Chapter 10: Conquering the Whole Family’s Stomach

Cao Guohua had a determined look in his eyes, maintaining a three-meter distance from Su Taotao the whole time.

Su Taotao was puzzled about how her late-working father had known such a person.

When they arrived at a secluded little valley, Su Taotao didn’t beat around the bush. She took out the IOU and photo and showed them to him.

“Teacher Cao, do you remember this matter? I am Su Donghan’s daughter, Su Taotao, and also Fu Zhentu’s wife. I know your situation is not very good right now. If our family weren’t on the verge of starving, I wouldn’t have come to you at this time. I just want to ask if there’s any way you can repay this loan—no interest, just the principal. Or if you can repay a portion, even a little, that would be helpful in the short term.”

Cao Guohua took the loan note and photo, reading them before looking up at Su Taotao in surprise. He hadn’t expected that the notorious educated youth wife from the Fu family was actually Su Donghan’s daughter.

Although she had somewhat large eyes, her demeanor wasn’t as unreliable as the rumors had suggested. It seemed the rumors had been exaggerated.

After all, the daughter of someone like Su Donghan probably wouldn’t be completely unworthy.

If Su Taotao knew he thought this way, she would surely have something to say, considering how the original owner of her body had turned out.

Thinking this, Cao Guohua nodded, then shook his head. “I did borrow money from your father. A man’s word is his bond, and if we agreed to repay a certain amount, that’s what I will do.”

Su Taotao was silent, thinking, I don’t mind. Even if you repay me just five hundred and twenty, I’d still take it. After all, I’m poor.

“Then…”

Cao Guohua raised his hand to interrupt her. “I’ve already prepared the money. Did you bring paper and a pen?”

By coincidence, Su Taotao had indeed brought them. Her past life as a design student had ingrained in her the habit of carrying paper and a pen.

Cao Guohua wrote down an address, attached a letter, and his signature, handing it to Su Taotao. “Go to this address and find a man named Chen Sihai. He will give you the money.”

Su Taotao glanced at the address. It wasn’t far, just in the county town.

“How is your father?” Cao Guohua asked again.

Su Taotao couldn’t answer this. According to the original owner’s memories, aside from returning to the family for a brief visit in the first year after going to the countryside, which ended in a quarrel, she had insisted on marrying and her family nearly severed ties with her. After that, she never went back, only writing a letter when she married and had children to let them know she was safe. The only redeeming quality the original owner had was that she never reached out to her family for money or help.

“Who knows?” What else could Su Taotao say?

Cao Guohua nodded. He wasn’t one for many words, but still said, “The Fu family is a good family, you…”

There were countless rumors about Su Taotao in the team, and he couldn’t discern which were true and which were false, so he didn’t say more. Besides, he didn’t have the position or the right to comment on it.

But Su Taotao understood what he meant, smiling and saying, “I know. I used to be immature, but I won’t be like that in the future.”

Cao Guohua didn’t say anything more. He nodded again, leaving behind the words, “Zhentu will come back,” before leading the cow back into the mountains.

“Teacher Cao, don’t give up. Hold on a little longer, and soon you’ll see the light of day. If you encounter any difficulties, you can always tell us. If I can help, I will.”

Su Taotao couldn’t say that in three or four years, they’d be able to return to the city, so she just left it at that.

Cao Guohua’s back straightened noticeably, but he didn’t turn around, simply saying, “Go back. If we meet again, don’t acknowledge me.”

Su Taotao watched his straight back for a long time, feeling bittersweet. A person like him shouldn’t have been treated this way, but she believed that nothing could break his will.

After returning from the back mountains, Su Taotao felt more at ease.

Fu Zhentu would return in half a year. With the money, their family would be able to live well for the next six months. However, she wasn’t the type to rely on her husband for money. Even when Fu Zhentu returned, she still needed to figure out a stable source of income.

Slowly, she would manage. For now, her priority was to recover the money.

Feeling reassured, Su Taotao was much more relaxed. She hummed a little tune while cooking lunch.

She had lived with her grandmother in the countryside for a while when she was young. Otherwise, she would have been overwhelmed by the large rural stove.

However, the Fu family didn’t have many people, so they used smaller stoves, small charcoal burners, and small iron pots more often.

