Chapter 7

At the very least, he could nod, right?

Was it really that hard to say a word back?

No wonder the original owner didn’t want him despite how strong he was. Besides that face and his tall, broad build, there wasn’t much worth mentioning—oh, and those faint veins that bulged at his neck when he worked, that was kind of sexy too.

“Sister-in-law.”

“Hello, sister-in-law.”

Two young men carrying bricks passed by. They both greeted Gu Yueqian but didn’t dare look at her for long. As soon as they finished speaking, they hurried off.

“Sister-in-law, I’m back.”

This time it was Lu Yao, carrying a huge bundle of firewood on her back.

Gu Yueqian turned and saw the tiny Lu Yao weighed down under a pile of sticks easily twice her size. No wonder she hadn’t seen her all this time—she’d gone to collect firewood, and she’d brought back so much.

Gu Yueqian quickly rushed over to help: “Can you really carry this much?”

“I went too late, sister-in-law, so I didn’t bring back much. I’ll get more tomorrow. This is only enough for one day.”

“…,” Gu Yueqian was struck once again by how tough people were in this era.

She helped stack the firewood, but Lu Yao quickly stopped her. “Sister-in-law, don’t touch it. The branches have thorns. You might hurt your hands. I’ll start the fire and cook later. You just sit and rest.”

As she spoke, her gaze landed on Gu Yueqian’s palms—smooth and tender, without a single callus. By contrast, Lu Yao’s hands were covered with cuts, calluses, and redness, her palm lines deep and rough. Not at all like Gu Yueqian’s delicate, pretty hands.

“Sister-in-law’s hands are so pretty. If they get rough from chores, big brother would feel bad.”

Feel bad?

In his dictionary of life, that word probably didn’t exist.

Just as Gu Yueqian was about to reply, Lin Yufen—who was steaming rice—started with her sharp, sarcastic tone again:

“Dabao! Why aren’t you out picking vegetables yet? Do you think you’re some pampered city boy? Don’t want to work but still expect to eat and drink for free at home? Our family can’t afford to keep useless freeloaders—get out here and help, quick!”

Of course, that jab was aimed squarely at Gu Yueqian. Her eyes narrowed.

“Sister-in-law, don’t mind her. She’s always like that.”

Lu Yao shot Lin Yufen a glare. As a child, she hadn’t understood. She used to constantly hear snide remarks about how she and her brother were freeloading. But her brother had been earning full adult work points since he was very young, giving half of them to the family. They had always supported themselves. Since when did that become others “raising” them? Yet people still gossiped every day. Shameless.

“She often says things like that?” Gu Yueqian frowned slightly.

“Sister-in-law, I’ll go light the fire and cook.”

The stove was communal—if Lin Yufen wasn’t using it, they could. But it always had to be taken in turns.

This child…

Gu Yueqian sighed inwardly, then stepped forward. “I’ll cook today. You can just help me.”

If she tried to stop Lu Yao from working altogether, the girl would never agree, so this was the only compromise.

“Okay!” Lu Yao nodded happily. If sister-in-law cooked, big brother would definitely like it!

So Gu Yueqian went inside and brought out her jar of lard and five eggs. Since there were also a couple of neighbors helping repair the toilet, she planned to invite them to stay for a meal.

That was the way of the countryside—if you asked people to help, you had to feed them. But since there were outsiders, she wouldn’t bring out the canned fish in tomato sauce.

In the cupboard, she also spotted some hand-rolled noodles—probably what Lu Cheng had made that morning. They weren’t white flour noodles, but mixed-grain noodles. The taste wasn’t as refined, but in these times, it was already a luxury.

When she carried everything out, Lu Yao was shocked to see all the noodles and five whole eggs. “Sister-in-law, that’s way too much. Big brother and I can make do with just a little. Save the eggs for yourself, quick, put them back.”

The noodles had been specially made by her brother for sister-in-law, worried she wouldn’t like the coarse cornbread and pickled vegetables.

Gu Yueqian understood what she meant. Even a fool could tell how precious noodles were at this time. But she was doing this deliberately—to let everyone see that she had brought good things from the city, so in the future she could openly improve the siblings’ meals.

That way, no one would question why Lu Yao was getting healthier. She already had her excuse ready.

“Don’t worry. A friend gave me these. She’ll keep sending me ration tickets and money. We can afford to eat like this, so don’t hold back.”

Lu Yao froze. Was there really such a kind person in the world?

Gu Yueqian pinched her thin little cheek and smiled. “Didn’t you once live in the compound when you were little? You probably don’t remember. But you knew her too. Your brother and I grew up with her.”

“Oh… I see. But…” Lu Yao still looked reluctant.

Meanwhile, Gu Yueqian scooped a spoonful of lard into the pot. She poured in the beaten eggs, and the moment they hit the hot fat, an intoxicating aroma filled the air. The fragrance of lard and eggs burst into every corner, making Lu Yao’s mouth water uncontrollably.

She gulped several times in quick succession, her eyes practically glowing green with hunger. She even forgot about feeding the fire.

Within moments, the rich smell of lard-fried eggs drifted out of the stove, slipped through the cracks of the Lu family’s courtyard, and wafted westward. Neighbors eating at home caught the scent and couldn’t help sniffing eagerly.

“Who’s frying eggs in lard? So extravagant!”

The powerful aroma drew several curious neighbors like hungry wolves.

“Da Bao’s mother, is that your house frying eggs? Smells amazing! What’s the happy occasion—why such a feast today?”

Inside the main house, Grandma Lu was lounging in a chair with little Bao in her arms, waiting for Lin Yufen to serve the meal. Dabao was miserably picking vegetables. At the scent, Grandma Lu’s eyes gleamed.

“Yufen, are you frying eggs? Yufen?”

She quickly shuffled outside with the baby, Dabao trailing behind. But when she saw Gu Yueqian and Lu Yao busy at the stove, her face turned sour. She kicked Dabao back inside and slammed the door shut.

A daughter-in-law with no sense! She’d bleed Lu Cheng dry sooner or later. Just wait—without a few good beatings, that woman would never learn her place!

Meanwhile, Lin Yufen had just come out of the latrine. She smelled the fried eggs, and her expression instantly went green too. Without a word, she turned back into her house.

That was exactly the effect Gu Yueqian wanted. She needed everyone to know: from now on, she was the one providing for Lu Cheng and Lu Yao’s meals.

“Yao Yao, go call your brother and the others to eat.”

“Okay!” Lu Yao dashed off. “Brother, sister-in-law says come eat!”

The two young men exchanged a glance when they heard the word others. Their throats bobbed as they swallowed hard. “Us too?” But their eyes went straight to Lu Cheng—without his approval, they wouldn’t dare.

Lu Cheng usually looked out for them, after all.

“Come along,” Lu Cheng said curtly, his expression unreadable.

Excited, the brothers threw down their tools, washed up, and hurried over.

On the table sat a huge basin of noodles. Floating on the soup were large golden chunks of egg, glistening in oil, the aroma filling the room. Just looking at it made their mouths water.

Lard and egg noodles!

“Sister-in-law, my family already cooked. I should probably just head back.”

As soon as the two brothers saw the noodles, they froze.

That flour had been bought early yesterday morning when Lu Cheng made a special trip to the commune, all just for sister-in-law. But knowing how reserved he was, he would never admit how hard it had been to get. How could they possibly dare touch a bite?