Chapter 4: Cooking

Jiang Liping changed out of her new pants and shoes, reluctantly putting on her mother’s old clothes to head to the field.

Meanwhile, Jiang Liyun continued with the housecleaning after her sister left.

People easily transition from frugality to luxury, but going from luxury to frugality is challenging. In her past life, as living conditions improved, she developed a stronger inclination for cleanliness.

The current state of her home, which is dirty and chaotic, was difficult for her to accept.

Despite her efforts, the house remained less than clean.

In the village, some families who had become wealthier were already constructing two-story brick houses, even using cement to pave the ground. However, her family continued to live in a simple one-story house.

The house’s walls were made of mud, and the ground was also muddy. No matter how much she cleaned, the house remained dirty.

Her family didn’t even have running water!

Electricity was available, but they only had two light bulbs and no other electrical appliances.

In this rural setting, Xie Zugen’s family had comparatively good living conditions.

Their village was close to the town, and their production team leader was resourceful, selling a piece of land to the town. By the late 1970s, their production team already had running water.

Their water supply was connected to the town’s system.

The Xie family had two electric fans, a ceiling fan, and a black-and-white television. In contrast, her family, during the hot summer, had to sleep outside the house because of the heat.

Her sister’s in-laws were even better off, having more electrical appliances, including a washing machine.

Of course, in terms of wealth, the Xie family was undoubtedly better off than her sister’s in-laws.

It turns out the Xie family’s wealth had dubious origins, which led them to keep their affluence discreet.

Despite being married to the Xie family for several years and having children, she remained oblivious to the Xie family’s true financial status in her past life.

It wasn’t until the exposure of Xie Zugen’s gambling problem that she discovered her father-in-law had accumulated over two hundred thousand yuan by the 1990s, although all that money was lost due to Xie Zugen’s gambling.

Jiang Liyun paused in her cleaning duties, carrying a basket of dirty laundry to the river for washing.

Her father went to buy groceries, and as for her mother, suffering from severe anemia, even a short period of crouching left her dizzy. Previously, she had fainted while doing laundry by the river, but luckily, a villager spotted her and pulled her out in time.

Her brother worked at the brick and tile factory and rarely came home. Her sister was already married, and her younger sibling, Xiao Yu, was as thin as her mother.

These chores were left for her to handle.

In her past life, she disliked such tasks, but today was different.

The sensation of stepping on muddy ground is truly wonderful!

In front of their house lies a large piece of self-cultivated land, followed by a pond bordered with slender-leaved bamboo.

The leaves of this bamboo, known as arrow bamboo leaves, are used by the locals to wrap rice dumplings.

The bamboo is relatively short, with the tallest reaching only up to Jiang Liyun’s chest, yet it grows densely.

She recalls that, when Feng Yi was a child and got scolded, he would often hide within the bamboo thicket.

I wonder what Feng Yi is up to now…

The weather isn’t too cold at the moment. Jiang Liyun arrives at the river, stepping into the water and letting the slightly cool river water wash over her feet.

Comparing herself to her sister, she’s darker and rougher.

But now, she is healthy!

Taking a deep breath while gazing into the distance, Jiang Liyun realises clearly that she has genuinely started anew.

This time, she won’t marry Xie Zugen. This time, she’ll work hard to earn money and ensure those around her lead good lives.

This time, she’ll savour her own life.

Her past life held little for her to cherish.

Although she achieved success in her career, she ended up alone and lonely in her old age.

She did have a son, and for a long time, he was the most important person in her life. He was the continuation of her life, a precious treasure born after many hardships.

She once wanted to compensate her son for everything she lacked in her childhood.

Even during her toughest times, she never mistreated her child. She valued him greatly, and Feng Yi, loving the house and its crow, also valued the child.

However, the child didn’t regard them with the same importance.

During his primary school years, he looked down on them, feeling that their small snack shop embarrassed him.

But it was just a public school in the town, where his classmates’ parents had various occupations—some repaired bicycles on the street, some sold vegetables in the market, and some earned money by riding tricycles.

Other children didn’t despise their parents. The daughter of the couple who owned the shop next door would do her homework in the store every day and help her parents.

She felt helpless, thinking that the child would grow out of it, but things only worsened.

After the child entered junior high school, he started asking for more and more. The money he spent alone exceeded the combined expenses of her and Feng Yi.

For a long time, she struggled to figure out what to do, wondering if her lack of education was the reason she couldn’t raise her child well.

The child’s academic performance was consistently poor, and she even spent money to secure his admission to high school. Naturally, he didn’t qualify for a university in the college entrance exam and ended up attending a vocational college.

She herself didn’t finish elementary school, so she didn’t mind. She bought him a house, a car, and helped organise his wedding.

During that period, Feng Yi’s health declined.

Although she had sufficient funds by then, when Feng Yi fell ill and needed hospitalisation, many matters required family handling. With her limited mobility, she asked her son for assistance.

Unfortunately, the son showed no concern. Even for a simple task like paying the hospital fees, she had to request it multiple times.

