On her way home, many people followed behind her, pointing and whispering. They were rather reserved, so Jiang Yu didn't pay much attention. Seeing the door ajar, she breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside. Carrying two jin of pork from the village entrance to the village entrance was too conspicuous; she worried that Zhang Xinhua's family would smell the absence of adults in the house and come to bully the children.

However, seeing that the door was tightly closed, she was probably overthinking it.

Inside, Shen Suisui washed the pots and pans and sat at the table with Shen Niannian, quietly watching outside. Seeing Jiang Yu enter, they warily observed her next move. She naturally wanted to believe her mother, but her previous experiences had terrified her.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly acting like a little adult? Has Dongdong gone home?"

Jiang Yu's usual caring attitude left Shen Suisui with mixed feelings. Remembering the villagers' tendency to believe everything they heard, she realized she shouldn't have misunderstood her mother.

Upon hearing her question, Shen Niannian couldn't help but blurt out:

"Dongdong said it's late, so he went home to eat. Mom, what are we having for dinner tonight? Niannian is hungry."

Jiang Yu has made the family's daily routine very regular, and Chen Niannian's habit of getting hungry at the appointed time is something she can't change.

Jiang Yu looked at her aggrieved son, thought for a long time, and slowly spoke:

"How about we make celery, shrimp, and egg stir-fry? And braised shrimp in oil, to supplement our nutrition."

She never skimps on food for her children. She loves to eat too, so she cooks plenty so they can eat well and sleep well.

Shen Niannian clapped her hands and jumped up and down, shouting:

"Great, great, more delicious food! I've been a good girl today, listening to Mom and only eating two pieces of mung bean cake, otherwise my teeth would hurt."

Before leaving, Jiang Yu specifically reminded the children that although mung bean cakes are delicious, they shouldn't eat too many. If little bugs make their homes in their mouths and cause cavities, it will hurt terribly.

At that time, Shen Niannian was covering her mouth, looking scared.

After praising him, Jiang Yu went to the outer room to prepare the ingredients. Shen Niannian, that little chatterbox, followed her, chattering incessantly in her ear. One minute she was asking if his green frog would be hungry, the next she was asking if the shrimp were delicious.

Seeing her younger brother being a bit noisy, Shen Suisui chased after him to the outer room to glare at him. Seeing that the ingredients were almost ready, she cautiously inquired:

"Mom, can we start a fire now?"

"sure."

Looking at the sensible girl, Jiang Yu felt that making plans for them in advance was worth the extra work and effort. She poured oil into the pan, where it sizzled and boiled. She added a whole plate of prawns, poured in the prepared sauce, and simmered it briefly before serving.

We've run out of steamed buns at home lately, and with the Lunar New Year approaching, there's no need to go to the city to buy more. I'm thinking of steaming a pot to keep on hand after we finish our last meal tonight.

And that man should be back in the next couple of days. Another mouth to feed will keep us busy for a while. Thinking about all this, Jiang Yu's head started to throb. In the past, during Chinese New Year, she was the one sitting at the table waiting to eat. Now she was the one wearing an apron, busy cooking by the stove. Why did she feel such a sense of things being so different now?

Noticing her emotional fluctuations, Shen Niannian hugged Jiang Yu's leg tightly, looking at her with a bewildered and innocent expression:

"Mommy, did a bad guy bully you? When you grow up, you'll definitely beat him up."

“No one is bullying Mommy. Mommy’s biggest wish right now is for you two siblings to be healthy, well-fed, and strong so that you won’t be bullied by other children, right?”

Worried that Shen Niannian might fall, Jiang Yu bent down and helped him up by his little hand. Smelling a delicious aroma, she lifted the pot lid and saw the prawns had changed color. She grabbed a spatula and busied herself with the prawns. There was still a little sauce left in the pot, so she took a steamed bun from the cupboard, broke it open, dipped it in the sauce, and popped it into her mouth—it was so delicious!

Shen Niannian stared at her expectantly, his eyes practically overflowing with longing. Jiang Yu couldn't bear it, so she tore off a piece of the steamed bun in her hand and put it in his mouth, then flicked her nose.

"The delicious food is all out of the pot, and you're still thinking about this little bit of leftover broth. I just can't do anything with you."

While we were chatting and laughing, the celery, shrimp, and egg stir-fry was ready. There was no point in washing off the leftover oil, so we ladled in a ladle of water, placed a steamer rack on top, and heated up a few steamed buns.

After serving the dishes and washing her hands with the two children, Jiang Yu began peeling shrimp.

The children had never eaten such a color-changing creature before. After her explanation, half of the shrimp was peeled and divided equally between the two children's bowls.

Chewing on the tender meat, with juices flowing down her chin, Shen Suisui couldn't help but lick her fingers.

After the main course was cooked, the two children went to bed after dinner. The kang (heated brick bed) was warm after the meal was cooked, and soon the two children fell asleep.

Jiang Yu braved the cold wind to pour food for Xiao Hei. Seeing that it was pitch black outside, she couldn't help but think of what Lu Yi had said during the day, and couldn't help but shiver.

"The usual place, isn't it by the reservoir? Only a fool would go there in this cold weather." Jiang Yu seemed to have thought of something while complaining, and went back inside to find paper and pen to start making accounts on the table.

Using the original owner's memories, she calculated each item one by one:

'In the first year, Lu Yi borrowed ten yuan from her, claiming he was short of money. On Youth Day, he borrowed thirty yuan, saying he needed it to give as a gift to his superior. On Dragon Boat Festival, ten yuan. On Mid-Autumn Festival, twenty-eight yuan…'

Jiang Yu clearly remembers that he asked for fifty yuan, but the original owner only had twenty-eight yuan left in his pocket, so he ignored the original owner for a week.

Last year, he said it was inconvenient to wait for the bus into the city, so he wanted to buy a 280-inch bicycle, which cost 180 yuan in total. Because he needed to buy a bus ticket, Lu Yi said he needed to "grease some palms" and asked the original owner for an extra 100 yuan.

Note that this time it's "want," not "borrow." The original owner's sacrifices over the years have been taken for granted, so he's starting to take advantage of her even more.

The money was given by Shen Ying, who said he was not home during holidays and asked the original owner to buy something nice for the child. In the end, it all went into Lu Yi's pocket.

The scattered coins filled the entire sheet of paper. Jiang Yu did a quick mental calculation and found it totaled a thousand yuan. Keep in mind, a thousand yuan back then could buy a house; she was determined to get that money back.

Worried that Lu Yi might deny it, she specifically found a stack of receipts under the mattress and carefully checked them. Although some of the papers had yellowed with age, it was still possible to make out what was written on them.

These are the most compelling pieces of evidence, and Jiang Yu can't afford to be a sucker. Besides, if she gets the money back, she'll have enough to rent the clothing store after the New Year, right?

Jiang Yu thought about it for a while, then copied the list and neatly stuffed it under the mattress. The original list was put in her pocket.

At 8:30, as she was about to turn off the lights and go to bed, she heard Xiao Hei barking in the yard. Worried that it would disturb the child, Jiang Yu quickly went out to check.