Chapter 19

Miao Xianghua was completely shocked—so much so that she didn’t even realize how loud her voice had gotten.

Jiang Manyue gestured for her to be quiet. “Mom, keep it down! Are you trying to let the whole world hear?”

Snapping back to her senses, Miao Xianghua quickly glanced around and then whispered, “Where did you get all this stuff from?”

Jiang Manyue replied just as quietly, “I went to the county’s black market. I bought it all there.”

Miao Xianghua’s jaw almost dropped to the floor. “What?! You went to the black market? How could you be so bold!”

Jiang Manyue nudged her toward the kitchen. “Why wouldn’t I go? It’s open, isn’t it? Relax, Mom. I was careful. As long as you don’t say anything, no one will know.”

Miao Xianghua was still a little scared. Despite her normally domineering demeanor, she was actually very afraid of doing anything officially prohibited.

“Mom, we’ll just eat it quietly at home. Who’s going to find out? But we have to finish it quickly. If someone sees we have all this good stuff, who knows what they’ll think.”

Jiang Manyue began coaxing her mother, trying to convince her to steam all the sausages and cured meat right away and eat them.

Miao Xianghua looked at the huge basket filled with sausages, cured meat, and several canned meats she had only ever heard of but never tasted—and felt reluctant.

In her eyes, this much meat could last until the summer harvest if eaten slowly. How could they possibly eat it all at once? What kind of family eats meat like that?

Knowing exactly what her mother was thinking, Jiang Manyue said directly, “Mom, I got all this from the black market. If you keep it to eat slowly and someone sees it, I’ll be the one who gets in trouble. Can you really just watch your daughter get arrested?”

That scared Miao Xianghua. If she kept the meat and someone found out, causing trouble for Jiang Manyue, she’d regret it forever.

“Next time, you’re not allowed to go to the black market again. If someone finds out, it won’t just affect you—Lu Lin’s position in the army could be affected too. You understand that, right?”

In the end, Miao Xianghua decided they’d better hurry up and eat the meat—but she was worried Jiang Manyue would get a taste for it and go back to buy more, so she made her promise not to do it again.

Of course, Jiang Manyue had no intention of listening. She agreed on the surface, but in her heart, she figured: I always act first and explain later. Once I bring the stuff home, what can Mom do—make me return it?

Seeing her daughter agree, Miao Xianghua finally relaxed a little. She picked up the basket, took out some meat, and hung the rest from the kitchen beam.

“This much meat, there’s no way we can finish it in one meal. But three days should be fine, right?”

It was a lot of meat—too much for one meal. And Jiang Manyue had planned for it to last two or three days anyway. Her mother saying three days fit her plan perfectly.

“Stay for dinner tonight. We’ll steam a bowl of sausage and cured meat, and open two cans. I want to see what canned meat tastes like.”

Looking at the meat in her hands, Miao Xianghua couldn’t help but grin. The fat chunks looked delicious—so oily and fragrant that just one bite could drive someone wild with joy.

Jiang Manyue nodded. “Mom, I’ll bring Jun’an to eat with us tonight. I already told my mother-in-law, and she even gave me some ration tickets to pass to you.”

As she spoke, she pulled out the ration tickets Li Guifen had given her, along with ten yuan. “Mom, here are the tickets. And here’s ten yuan for you to use.”

Miao Xianghua wasn’t too happy about that. “It’s fine if you’re bringing the kid for dinner, but Jun’an’s just a little thing—how much can he even eat? Why bring money and tickets too? What do you take your mom for?”

Jiang Manyue quickly explained, “No, Mom, it’s not because I’m bringing Jun’an. I just figured there are a lot of people at home, and expenses are higher. I happen to have a bit extra on hand, so I wanted to give it to you to use.”

Then she leaned on Miao Xianghua’s shoulder and acted coy. “Didn’t you always say you wanted to enjoy life with me? I just gave you ten yuan and you’re upset—what are you going to do when I give you a thousand or ten thousand someday?”

Miao Xianghua laughed. “Talking nonsense. Do you even know how much a thousand or ten thousand yuan is?”

Jiang Manyue didn’t argue—she just kept leaning on her, sweet as ever. “I don’t care. Just take the money. Even my mother-in-law said life’s not easy with so many people in the house. And you work so hard managing the household, Mom. Even if I don’t help others, I have to help my own mom, right?”

Miao Xianghua was overjoyed. She felt like her daughter really cared about her—always thinking of her and never forgetting her when good things came her way. All her motherly devotion was worth it.

“You and that sweet mouth of yours.” Miao Xianghua gently patted Jiang Manyue. “Fine, Mom will take it. But if you ever need money, just come ask me.”

Jiang Manyue beamed. “I won’t need any. My mother-in-law’s generous—she even gave you ration tickets! And whenever Lu Lin sends his military stipend, she always gives me my share.”

That made Miao Xianghua smile too. “As long as you’re doing well at the Lu household, I’m happy. But I’m telling you, you still need to hurry up and have a baby, or else…”

Jiang Manyue immediately tuned out at that. She ran off mid-sentence, yelling, “Mom, you go start dinner! I’m going to find Jun’an and the boys!”

She ran off so quickly she was out the gate before Miao Xianghua could finish her sentence. All Miao could do was shake her head and stay quiet.

Jiang Manyue ran out of the yard, but she didn’t know where Lu Jun’an and the kids had gone, so she went to wait near the Lu family’s front door.

Usually, Jiang Hong and the boys would bring Jun’an home first before heading to their own house, so waiting there was a safe bet.

Sure enough, after a little while, Jiang Manyue spotted them coming back with Lu Jun’an.

“Auntie? Why are you waiting here?”

Jiang Cheng had the sharpest eyes and spotted her standing at the corner.

Jiang Manyue patted his head. “I’m waiting for you guys. Jun’an’s eating dinner at our place tonight. Grandma’s cooking something good—come on, let’s go.”

The boys were thrilled—partly because they could eat with their friend, and partly because she said there’d be good food.

“Come on, Jun’an! Let’s go to my house for dinner. My grandma’s cooking is amazing!”

Jiang Hong threw an arm around Lu Jun’an’s shoulder, grinning as he led him home.

Lu Jun’an responded earnestly, “Of course it is. My aunt’s cooking is great too—she probably learned it from Grandma Jiang.”

Jiang Hong had never tasted Jiang Manyue’s cooking, but that didn’t stop him from agreeing enthusiastically. The two quickly bonded over their shared confidence and happily headed back home.

As soon as they stepped through the door, the Jiang brothers couldn’t help peeking toward the kitchen—eager to find out what delicious surprise their grandma had cooked up.