When she suggested he spend some time looking after Feng Yi in the hospital, the son coldly responded, “He’s not my dad!”

At that moment, her heart sank.

Feng Yi had no biological children and treated this child as his own. When they first got together, the child was just in elementary school, and Feng Yi would pick him up, do his laundry, cook for him, and take him out to play.

During the child’s appendectomy in earlier years, Feng Yi was so worried that he couldn’t sleep for several days.

Even when this child went to college, it was Feng Yi who drove, carrying bags to send him.

Moreover, over the years, this child has always called Feng Yi “dad.”

Feng Yi did better than most fathers in this world, yet this child doesn’t appreciate it at all.

After that, she stopped asking this child for help, and surprisingly, he didn’t even come to the hospital anymore.

Before Feng Yi passed away, he wanted to talk to this child, so she called him, but he still didn’t come.

What’s even more ridiculous is that after Feng Yi’s death, this child actually wanted her to remarry with Xie Zugen, who had already been released from prison.

Xie Zugen paralyzed her, and her son actually wanted her to remarry with him!

Xie Zugen is actually quite heartless. Although her in-laws are wary of her, they are overly good to Xie Zugen.

As for Xie Zugen? Gambling aside, for the sake of money, he even attacked his own parents.

After Xie Zugen was released from prison, he did nothing, making his elderly father and mother, in their seventies, work on the streets to support him.

Her son is so much like Xie Zugen.

What’s the point of having such a son?

After that, she stopped giving money to this child, didn’t see him anymore, and even in her will, she decided to donate all her assets after his death.

Initially, she worked hard to ensure her child would have a good life, not facing the hardships she endured.

But this child is not deserving. Given that, there’s no reason for him to enjoy the money she and Feng Yi worked so hard to earn.

She doesn’t owe him anything.

She raised him, supported his education, bought him a house, a car, etc. She has done everything she could.

If this child thinks Xie Zugen is better, then let him follow Xie Zugen and not come looking for her.

Once she makes a decision, she won’t change her mind.

Even if her son kneels and cries in front of her, she won’t be moved.

However, at that time, she did witness quite a drama. It was then that she found out her son was cheating on his wife and had a mistress who was pregnant, and it happened when Feng Yi was seriously ill.

She’d rather not have such a son.

She made her will public, consolidated her businesses, and hired several people to take care of her.

If she were to die, her caretakers wouldn’t have any money. They took care of her wholeheartedly.

However, no matter how devoted these people were, they couldn’t compare to Feng Yi.

Jiang Liyun had no attachment to her son, who had cost her many years of sacrifice in her previous life, but Feng Yi… She truly missed him.

After finishing laundry, Jiang Liyun returned home to find her sister, Jiang Liping, already there. Their father sat at the doorstep, shelling edamame pods.

Edamame is an immature soybean that can be boiled with the pods or shelled for cooking.

When Jiang Liyun passed away, her father had already been gone for a long time.

After her mother’s death, her father became even more reserved, and within a few years, he followed suit.

This year, her father was considered elderly at fifty-five. His hair was grey, and he had few teeth left, looking like a complete old man.

In her youth, she used to think that someone at fifty was already old, and it was normal for them to die.

But since the 1980s, as living standards improved, many people who she once considered “old” in their fifties showed little change for the next two or three decades. Many people in the village, similar in age to her mother, were still alive when she passed away.

Her father and mother both passed away too early, so they didn’t enjoy much happiness.

Jiang Liyun asked her father, “Dad, what vegetables did you buy today?”

Jiang’s father broke his leg in his childhood and didn’t receive proper treatment, making him a cripple.

Children back then didn’t usually have proper names, and after he became lame, everyone started calling him Jiang Cripple. Eventually, it became his name.

Later, when the People’s Republic of China was established, this name was even written in his household registration.

As for Jiang’s mother, she was born in spring with the surname Wu, named Wu Xiaochun. People in the village called her “Xiaochun.”

Jiang Liyun, upon being asked by his second daughter, grinned and said, “I bought a block of tofu and half a pound of pork.”

Upon hearing the word “tofu,” Jiang Liyun couldn’t help but smile and say, “I’ll go cook.” Whenever her father went to town to buy groceries, tofu was always on the list.

After her older brother got married and the family struggled to afford more than vegetables, her father went daily to buy groceries but couldn’t afford meat. So, he brought a block of tofu home every day.

Her sister-in-law had a problem with this and even complained, saying she felt nauseous at the sight of tofu.

But there was really no choice; meat was a luxury they couldn’t afford.

In her past life, she was willing to marry Xie Zugen, partly because of the good food in the Xie family.

For those who have always struggled to eat well, especially those who have longed for meat, it’s something hard for those who have always had enough to eat to imagine.

In her previous life, when she first married into the Xie family, seeing meat dishes every day made her feel like it was the best life, filled with energy to do any amount of work.

After divorcing and opening a snack shop, with money in her hands, she indulged in meat every day, eating two large bowls of rice in a meal.

