Chapter 19.1

The next day, Zhou Yao came back very early, before dinner time.

His backpack was filled with all sorts of items.

Flour, walnut pastries, and even several bottles of soda! At the bottom, there were several pounds of beef, pork ribs, and a prepared fish.

Cabbage, eggplants, cucumbers, celery, and more.

Wen Yue limped over and asked, “Why did you buy so many vegetables?”

Today, her ankle felt much better. It had already reduced swelling and didn’t hurt as much as it did a couple of days ago, so she didn’t need to hop on one foot anymore.

Zhou Yao single-handedly carried the backpack into the kitchen, the veins on his arm standing out.

“Old Fang and the others will be coming over soon. We’ll have dinner together,” he said, picking up a wooden ladle to scoop some water from the tank and went outside to wash his hands.

Wen Yue suddenly realized. “Then who will cook?”

Zhou Yao looked up at her. “If you don’t want to cook, just let me and Old Fang do it, and you can supervise us from the side.”

“I’d better do it.” Wen Yue thought about what dishes to make for dinner, speaking slowly, “With such good ingredients, it would be a shame if you all can’t cook them well.”

Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow. “You don’t trust me?”

Wen Yue widened her eyes and glanced at him. “Should I trust you?”

“It’s right to not trust me,” Zhou Yao said, dragging out his tone lazily. “I really have no talent for cooking. I can only help you wash vegetables, cut them, and tend the fire.”

Wen Yue nodded. “Alright, then you should go wash up.”

There was quite a bit of beef, so they could make two dishes.

One could be stir-fried, and the other could be braised.

The ribs would be used to make rib soup, and the fish would be prepared as sweet and sour fish.

Then, they could have scrambled eggs with cucumber.

If Old Fang’s family came over, the beef should be cooked until tender for Grandma Fang to eat, and they could also steam an egg custard for little Lulu.

Having thought this through, Wen Yue turned and limped into the kitchen to prepare the ingredients with Zhou Yao.

Not long after, Fang Shitao and Ren Yeliang arrived with Grandma Fang and little Lulu.

The group went straight into the kitchen.

Seeing Wen Yue cutting vegetables, Ren Yeliang suddenly exclaimed, “Sister-in-law, you’re cooking today? I thought it would be our brother in the kitchen, and I almost didn’t want to come! Since you’re in charge, I have to eat more. Your cooking is absolutely amazing! I’m still reminiscing about your braised pork and meat buns!”

Ren Yeliang was very friendly and had a way with words. He entered and immediately showered Wen Yue with compliments, making her a bit shy.

Wen Yue pressed her lips together and revealed two cute dimples, smiling shyly, “It’s not that exaggerated…”

Ren Yeliang replied, “I’m not exaggerating. I’m speaking the truth! Old Fang, don’t you agree?”

Fang Shitao nodded in agreement. “Yes, Sister-in-law’s cooking is especially good.”

Ren Yeliang, grinning, was about to say more when Zhou Yao shot him two death glares while gripping the knife. “Are you just going to eat and not help?”

Ren Yeliang felt a chill and rolled up his sleeves. “Of course not! Whatever Sister-in-law needs, just say it. We might not be able to cook, but we can do other chores well!”

Fang Shitao silently helped wash the vegetables.

With that, Wen Yue had nothing to do.

She turned and went to the house to bring out two stools for Grandma Fang and Lulu to sit on, then sat down to chat with them, also handing two pieces of milk candy to the little girl.

Grandma Fang was particularly happy.

She usually spent all day at home without anyone to talk to. Fang Shitao and Ren Yeliang were not home every day, and while Lulu was at home, she wasn’t much of a taler.

Now, Grandma Fang finally had someone to chat with.

Wen Yue listened attentively, occasionally responding with a few words.

Grandma Fang went from talking about Fang Shitao’s parents to Fang Shitao himself, then mentioned Ren Yeliang and Zhou Yao, and finally earnestly urged her to live a good life with Zhou Yao, insisting on her response.

“…”

Wen Yue quietly glanced at Zhou Yao, only to find him looking at her, his dark, deep-set eyes like a black hole that could swallow her whole.

Startled, she quickly looked away, sitting up straight and stiffly nodding. “Don’t worry, Grandma, we’ll live well together.”

Grandma Fang then turned to Zhou Yao and said, “Xiaoyao, Yue Yue is a good one. It’s your good fortune to marry such a good wife. You need to cherish her, understand?”

Zhou Yao was busy cutting the beef, and while organizing the meat in his hands, he replied, “Yes, I understand.”

His gaze shifted around Wen Yue, and seeing her rigid posture, a subtle smile appeared in his eyes.

Grandma Fang was satisfied and then directed her attention to Fang Shitao and Ren Yeliang, urging them to hurry up and marry someone too.

Preferably someone like Wen Yue.

Ren Yeliang sighed, “Grandma, how can you just say to marry a good wife? My luck isn’t as good as Brother Yao’s. If you insist that I marry someone like Sister-in-law, then I guess we’ll be single our whole lives!”

Grandma Fang thought this made sense, so she lowered her expectations. “Then just marry someone you like.”

Ren Yeliang responded, “That makes it much simpler!”

Wen Yue couldn’t help but laugh at their conversation, her eyes curving into crescent shapes.

“How old is Lulu this year?” Her gaze fell on the obediently sitting little Lulu who was eating candy.

Perhaps because she had given the little girl candy for the past couple of days, Lulu was no longer as timid as when they first met, showing Wen Yue a pure, innocent smile.

