Chapter 39 – Not Born of the Same Mother

She got home earlier than usual today. After telling Shen Nian how the business had gone, she went ahead and did the laundry.

For dinner, Xia Tian steamed rice and made four dishes and a soup – braised pork ribs, stir-fried pork with chili, dry-fried green beans, and garlic-dressed eggplant. The soup was tomato and egg.

They’d been busy the past few days, and it felt like it had been a long time since they’d sat down to a calm, home-cooked meal like this.

The next day, by the time she arrived, Xia Yang and the others had already prepped everything for the stall. The 150 jin of braised pork belly ordered by Yunlai Restaurant was already simmering.

She tasted the braised pork intestines and pig head. Yep, the flavor was just right.

The three of them headed out to set up the stall.

Xia Tian stayed at the booth for a while, watching Xia Yang and his wife work smoothly and in sync. Feeling reassured, she told them she’d head back to the courtyard first.

The meat was simmering in the kitchen, and Xia Yue was tending the fire. Their mother and the two children were turning the soil in a corner of the backyard, getting ready to plant some vegetables later.

Xia Tian went into the kitchen to chat with Xia Yue.

“Jie, have you set a date for your wedding?”

“Yes, it’s the sixteenth of August,” Xia Yue said a little shyly.

“Have you informed your future in-laws?”

Xia Yue shook her head. “Not yet. We’ve been so busy these past few days, I haven’t had the time to think about it.”

“Hmm, well, there’s still time—no rush. But still, try to find time in the next few days to let them know. And since you’ve moved, that should be mentioned too.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to Mom about it later.”

As they chatted, Xia Tian figured the meat was about done. She stuck a chopstick into it—yep, cooked through—and went ahead and removed it from the pot.

Xia Yue helped take the meat out to cool in a basin.

Xia Tian tasted the flavor. It was just like her own recipe.

Looks like everyone was getting the hang of it.

She could finally take it easy a little.

Once the meat was done, and since Xia Yue didn’t have anything else to do for now, Xia Tian brought her along to the stall so she could relieve Xia Yang.

It was Xia Yue’s first time visiting the town’s market, so everything felt new and fresh to her.

That was exactly why Xia Tian had brought her here—to broaden her horizons a bit. Once she got married, she wouldn’t be stuck at home by the stove all the time.

At the stall, Xia Tian took over Xia Yang’s tasks and told him to go deliver the food to the restaurant.

Xia Yue helped out on the side.

When Xia Tian checked the buckets, they were already empty—just the portions in the basin were left.

The three of them didn’t have to work much longer before they sold out.

They’d prepared two more portions of pig intestines and pig head than yesterday, and they’d brought 50 jin of dried tofu—it all sold out.

Seeing how Sun Maimiao was sweating, Xia Tian handed her a cloth towel. “Saozi, wipe your sweat. You haven’t had a moment to rest, huh?”

“Yeah, it was really crowded today. I’ve been busy nonstop.” Sun Maimiao accepted the towel and wiped her sweat as she spoke.

“Did you pay the management fee?”

“Yes, and I gave them some braised meat too.”

“Good. Don’t feel stingy about a bit of meat. You’re selling here every day—offering them some snacks with their drinks helps keep things smooth. If anything happens with the stall, they’ll speak up for us.”

“Mm.” Both women nodded.

“There’s a saying – ‘You can’t speak up with a full mouth, and you can’t act freely with a full hand.’ And another – ‘The King of Hell’s easy to deal with—it’s the little devils who are tricky.’ Don’t underestimate anyone. In business, harmony brings prosperity.”

“Fourth Sister, I’ve got it all memorized,” Sun Maimiao replied earnestly.

She knew Xia Tian was teaching her something important. She felt grateful—without Fourth Sister, they wouldn’t be living the good life they had now. She hadn’t just given them money—she’d taught them together how to run a business and even made Xia Yang a partner, sharing half the profits with them.

Xia Yue quietly listened too, taking Xia Tian’s words to heart.

By the time the three of them got home, Xia Yang had also returned.

They recorded the day’s earnings in the ledger, Xia Tian reminded him about the afternoon delivery to Yunlai Restaurant and handed Xia Yang ten taels of silver as capital for ingredients.

The rest of the work, she left to them.

