Chapter 20

By noon, Wang Aunty quietly told Old Wang about this matter:

“You’ll need to bring a small cart to help me fetch the goods.”

Old Wang, with a cigarette in his mouth, asked: 

“Is this reliable? 400 pounds isn’t a small amount. Can we really get it?”

Wang Aunty, after hearing this, also felt a bit worried, but her desire for the grain outweighed her fear: 

“What are you afraid of? It’s at our security booth, not some other place.”

….

By the time Xu Nian Nian got home, it was already past ten in the morning. As soon as she walked in, she saw Xu Ruhua sitting on the sofa with dark circles under her eyes, mocking her: 

“Xu Nian Nian, I wonder how long you’ll be happy.”

Even if she’s engaged to Lu Huaijin, she’ll still have to go to the countryside to work as a sent-down youth. She had heard there were many idle men in the countryside who would ruin her, and when the time comes, would Lu Huaijin still want her?

Xu Nian Nian glanced at the time and decided she didn’t have time to argue with Xu Ruhua: 

“Don’t look for trouble. I just slapped you yesterday, and now you’re itching for another round. Wait till I’m done and I’ll deal with you again.”

Thinking about the slaps she received yesterday, Xu Ruhua’s face cracked a little.

Xu Nian Nian really hated her and thought it was better if she had gone to the countryside earlier.

After returning to her room, Xu Nian Nian quickly went into her space, took a shower, and changed into the clothes she wore yesterday—she was so poor that the only new thing she owned was this one outfit.

After cleaning up, she took her basket and went into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Xu Ruhua continued to glare coldly at her retreating figure.

As soon as Xu Nian Nian entered the kitchen, she first started cooking green bean and millet porridge, steamed buns, and then killed a rooster from her space, plucking the feathers.

She guessed Xu Xiuhong wouldn’t be home for lunch today, or if she did return, she’d make bad food. It was better if she took care of this meal herself.

So, on her way back, she had already stopped at a state-run restaurant to buy four meat dishes and two vegetable dishes.

Since she had the first batch of eggs from her space, she decided to kill the rooster raised there.

She also cracked six eggs into a large steaming bowl to make an egg custard.

The chicken pieces were then made into braised chicken, using seasonings she had from the space, and she didn’t mind using extra oil.

Before long, the aroma of the braised chicken and seasonings mixed together and became very tempting. She added a bit of boiling water and waited for it to cook, ready to finish once the sauce reduced.

During the wait, she placed the dishes she bought from the restaurant on the new plates she had just purchased.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a door opening.

Xu Father had returned.

Since last night, Xu Father had been uneasy. He hadn’t expected that Lu Huaijin really liked his daughter. Was the engagement really happening?

And since Li Qiang had hit Xu Ruhua, had that caused trouble? He was worried about whether the factory director would retaliate. He was feeling quite nervous.

Even though Lu’s family was well off, Xu Father didn’t feel happy about the engagement.

He felt helpless, as he couldn’t offer any help. In fact, he feared that his involvement might only make things worse.

He frowned, lighting one cigarette after another.

When Lu Huaijin arrived, he saw Xu Father surrounded by smoke, with the smell of food coming from the kitchen.

Xu Nian Nian smiled and greeted them: 

“Uncle, Aunt, you’re here. Please sit down. The food is ready. I’ll serve it, you just sit down.”

Lu Father and Lu Mother exchanged looks, feeling that Xu Nian Nian was really living a tough life here—she worked so hard.

Who else’s daughter was engaged and still had to cook herself? Xu Xiuhong really wasn’t a good person.

Meanwhile, Xu Xiuhong sneezed three times at the factory, not knowing who was cursing her.

Her daughter had been beaten yesterday, and today she was forced to cook—impossible!

She lingered at the factory, refusing to go home, determined to make them angry.

She had locked up all the grain at home and planned to make a fool of Xu Nian Nian at the engagement party. If the man’s family saw her in such a state, they would surely reject her.

Without the support of her maternal family, even if she got married, the man’s family wouldn’t treat her well.

If they dared to offend her daughter, they would pay the price.

Seeing that the guests had arrived, Xu Father also went over to greet them.

Lu Huaijin said hello and then walked toward the kitchen: 

“I’ll serve the dishes.”

Xu Nian Nian had already served the millet porridge into bowls: 

“Be careful, it’s hot, just made.”

“It’s fine, I’ll handle the rest. You bring the dishes,” Lu Huaijin replied.

The millet porridge was quite hot, and Xu Nian Nian’s hands were delicate—just touching it would likely make her skin turn red.

Xu Nian Nian didn’t decline, and she brought the dishes to the table. Soon, a whole spread of delicious food was laid out.

Xu Yaozu had returned from school.

Seeing the feast, he didn’t care about anything else and immediately sat down to eat.

With that, everyone started eating.

Xu Father then brought out a bottle of white wine: 

“Let’s have a drink?”

Lu Father waved his hand: 

“Next time, we’ll drink. We’re in a bit of a rush today.”

Xu Yaozu, after eating a few bites of braised pork, asked: 

“Dad, where’s Mom? And where’s my sister?”

Xu Ruhua, who was hiding in a small room on the balcony, felt a jolt at the sound of her name. Finally, someone remembered her. She hadn’t planned to eat but couldn’t resist the overpowering aroma of the food. Her stomach was burning with hunger, and she couldn’t stop her mouth from watering.

Xu Father’s face stiffened. He knew that Xu Xiuhong must be angry, so she wasn’t coming back today.

But it wasn’t just Xu Nian Nian who had lost face, he had too. He hadn’t acted appropriately.

“Your mom and sister went out for something. Eat more,” he said.

Hearing this, Xu Ruhua, from inside, almost exploded with rage. She was starving.

Lu Mother took a piece of chicken. She had already had several dishes from the state-run restaurant yesterday, but she wanted to try the chicken. When she bit into it, she first tasted the rich sauce, followed by the tender, aromatic chicken.

“Yearnian, did you make this chicken? It’s delicious,” she praised.

Xu Nian Nian nodded: 

“The key is that the chicken was freshly killed. The meat is really fresh, so feel free to eat more.”

She then scooped some egg custard into a small bowl and handed it to Lu Mother: 

“I made this egg custard too. Auntie, you can try it.”

The egg custard was made with two drops of sesame oil, a bit of vinegar, and scallions, with a touch of salted water while steaming. It turned out to be very smooth and tender.

Sure enough, Lu Mother gave a thumbs up after tasting it.

Lu Huaijin also tried the two dishes. He could tell the other dishes were from the state-run restaurant, but these were different.