Chapter 8

Gu Yueqian said, “The lard and eggs were gifts from a friend in the city. Sit down and eat with us—besides, I still have to trouble you all to fix the latrine.”

“Sit down and eat,” Lu Cheng added.

The two young men swallowed hard and obediently took their seats.

Gu Yueqian picked up her chopsticks, filled a bowl with noodles, added an egg, ladled some broth over the top, and handed it over.

“Thank you, Sister-in-law!” The young man grinned so wide his back teeth showed. Cradling the bowl, he inhaled deeply—the smell was heavenly.

“Didn’t expect Sister-in-law’s cooking to be this good. Brother Cheng, you’re a lucky man!” He slurped a mouthful of noodles, and if not for the company present, he would have devoured it like a starving wolf. His belly was practically dancing with hunger.

Lu Cheng shot him a dark look, his face stormy.

The two young men froze. “…Shut up. Just eat.”

Gu Yueqian dished out another bowl for the second man, then picked up a third and set it in front of Lu Yao.

Lu Yao’s eyes fixed on the golden egg floating on top. It was too much. Usually, she only got two wild eggs once a year—on her birthday. Any others her brother would insist on selling for money.

“Brother, you eat.” Lu Yao pushed the bowl toward Lu Cheng.

For some reason, his expression grew even darker. Those hawk-like eyes bore down on her as though she had committed some unspeakable crime.

“…Brother, what’s wrong?”

A shiver ran through her. It felt as if he might swallow her whole in the next second. Panic rose as she frantically reviewed the day: she hadn’t let Sister-in-law do any chores, hadn’t stolen any of her food. This meal was just eggs and noodles—hardly hard work.

She hadn’t done anything wrong… had she?

Her little face went pale, her body shrinking back in fear.

“What are you doing? Eat.” Gu Yueqian frowned at Lu Cheng. Why glare so fiercely?

Lu Cheng picked up his chopsticks. His eyes were like a stormy night sky, heavy with unending gloom. Even a faint furrow of his brows gave off a killing chill, like knives in the air around him.

No wonder the original bride hadn’t wanted him. Who could stand cooking for a man who wore a funeral face at every meal?

Gu Yueqian gave a small, inward snort and filled another bowl for Lu Yao.

She was just about to eat when the door creaked open. A voice calling for Lin Yufen had gone unanswered, so Tie Zhu’s mother had simply let herself in. Her eyes gleamed green as they swept the courtyard, searching—but Lin Yufen was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, she spotted the group eating noodles in the west wing. The aroma wafting out was intoxicating.

Tie Zhu’s mother hurried over, craning her neck. One glance, and she saw the golden eggs and the sheen of lard in their bowls. She swallowed audibly, sniffing greedily at the air.

Her gaze darted to the big basin on the table, where a bit of egg and noodles still remained.

She inched closer, practically drooling into the basin.

“Is this to welcome the new bride? Xiao Cheng, you’re the most generous lad in the whole brigade—hosting such a feast! But why didn’t you think to invite your aunt? I raised you and your sister all these years. For something like this, how could you forget me?”

“Auntie, today it’s Sister-in-law treating us since we came to help with the work,” one young man reminded her.

“Oh? Is that so…”

By then, Tie Zhu’s mother had already squeezed herself right up to the table, her head nearly dipping into the basin.

“Auntie, your drool’s about to fall in,” another young man muttered.

“Oh, oh, my mistake…” She drew back, embarrassed, though her eyes never left the basin. She cursed inwardly—Lu Cheng and his wife had no sense at all. A guest sitting at the table, and not even a polite invitation to join? What stingy people! It was a feast, after all. What was one more person?

“Xiao Cheng, your family doesn’t even raise chickens. Where’d you get all these eggs? You young people are too wasteful. I tell you, when I was in confinement after giving birth, I didn’t eat half as well as this! If you keep eating like this, no fortune will ever last.”

No one answered her. They just kept their heads down, eating.

Her thick skin couldn’t carry her much further. Luckily, the men ate quickly—once their bowls were empty, they stood up and headed off to work on the latrine.

As soon as the men left, Tie Zhu’s mother felt lighter. She stared at the basin, ready to speak.

But Gu Yueqian beat her to it—she tipped all the remaining noodles and egg into Lu Yao’s bowl. Then she lifted the basin, tilted her head back, and drained the broth in a few gulps—leaving nothing.

She set the empty basin down, gathered the bowls, and headed out to wash them.

Tie Zhu’s mother was struck dumb.

A city woman, drinking straight from the basin like that? So miserly—worse than the poorest peasant! The humiliation was unbearable. She stormed off in a rage.

The dishes were quickly done, though Gu Yueqian fumbled with the heavy rural cauldron.

“Sister-in-law, let me,” Lu Yao hurried over.

Gu Yueqian didn’t argue. After tugging back and forth a few times, she decided to let the girl handle it.

By nightfall, Lu Cheng’s friends had all gone home. When Gu Yueqian saw him rinsing off with cold water at the latrine, she followed after—but by the time she entered the room, he was already lying in bed. So fast!

“Thank you for today,” she said.

It might be a marriage of convenience, but the siblings had treated her decently—especially Lu Yao, who was heartbreakingly considerate.

Lu Cheng closed his eyes.

Gu Yueqian: ?

She froze, realizing he meant to sleep.

The nerve! Speaking to him face-to-face, and he ignored her completely? Was he mute? Deaf? Truly incapable of a single word?

She fumed in silence, then huffed into bed, yanking all the covers to her side. The summer nights here were cool, which suited her just fine. Let his dead face freeze.

The next morning, Lu Cheng rose early. He had been pushed to the very edge of the bed, practically pressed against the wall by her restless sleep.

Still expressionless, he moved quietly, then cast one last deep glance at the woman in bed before leaving.

Outside, Lu Yao was already up, worrying over what to make for Sister-in-law’s breakfast. Would she eat the coarse cornbread?

“Brother, the flour’s all gone,” she said timidly.

“I know,” Lu Cheng replied curtly. He wasn’t especially gentle even in private, and Lu Yao feared him. “Light the fire.”

“It’s already lit,” she whispered. She always rose early to start it.

So Lu Cheng cooked cornmeal porridge, dropping in a single white egg for Gu Yueqian. Afterward, he left instructions for Lu Yao to let it cool before she served it. Then he went out the door.

Gu Yueqian had grown used to the hard bed. Today she woke earlier than before, and as soon as she stirred, Lu Yao came running.

“Sister-in-law, you’re awake? I’ll fetch water for you to wash your face!”

Gu Yueqian smiled. “I can do it myself. What’s all the noise outside?”

“A new group of educated youth just arrived,” Lu Yao said casually. “Looks like there aren’t enough rooms at the commune. Not sure how they’ll arrange things.”

New educated youth—
that meant the heroine of the book had arrived.