Xia Tian strolled around town for a bit, bought some grains to store in her space, and when she saw someone selling kelp and dried shrimp, she bought some too. She suddenly remembered—there was a sea not too far from where she lived, though it was quite a distance from Qingquan Town.

Seeing that there wasn’t much else to buy, she headed back to Liu Family Village. She got home before noon and saw Mu Feng and Shen Nian sparring with sticks in the courtyard. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Brother Shen, you know martial arts too?”

Shen Nian tossed the stick aside and sat down at the table before answering, “A little. How come you’re back so early today?”

“Didn’t have much to do, so I came home,” Xia Tian said, pouring herself a glass of water.

“Sister-in-law, I caught some rabbits today. How should we handle them?” Mu Feng also put down his stick and walked over.

“You went up the mountain?”

“Yeah, I was bored, so I went for a walk.”

Since Sister-in-law hadn’t been braising meat at home lately, he hadn’t needed to help with prepping pig intestines and such. With nothing else to do, he’d either gone up the mountain to chop wood or stayed home splitting bamboo with the monkey.

The bamboo splints he’d prepped would last the monkey a whole month.

Xia Tian got up to look at the rabbits. “This many?”

She had thought it’d be just one or two. But there were eight rabbits here—had he wiped out a whole family?

“Yeah, just happened to run into them,” Mu Feng replied sheepishly. He really had been too idle lately, and since the monkey was home, he couldn’t venture too deep into the mountains. If something happened, he had to be close enough to rush back.

“Alright then, let’s have dry pot rabbit for lunch!”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll prep the ingredients—you handle the rabbits. We’ll use two.”

“Okay, Sister-in-law.”

There were three of them at home, and they all had big appetites. Might as well make two so they’d have enough.

Xia Tian went into the kitchen to prep scallions, ginger, garlic, and other ingredients. Once Mu Feng had finished cleaning the rabbits, she took over, chopped them into small pieces, blanched them, then stir-fried them in a pot before adding water to simmer.

In another pot, she steamed rice. She also soaked the kelp she’d bought earlier so she could make a cold kelp salad later.

When the rice was ready, the dry pot rabbit was done as well. Xia Tian also made a dish of boiled sliced pork and a loofah soup—then it was time to eat.

After lunch, Xia Tian lay down in her room for a nap. Once she woke up, she cleaned the entire house, inside and out.

They’d been so busy running the stall lately that she hadn’t had time to tidy up. Now that she had the chance, she washed everything that needed washing and aired out what needed airing.

Though Mu Feng was around to fetch water and feed the chickens, and she didn’t have to worry much, he was still a man—he just didn’t have the same attention to detail as a woman.

That afternoon, Sister Yao came by to chat.

“A few days from now, Chun Shen’s eldest grandson is getting married. Want to come help?”

“Of course!”

“Alright, I’ll call you when it’s time. We’ll go together.”

“Sure.”

In the village, whenever there was a wedding or funeral, neighbors would help each other out. Besides the head chef, who was a professional, the rest—like picking vegetables or running errands—were all done by villagers.

So if something happened in a family, almost every household would send someone to help. It was like an exchange—if you helped others, they’d help you in return.

Since Xia Tian now lived in Liu Family Village, she had to integrate into the community.

Not to mention Chun Shen was someone she got along well with—of course she’d go help.

Sister Yao glanced at Shen Nian and Mu Feng sitting in the courtyard, then whispered to Xia Tian, “That one—he’s really your husband’s younger brother?”

“Mm-hmm, why?”

That sneaky look in Sister Yao’s eyes made her want to laugh.

“They don’t look alike. He doesn’t look like your little brother-in-law either.”

“What’s strange about that? The three of them aren’t born of the same mother,” Xia Tian said, mimicking Sister Yao’s hushed tone.

“Ah? Not the same mother? How many wives did your father-in-law have?” Sister Yao asked in shock.

“Something like that,” Xia Tian replied vaguely.

She wasn’t lying—they really weren’t born of the same mother. As for whether they shared a father, well, she hadn’t said anything about that. Heh.

“Oh, got it,” Sister Yao nodded with understanding.

The two exchanged a glance, though neither was sure exactly what the other had “gotten.”

They thought they were speaking quietly, but Shen Nian and Mu Feng had heard every word.

Mu Feng glanced at Shen Nian. Both of their expressions were a little… hard to describe.

Meanwhile, the two women kept gossiping on.