Although she looks slim now, when she was paralyzed by Xie Zugen’s collision, she weighed almost 140 kilograms. If it weren’t for Feng Yi’s strength, he wouldn’t have been able to take care of her.

Having meat to eat right after her rebirth was quite good.

Jiang Liyun weighed the pork in her hand and then examined the vegetables, thinking about the dishes she would prepare later.

During this season, there were plenty of vegetables in the field, and Jiang Liping didn’t hesitate to bring back a lot.

The soybeans Jiang Liyun was peeling were brought back by her. Originally, she was peeling them, but when she saw Jiang Liyun returning, she mentioned there were prickly caterpillars on them, so she asked him to help her peel.

Now, seeing Jiang Liyun, she said, “Liyun, help me scrape the taro. I don’t know how.”

At this time, the taro had just matured, and it was delicious when stewed or braised.

This thing is a solid source of carbohydrates. Before Jiang Liyun’s rebirth, she used to eat it as a staple, but now people use it for cooking, which requires peeling the skin.

In rural areas, people usually use a sickle to peel it, which requires some skill. On top of that, some people may even get itchy hands while peeling taro.

Jiang Liping naturally didn’t want to do such chores.

Jiang Liyun said, “No need to peel, sis. Just steam the whole taro, then peel it afterwards for cooking.” She was too lazy to help Jiang Liping peel taro.

“Can it be done that way?” Jiang Liping asked.

“Yes. Without peeling, taro can be stored for a long time. You can eat it whenever you want,” Jiang Liyun explained.

While it’s indeed possible, rural people are accustomed to peeling first.

Jiang Liping didn’t say much and started organizing the vegetables.

When her mother-in-law learned she was going back to her parents’ home, she subtly mentioned that the village’s vegetables are fresh and that taro and sweet potatoes nowadays are delicious… Wasn’t she hinting for her to bring some back?

Jiang Liyun then said, “Sis, I’m going to cook. Can you light the fire for me?”

Jiang Liping replied, “Let Mum do it for you.”

“Mom’s not feeling well,” Jiang Liyun said, looking directly at Jiang Liping.

Caught by Jiang Liyun’s gaze, Jiang Liping awkwardly chuckled and went behind the stove to light the fire.

Jiang Liyun found it both amusing and exasperating.

Her parents were easygoing, and her siblings had their quirks, but they all yielded to pressure.

Over time, she became accustomed to taking charge at home.

While Jiang Liping was lighting the fire, she chatted with Jiang Liyun about the town, boasting about what she wore and ate in her daily life.

Jiang Liyun and Jiang Liping weren’t extremely close, but being sisters, they had shared a bed before Jiang Liping got married.

For a long time, their older brother lived in the same room as them. It was only when Jiang Liping started developing at fourteen that their older brother moved to their parents’ room. Their house only had three rooms—one for cooking and dining, and the other two used as bedrooms.

As she spoke, Jiang Liping took an iron fire stick from the fire pit and said to Jiang Liyun, “Liyun, do you want to curl your hair? I can do it for you, and it’ll look fantastic!”

During this time, celebrities from the city had entered their view, and permed hair had become fashionable. However, most rural people couldn’t afford to go to a hair salon for a perm. Some beauty-conscious girls would use fire sticks to curl their hair at home.

Before getting married, Jiang Liping used to do it this way, but now she has her hair permed at a salon.

“I don’t want to. It can damage the hair,” Jiang Liyun declined.

Although Jiang Liyun didn’t mind curling her hair, she preferred not to do it this way. She remembered that every time Jiang Liping curled her hair using the fire stick while cooking, there would be a smell of burnt hair in the room.

She didn’t see the need to bother her hair in such a way.

Jiang Liping, still young, didn’t pay much attention to her hair, saying, “Hair grows back after a while. It doesn’t matter if it gets damaged.”

Jiang Liyun paid no attention to Jiang Liping and continued cooking.

In the past, they only had one pot—iron was scarce, and they couldn’t afford a second one. However, in recent years, their conditions have improved a bit, and her dad bought a small pot.

The large pot was used for cooking, and while they were at it, they steamed the tender soybeans and taro. The small pot was reserved for preparing dishes.

It had been many years since Jiang Liyun cooked, but in her youth, she often cooked at home. Later, she ran a snack shop for several years, so cooking was still within her skills.

Half a pound of meat was a small amount, but fortunately, they raised chickens and had some eggs.

Jiang Liyun cut the fat from the meat to render lard. Half of the lean meat was sliced into strips, and the other half was minced.

The minced meat was minimal, so she mixed in eight eggs. Once the lard was ready, she spooned out some and poured the egg mixture over it to make a fried dish.

She used the meat strips to make pickled vegetable and meat soup, accompanied by braised taro, braised tofu, and steamed edamame. The meal looked quite decent.

Before her rebirth, Jiang Liyun wasn’t lacking in rich and oily food, but with her rejuvenated body, she felt a strong desire for food.

Smelling the aroma of the fried eggs, she had the impulse to devour two large bowls of rice in one go.

Being young is truly wonderful!