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Sun Dazhu frowned. “Mother, just stop. We’ve been neighbors with Yun Shi and her sons for so many years. They’re not that kind of people.”
He knew better than anyone why they didn’t get any meat.
He was the one who was in the wrong. If someone else had done that to him, he wouldn’t have given them any meat either.
Aunt Li rolled her eyes.
“If they’re not that kind of people, why didn’t they give you a piece of pork? Are they looking down on us or something?”
Luo Shi also felt a little resentful, but it wasn’t towards Yun Shi and her family. It was towards Aunt Li.
“If you hadn’t caused such a scene yesterday, maybe they would have given us some.”
Aunt Li’s eyebrows shot up, and her voice became sharp.
“Oh! So now you’re blaming me?” She looked at Sun Dazhu. “Dazhu, look at your wife! She’s so disrespectful to her parents-in-law. She’s about to turn the world upside down. Don’t you have anything to say?”
Luo Shi didn’t back down.
“It was you who was wrong first, Mother. Why are you saying I’m disrespectful? You had the nerve to go ask for a pork. You have a big face.”
Seeing that they were about to fight, Sun Dazhu quickly stepped in to stop them.
“Enough! Can’t you two be quiet? It’s just a piece of meat. When I have free time tomorrow, I’ll go to town and buy some.”
Upon hearing Sun Dazhu’s words, Aunt Li immediately smiled, her face full of wrinkles.
“My son still loves his mother. I’ll be waiting for your meat.”
With that, she went back to her room to dream of eating meat.
Luo Shi glared at Sun Dazhu with some resentment. “Buy meat, buy meat. You just say it so easily. Where do we have the money to buy meat? We have three kids to feed. We can’t spend all our money on your mother.”
Sun Dazhu sighed.
“What can we do? I’m afraid she’ll make our lives a misery if we don’t. And our kids haven’t had meat in a while. Tomorrow, I won’t buy much. Just enough for everyone to have a couple of slices.”
Luo Shi sighed helplessly after hearing this.
Ever since her father-in-law passed away, life had become increasingly difficult, thanks to this old woman.
…
Chu Yue served the stir-fried large intestine and also cooked some wild vegetables. The whole family ate the rice porridge with relish, their faces full of satisfaction.
Lu Xingping wiped his mouth and looked at Chu Yue with sparkling eyes.
“Sister-in-law, how did you make the large intestine so delicious?”
Chu Yue smiled, her eyes crinkling.
“Actually, it’s not that difficult. Just remove the inherent odor of the large intestine, and it’s easy to stir-fry.”
Lu Xingping gave her a thumbs up. “Sister-in-law, your cooking skills are definitely better than the chefs at the town’s big restaurant!”
Speaking of the town’s big restaurant, Chu Yue couldn’t help but think. Even though people here considered large intestine trash, it was actually a delicious dish. I wonder if it would be feasible to sell my recipes to the restaurant?
Just then, Lu Xinghe put down his chopsticks and, for once, offered a compliment.
“It’s really good.”
He wasn’t usually talkative and rarely praised anyone. Hearing him praise Chu Yue, Yun Cuihe was amused.
“Before, Xingping and Xing’an were always trying to impress you, but I never heard you say a word of praise. It truly is as the saying goes, ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.'”
Lu Xinghe slightly curled his lips, not denying it.
This attitude, in the eyes of everyone, meant that he had fully accepted Chu Yue’s status.
Chu Yue, however, blushed at Yun Cuihe’s words and quickly stood up to clear the table. “I’ll go wash the dishes.”
Before she could leave, Lu Xinghe stood up and took the bowls from her hand with his long fingers.
“I’ll wash them. You’ve been walking with me all day. Go rest.”
Yun Cuihe looked at her eldest son’s back with a face full of relief.
“He’s finally woken up. He knows to cherish his wife now.”
He had always been reluctant to get married and hadn’t taken it to heart. Plus, with the situation at home, she had been worried that her son would end up a bachelor.
But Yueyue was a good girl. She was smart and beautiful. It would be hard for anyone not to like her, right?
Chu Yue felt a little awkward in the kitchen. She filled a basin with water and went to her room. After running around all day and then making the stir-fried large intestine, she felt sticky all over. She just wanted to wipe herself down and change into clean clothes.
If only she could take a bath. Unfortunately, there wasn’t even a decent bathroom here. The outhouse was a nightmare for her. Every time she went there, she was worried she would accidentally fall in.
She thought that when their conditions improved, they should renovate the house, especially the roof, which didn’t seem very stable. In winter, if it snowed, it wouldn’t be safe. She would talk to Lu Xinghe about it later.
As she was thinking, the door suddenly opened, and Lu Xinghe walked in from outside. He saw Chu Yue immediately, who had taken off her outer clothes and was wiping herself down in her belly band and underpants.
Their eyes met, and they both saw the awkwardness in each other’s eyes.
Chu Yue wasn’t flustered, but she felt a little embarrassed. She hugged her arms and bit her lower lip slightly, without saying anything.
Lu Xinghe quickly turned around and closed the door.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were…wiping yourself down.”
For a long time, Chu Yue didn’t say anything. She quickly put on her clothes.
“I’m done.”
After all, they were husband and wife. Overreacting would only make things more awkward. It wasn’t like she was completely naked.
Besides, she trusted Lu Xinghe to be a gentleman. He wouldn’t do anything inappropriate.
Lu Xinghe heard the sound and turned around again. Chu Yue, now fully clothed, was soaking the dirty clothes she had worn during the day in a basin.
As if sensing Lu Xinghe’s gaze, Chu Yue looked up.
“I’m going outside to wash clothes. Can you move aside please?”
Lu Xinghe snapped out of his daze and quickly moved his body out of the doorway.
Chu Yue, carrying the basin, walked past him under his gaze, her head slightly lowered. Lu Xinghe sat down at the desk by the window. He had wanted to pick up his brush, dip it in water, and practice a few characters, but his mind was filled with the scene he had stumbled upon when he entered.
After a while, he shook his head, trying to regain his composure.
She’s still just a girl under fourteen. What am I thinking?
After Chu Yue washed her clothes and hung them outside to dry, Yun Cuihe, while it was still light out, called Chu Yue into the room to take her measurements.
Chu Yue was still growing, so Yun Shi wanted to make her clothes a bit bigger than they were originally. That way, she could wear them this year and next year too.
“I haven’t asked you this yet. What day and month were you born?” Yun Cuihe asked as she took Chu Yue’s measurements.
“August 15th.” Chu Yue replied.
Yun Cuihe smiled.
“No wonder your parents gave you the name Yue. You were born on the Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s only the beginning of July now, so I should be able to finish two new sets of clothes before your birthday.”
Chu Yue shook her head.
“Mother, I’m not in a hurry. I still have clothes to wear. Your health is more important.”
Hearing Chu Yue’s words, Yun Cuihe felt a warmth in her heart.
“You’re such a kind child. It’s our Xinghe’s good fortune to have found you. Don’t worry, making two sets of clothes is nothing. I still have the strength to do it.”
…