Chapter 22 Time to Go to the Black Market

“Second Brother!” Shen Chuning hugged the flustered Shen Zhengliang, “Second Brother, I’m sorry…”

“I was ignorant before, causing trouble for Dad and you.”

Their family had three strong laborers, and Third Brother sent money home every month.

If it weren’t for her, a useless person who didn’t do anything and demanded the best food and clothing, their family life would have been much better.

Big Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother’s marriages wouldn’t have been delayed until now.

Big Brother was the same age as Zhou Yubai, twenty-eight years old, and still unmarried.

It wasn’t because Big Brother wasn’t good, but because of her.  She had dragged down the family’s finances.

Other families with so many strong laborers would have plenty of food and money from work points, but their family, to buy her fine grains, good fabrics, and fashionable shoes, not only hadn’t saved any money but had been in debt every year.

Seeing Shen Chuning’s remorseful and tearful expression, Shen Zhengliang’s heart softened.

Over the years, he had been dissatisfied with his father’s insistence on pampering his sister, but every time he saw his delicate sister, he couldn’t stay angry.

If his sister called him “Second Brother” in her sweet voice, he felt that his beautiful sister should be pampered, how could she work like them?

Shen Zhengliang rubbed Shen Chuning’s soft hair, gently wiping her tear-stained nose, “Alright, you’re about to be someone else’s wife, stop crying. It’s embarrassing.”

Shen Chuning smiled through her tears, shaking Shen Zhengliang’s arm, acting coquettishly, “Second Brother, will you take me to buy cotton tomorrow?”

Shen Zhengliang knew Shen Chuning meant the black market.

He had already promised Shen Chuning, but because of her injured foot, it had been delayed.

Shen Zhengliang looked at Shen Chuning with a helpless and doting expression, “Okay, Brother will accompany you to buy cotton.”

That evening, Shen Chuning volunteered to cook.

Shen Zhengliang was reluctant.

But thinking that his sister was getting married soon, if she couldn’t do anything after marriage, she would be disliked by her in-laws.

So he didn’t argue with Shen Chuning.

It was midsummer, and vegetables were plentiful.

The Shen family had a small vegetable patch.

The vegetable patch was full of chilies, eggplants, and tomatoes.  The long yard long beans were also abundant, and the water spinach was thriving.

Shen Chuning cooked a pot of thick cornmeal porridge, picked the leaves of the water spinach, leaving only the stems, chopped them finely, and stir-fried them with finely chopped pickled mustard greens and minced meat.

She also made minced meat eggplant and sugar-coated tomatoes.

Shen Zhengliang started the fire and went to feed the chickens and ducks.

Each household could raise chickens and ducks according to the number of people.  One chicken and one duck per person.

Their family had five people, but Third Brother’s food rations were transferred to the army, so they only counted four people, raising four chickens and four ducks.

After feeding the chickens and ducks, Shen Zhengliang smelled the fragrant aroma from the kitchen.

When he entered the kitchen, Shen Chuning’s minced meat eggplant was just cooked.

Seeing the bowl of eggplant and meat, Shen Zhengliang couldn’t help but swallow.

But at the same time, he felt a pang in his heart.

His sister really didn’t understand the value of money!

Who would use so much oil and meat when cooking?

Even wealthy landlords wouldn’t eat like this!

Shen Chuning didn’t know what her brother was thinking.

She smiled and picked up a piece of eggplant, “Second Brother, taste the eggplant, is there enough salt?”

Shen Zhengliang, enduring the pain, swallowed the eggplant Shen Chuning gave him.

The eggplant was soft and tender, absorbing the aroma of oil and meat. It melted in the mouth, the aroma of oil and meat filling the mouth, making one’s tongue tingle.

Although he felt bad about the oil, he couldn’t help but give Shen Chuning a thumbs-up, “Delicious! Second Brother has never eaten such delicious food in his life!”

Shen Chuning laughed happily, “Second Brother, set the table, I’ll call Dad and Big Brother to eat.”

As soon as she left the yard, Shen Qingsong and Shen Zhengxu returned.

“Dad, Big Brother, you’re back just in time, let’s eat.”

“Okay, okay!” Shen Qingsong quickly responded.

His eyes were full of pride and relief. His daughter was beautiful, sensible, and capable.

Seeing the four dishes and fragrant thick porridge, they widened their eyes.

Their faces showed distress.

Two of the four dishes were meat dishes. Although the tiger skin chili peppers didn’t have meat, they looked oily, suggesting a lot of oil was used.

The sugar-coated tomatoes had no oil or meat, but were covered with a thick layer of sugar.

Who would eat like this on a normal day?

Seeing her father and brothers staring at the dishes without using their chopsticks,

Shen Chuning took three large bowls and served each of them a large bowl of porridge, scooping minced meat and pickled mustard greens into their bowls.

“Dad, Big Brother, Second Brother, try this minced meat and pickled mustard greens, it’s sour and spicy, perfect with porridge.”

Shen Qingsong came to his senses and urged his sons, “Eldest, Second, eat, eat, don’t waste your sister’s cooking.”

As soon as they tasted the food, the aroma filled their mouths, and they had no time to speak.

Seeing her father and brothers only eating what was in their bowls and not taking any other dishes, Shen Chuning used a spoon to distribute the dishes to their bowls.

Making them eat whether they wanted to or not.

After the food was finished, Shen Zhengxu asked Shen Chuning, “Ningning, I remember we’ve run out of meat and almost out of oil. This meal…”

Since Auntie Zhou’s visit, Shen Chuning had often cooked for them.

Every meal had plenty of rice and meat dishes. Where did all this rice and meat come from?

Shen Chuning’s heart sank.  The rice and meat were from her space.

There was about a thousand kilograms of rice in the space’s warehouse, and the meat was left by the previous owner of the space, and there was none left now.

She was planning to go to the black market with Second Brother to get some meat!

Unexpectedly, Big Brother found out first.

But she quickly found an excuse, “Brother Yubai sent this rice and meat today.”

Zhou Yubai had been sending things to their house almost every day, so sending some rice and meat wasn’t a big deal.

Shen Qingsong and his sons frowned.

Shen Chuning knew what they were thinking and quickly said, “Dad, Big Brother, don’t worry, I won’t take Brother Yubai’s things for free. I’ll go to town with Second Brother tomorrow to buy things for him.”

She had decided to buy Zhou Yubai a watch tomorrow, returning his favor for buying her a bicycle.

Hearing this, Shen Qingsong was relieved, “Our Ningning has truly grown up.”