11

Yao Yun returned from the town with her son, Duoduo, carrying a few catties of pork and a fish. Although the amount wasn’t much, it was enough to attract attention when carried in hand.

Aunt Chunling didn’t particularly care what her daughter brought back. Her son-in-law had dropped them off at the village entrance on his motorcycle and then left. Chunling was happy to see her daughter come home but also worried that the couple might have had a quarrel, prompting her daughter to bring her grandson back to her parents’ house.

Yao Yun held her son tightly and dismissed her mother’s concern: “Think about it—if both of us came back, who would cook at the kindergarten tomorrow?”

The couple managed the cafeteria at the kindergarten, with Yao Yun’s husband as the head chef and Yao Yun assisting. They were responsible for over a hundred children, keeping busy from morning to noon every day. The work wasn’t hard but was full of small, tedious tasks. Given the town’s wage levels, their earnings weren’t much. If it weren’t for the milk supply from her parents’ farm as a supplement, the couple’s monthly income from the cafeteria wouldn’t even reach several thousand yuan.

“I just wanted to come back and see you.”

Although Yao Yun’s words were half-hearted, they made Chunling delighted.

“…I’ll make you some twice-cooked pork. Come here, Duoduo, let Grandma hold you.”

The little boy, just over two years old, had been clutching his small toy throughout the journey, ignoring everyone. When Chunling called him, he twisted his small body and rested his head on his mother’s shoulder.

Yao Yun adjusted her heavy son and said, “He’s shy.”

Feeling a bit awkward, Chunling retracted her hand. Since Yao Yun married and moved to the town, the elderly couple lived in the village and rarely visited. Naturally, the grandson was closer to his paternal grandparents.

Yao Yun had her mind on something else and didn’t notice her mother’s disappointment. As they walked to the house, Duoduo suddenly covered his nose and complained about the smell. Yao Yun coaxed and distracted him before managing to get him inside.

“Mom, why did you raise the cows so close to the house? The smell is awful.”

Chunling opened her mouth but didn’t argue, thinking to herself, Where else would we raise them? Raising cows isn’t easy. With no prior experience, they only took on a few cows to help support their daughter’s career. Whenever a cow was about to give birth, they had to stay in the barn overnight, watching closely. Newborn calves required careful attention, and the mother cows needed to be fed several times a day. If they weren’t cared for properly, they wouldn’t produce milk. It was even more troublesome when the cows got sick, requiring a trip to the distant town to see a veterinarian.

Yao Yun’s thoughts were preoccupied with her main purpose for this visit. After playing on her phone for a while, she casually asked, “Mom, I heard Lin You is back?”

Chunling was still mulling over her daughter’s earlier comments and absentmindedly responded with a hum.

“Where is she staying now? Still in the old house?”

Sensing something was off, Chunling frowned. “Yes. Why are you asking?”

Yao Yun put down her phone and picked at her nails. “Mom, did you know Lin You has been using our milk to make sponge cakes?”

Of course, Chunling knew. Last time, Lin You had sent over some sponge cakes, and she and her husband had enjoyed them with millet porridge for several days. They were so delicious that she had saved a few to let her husband take to town for their grandson to try.

Yao Yun continued, “Mom, do you know how popular those sponge cakes are now? Everyone online says they’re amazing. I never thought something like a sponge cake could attract so much attention…”

Yao Yun rambled on but didn’t truly believe the cakes were that special. The cakes her father had brought to town hadn’t even been given to her son, she had casually handed them to the kindergarten teachers. They said they were good, but she assumed it was out of politeness.

“Mom, don’t you think Lin You’s cakes are so good because she uses our milk…”

Chunling finally caught on, her brows furrowing tightly. “What exactly are you trying to say? Those cakes are delicious because Lin You makes them well. If it were just about the milk, the milk your dad sends to you every day would have made your food taste exceptional too. Do you really think it’s just the milk?”

Yao Yun was immediately at a loss for words. The milk from home was indeed good, but claiming it was unparalleled was a stretch. It was simply fresh and natural.

Still, if she didn’t frame it this way, she couldn’t bring up the real reason she was here.

Seeing her daughter’s increasingly calculating demeanor after starting her own family, Chunling felt a wave of disappointment. “Alright, you’ve visited me now. Take Duoduo back to town tomorrow morning.”

Knowing she was in the wrong, Yao Yun wisely chose not to argue further. Bringing up unreasonable demands would only make her sound petty, no matter how she spun it. Chunling got up and went to the kitchen to busy herself, unwilling to listen to any more of her daughter’s nonsense.

Yao Yun’s face darkened. She had originally planned to ask her mother to accompany her to see Lin You, as she herself didn’t know Lin You well and found it difficult to broach certain topics.

Yao Yun’s plan was straightforward. That day, when her father brought over the egg cakes, he casually mentioned that Lin You had returned to their hometown and that the cakes were her handiwork.

To Yao Yun, Lin You was practically a stranger. However, that evening, she saw her husband watching a replay of Lin You’s live stream.

“Wow, these egg cakes look delicious,” her husband remarked offhandedly.

Yao Yun immediately recognized the cakes—they were the same ones her father had brought earlier that morning, even down to the mold patterns.

In order to confirm, Yao Yun did some online digging into Lin You’s situation. Eventually, she discovered that Lin You had indeed returned to their hometown and that the milk buckets in the video were from her family.