Children’s smiles were the most healing.

Fang Shitao replied, “She’s eight this year.”

Wen Yue was somewhat surprised. “Eight already?”

She looked like she was only five or six!

Fang Shitao explained, “Lulu didn’t have enough nutrition before and also had a serious illness, so she looks very small.”

Wen Yue felt a pang of sympathy and reached out to pat the little girl’s head, softly saying, “Aren’t you going to send her to school?”

Fang Shitao replied, “We’re going to send her; she’ll go in the second half of the year.”

“That’s good.” Wen Yue lowered her gaze.

It was important for her to get an education. For rural girls like them, studying hard was the only way to change their fate. Just like Li Nianqiu, who fought hard for herself and her sister Li Xiangdong to have the chance to go to school, it was all for a better future.

The vegetables were all cleaned and cut. The remaining tasks were left to Wen Yue.

She glanced at Zhou Yao, who understood and went to tend the fire.

Once the water boiled, the beef was blanched for five or six minutes and then set aside. Next, she added oil and put the prepared green onions, ginger, garlic, and dried chilies into the pan to stir-fry until fragrant. Then, she added the beef and seasonings, stirring everything together evenly.

After that, she poured in hot water, covered the pot, and started stewing.

The beef needed to simmer for at least an hour and a half to become tender, so at the beginning, Wen Yue used the back burner.

With a serious expression, Wen Yue walked back and forth in the kitchen.

The kitchen was already small, and with Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao standing around, it was especially cramped. When Wen Yue turned to grab something while holding the spatula, she almost accidentally hit Ren Yeliang in the face with it. He jumped back in surprise and bumped into the cutting board.

Zhou Yao clicked his tongue. “You two get out of here. Stop getting in the way in the kitchen. Go move the table and stools outside.”

Can’t they see they’re being a nuisance in the kitchen?

Wen Yue spoke more tactfully. “Why don’t you go outside and chat with Grandma Fang? Zhou Yao and I can handle things here.”

.

Ren Yeliang agreed and pulled Fang Shitao, who was also disliked, out of the kitchen.

“Old Fang, do you feel uncomfortable staying in the kitchen?” Ren Yeliang winked at Fang Shitao while moving a stool out.

Fang Shitao looked a bit confused. “What?”

Ren Yeliang glanced at him in disdain. “You really are clueless. Didn’t you notice the chemistry between our brother and sister-in-law? Sister-in-law didn’t even say a word, yet just a glance from Brother Yao had him passing things over. They exchanged smiles… oh man, I almost burst out laughing!”

Fang Shitao thought about it for a moment, but his mind was blank.

He had been focused on working and hadn’t paid attention to anything else. However, he said, “If you had really laughed out loud, I think Brother Yao would definitely have hit you.” Fang Shitao honestly shared his thoughts.

Ren Yeliang sighed. “That’s why I held back, but sister-in-law and our brother really do have a great relationship. Seeing that makes me want to marry a wife too.”

Fang Shitao nodded. “I want to as well, but I don’t have the money. I still need to support my sister’s education, so I won’t marry for now.”

The two discussed the issue of marriage for a few minutes, put the table and stools in place, and then turned to chat with Grandma Fang.

This meal took Wen Yue two hours to prepare.

However, summer days grew dark later, and when the steaming dishes were brought to the table, it was still bright outside. The sun in the west only had half of its body left, and the last rays of sunlight dyed the surrounding clouds a fiery orange.

A rich aroma wafted through the Zhou family courtyard.

The square wooden table was filled with a variety of delicious dishes.

There was tender beef stew, minced beef stir-fried with celery, scrambled eggs with cucumber, rib soup, and sweet and sour fish…

“Wow, this is too lavish.” Ren Yeliang couldn’t wait to sit down, exaggeratedly swallowing, and reached for the chopsticks on the table.

Zhou Yao walked over with rice and slapped Ren Yeliang’s hand hard with his palm, looking at him coldly, his tone full of disdain. “Did you wash your hands before touching the chopsticks?”

Ren Yeliang let out a yelp as his hand turned red from the slap, grinning in pain. “Brother, you’re too harsh. What washing? That’s such a waste of time.”

Wen Yue cast a glance at him, pressing her lips together without saying anything.

Zhou Yao was too lazy to explain much and repeated in a low voice, “Go wash your hands.”

Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao could only obediently get up and go to the kitchen to wash their hands.

Seeing their unwilling expressions, Wen Yue couldn’t help but chuckle.

She turned her attention to Fang Lulu and gently bent down, saying softly, “Lulu, let me help you wash your hands, okay?”

Fang Lulu shyly nodded. “Okay~”

The little girl was really well-behaved.

Wen Yue’s eyes turned into crescent moons as she took Fang Lulu’s small hand and led her into the kitchen, carefully washing her hands with warm water.

Noticing Fang Shitao nearby, she reminded him, “Little kids have weak constitutions. It’s best to wash her hands before meals. Dirty hands can harbor bacteria, and if they go into her mouth, she can easily get sick. Of course, it’s best for all of you to wash your hands together to avoid passing anything around.”

Fang Shitao scratched the back of his head, looking a bit confused and grateful. “Oh, so that’s how it is. Sister-in-law, you know a lot.”

Ren Yeliang mumbled quietly, “I wondered why Brother Yao suddenly started being so particular.”

So it was all Sister-in-law’s influence.

Then it’s okay.