Chapter 11: At Most, Endure for Another Half Year

On the way back, He Ziqing tied Dabao with a cloth bag in front of her. With her hands freed, she could push the cart, while Qiu Yinuo only carried Erbao, her body trembling with every step.

She wondered if her space could store items or carry people inside. She thought she’d try it sometime.

Qiu Yinuo glanced at the small jars in the cart and didn’t quite understand. “Qingqing, why did we buy so many jars?”

“They can be used to pickle vegetables! I cleaned the house a while ago and found that we don’t have many jars. It was a lucky coincidence that we ran into Uncle Cai, so I bought more to prepare for winter food.”

“Qingqing, you’re still so young, how are you so capable?” Qiu Yinuo asked with genuine curiosity. She had heard from Aunt Cai about Qingqing’s family background. It seemed that something had happened at home, and her father sent her to stay with her aunt, regardless of whether she wanted to or not.

Although her aunt treated her well, her uncle always looked down on her.

He Ziqing understood, though—having an extra mouth to feed in the family wasn’t easy. Anyone in her uncle’s position would be unhappy.

Living under someone else’s roof, she had to lower her head. She tried to eat less and work harder to avoid causing trouble for her aunt.

Later, she grew bolder and started doing business on the black market.

That was where she met Aunt Cai and her daughter-in-law. After a few interactions, a bond gradually formed between them.

She was truly grateful to Aunt Cai for recommending this job. There was a place to stay, and although the pay wasn’t much, she felt happy every day.

“My mom passed away early, so I took care of my dad most of the time. I guess I just picked things up along the way. Oh right, Sister Yinuo, do you like pickled radish?”

“I do! Pickled radish and salty vegetables are my favorites.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll buy a few more radishes, sprinkle some salt on them, and dry them out. When it’s time, we can have them with porridge in the morning. It’ll taste really good.”

When it came to food, Qiu Yinuo nodded enthusiastically, “Qingqing, you really can do everything.”

Qiu Yinuo glanced at Dabao, who was soundly asleep in He Ziqing’s arms. He needed one hand to support his little head and the other to push the cart. It looked incredibly difficult. “You should give Dabao to me!”

“It’s fine, I’m not tired.”

“I know you’re strong, but after walking all the way back, your arms will definitely be sore.”

He Ziqing smiled and refused again, “Don’t worry, even if I carry you back, my hands won’t get sore.”

To reassure her, He Ziqing added, “I know some martial arts. I’ve been practicing since I was young, so this weight isn’t heavy for me.”

Qiu Yinuo was surprised, “You know martial arts?”

He Ziqing leaned close to her ear and whispered, “No one in the black market can run faster than me. My great-grandfather ran a martial arts school and knew all kinds of techniques. After the school got shut down, I continued learning. My skills aren’t any worse than my dad’s.”

Suddenly, Qiu Yinuo’s eyes brightened as she thought of her own unexplained martial arts skills. “Qingqing, can I learn martial arts from you?”

“Of course, no problem.” Although the He family’s martial arts weren’t passed down to women, He Ziqing had still learned them. After all, her father wasn’t around to stop her.

“It’s best if you wait until you stop nursing Dabao and Erbao before you start learning. Martial arts can wait.”

“Then it’s a promise.”

The road home was still quite long.

Holding Erbao, Qiu Yinuo’s arms ached terribly.

It seemed that her strong physique was only for show and didn’t serve much purpose.

The next day, He Ziqing was already busy at the crack of dawn. She returned early in the morning carrying a huge basket of radishes.

As soon as Qiu Yinuo got up, she heard the rhythmic sound of chopping outside. When she walked out, she saw that Ziqing had already cut up two small basins of radish strips.

“Why did you buy so many radishes?” she asked, surprised.

“Once they’re salted, there won’t be much left. Sister, breakfast is on the stove. You should eat!”

“Alright, I’ll help you out once I finish eating.”

She brought out two baskets, lined them with thick blankets, and then carried Dabao and Erbao outside to bask in the sun. Sunlight helped with calcium absorption and jaundice—killing two birds with one stone.

The two of them worked steadily until noon. Now all that was left was the final step of sun-drying the radish.

“It’s getting late. I’ll go cook. Let’s leave these here for now. I’ll dry them in the afternoon,” He Ziqing said.

Qiu Yinuo quickly waved her hand to stop her. “Let me cook. You finish drying the radish. That way, we can both rest properly this afternoon.”

He Ziqing beamed with joy. “What a lucky day! I get to taste Sister Yinuo’s cooking.”

Qiu Yinuo used to not know how to cook, but after her older brother and sister-in-law passed away, Qiu Fuwen became very sensitive. He was afraid of everyone, thinking that everyone wanted to harm him. He refused to eat anyone’s food, fearing that it might be poisoned.

The only person he trusted was her, and during that time, they were like each other’s only family.

He would only eat the meals she cooked, even if they weren’t fully cooked or tasted awful. He ate everything, no matter how bad it was.

Later, after seeing a psychologist, they realized that he couldn’t accept the sudden loss of his parents and was unable to handle the trauma, which led to post-traumatic stress.

In order to help cure Qiu Fuwen, Qiu Yinuo would have done anything.

Even though she was busy every day and only had three to four hours of sleep, she still made time to find a chef to teach her how to cook.

Her cooking improved over time, but Qiu Fuwen grew up and no longer ate the food she made.

At first, he only trusted her, so he ate only her food. But later, when he stopped trusting her, he wouldn’t touch her cooking at all.

Human nature really is ironic.

Shaking off these thoughts, Qiu Yinuo threw herself into the kitchen. She stewed a potato and stir-fried some sour cabbage.

By the time the meal was ready, He Ziqing had already finished drying the radishes. They would eat the two-combo steamed buns that had been made the day before as the main dish.

The potatoes were stewed until soft, and when mashed, they turned into mashed potatoes.

The flavor was sweet and fresh, and dipping the steamed buns into the mashed potatoes was so delicious that He Ziqing almost moaned, “I’ve never had potatoes this delicious. Sister Yinuo, your cooking is far better than mine.”

Qiu Yinuo didn’t want to take credit. She believed the reason her cooking tasted so good was partly due to the spiritual water from her space. “It’s just that there’s no meat. If we added some braised pork belly, it would taste even better.”

Just thinking about it made He Ziqing so hungry that she almost drooled.

“Try the sour cabbage, too.”

The cabbage was crisp, and the vinegar was just the right amount. He Ziqing immediately gave a thumbs-up. “Sister Yinuo, even the chefs at state-owned restaurants can’t cook this well. The ingredients in our house are holding you back.”

Shao Xingchen was woken up by the aroma. It had been a long time since he’d had something salty. The strong flavor of the food made his mouth water non-stop.

If only they could add some chili to the sour cabbage—it would be even tastier. When would he grow up? He couldn’t stand this life of just drinking milk anymore.

“Ah, Dabao is awake,” He Ziqing said as she saw the drool on Dabao’s lips. “Is Dabao craving his mommy’s cooking too? You’re still too young, just wait a few more months, and you’ll be able to eat too.”

Shao Xingchen hummed a little, Alright, alright. I’ll endure for at most another half year.