Chapter 21 – The Skinny Dog Comes Knocking

After all, she was a woman who had spent her whole life in the mountains, busy with nothing more than firewood, rice, oil, and salt.

She could make even the simplest food taste delicious. Unlike Ruan Jiaojiao’s modern cooking methods, Shen Junmei preserved almost all of the food’s natural flavors.

Ruan Jiaojiao ate happily, her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster, looking so adorable that Fu Ting forgot about his own food and just stared at his little wife.

Shen Junmei glanced at Fu Jun, who was busy stuffing himself without sparing a thought for anyone else, and her heart churned with complicated emotions.

All these fine dishes were brought by her “crooked-neck” son-in-law at the time of his wedding. She herself hadn’t been willing to touch them, yet now she had to serve them up for Ruan Jiaojiao. She felt utterly cheated!

And today, when Zhaodi returned to her mother’s home, that “crooked-neck” husband of hers hadn’t come along, claiming his health was bad and he couldn’t manage the snowy roads.

But Shen Junmei only had to look at the bruises on Zhaodi’s arm to know that man was in perfect health—and still able to beat people.

Not that she thought it strange. In Shen Junmei’s eyes, it was normal for a husband to hit his wife. In fact, a woman who wasn’t beaten by her husband practically didn’t exist.

Until she saw Ruan Jiaojiao and Fu Ting.

In Fu Ting’s eyes, it was as if only Ruan Jiaojiao existed. Everything else around them dimmed into insignificance.

Jealousy gnawed at Shen Junmei, twisting her insides. She gripped her chopsticks tightly and deliberately said,
“Tell me, second daughter-in-law, why’d you chop off Zhaodi’s long braid?”

She knew Zhaodi well—her little sister-in-law would never willingly cut her hair. She’d always cherished that braid.

And Shen Junmei had never bothered to stop her—this was the only part of Zhaodi’s life she hadn’t meddled in.

“Mom, don’t blame Second Aunt. I asked her to cut it. I thought my hair was too long and troublesome—it got in the way of looking after my husband.”

This time, Zhaodi was the first to speak.

The timid girl who had always been so meek finally gathered the courage to speak at the grown-ups’ table. But then again, she was now a married woman.

Heaven knew how hard this was for socially anxious Zhaodi. Her palms were sweaty, her heart racing.

But she didn’t regret it.

She wanted to be like Second Aunt—an independent woman. If you lean on a mountain, it may crumble; if you lean on the sea, it may sink. Depending on others was never as reliable as depending on yourself.

Shen Junmei: “…” Huh?

What was happening? It was one thing not to be able to handle Ruan Jiaojiao, but now even Zhaodi was turning against her?

Shen Junmei was so angry her chest heaved, almost ready to overturn the table. But she restrained herself.

She had to keep her image as the “good daughter-in-law” of the village. Even if wronged, she couldn’t complain. She just had to wait until everyone was done eating before cleaning up the mess.

“…Oh. Fine.”

The atmosphere at the table grew awkward, but Ruan Jiaojiao didn’t mind. She really enjoyed Shen Junmei’s cooking.

Her own cooking was tasty too, but she always used lots of spices. Shen Junmei, on the other hand, could make even steamed fish taste divine.

Ruan Jiaojiao couldn’t help thinking: if the original owner had had a better relationship with Shen Junmei, the two sisters-in-law could have spent their days happily experimenting with recipes together.

After the meal, Fu Ting carried Ruan Jiaojiao home on his back.

The New Year was approaching, and the production team was going to slaughter pigs. Fu Ting had to help out. He asked Jiaojiao what she liked to eat, saying he’d see if he could sneak some back for her.

Ruan Jiaojiao said: “I like pig intestines.”

Fu Ting: “…”

She smiled sweetly: “I just love that special taste—it’s like poop, but you can’t actually eat poop, so pig intestines are the next best thing.”

Fu Ting: “…………”

All right then. Not only did his wife love to grope his firm butt, she also loved eating pig intestines. Truly, his little wife was the most unique woman in the world.

But since she liked them, he would get her some.

In the village, intestines weren’t very popular. The smell put people off. Still, no one refused them either, because meat was rare—once a year, you ate whatever you could, even if it stank.

Ruan Jiaojiao wanted to cry—people didn’t dislike intestines because they weren’t good, but because they lacked the seasonings and skill to cook them well.

But she knew plenty of recipes: spicy blood curd hotpot, braised nine-turn intestines, stir-fried intestines with green peppers… ah, just thinking about them made her drool.

For the next few days, with Fu Ting away, Ruan Jiaojiao stayed home to look after the children.

One day, while playing hide-and-seek with Dabao and Xiaobao, she hid behind the door. Hearing footsteps, she jumped out and shouted, “Hehe, caught you!”

Only to discover—she had grabbed Hou Yunshu’s arm!

Ruan Jiaojiao: “…” Damn it, what rotten luck!

Hou Yunshu’s first thought was—uh oh, is she going to trip me flat on the ground again?

Luckily, Ruan Jiaojiao quickly let him go, stepping back a few paces to keep her distance from the “skinny dog.” She asked coldly:
“What are you doing here?”

Hou Yunshu had just opened his mouth to say, “I came to see you,” when Ruan Jiaojiao cut him off:
“Didn’t your owner tie you up properly?”

Hou Yunshu: “…” The vein on his temple throbbed!

Insult. Pure, unfiltered insult!

Once, he had dismissed Ruan Jiaojiao as worthless. But now, all he got from her was relentless humiliation!

But what could he do? He couldn’t out-talk her, and he couldn’t beat her.

Thinking of his “great ambitions,” Hou Yunshu swallowed his pride, forcing a smile:
“It’s been a long time since I saw you. I wanted to check how you’ve been. Jiaojiao, I’d like to talk with you.”

He gazed at her with what he thought was deep affection, even pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses to look more refined.

Unfortunately, Ruan Jiaojiao could only picture him floundering uselessly in the snow with Ruan Xiaodie—like a weak little dog. She couldn’t hold back a laugh.

—She laughed!

And she looked beautiful when she did.

Hou Yunshu misread everything. He thought she was smiling at him. His heart swelled with satisfaction.

He knew it—how could Ruan Jiaojiao give up on him? She had loved him for so many years, even willing to cuckold another man for him. She would never betray him.

He tried to step closer.

But Ruan Jiaojiao shot Dabao a meaningful glance.

Dabao stumbled off to the latrine and came back with a urine bucket, splashing it all over Hou Yunshu in one big wave!

Ruan Jiaojiao scooped Xiaobao into her arms and retreated, avoiding the mess. Xiaobao burst out giggling in her arms.

“Smelly, smelly! He’s a dirty man, hahaha~”

Hou Yunshu: “…”

He froze again, turning to stone.

“Ruan Jiaojiao, what’s the meaning of this?”

“Skinny dog, you’re too weak. I thought a splash of boy’s urine might help strengthen your body. What, you’re not grateful? Instead, you question me? Hah—just like the proverb: a dog bites Lü Dongbin, failing to recognize a good person’s heart!”

Her crisp, mocking laughter stabbed at his ears like needles.