Chapter 5: Sister-in-Law, You Wouldn’t Mind Me Getting Along with Wenjing, Would You?  

If Su Ruanruan judged by the standards from before she transmigrated, this breakfast would have seemed too plain and nutritionally unbalanced.  

However, she understood that in this era, such a breakfast was already considered quite abundant.  

The Fu Family had many members and a strong labor force, which meant they earned more work points and received a larger share of food.  

The summer harvest had just ended, and the newly distributed grain was still piled in the storage room. When cooking porridge, they could afford to add an extra handful of rice. In the steamed cornmeal buns, they even dared to mix in half a ladle more of white flour, making the buns less coarse and easier to swallow.  

But not every household in the production team had such conditions.  

Some were simply lazy and earned few work points, while others had fewer laborers at home, making it hard to accumulate enough. Even with fresh grain distributed, they couldn’t afford to eat freely. Their porridge was so thin it could reflect a person’s face—now that was truly plain and watery.  

When the original owner had been in the Su Family, even a breakfast like this had been a rare luxury.  

Su Ruanruan felt fortunate and deeply grateful in her heart.  

Luckily, she had transmigrated on the night of her wedding.  

Had she arrived a few days earlier, she might have been starving while doing chores in the Su Family right now!  

With these thoughts in mind, she looked at the breakfast table with even more reverence.  

Just as she was looking, a steamed cornmeal bun suddenly appeared before her.  

Fu Wenjing handed her the bun and said: “Don’t just stare at it—eat quickly before it gets cold.”  

Everyone at the table turned to look at Su Ruanruan at the same time.  

Being stared at by so many people made her face flush slightly, but she still reached out to accept the bun. “Thank you.”  

“No need to thank me. Just eat.”  

As Fu Wenjing spoke, he picked up another steamed cornmeal bun and took a bite, instantly finishing a third of it.  

His eating manner should have appeared somewhat rough, but because he was good-looking, it still somehow seemed pleasing to the eye.  

Su Ruanruan stared at Fu Wenjing for a few seconds before lowering her head to eat her own meal.

The steamed cornmeal buns carried a rich aroma of cornmeal as soon as they entered the mouth. However, because of the added white flour, they were not as coarse on the throat and had a pleasantly chewy texture. This kind of hearty whole grain food was something many people had pursued for its health benefits before Su Ruanruan transmigrated.  

The pickled vegetables were crisp and refreshing, the fermented soybean paste was savory with a hint of sweetness and spice, and the stir-fried string beans, eggplant, and chili peppers retained the most original flavors of the vegetables. Every dish was delicious.  

After taking a few sips of porridge, Wang Maoni finally asked Liu Xiue: “That girl—where is she from? Which family?”  

“She’s from the neighboring Changxing Production Brigade, the daughter of the Wang family, named Wang Cuizhi. She’s only eighteen, a year younger than our Da Wa. She just graduated from high school last month. Mother, isn’t this a perfect match? She even has a job—she works at the county textile factory.”  

Wang Maoni’s expression remained indifferent. “She sounds so good, yet Da Wa only finished elementary school and isn’t a worker. Do you really think she’d be interested in him?”  

“How could she not be?” Liu Xiue was immediately displeased. “Our Da Wa has the height, the looks, and the strength. He’s only nineteen and already earns full work points. Look around the whole production team—how many can compare to Da Wa? Why wouldn’t she be interested?”  

“So, from the way you’re talking, is the match already settled?”  

Liu Xiue quickly put on a smile. “Mother, how could it be settled without your approval? We just asked around. They don’t have any major objections, except for one thing—since she works at the county textile factory, walking to work every day is inconvenient. She wants a bicycle. If we can buy one, then the match is set.”  

“She’s marrying Da Wa or marrying a bicycle?” Wang Maoni’s voice instantly rose. “Do you even know how much a bicycle costs?”  

“It’s not like we can’t afford it. Seventh sends back more than twenty yuan of his allowance every month!”  

“And you know that’s Seventh’s money!” Wang Maoni’s voice grew even louder. “He sends that money back to honor me and your father—do you think it’s meant for buying a bicycle to get Da Wa a wife?”  

“Well, Seventh hasn’t been home for so many years, hasn’t done any work here, and hasn’t been able to show his filial piety. Isn’t it only right for him, as an uncle, to buy a bicycle for his nephew’s marriage?”  

“Right, my ass!” Wang Maoni spat right in Liu Xiue’s face. “You and your husband stay far away, and I don’t need either of you to show filial piety to me. You two send me twenty yuan a month and don’t have to worry about anything else in this house!”  

“But we’re not Seventh—where would we get that kind of money…”  

“If you don’t have the money, then shut up! No money, no effort, and you still want things to go your way? Dream on!”

“Starting the day dreaming nonsense, yapping away like this, can’t stop farting—Eldest Son, can you control your wife? Seventh didn’t even buy a bicycle for his own marriage, and you want to take his money to buy one for Da Wa’s wife? Keep dreaming! All of you, let me eat in peace! If you have more to say, take it to the fields and work while you talk!”  

Wang Maoni’s furious scolding silenced the entire courtyard in an instant.  

Liu Xiue shrank her neck like a quail and didn’t dare lift her head again.  

Breakfast ended in this strange, stifling silence.  

People of this era had all lived through hardship and hunger. They cherished every grain of food and refused to waste anything.  

Every person finished their porridge to the last drop, leaving not even a crumb of bun on the table. The stir-fried vegetables were completely gone, though the pickled vegetables and fermented soybean paste remained, as those could be eaten at the next meal.  

Today, it was the responsibility of the eldest family to cook, which meant they also had to wash the dishes.  

Eldest Son Fu and Liu Xiue had a daughter and a son. The daughter was already married, and Liu Xiue never allowed her son to help with household chores. Eldest Son Fu would help her fetch water, but washing the dishes was entirely her task.  

According to the Fu Family’s rules, whoever was responsible for cooking and washing dishes that day could start work later than the others—or even skip work entirely.  

Whenever it was Liu Xiue’s turn, she would stay home, leisurely washing dishes, feeding the chickens, and sweeping the yard. Then, when the time was right, she would start preparing lunch.  

But this time, as she watched the rest of the family heading off to work, she suddenly called out to Su Ruanruan.  

“Seventh Sister-in-law, you don’t have to work these days anyway, right? Since you’re free, why don’t you help your sister-in-law clean up the dishes? There are so many—if I do it alone, who knows how long it will take?”  

Su Ruanruan turned to Liu Xiue, the corners of her mouth lifting as dimples appeared on her cheeks. She gave a sweet smile.  

“Sister-in-law, I’m not free. Wenjing said he’s taking me to Xiancheng—we’re leaving now.”  

“To Xiancheng?” Liu Xiue’s voice shot up in pitch. “Why are you going to Xiancheng? Seventh Sister-in-law, I’m just saying—married women should behave properly. Running off to Xiancheng to wander around—it’s easy for people to gossip!”  

“I’m going to Xiancheng with my own husband—what gossip could there be?” Su Ruanruan countered. “If anyone gossips, it just means they can’t stand seeing us as a loving couple. Sister-in-law, surely you’re not one of those people who can’t stand seeing me and Wenjing getting along, are you?”