Chapter 16

Lu Shili didn’t openly show his disdain, but in his heart, he still looked down a little.

“Brother-in-law.”

“Second Cousin.”

Jiang Tian also greeted him, though she didn’t feel much closeness yet. Suddenly having a bunch of relatives was still something she wasn’t used to.

“This must be my younger brother, right?”

Since Lu Shili didn’t like Xie Chen, his gaze naturally fell on Jiang Er.

The little boy already knew what was going on, so he called out crisply, “Second Cousin.”

Seeing how naturally Lu Shili and Jiang Er were getting along, Jiang Tian wondered whether she should let Lu Shili stay directly in the west room with him.

That way, she could take both of them up the mountain together, maybe hunt more game, and then she’d also have a good excuse to exchange things at the black market. If she pulled items from her space, she could explain them more easily.

Plus, having Lu Shili around was another pair of hands. Before Xie Chen fully recovered, both she and the little one would have it easier.

But inviting him to live in the house right after meeting seemed a bit inappropriate.

While Jiang Er and Lu Shili chatted happily, Xie Chen went off to the kitchen alone.

Jiang Tian had the little one play host while she followed Xie Chen out.

“Let’s cook something good.”

Xie Chen only gave a muffled “mm” as he poured water for the chicks.

Jiang Tian could sense the subtle rivalry between Lu Shili and Xie Chen. She quietly pulled a piece of chocolate from her space and slipped it into his mouth.

Then she popped one in her own. “Sweet?”

Suddenly, Xie Chen turned, wrapped an arm around her waist, kissed her on the lips, and whispered, “Very sweet. The candy’s sweet, and so is my wife.”

Startled, Jiang Tian stepped back. “Xie Chen!” she scolded playfully.

“Mm, wife, I’m here.”

“So greasy!”

Rolling her eyes, she turned to deal with the meat. Tonight she planned two meat dishes and one vegetable: braised pork belly, sauerkraut with pork bones, and cabbage vermicelli salad.

She put the pork belly in cold water with scallion, ginger, and cooking wine to remove the odor. After blanching, she rinsed it with warm water, drained it, then stir-fried it briefly in oil. Next, she added rock sugar for caramelization, then soy sauce, oyster sauce, and hot water, simmering for half an hour.

While that cooked, she moved on to the sauerkraut bone stew. First blanching the bones, then simmering them with scallion, ginger, bay leaves, and dried chilies for over an hour.

The moment Jiang Tian pulled out sauerkraut from the jar, she nearly gagged.

Seeing this, Xie Chen quickly took the jar and washed it outside.

By the time he returned, Jiang Tian had already shredded the cabbage.

Since the two stews weren’t ready yet, the couple sat by the stove chatting.

“Is winter really that cold here?”

Xie Chen ruffled her hair. He almost forgot—it would be her first winter here.

“Afraid of the cold?”

“A little.”

Back in her world, she had visited the Northeast, but at that time, every household already lived in apartments, or even if they lived in single-story homes, plastic sheeting was nailed over the windows to keep the warmth in.

But in this era, plastic sheeting would be hard to get.

Xie Chen didn’t know how to comfort her. Winters here were just like that—everyone endured.

Suddenly, Jiang Tian remembered something: the stove-bed.

When she was little and visited the Northeast, every home had one. Heat from the stove would travel into the walls, making the whole place warm.

But here, finding such a stove would be nearly impossible. Even buying one would require ration tickets.

So she gave up on the idea and decided to ask the little one later how they’d usually gotten through winters.

“How about we build an extra shed outside, connecting it to the house?”

Xie Chen thought about it. The house only had two windows in front. In winter, cold air would blow straight in. Building a shed could block the wind, plus it would give them space to store firewood and meat—more convenient.

Jiang Tian knew about that kind of shed, but usually, people covered it with plastic sheeting, which brought her back to the same problem.

She shook her head. “If we build a shed, plastic sheeting would be best. But that’s hard to get now. Forget it—we’ll just take things one step at a time.”

She lifted the lid of the braised pork and added some salt. Another ten minutes and it would be soft and ready.

As soon as the dish was plated, the rich aroma filled the room. Jiang Er and Lu Shili both came out, practically drooling at the sight.

“Second Cousin, do you want to stay and live with us?”

The moment the little one blurted this, Jiang Tian froze with an egg in hand.

Scratching his head awkwardly, Lu Shili said, “Sister, I… could I really stay here with you?”

Then he pulled a thick wad of bills—over 200 yuan—from his pocket.

“This is two hundred-plus. If I could live here with the little one, would that be alright? If it’s not enough, I can ask home to send me more.”

Xie Chen: “……”

Jiang Tian: “……”

Jiang Er’s eyes widened. “Wow, Second Cousin, you have so much money!”

Lu Shili ruffled his hair. “Little money grubber.”

“No need to give that much.” Jiang Tian pulled a single note from the stack and said softly, “This will do. Let the little one go with you to fetch your things. Be back before dark, so we can eat together.”

Although surprised, Jiang Tian realized her cousin wasn’t the stingy type. Taking just one bill as a token was enough.

Having Lu Shili live with them actually suited her plans.

Lu Shili then pulled out another bill and handed it to the little one. “Here, for running errands.”

Jiang Er shook his head. “No need. Better save it to pay for our meals later.”

Though he loved money, he was even more of a foodie. Holding on to it himself was useless—it was better spent on more of his sister’s cooking.

“Fair enough.”

When the little one told him earlier how delicious his sister’s cooking was, Lu Shili had already been tempted.

Truthfully, the rations at the educated youth camp were all coarse grains. Looking at the pale faces of the older educated youths, he could imagine how he’d look after a few months of eating that stuff.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t bear hardship, but if he had a ready-made option of staying with his sister, why not?

Since they didn’t want his money, he’d just make more trips to the county to buy food. If he turned his cash into grains and other provisions, they’d never refuse that.