Chapter 35: Su Ruanruan Cooks  

Since the movement of educated youths to the countryside began, every production brigade had to accept a number of educated youths each year.  

These educated youths all came from the city. Even if they were not all pampered, none of them had ever worked in the fields or done farm work.  

It was already fortunate if they could earn work points to support themselves without burdening the brigade, let alone contributing to the construction efforts.  

If that were the only issue, it might have been tolerable. However, some of these educated youths constantly stirred up trouble.  

Xu Li and Xue Hong were the most troublesome among the educated youths in the Hongqi Production Brigade.  

Their past antics had been manageable, and Fu Chunshan had patiently dealt with them.  

But who would have thought that these two would become so bold as to set their sights on Fu Wenjing?  

If Xu Li had succeeded, the Fu Family would never have had a moment of peace in the future. Worse still, Fu Wenjing’s future promotions might have been affected.  

Thinking of this, Fu Chunshan could no longer sit still. He immediately stood up and said: “I’m going to the commune right now to report this matter to the Educated Youth Office. We can’t let such troublemakers stay in our Hongqi Production Brigade any longer.”  

Even though Fu Wenjing would be returning to his military unit in a few days, Fu Chunshan was unwilling to let Xu Li and Xue Hong remain in the brigade.  

If they were allowed to stay, who knew what kind of trouble they would cause in the future?  

Fu Wenjing followed Fu Chunshan out the door. “Father, I’ll go with you.”  

“Alright, let’s go together.”  

Fu Wenjing turned to Su Ruanruan and said: “Ruanruan, stay inside and rest. Don’t go out alone.”  

“I understand. Don’t worry and go ahead.”  

Even if Fu Wenjing hadn’t said anything, Su Ruanruan had no intention of going out.  

Now that Xu Li and Xue Hong’s schemes had been exposed, there was no telling what desperate measures they might take in retaliation.  

It was best for her to stay safely at home and wait for the matter to be resolved before going out again.  

Just as Su Ruanruan was about to return to her room, Liu Feng called out to her.  

“Seventh’s Wife, what happened? Why do Father and Seventh look so angry?”  

Su Ruanruan smiled at Liu Feng and said: “Fourth Sister-in-law, it’s nothing serious.”  

As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed that Liu Feng’s expression turned resentful.  

“Seventh’s Wife, we’re all family. If something’s wrong and you’re keeping it from me, does that mean you don’t consider me family?”  

“How could that be? Fourth Sister-in-law, you’re overthinking. There really isn’t anything serious going on. Fourth Sister-in-law, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to my room first.”  

With that, before Liu Feng could say anything else, Su Ruanruan quickly entered her room and shut the door.

As the door closed, Liu Feng’s gaze was shut out, allowing Su Ruanruan to breathe a sigh of relief.  

Although Su Ruanruan understood that people were naturally curious, it was not a pleasant feeling to be the subject of gossip.  

She had originally thought that this matter would take several days to resolve, but to her surprise, it was settled quickly.  

In just two days, Xu Li and Xue Hong left the Hongqi Production Brigade.  

No one knew where they had gone, and naturally, no one cared.  

Su Ruanruan did not ask Fu Wenjing about their whereabouts either. As long as they were no longer around to cause trouble, that was enough.  

For Su Ruanruan, the most important task at the moment was cooking.  

She had been married into the Fu Family for a few days now, and it was finally her turn to prepare the meals.  

Having grown up in an orphanage, Su Ruanruan had learned various survival skills from a young age.  

Once she became capable of living independently, her love for food led her to explore cooking more seriously. As a result, her culinary skills were quite refined.  

However, cooking for herself and cooking for a household of twenty to thirty people were two completely different things.  

When she used to cook for herself, she had plenty of time to experiment, perfecting every dish to ensure it was visually appealing, aromatic, and delicious.  

But now, she could not afford to be so meticulous. She had to finish cooking before the family woke up so that they could eat on time before heading out to work.  

With this responsibility weighing on her mind and no alarm clock to rely on, Su Ruanruan did not sleep well that night. She woke up several times.  

By the time it was close to five o’clock, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, she could no longer stay in bed.  

The moment she sat up, she heard Fu Wenjing’s voice.  

“Wife, why are you up so early?”  

“I need to go make breakfast.” Su Ruanruan answered softly. “It’s still early. You should sleep a little longer.”  

Fu Wenjing, however, did not lie back down. Instead, he quickly started getting dressed.  

“I’ll go with you and help out.”  

Hearing this, Su Ruanruan felt a warmth spread in her heart and did not refuse his offer.  

Both of them dressed quickly. In no time, they were fully clothed and stepping out of the room.  

The courtyard was still silent, not even the chickens had begun to crow.  

When they arrived at the kitchen, there was no need to light a lamp. They simply ignited the fire in the stove. As the sky outside gradually brightened, visibility improved.  

The water vat had been filled the night before, so Su Ruanruan scooped some water and poured it into two pots—one large and one small.  

The smaller pot was for cooking porridge, while the larger one was for steaming cornmeal buns.

The dough for the steamed cornmeal buns had been prepared by Su Ruanruan the night before, just before going to bed. After fermenting overnight, it was now fully risen, with tiny air pockets visible throughout.  