In the morning, they had sweet potato porridge, and for lunch, Su Taotao made taro rice in a small clay pot. The rice and coarse grains were about a 1:1 ratio, unlike Zhou Linglan’s where the coarse grains made up most of the meal.

While waiting for the small pot to bubble, Su Taotao opened the lid and poked a few holes in the rice with chopsticks, then removed the firewood from the small stove, moved the charcoal to the small charcoal furnace, and placed the clay pot on top, letting the residual heat finish cooking the rice.

She wasn’t sure about Fu Yuanhang’s appetite, so she also put a few sweet potatoes into the charcoal furnace to simmer.

In the meantime, she planned to pick a few tomatoes from the small garden to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes for lunch.

Zhou Linglan was really skilled at gardening, and the small garden had a variety of well-grown fruits and vegetables.

Su Taotao was already craving the round, red tomatoes. She directly picked the biggest and ripest one, not even bothering to wash it, just rubbing it on her clothes before biting into it with a “crunch.”

Just as she had imagined, it was tangy, sweet, juicy, and tender. When she lived with her grandmother in the countryside in her previous life, she had never tasted such delicious tomatoes. It was simply perfect.

She ate three tomatoes in one go before stopping, picking a few more to keep for fruit later, and also picked two cucumbers, planning to make smashed cucumber salad for lunch. She also picked a few chili peppers and eggplants for dinner.

If there was one thing to be happy about being back in the 1970s, it was being able to eat these pure, natural, and pollution-free foods every day.

Su Taotao thought that if she ate like this every day, maybe she could live a few more years.

She returned to the courtyard, holding the fruits and vegetables, and the aroma of the taro rice had already filled the air. Food cooked in a clay pot always smelled so good.

She went to the small vegetable garden in the courtyard to pick a few sprigs of coriander and small onions, then went to Zhou Linglan’s room to grab two eggs. She started making the smashed cucumbers.

Making smashed cucumbers wasn’t technically difficult, but it took some time for the flavors to marinate.

She placed the smashed cucumbers into garlic, coriander, and small onions. Since Dusty, the little one, was also eating, she didn’t add any chili. Just a mix of salt, sugar, and vinegar would do. If conditions allowed, adding a bit of sesame oil and chicken essence would make it even better.

After making the smashed cucumber salad, Su Taotao began to cook the scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

There wasn’t much oil at home, so Su Taotao only used a little to scramble the eggs and set them aside. She didn’t even want to wash the pan, so she directly put the tomatoes into the pan, adding a tiny bit of sugar to enhance the flavor. Once the tomatoes released some juice, she put the eggs back in. Since she planned to pour it over the yam rice, she added a little water to prevent it from being too dry and difficult to swallow. She added slightly more salt and soy sauce than usual to season it. Once the tomatoes and eggs soaked up the sauce, she stirred a few more times and turned off the heat, leaving no coals behind and not transferring it into another dish.

Su Taotao took three rice bowls and one special small bowl for Chenchen, and divided the yam rice from the small clay pot into four bowls, leaving the crispy rice in the pot.

Just as she finished dividing the rice, Zhou Linglan returned from the field with Fu Yuanhang carrying Chenchen on his back.

Su Taotao, holding the rice scoop, poked her head out from the kitchen, flashing them a big smile: “You’re back just in time, the meal’s almost ready! Go wash your hands and get ready to eat.”

As soon as they walked into the yard, they could smell the rich fragrance of the meal. Especially Fu Yuanhang, who, being a growing boy, often wasn’t full, and his curiosity about what his sister-in-law had cooked was piqued by the delicious smell.

Even Zhou Linglan couldn’t help but ask: “I could smell the fragrance as soon as we reached the door. What did Taotao cook?”

Su Taotao, while serving the tomatoes and scrambled eggs with soup into each bowl, didn’t turn around and simply replied: “Yam rice, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and smashed cucumbers.”

These were typical rural home-cooked dishes that Zhou Linglan often made, but they never smelled this good.

She froze for a moment when she saw the crispy rice in the clay pot: “You used a clay pot to cook the rice? No wonder it smells so good.” Then she furrowed her brows slightly, “We don’t have much refined grain left, and Xiao Hang and I…”

“Mom!” Su Taotao interrupted, “Didn’t I tell you this morning? Don’t worry, I’ve already spoken with Teacher Cao, and we’ll get the money back. Whatever I make, we’ll all eat, and there’s no need to worry, I have it under control.”

