Chapter 77 Reciprocity: Giving Bone Broth

After dinner, it was time for casual gossip and small talk, as usual.

Zhou Linghui then enthusiastically started talking about Xiao Feng and Zhang Pan'er.

"Yesterday, Xiao Feng got a beating from Zhang Pan'er's two older brothers. He was bruised and swollen, and looked really pathetic, haha!"

Jiang Feiyan couldn't help but chuckle when she saw the gloating look on her face.

Once this guy sobered up, he really became a typical bystander.

Jiang Feiyan asked curiously, "Aren't these two supposed to get married in half a month? Why are they making a fuss now?"

"I know, I know!" Li Xiaoqing quickly replied, "I overheard the old ladies next door discussing..."

It turned out that the Zhang family wanted Xiao Feng to move into their home after the two of them got married.

But Xiao Feng was furious when he heard this. He felt that the Zhang family looked down on him and wanted him to marry into their family, so he had a fight with Zhang Pan'er.

Zhang Pan'er was also stubborn; she went straight to her parents and made a scene, asking them to help pay for a brick house for the young couple to live in.

Zhang's mother was already heartbroken because of Zhang Pan'er's previous actions, and now, after being scolded by her daughter, she felt even worse and cried every day.

When Zhang Pan'er's two older brothers heard about this, they were furious and secretly went to find Xiao Feng and beat him up.

After hearing the whole story, Jiang Feiyan was speechless.

Living with the Zhang family is considered marrying into their family, but having the Zhang family help pay for the house means it's not being a kept man.

Xiao Feng is indeed as selfish and self-serving as ever.

Without a doubt, this terrible idea was his, which is why he sent Zhang Pan'er to cause trouble.

Surprisingly, after the original novel's male and female protagonists were removed from the plot, even their personalities became increasingly distorted.

That's fine too. Let them love and hate each other, torment each other, and they won't have the energy to harm others anymore.

---

It's already early October, and the weather has gotten much cooler.

Especially in the mountains and forests, the wind blows cool and refreshing.

When Jiang Feiyan goes on patrol, she always wears a thicker windproof coat to keep warm.

Perhaps because he was afraid of the cold, Xiao Huang sometimes slacked off and didn't go with her.

That evening, Jiang Feiyan had just come out of the forest when she saw Xiao Huang running happily towards her from afar.

The little guy deliberately shook his head and showed off the things he was wearing around his neck in front of her.

"Woof!" Look, owner! Isn't the scarf around my neck pretty?

Jiang Feiyan squatted down and stroked its fur, then took a closer look at the scarf around its neck.

A yellow silk cloth was tied around the little guy's neck, with a red puppy embroidered at the front.

The embroidery technique is exquisite, it's practically a carbon copy of Little Yellow, perfectly showcasing its charming and adorable appearance.

Jiang Feiyan glanced at the thatched hut not far away and understood.

These days, Xiao Huang likes to go there whenever he has nothing to do. This scarf was probably made by that elegant aunt.

"We should reciprocate by giving someone a gift."

Jiang Feiyan smiled and tapped Xiao Huang's forehead: "You can deliver it yourself later."

......

An hour later.

A small, sturdy yellow dog with shiny fur is carrying a basket in its mouth.

From a beautiful courtyard, it trotted happily toward a simple thatched hut not far away.

Inside the thatched hut, Huang Yuan had just finished cooking porridge and was boiling wild vegetables in hot water.

Hearing the soft footsteps outside, she smiled slightly and lifted the curtain of the thatched shed: "Little one, you're here again~"

"Woof!" Little Yellow ran over, put down the basket, and obediently squatted in front of her, wagging its tail rapidly.

"What's this?" Huang Yuan was slightly taken aback, then glanced into the basket.

Inside was a plate covering a large bowl; I didn't know what was inside.

Curious, she lifted the plate, and a rich aroma of lotus root and meat wafted out.

Huang Yuan was completely stunned.

This...is this lotus root and pork rib soup?

"What's wrong?" Gu Hong carried a pile of firewood in from outside and saw his wife standing there in a daze.

When he saw the soup in the basket, he paused: "Did the girl next door bring this over?"

"Yes, it's her." Huang Yuan held a piece of paper in her hand, a slight smile on her lips. "She said it was a matter of reciprocity."

I only made a scarf for the little one, but she reciprocated with such a generous gift.

"This shows that this girl is of pure and kind character." Gu Hong put the firewood away and turned around to say:

"However, given our current situation, it's not good to have too much contact with them to avoid gossip. Let's try to minimize contact in the future."

Hearing this, Huang Yuan's eyes dimmed: "Yes, I know."

She suffered a serious illness when she was young, which prevented her from having children, and this has always been a source of pain for her.

She was deeply impressed by Jiang Feiyan from the first moment she saw her.

This girl was pretty and exuded a vibrant energy, which made her very fond of her.

Seeing the girl living alone at the foot of the mountain, she couldn't help but feel worried.

But she couldn't take the initiative to approach people. Because of her bad background, many people looked down on her, and she didn't want to drag the girl down with her.

So she focused all her care on the little yellow dog the girl was raising.

The little one is very obedient and lively; every time she comes to play, it makes her happy for a long time.

"This soup is good, drink more." Gu Hong took a small sip of the soup and then put the bowl down.

"Old Gu, there's so much soup, let's share it."

Huang Yuan picked up the chipped bowl beside her, filled it with lotus root and soup, and then placed the large soup bowl from the basket into his hands:

"You've been coughing these past few days, so drink more soup; it'll help you recover."

Gu Hong put down the soup bowl: "I don't need it. I don't like drinking these. I'll just have some porridge."

"No way!" Huang Yuan glared at him, feigning anger, and said, "If you're not going to drink it, then I won't either. Let's just throw it away!"

"Fine, I'll drink it." Gu Hong sighed, picked up the soup bowl, put a few pieces of meat and bone into her bowl, and said, "Then you should eat some meat, there's nothing in your bowl."

"Hmm." Huang Yuan carefully took a sip of soup, her eyebrows curving slightly as she sighed:

"It tastes really good, that girl's cooking skills are quite good."

I'll make another purse later and have the little one deliver it; I still need to thank her.

"Okay, do it." Gu Hong didn't say anything this time. It was only right to return the favor after eating someone's food.

Gu Hong and Huang Yuan thoroughly enjoyed their dinner, practically licking the soup off their bowls.

When they went to sleep at night, the couple embraced tightly, both with smiles on their faces.

This bowl of soup warmed their hearts, and even after they became wealthy, they cherished the memory for a long time...