any nearby family has puppies? I want to bring one home to guard the house.”

“Why do you suddenly want to raise a dog?”

“Things used to be pretty safe, but as time goes on, it’s getting less and less peaceful out there. Just the other day, I heard Aunt Qian say someone in her mother’s village had a break-in. I thought of getting a dog then, and now that Changdong is back, it would be much better if we had one.” Su Luyun said.

“Alright, I’ll go ask around!” Chen Aihong had just told Zhou Quansheng that things outside were getting more and more chaotic. She had no objections to her daughter-in-law wanting a dog.

But after saying that, she hesitated. “Aren’t you afraid at night? How about just moving back to the Ancestral House?”

“No, I don’t get along with Sister-in-law.” Su Luyun rejected her bluntly.

Chen Aihong said: “Then should Mom come over at night to keep you company?”

“No need for now. Everyone around here are old neighbors—it’s still pretty safe. I just want a dog as a precaution.” Su Luyun said with a smile, knowing her mother-in-law meant well.

Chen Aihong, of course, had no objections.

She moved fast. It was only mentioned at eight in the morning, and by just before eleven, she had already brought over a little yellow puppy that had just been weaned.

Su Luyun liked it the moment she saw it. “Mom, where did you get it from?”

“This one’s from Director Wang at the subdistrict office. You should call her Auntie.” Chen Aihong said.

Su Luyun smiled and said: “We still have some candy at home, Mom, take some over. Just a little token.”

That was the local custom—if you brought a kitten or puppy home from someone else, you’d take some candy to give them.

“I already brought over two jin of fruit candy.” Chen Aihong said, putting the puppy down to let it play in the house.

“Sorry for the trouble, Mom.” Su Luyun petted the puppy and caught a faint scent. “Mom, did you give it a bath?”

Chen Aihong nodded. “Yes. I was afraid it might have bugs, so I mashed up some peach leaves and rubbed it on to kill any insects, then gave it a bath.”

Now it was clean and fresh.

“Thank you, Mom!”

Chen Aihong smiled. “It’s getting late. Should I take the chicken over and have it slaughtered?”

“Okay.”

Chen Aihong took the chicken and went to Aunt Qian’s house to ask for help with the slaughtering.

Aunt Qian hadn’t managed to buy any again today—the chickens were too popular and sold out quickly.

She had a good relationship with Chen Aihong, and when she saw her bring a chicken over, she didn’t say a word and just pulled out a knife.

Chen Aihong held the chicken’s feet while Aunt Qian grabbed its neck. With one swift motion, she slit the throat to let it bleed.

Soon the chicken stopped moving.

The blood was left for Aunt Qian, while Chen Aihong brought the chicken back. Su Luyun had already boiled the water and was waiting.

The mother- and daughter-in-law plucked the feathers together. Even the feathers wouldn’t be wasted—they could be sold for money to buy candy!

Once the chicken was cleaned, chopped, and set to stew in the pot, Su Luyun invited: “Mom, don’t let Sister-in-law cook tonight. When Dad gets off work, ask him to come over here to eat. Let’s have some chicken noodle soup.”

Chen Aihong said: “No need. You and Changdong should keep it for yourselves.”

“It’s hot now—how can the chicken be kept long? I can’t finish it alone. Come over and eat together. Changdong will be happy too.” Su Luyun said.

Chen Aihong could tell her daughter-in-law was sincere and nodded. “Alright, then tonight your dad and I will come over and eat.”

“Mhm mhm.”

With the chicken stewing, Chen Aihong headed back. Su Luyun didn’t need to check on the pot—the amount of coal had been measured precisely, and by the time the stew was ready, the coal would be just about finished too.

So she went to get some food for the little yellow dog. The puppy was clearly hungry. As soon as it caught the scent of meat in the food, it buried its head straight into the bowl.

“I’ll call you Yuanbao, okay? From now on, this is your home.” Su Luyun patted its little head and said with a smile.

Yuanbao even looked up at its new owner, wagged its tail, then went right back to eating.

Su Luyun chuckled and, with nothing else to do, went inside to accompany Zhou Changdong for his afternoon nap.

“I told Mom and Dad to come over for dinner tonight. Ever since I moved out of the Ancestral House because I didn’t get along with Sister-in-law, I haven’t had a meal with them. Now that you’re back, we have to invite them over for a meal and liven things up a bit.” Su Luyun said as she lay down.

Zhou Changdong’s tone was gentle: 【Alright, I’ll listen to whatever you say, wife.】

Su Luyun had a pleasant nap.

She got up in just half an hour, and the first thing she did was go over and, pretending to be dutiful, lightly touched Zhou Changdong’s bladder to check whether he needed to relieve himself.

Since he had been given a large bowl of crucian carp tofu soup at noon, there was indeed a need.

Su Luyun expertly helped him take care of it.

“Be good, okay? I’m going to knead the dough now.” After finishing the task, she coaxed him gently.

Zhou Changdong: 【When I get better, I’ll cook for you, wife.】

The corners of Su Luyun’s mouth lifted slightly.

Yuanbao was already full and content, lying on the floor enjoying a nap. When it saw its owner come out, its little tail wagged again.

Su Luyun came over to check how the chicken soup was coming along, but it was still early, so there was no rush.

She picked up a basin and went to scoop some flour to start kneading the dough.

When it came to cooking, she often felt she genuinely had a talent for it.

Originally, she had taken some intensive training just for the sake of a variety show, but it ended up feeling like she had opened all her energy channels.

She had even once joked with her agent that if she ever couldn’t survive in the entertainment industry anymore, maybe she could make a living as a food vlogger on platforms like Douyin or Xiaoshu.

With great efficiency, she kneaded the dough. But the dough had to rest. While waiting, Su Luyun went outside to practice Baduanjin.

She practiced both yoga and Baduanjin, so either was fine—it was mainly just for keeping her body fit.

After finishing a full round of Baduanjin, she felt refreshed.

Su Luyun washed her face, wiped herself off, and went into the kitchen to start kneading, rolling, and cutting the dough into noodles.

She sprinkled a bit of flour over the cut noodles to prevent them from sticking. The rest would be cooked only after her in-laws arrived.

She checked the heat under the chicken soup, then went into the room to fetch one of Zhou Changdong’s old, worn-out pants to use as a mat for Yuanbao.

It was indeed very worn, faded white from washing too many times, but he still hadn’t thrown it away. This man was truly frugal.

The kind who was generous with his family but stingy with himself.

Su Luyun had no desire to keep that pair of pants anymore.

Yuanbao was very pleased with the new bedding. It even bounced a couple of times, wagging its little tail happily.

Su Luyun laughed. Seeing that it was still early, she took Yuanbao out for a little walk.

The neighborhood aunties, gathered together, saw her and said: “Oh, Changdong’s wife, you’ve got a dog now?”

“Well, didn’t I hear you aunties say things are getting more and more unsafe out there? So I asked my mom to bring Yuanbao over from Director Wang’s place. Once he grows up, he can help watch the house.” Su Luyun replied.

The neighbors all nodded approvingly and asked with concern: “How’s Changdong doing?”

“Changdong’s doing quite well. Just last night, I even dreamed that he got better. My mom said that’s a good omen.” Su Luyun said with a smile.

“It’s a good omen!” Everyone nodded in agreement.