Her husband grew intrigued, commenting, “Those cakes are really popular right now. People online are saying they’d pay 100 yuan for a bag of them.”

This pricing came about because one of Lin You’s live stream viewers tipped her 99 yuan, later humorously calling it a “rigged giveaway” when they won.

“You said your old classmate is some kind of celebrity, right? Celebrities don’t lack money. Why don’t you ask her how to make those cakes? We could try making and selling them online,” her husband suggested.

The idea immediately struck a chord with Yao Yun.

People always said celebrities earned big bucks, and Lin You must be well-off. For Lin You, the recipe was likely just part of her live stream content, but if Yao Yun could replicate it…

The cost of making a bag of egg cakes wouldn’t exceed five yuan, yet they could sell for 100 yuan.

Her husband continued, “If we work hard at this for a year, we could even buy a house in the county. You mentioned wanting Duoduo to attend school there, didn’t you?”

The mention of their son made Yao Yun even more tempted.

Encouraged by her husband’s reasoning, Yao Yun started to feel that his plan wasn’t bad after all.

When she thought about it further, she reasoned that Lin You used their family’s milk to make the cakes. Would it really be unreasonable to ask for the recipe?

After all, if they succeeded, wouldn’t they be able to move her parents to the county as well?

Resolving to take action, Yao Yun decided to visit Lin You and ask for the recipe.

Unexpectedly, her mother dismissed her idea outright before Yao Yun could even bring it up.

The more Yao Yun thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Wasn’t she doing this for the good of the family? Why couldn’t her mother support her?

By the evening, Aunt Chunling’s anger had subsided. She prepared a lavish dinner, filled with Yao Yun’s favorite dishes. As a mother, she couldn’t stay mad for long. Although she had spoken harshly earlier, she worried she might have gone too far.

Yao Yun, however, had little appetite. Conveniently, Duoduo fussed about wanting to go outside, so Yao Yun picked him up.

“Mom, I’m taking Duoduo for a walk.”

Still unwilling to give up, Yao Yun carried her son outside. Under the cover of night, she wound her way through the village until she reached its outskirts.

Not far ahead was Lin You’s house, its soft yellow light illuminating the entire yard.

Lin You, unaware that trouble was heading her way, was busy preparing beef. She had bought some earlier and, upon returning home, set up a deep pot. After cleaning the beef thoroughly, she added it to the pot along with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, and a spice packet. Once it boiled, she skimmed off the foam and reduced the heat to a slow simmer for two hours. Finally, she let the beef soak in the marinade overnight.

The aroma of the stewed meat was irresistible. From noon onward, Yao Jiu had been pestering Lin You with “Is it ready yet? Can we eat it now?” only to be told repeatedly, “Not yet.”

Yao Jiu waited impatiently until evening when Lin You finally declared, “It’s ready.”

She lifted the stewed beef from the pot. Lin You had chosen a cut with some fat. After the long cooking process, the fatty parts had turned almost translucent, clinging loosely to the lean meat, while the glistening skin added to its allure.

Lin You sliced up a plate of beef to satisfy Yao Jiu’s cravings.

Then, heat oil in a pan, place a small piece of rock sugar at the bottom. Cut the stewed beef into pieces the size of a thumb, then add them to the pan and stir-fry for a moment. Add a bit of chili oil, and the texture of the beef changes immediately. The beef, soaked in the red oil, takes on a seductive color, making it even more vibrant and appetizing. On the other side, bring water to a boil and cook the hand-pulled noodles in the pot. Just before draining, add a handful of small leafy vegetables.

The steaming hot noodles are served. The beef, first stewed and then stir-fried, is carefully placed on top of the noodles, with the vegetables arranged on the side. The dish of beef noodles looks tempting.

The tender stewed beef, paired with the chewy noodles, is a perfect combination. The noodles are slippery, and when a spoonful of the stew is poured over them, the salty and slightly spicy flavor is irresistible.

Lin You and Yao Jiu each have a bowl and eat with great enthusiasm.

Lin You stewed a whole pot of beef but didn’t discard the stew. “Next time, I’ll buy some duck and stew it too. I’ll keep the stew in the fridge. After stewing for a while, the broth smells amazing. When cooking later, just adding a spoonful will enhance the flavor.”

Lin You spoke about food enthusiastically. Meanwhile, on the other side, Bo Chuan, smelling the aroma and hearing the description, helplessly gave up on his meditation session for the night.

At home, suffering from temptation, Bo Chuan decided to get up and head to the temple to meditate instead.

He quietly left, almost making no sound, and stepped outside where he happened to run into Yao Yun.

Yao Yun was startled as well. She didn’t expect anyone to be living next door to Lin You, especially someone who didn’t turn on the lights at night.

Bo Chuan had excellent vision and could see clearly in the moonlight.

He was somewhat surprised.

The adult seemed fine, with a businesslike demeanor, but within a month, misfortune would befall them, leading to exhaustion and busyness.

However, the child had dark energy around his face, which looked ominous.

Bo Chuan made a quick gesture with his hands, performing a divination. Whether or not he knew the person, he stopped Yao Yun and said, “You’re not in luck tonight, especially with the southern direction. When you go home, remember not to head south.”