The two kids were still growing, and Zhou Linglan had been working hard in the fields. If they didn’t eat well, their health would be affected. Su Taotao never thought of skimping on food. She would find ways to earn money in the future to ensure the family was well-fed and well-dressed.

After washing their hands, the children sat down. Chenchen, with his big round eyes, curiously looked at the food in front of him—bright red tomatoes paired with golden eggs over white rice, even the grayish yam pieces were covered in an inviting sauce.

Since coarse grains aren’t easy for children to digest, Su Taotao was concerned about Chenchen choking on the yam, so she picked two less starchy pieces for him to try, pouring plenty of sauce over them to ensure he wouldn’t choke.

It was Chenchen’s first time seeing such a beautifully arranged dish, and he couldn’t take his eyes off it for a long time.

“Chenchen, are you going to eat by yourself or does Mom need to feed you?”

“I’ll do it…” Chenchen took his small spoon, instinctively answering Su Taotao before starting to scoop the rice.

One spoonful in his mouth, and his big eyes immediately brightened. He quickly scooped another spoonful, eating eagerly, even faster than usual.

Su Taotao added some smashed cucumber for him and smiled: “Chenchen, eat slowly, don’t choke, no one’s going to snatch it from you. If you like it, I’ll make it again tomorrow.”

Chenchen obediently nodded and continued eating.

Su Taotao smiled contentedly as she patted the little one’s head. This child was so well-behaved and easy to take care of.

Zhou Linglan and Fu Yuanhang were still in shock and joy, but no one pressed Chenchen with more questions, concerned he might stop speaking again like in the morning. Let him enjoy the meal naturally.

When Zhou Linglan came back to her senses, she realized her bowl was also filled with a large spoonful of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. She was about to say she couldn’t eat that much and suggest the others eat more, but when the words reached her lips, she swallowed them. Su Taotao had her own way of doing things, and it was best not to contradict her.

This was the best meal Zhou Linglan had had in years. She never expected Su Taotao’s cooking to be this good. Even with the same ingredients, Su Taotao made it taste so delicious that she wished she could swallow her tongue. Even the smashed cucumbers tasted especially well-seasoned.

“Taotao, after eating your cooking, I feel like I’ve wasted so many years of food. Your cooking is really amazing.”

Fu Yuanhang didn’t need to say much—he nodded repeatedly. His bowl was empty, but his eyes were still fixed on the crispy rice in the small clay pot.

Su Taotao didn’t like crispy rice, but children always loved it. She gave Fu Yuanhang the biggest portion, but at his age, his stomach was a bottomless pit. Especially in these lean times, it was hard to feel “full.”

“Xiao Hang, go eat the crispy rice. There’s some soup left in the big pot. You can eat it with the soup, but don’t choke.”

Fu Yuanhang blushed, a little embarrassed, but he still softly said, “Thank you, sister-in-law,” and quickly took the small clay pot to pour the soup from the big pot over it, bringing it back happily, eating one bite after another, not forgetting to give Chenchen a piece to nibble on.

Su Taotao also added: “There are a few sweet potatoes roasting in the small carbon stove. If you want some, go ahead and grab them, or you can take them to work or school this afternoon and eat them when you’re hungry.”

Fu Yuanhang nodded again. He had a big appetite and got hungry quickly, often needing more food after his first class in the afternoon. Zhou Linglan also made sure to pack him some coarse grains.

This was the fullest Fu Yuanhang had been for lunch in his life. Usually, he just made do, eating sweet potatoes when he couldn’t fill up. But today, this was what lunch was supposed to be. His sister-in-law had really changed for the better!

After the meal, Fu Yuanhang washed the dishes while Su Taotao took Chenchen to brush his teeth, wash his hands, and clean his face. A little cutie like him couldn’t stay dirty, and Su Taotao wanted to instill good hygiene habits in him.

Chenchen no longer resisted Su Taotao. He obediently let her carry him.

Su Taotao was so happy she kissed him several times.

The little one looked confused and helpless, making Su Taotao laugh.

She had no idea that such a simple meal had already won the hearts of the entire family. If she knew, she would have said, “This is nothing. Wait until I get more ingredients, and I’ll show you what really good food is!”