Chapter 25: Yuanbao

“Really?” Chen Aihong didn’t want to pour cold water on her, so she nodded and said, “I think that’s a good omen!”

“Mmm-hmm!” The little wife, having received affirmation, was very happy.

A pang of sadness suddenly welled up in Chen Aihong’s heart. Looking at her daughter-in-law, she gently asked, “Is taking care of Changdong very tiring?”

“No, it’s not.” Su Lüyun didn’t dwell on the topic, changing it instead: “Oh, by the way, Mom, I want to get a dog. Can you help me see if there are any puppies nearby? I want to get one to guard the house.”

“Why the sudden thought of getting a dog out of nowhere?”

“Society used to be quite safe, but as time goes on, it’s becoming more and more restless outside. The other day, I heard from Aunt Qian that a family in her hometown was robbed. That’s when I thought of getting a dog. It just so happens that Changdong is also back. It would be much better if we had a dog,” Su Lüyun explained.

“Alright, Mom will go ask around!” Chen Aihong had just told Zhou Quansheng that it was getting more and more restless outside, so she had no objection to her daughter-in-law wanting a dog. However, after saying that, she hesitated, “Will you be scared at night? Or perhaps, should you just move back to the old house?”

“No, I don’t get along with Big Sister-in-law,” Su Lüyun directly refused.

Chen Aihong then said, “Then, should Mom come over tonight to keep you company?”

“Not necessary for now. We have old neighbors here, it’s still quite safe. I’m getting a dog just in case,” Su Lüyun knew her mother-in-law meant well, so she said with a smile.

Chen Aihong, of course, had no objections. Her speed was incredibly fast; she only mentioned it at 8 AM, and by before 11 AM, she had brought over a little yellow dog that had just been weaned. Su Lüyun loved it at first sight. “Mom, where did you get it from?”

“This is from Director Wang’s house at the neighborhood office. You should call her auntie,” Chen Aihong said.

Su Lüyun smiled, “We still have some candy at home, Mom, please take some over, it’s a small token of appreciation.” This was the local custom; when adopting a kitten or puppy, people would buy some candy to give to the original owners.

“I took two catties of fruit candy over,” Chen Aihong put the puppy down and let it play in the house.

“You went to all that trouble, Mom,” Su Lüyun petted the puppy and even smelled a scent, “Mom, did you wash it?”

Chen Aihong nodded, “Yes, I was afraid it had bugs, so I crushed peach leaves and applied them to its body to kill the bugs, and then I gave it a bath.” It was clean now.

“Thank you, Mom!”

Chen Aihong smiled. “It’s getting late, shall Mom take the chicken to be slaughtered?”

“Okay.”

Chen Aihong then took the chicken to Aunt Qian’s house to ask for help with the slaughter. Aunt Qian hadn’t been able to buy a chicken today either; they were too popular and sold out quickly. She had a good relationship with Chen Aihong, so when she saw Chen Aihong bringing a chicken for help, she immediately took out her knife without a word. Chen Aihong held the chicken’s feet, and Aunt Qian snapped its neck, quickly bleeding the chicken dry with one swift motion. The chicken soon stopped moving. The chicken blood was left for Aunt Qian, and Chen Aihong took the chicken back. Su Lüyun had already boiled the water and was waiting.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law plucked the feathers together. These plucked feathers wouldn’t be wasted; they could be sold for money or exchanged for candy! After the chicken was cleaned, chopped, and put in the pot to stew, Su Lüyun invited, “Mom, tell Big Sister-in-law not to cook your dinner tonight. When Dad gets off work, tell him to come over here to eat. We’ll have chicken noodle soup.”

Chen Aihong said, “There’s no need, you and Changdong keep it to yourselves.”

“It’s hot now, how long can this chicken last? I can’t eat it all by myself either. If you all come over and eat together, Changdong will be happy too,” Su Lüyun said.

Chen Aihong could tell her daughter-in-law was sincere, so she nodded and said, “Alright then, tonight your dad and I will come here to eat?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

With the chicken stewing, Chen Aihong left first. Su Lüyun didn’t need to worry about the chicken in the pot because the amount of coal was controlled, and by the time the chicken was cooked, the coal would be almost completely burned. So, she prepared some food for the little yellow dog. The puppy was also hungry; smelling the meaty scent in the food, it buried its head in the food bowl.

“I’ll call you Yuanbao. From now on, you’ll make your home here,” Su Lüyun said, patting its little head with a smile. Yuanbao even looked up at its new owner, wagged its tail, and then continued to gobble down its food.

Su Lüyun smiled. With nothing much to do, she went into the room to accompany Zhou Changdong for his afternoon nap.

“I’ve asked Mom and Dad to come over for dinner tonight. Since I moved out of the old house because I didn’t get along with Big Sister-in-law, I haven’t eaten with Mom and Dad. Now that you’re back, we should invite Mom and Dad to eat a meal and liven things up,” Su Lüyun said as she lay down.

Zhou Changdong’s tone was very gentle: [Okay, whatever my wife says.]

Su Lüyun took a pleasant nap. She woke up after half an hour. The first thing she did was pretend to check Zhou Changdong’s bladder to see if he needed to pee. Since he had been fed a large bowl of crucian carp tofu soup at noon, he did need to. Su Lüyun skillfully took care of it for him.

“You be a good boy, okay? I’m going to knead the dough,” Su Lüyun coaxed him after helping him.

Zhou Changdong: [When I get better, I’ll cook for you, wife.]

Su Lüyun’s lips curved into a slight smile.

Yuanbao had already eaten its fill and was comfortably napping on the floor. Seeing its owner come out, its little tail even wagged. Su Lüyun came to check how the chicken was stewing in the pot, but it was still early; no rush. She grabbed a basin and scooped some flour to knead the dough. When it came to cooking, she sometimes felt she truly had a talent for it. Originally, she had gone for special training for a variety show, and it really felt like she had opened her two major meridians. She even joked with her agent before that if she ever couldn’t make it in the entertainment industry, she could become a food blogger on Douyin or Xiaoshu and probably support herself!

She quickly finished kneading the dough, but it needed to rest. While the dough was resting, Su Lüyun went outside to practice the Eight Section Brocade. She could practice both yoga and the Eight Section Brocade; she could choose whichever, mainly for physical exercise. After a set of Eight Section Brocade, she felt comfortable.

Su Lüyun washed her face and wiped her body, then went into the kitchen to knead, roll, and cut noodles. She sprinkled a little flour on the cut noodles to prevent them from sticking together. The rest would wait until her in-laws arrived before being boiled. She checked the heat of the chicken soup, then went into the room to get a pair of Zhou Changdong’s old pants to use as a mat for Yuanbao. They were indeed very old, washed until faded but still not thrown away; this man was truly too frugal and managed the household well. He was the type who was very generous to his family but stingy with himself. Su Lüyun didn’t want to keep these pants.

Yuanbao was very satisfied with the mat, even bounced twice, and wagged its little tail happily. Su Lüyun smiled. Seeing that it was still early, she took Yuanbao out for a walk. The aunties gathered outside saw her. “Changdong’s wife, you got a dog?”

“Didn’t you aunties say it’s not very peaceful outside now? So I asked my mom to get Yuanbao from Director Wang’s house to raise. When it grows up, it can also guard the house,” Su Lüyun said.

The neighbors all said it was very good and asked with concern, “How is Changdong doing?”

“Changdong is doing very well. I even had a dream last night that Changdong got better, and my mom said it’s a good omen,” Su Lüyun said with a smile.

“It’s a good omen!” Everyone echoed and nodded.