Chapter 34 New Member - Fugui

"I need to give you a name, but what should I call you?" Jinran, who was terrible at naming things, was having some trouble.

"Meow~~"

"Let's call him Fugui (富贵). It sounds like a promising name."

"Waaah........."

Jinran made the decision on the kitten's name, then held it in her arms, with Doujin following behind, and they went down the mountain together.

She went back to the Shen family first. When Grandma Shen saw that Jinran had made another haul, she said happily, "Ni, you're really capable! You actually made two rabbits. Grandma will cook one for them, and I'll marinate the other one for you to eat later."

Jinran shook her head and said, "Grandma, give them one, and you can cook the other one and send a bowl to Uncle and Second Uncle. We'll eat the rest ourselves. You and Grandpa only helped my family build the house this time, and you didn't help them much. Consider this my token of appreciation."

Grandma Shen looked at the sensible Nini and sighed, "Don't listen to what your aunt is saying in the village. She says that we old folks only care about our third son and that they won't even go. But we just happened to run into trouble. Your parents can't get away, so as old people, we have to be there for the most urgent matters."

Jinran smiled and said, "I know, Grandma. Isn't it better to be polite? They ate what I gave them. If they say something unpleasant, it wouldn't be very assertive, would it?"

Grandma Shen laughed and scolded, "You little devil!"

"Meow~~"

Grandma Shen heard the sound and asked, "What's that meow? It sounds like a kitten!"

Jinran took out Fugui and showed it to Grandma Chen. "Grandma, I picked this up on the mountain. It's white and fluffy. I named it Fugui."

Grandma Shen examined it for a while and then said, "This is a civet cat. It must have been abandoned. It can't survive with its white fur."

Knowing all this, Jinran cautiously asked, "Grandma, I want to keep her. Can my mother allow it?"

Grandma Chen said nonchalantly, "What's there to be afraid of? When these things grow up, they'll be able to hunt on their own. If your mother doesn't allow it, you can send them to my place, and I'll raise them for you. But, my dear, it's best to release them when they're all grown up; they can be quite wild."

Jinran said happily, "Thank you, Grandma. I will train it well, and if it is too wild to be tamed, I will release it back into the wild."

Jinran assisted Grandma Shen, but Grandma Shen told her to try making it herself, saying, "Just try it. These men will do anything as long as it's meat. They can't tell the difference between good and bad. It's okay if you mess it up."

Jinran chuckled to herself, took the spatula, and started working.

After finishing the meal, she received praise from Grandma Shen, "Nini, you're ready to graduate. From now on, the steps for braised dishes like this will be pretty much the same."

Jinran nodded. Grandma Shen's cooking style was actually more home-style. She had secretly learned a few dishes when she worked as a kitchen helper in the century-old restaurant.

Their methods are really laborious; they practically use chicken broth to enhance the flavor of the cabbage. Jinran prefers Grandma Shen's cooking.

Jinran went with Grandma Shen to deliver meals to the people building the house.

"What are we eating? I can smell the delicious aroma! Did Nini really catch a rabbit?" Everyone tidied themselves up and prepared to eat.

Jinran said proudly, "Look who I am! The uncles and elders work so hard, they must eat something good to nourish themselves."

Upon hearing this, everyone laughed, feeling comforted, yet also a touch of envy. Shen Laosan was truly blessed; his sons were good at studying, his daughter was considerate, and with this big house built, he and his wife even had jobs in the county. He really had nothing to worry about.

Grandpa Shen was getting old, so he needed to rest for a while at noon. The three of them strolled slowly home.

"Grandpa, you have to try this later. I made rabbit meat today. You can see who makes it better, me or Grandma."

Grandma Shen chimed in, "Yes, old man, you be the judge and tell me who made the best dish. If you say it's good, I'll let you have a drink later."

Grandpa Shen's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Of course it's because your cooking is so delicious. I'd only ever want to eat your cooking, and I could never get enough of it."

Jinran: "The smell of this dog food is overwhelming."

Grandma Shen was the one who delivered the rabbit meat to my eldest and second uncles' homes. She said, "Nini, let me teach you: when you give someone a gift, you must do it in a grand and public way, so that everyone can see it. That way, if an argument breaks out later, these gifts will become your tools to control people. Don't underestimate these small things; over time, everyone will have their own judgment, and even if you do something bad, everyone will think you have a reason."

Jinran exclaimed, "!!!" Today, she's not just any grandma; she's Grandma Niohuru.