However, dough in this state could not be used directly for steaming. It first needed to be kneaded to release the trapped air.  

Just as Su Ruanruan was about to start kneading, Fu Wenjing stopped her.  

“Wife, let me do it. You go take care of something else.”  

Kneading dough required a lot of strength—especially for a batch large enough to feed twenty to thirty people. There was a significant amount of dough, making the task even more strenuous.  

Fu Wenjing did not know how to cook, but he was strong. Kneading the dough was the perfect job for him.  

Su Ruanruan sprinkled a layer of baking soda on the cutting board and instructed: “Then knead it well. You need to knead for at least twenty minutes.”  

“Got it. Leave it to me.”  

With Fu Wenjing handling the dough, Su Ruanruan took a basket and headed outside.  

She needed to pick some fresh vegetables from the garden.  

In the early morning, the vegetable garden was covered in dewdrops, and the air was filled with a refreshing scent.  

As she carefully selected the produce, she picked some cucumbers, eggplants, and chili peppers.  

Breakfast was meant to be simple, so Su Ruanruan planned to prepare a cold cucumber salad and stir-fry a dish of Di San Xian (a combination of potatoes, eggplants, and peppers).  

This year’s new potatoes had all been harvested, dried, and stored in the cellar. They could be taken out as needed.  

Washing and chopping the vegetables alone took Su Ruanruan twenty minutes.  

By the time she finished preparing the ingredients, Fu Wenjing had also finished kneading the dough.  

At this point, the sky had brightened completely. The chickens had begun to crow, and the rest of the Fu Family had started to wake up.  

Su Ruanruan shaped the dough into buns and placed them in the steamer before scooping the cooked porridge into a serving bowl.  

Fu Wenjing, who had been standing by the whole time, immediately stepped forward to wash the pot.  

Watching him eagerly take on tasks, Su Ruanruan could not help but smile. Her face had been filled with joy the entire time.  

Just as she was basking in happiness, a voice rang out behind her.  

“Oh my, Seventh’s Wife, how could you have Seventh helping you with breakfast? What kind of household lets a grown man linger in the kitchen? If others find out, won’t Seventh lose face?”  

Hearing Liu Xiue’s words, the smile on Su Ruanruan’s face faded instantly.

Su Ruanruan slowly turned her head, looking at Liu Xiue with an indifferent expression. “Eldest Sister-in-law, what kind of logic is that? We’re living in a new era now, where everyone is equal. If women can hold up half the sky, why can’t men enter the kitchen?”  

“I was just making casual conversation. Seventh’s Wife, why are you taking it so seriously?” Liu Xiue said with a laugh before turning toward the main house and calling out loudly: “Mother, look at this! Marriage really changes a person. Seventh never cooked when he was at home before. Our Seventh sure is good to his wife!”  

At first glance, her words seemed harmless, but with a little thought, it was clear that she was stirring up trouble.  

Before Su Ruanruan could even worry about whether Wang Maoni would be upset, she heard Wang Maoni’s sharp voice.  

“What does Seventh spoiling his wife have to do with you? Early in the morning, and you’re already gossiping. What’s the matter? Do you feel like Eldest isn’t spoiling you enough?”  

Su Ruanruan: “!!!”  

At that moment, she had nothing else to say—only admiration for her formidable mother-in-law!  

Wang Maoni’s ability to put people in their place was truly masterful.  

Liu Xiue had originally intended to provoke Wang Maoni into reprimanding Su Ruanruan, but instead, she ended up getting scolded herself.  

She was genuinely angry, but there was nothing she could say in return. Huffing in frustration, she stormed off.  

By then, Fu Wenjing had finished washing the pot. Speaking in a warm tone, he reassured Su Ruanruan: “Wife, don’t take Eldest Sister-in-law’s words to heart. Our mother is a sensible person. She won’t listen to her nonsense.”  

Su Ruanruan nodded firmly. “I know. Mother is the best.”  

Just as she finished speaking, Wang Maoni, who had been about to step into the kitchen, paused upon hearing their words. A faint smile appeared on her lips before she turned and walked away without saying anything.  

Unaware that Wang Maoni had come and gone, Su Ruanruan was already busy stirring the wok with a well-used Chinese spatula.  

Di San Xian was a classic dish—entirely vegetarian, without much oil or fat, but endlessly delicious.  

Since it was Su Ruanruan’s first time cooking in such a large wok, her arms felt sore from handling the heavy spatula.  

Fortunately, the dish cooked quickly, and in no time, it was ready.  

Under normal circumstances, steamed cornmeal buns took fifteen minutes to cook.  

However, since they were using a traditional farmhouse stove with a powerful fire, ten minutes was enough.  

Once the stir-fry was plated, the steamed buns were also done.  

Su Ruanruan portioned out the food, while Fu Wenjing carried each dish out one by one, setting them on the large wooden table in the courtyard.  

A few minutes later, the entire family had gathered around the table.  

Liu Xiue was clearly still holding a grudge from earlier. The moment she sat down, she wasted no time in nitpicking.  

“With Seventh helping in the kitchen, I thought Seventh’s Wife would make something extraordinary. Turns out, it’s just average!”

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Di San Xian

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