Chapter 6.1

Wen Yue was awakened by the sound of roosters crowing.

The sky outside the window had turned grayish-white, and the rooster outside kept crowing incessantly. She had gone to bed too late the night before, and now being jolted awake, her temples throbbed and her head buzzed with discomfort.

The room was still dimly lit. She turned over and slowed her breathing, feeling a bit better. Once the rooster stopped crowing, Wen Yue planned to continue sleeping, but other clattering noises started outside.

Lin Fang’s loud, penetrating voice drilled directly into her ears.

Wen Yue: “…”

So annoying!

She sat up and irritably scratched her head.

Forget it, I won’t sleep anymore.

After calming her mood, Wen Yue got out of bed, picked up the broken wooden comb from the desk, and combed her hair. She opened the door and stepped outside. Looking at the sky, it was probably around six o’clock, the temperature was cool, and the air was very fresh.

“Hey, you’re awake,” Lin Fang’s sharp voice sounded from nearby.

Wen Yue turned to look, seeing Lin Fang carrying a steaming wooden bucket filled with black, sticky substance. Upon seeing Wen Yue, Lin Fang’s face instantly broke into a smile, and her eyes scanned Wen Yue up and down.

Wen Yue felt uncomfortable under her gaze, forced a smile, and turned to retrieve the key that Zhou Yao had left behind from the window.

Lin Fang noticed this, paused her steps, and with a flicker in her eyes asked, “Is Zhou Yao out?”

Wen Yue smiled, “Yes.”

Recalling what Zhou Qingshan had said yesterday, Lin Fang thought the opportunity came too quickly. She couldn’t hide her joy, beaming as she instructed Wen Yue, “Xiao Yue, Auntie is going to feed the pigs now. Can you help me wash the clothes? And while you’re at it, cut some pigweed^[1]An amaranth that grows as a weed or is used for fodder.. I have other tasks to do.”

“?”

Wen Yue thought she must have heard wrong. “What?”

Lin Fang cheerfully said, “Your uncle said you’re very diligent and do all kinds of work. So go help me wash the clothes and cut some pigweed. I have other things to do.”

Wen Yue suddenly understood why Zhou Yao disliked these two families so much.

She pressed her lips together, her smile and dimples disappearing, and firmly refused, “I’m not doing it.”

“Hey! What’s wrong with you? I’m the elder, and it’s fine to ask you to do some work!” Lin Fang didn’t expect Wen Yue to refuse so decisively. She was stunned for a moment and then flew into a rage, shouting, “What kind of junior are you!”

Wen Yue’s beautiful eyes stared at her, her voice soft but firm, “You’re Zhou Yao’s elder, so when he comes back, you can ask him to help you.”

“…”

If Lin Fang had the courage, she wouldn’t be bossing around Zhou Yao’s wife just because he wasn’t home. Her face fell, her voice sharp and piercing:

“Women should be more diligent if they want to be liked by men and treated well. A disobedient wife will be beaten so hard she won’t be able to get out of bed for three days and nights!”

Wen Yue was amused by this and responded dismissively, “Hmm, you’re right. Then you should do more work and be a hardworking and lovable wife.”

Seeing that Wen Yue was unresponsive and didn’t yield, Lin Fang, carrying the bucket, turned angrily and stormed off, her back brimming with anger and her eyes rolling upwards.

Wen Yue snorted twice at the other person’s back and made up her mind to complain to Zhou Yao when he came back.

Trying to bully her just because he wasn’t home? Don’t even think about it!

As soon as Lin Fang left, Liu Cuicui came out of the house and softly said to Wen Yue, “Don’t pay attention to your second aunt. She’s always like this and has a bad temper. Have you had breakfast? I just boiled two eggs. Would you like one?”

“Thank you, but no.” Wen Yue smiled warmly and used the key to open the kitchen door.

She treats others the way they treat her.

Lin Fang was harsh with her, so Wen Yue didn’t accommodate her. If her third aunt was kind to her, Wen Yue would reciprocate with a smile. It was all about being clear on who was good and who wasn’t.

Liu Cuicui didn’t press further and went back to the kitchen.

Wen Yue sat by the stove, recalling Zhou Yao’s actions from last night. She awkwardly and clumsily lit the hay and put it in the stove, using the tongs to stoke the fire. The hay caught fire.

Once the fire was going, she went to brush her teeth and wash her face.

After freshening up, Wen Yue opened Zhou Yao’s room.

The furnishings in this room were similar to the one next door, but there were more miscellaneous items, and there was an additional cupboard against the window wall.

Wen Yue opened the cupboard and saw it was stocked with plenty of food.

There were rice cakes, walnut crisps, malted milk, White Rabbit candy, a basket of eggs, noodles, and a tub of yellow lard and half a slab of bacon. The milk candy and malted milk were unopened, probably newly bought.

Wen Yue glanced briefly, took an egg, and carried the lard and noodles outside.

She was making a bowl of egg noodles.

The stove was already hot. She put a small chunk of lard into the pan, then cracked the egg shell. Eggs fried in lard smelled better. Watching the egg turn crispy, Wen Yue used the spatula to scoop the egg into a bowl and then poured water directly into the pan.

When the water boiled, she cooked the noodles until soft, scooped them into the bowl, added some cooking water, mixed in a bit of lard, and added a pinch of salt. The taste was quite delicious.

The aroma wafted out in waves. Lin Fang, who had just finished feeding the pigs, returned and immediately smelled it. Her nose twitched as she recognized the scent and snorted, “Oh, eating lard first thing in the morning, living so well.”

She grumbled with jealousy, “Zhou Yao’s wife really doesn’t know how to manage a household. Who eats lard early in the morning?”

So what if she eats lard?

Wen Yue found it noisy and walked to the kitchen door, just in time to meet Lin Fang’s gaze from the yard.

She forced a surprised smile, “Oh my, second aunt, you work so hard every day, and Uncle won’t let you have a bit of lard in the morning? Uncle is too much. I’ll have Zhou Yao talk to him when he comes back.”

Her voice was soft and non-threatening, but the words that came out were sharp.

After saying this, Wen Yue quickly closed the door before Lin Fang could react with anger.

The door slammed shut with a thud, not very loud but quite insulting.

Lin Fang was infuriated, cursing, “This little brat!!!”

***

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