Chapter 60: Rude and Unrestrained

The boiled fish Xu Jiaojiao mentioned was truly just “boiled” fish.

There was simply no oil these days, and she couldn’t possibly use that much oil to make boiled fish.

She used some spices she had collected and ingredients grown in her garden.

She made a simplified version of boiled fish.

When it was cooked, a rich aroma filled the entire house.

The children kept swallowing their saliva, their eyes fixed on the fish in Third Aunt’s hand.

Who would you say is the most popular person in the family now?

It’s undoubtedly Xu Jiaojiao.

Every time it was her turn to cook, even a simple pumpkin tasted better than what others made.

No one knew how she did it.

As soon as dinner started, everyone’s chopsticks went straight for the fish.

When they tasted the tender, fragrant fish, they couldn’t help but show satisfied expressions.

“Mmm… so good! Third Aunt is really the best!” Erhu said while eating, not forgetting to praise her.

Da Hu also agreed, “Yes, yes! Third Aunt is better than Tie Dan’s mother!”

Ding Xiujing was amused by her two sons.

She worked her heart out, but they never praised her. Now they were calling Third Aunt this and Third Aunt that.

But this fish was truly delicious!

She would ask Jiaojiao how she made it later.

Ding Xiujing thought about it while her hand movements didn’t slow down.

Only Xu Jiaojiao, after taking a bite of fish, focused on eating snails.

She often got food from the lucky bag, so she wasn’t that hungry.

On the other hand, she really liked the snails, which she hadn’t eaten in a long time.

It was just that her body couldn’t handle spicy food. Even though she didn’t add much chili, Xu Jiaojiao’s eyes watered from the spiciness.

Even so, she didn’t want to put down the snails.

She ate them one by one, gasping for breath, and eating snails, looking quite clumsy.

“Jiaojiao, how did you make these snails? They’re so good!”

Ding Xiujing thought this woman was amazing.

It was like she suddenly woke up and everything she did was perfect.

Even these snails, which were full of earthy flavors, were so delicious.

“It’s very simple. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you next time.”

Xu Jiaojiao turned to Ding Xiujing and said, putting a snail directly into her mouth.

But the next moment, her whole body froze.

She couldn’t suck on the snail, nor could she stop.

The man’s burning gaze was fixed on her, rude and unrestrained.

Xu Jiaojiao’s heart skipped a beat, and her heartbeat became uncontrollable.

Qin Shuo didn’t move his gaze, his eyes scanning her small face.

The woman’s already rosy lips were slightly swollen, her face flushed, and tears glistened in the corners of her eyes.

Her alluring appearance made Qin Shuo’s Adam’s apple bob.

Looking at the snail in her mouth, his eyes darkened.

Startled by his rogue gaze, Xu Jiaojiao quickly turned her head.

Her heart pounded wildly, and she didn’t even hear what Ding Xiujing was saying.

She just responded unconsciously.

She finished the rice in her bowl in a hurry and got up to leave.

Looking at the figure fleeing in a panic, Qin Shuo’s fingertips curled.

He paused before retracting his gaze.

He picked up a snail and put it in his mouth. He sucked it gently, and the taste was fresh and fragrant with a hint of spiciness.

But Qin Shuo felt his mouth was a little dry.

Back in the room, Xu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but pat her face, only then did the burning sensation subside a little.

But the man’s gaze, full of aggression, was like it was imprinted in her mind, unable to be erased.

She absentmindedly took a bath, and when she returned to the room, it was still bright.

The evening sunlight shone through the window, falling on the table by the wall.

The room was empty, and the man was nowhere to be seen.

Xu Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief.

She paused before walking towards the table, opening the drawer, and taking out a notebook and pen.

She sat at the table, and after a while, Xu Jiaojiao finally calmed down her inner turmoil.

Holding the pen, she started writing on the paper.

A closer look revealed that the content was the books she had memorized from the system.

She had already written half of the previous notebook.

With the help of her memory, Xu Jiaojiao’s writing speed became even faster.

In a short while, she filled an entire page with words.

Looking at the content, Xu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but smile, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

She was truly a genius!

Qin Shuo had just reached the doorway when he saw the figure by the window.

The woman’s waist-length hair cascaded down her back, her porcelain-white face serious and solemn.

It was as if what she was doing was something extremely important.

The evening light from the window fell on her small face, making her even more beautiful and charming.

Qin Shuo’s gaze couldn’t be moved away from her.

But thinking about her inexplicable aloofness, his heart felt like it was being roasted by fire, unable to find peace for a moment.

He hesitated before retracting his gaze and quietly turned to leave.

Until bedtime, Xu Jiaojiao didn’t see the man return.

The tension in her nerves gradually relaxed.

She was very sleepy and fell asleep without realizing it.

In the following days, it was as if they had reached some kind of tacit understanding.

The man no longer approached her actively, but he didn’t distance himself either.

It was as if they were the most ordinary friends, neither cold nor warm.

Xu Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief and gradually lowered her guard.

Most importantly, she was simply too busy.

She spent most of her afternoons on the mountain.

She would come back in the afternoon and continue to copy the books she got from the lucky bag.

In her remaining free time, she continued to learn sewing from Ding Xiujing.

Her time was fully scheduled, so she had no time to think about anything else.

Fortunately, her efforts had paid off.

With the help of her memory, Xu Jiaojiao learned everything quickly.

A few days ago, she went to the county with Ding Xiujing, and they sold more than twenty yuan worth of herbs.

She exchanged some tickets with Huang Yizi.

When they came back, they bought many things.

She even bought fabric for sewing underwear.

As soon as she got off work, Xu Jiaojiao went back to her room and took out the underwear she had almost finished sewing.

She knew that Qin Shuo usually went to the river to wash up before coming back, so she planned to finish sewing the underwear during this time.

It had to be said that Ding Xiujing was indeed from a family of sewing.

Just her hand-sewing techniques were dazzling. Xu Jiaojiao only learned a few.

Holding the underwear, she sat by the window and started sewing.

Although she sewed quickly, her technique was not as good as Ding Xiujing’s.

The things Ding Xiujing sewed could be made into high-end garments.

Hers was at best wearable.

Quality wasn’t enough, so she made up for it with style. She told Ding Xiujing about the style, and she quickly made a pattern for herself.

It was similar to a modern bra, but it also incorporated the style of this era.

Soon, a simple bra was sewn.

Looking at the underwear in her hand, Xu Jiaojiao was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

She was indeed a genius!

But before she could be happy for long, she heard Ding Xiujing’s urgent voice.

“Jiaojiao, quickly get some of your hemostatic medicine!”

“Okay, coming!”

Xu Jiaojiao put the things in her hand back on the bed, took out the hemostatic medicine, and went out.