As she spoke, she carried An'an towards the village. Along the way, they encountered several villagers who, seeing her soaking wet, gave her strange looks. Some whispered among themselves, "Didn't Lin Wanqiu fall into the river? How is she still alive?"
"She must be lucky to be alive, but with Old Mrs. Shen's temper, she'll probably get a beating when she gets back."
"The poor child is just suffering because of her."
Lin Wanqiu pretended not to hear the gossip and carried An'an quickly forward. She knew that now was not the time to worry about these things; the most important thing was to get home quickly, hide the supplies, and then cook a good meal for An'an.
Back home, I pushed open the door to the dilapidated mud-brick house, and a musty smell hit me. The room was empty, with only a broken wooden bed, a table with a missing leg, and a small stove. The pot was empty, without even a drop of rice water.
When Shen Nian'an saw the house, she involuntarily shrank back and whispered, "Mom, is Grandma still home?"
Lin Wanqiu's eyes turned cold. She had already made up her mind by the river: since Old Madam Shen and Zhang Lan dared to push her into the river, they shouldn't blame her for being impolite. But now that she had just been reborn, her body hadn't recovered, and An'an needed care, so it wasn't advisable to confront them head-on immediately.
"Don't be afraid, Grandma isn't home. Let's cook first," Lin Wanqiu comforted her. She put An'an on the bed, covered her with the old, thin quilt, and then walked to the stove. With a thought, she took out the bag of rice and a can of milk powder from her spatial storage.
She first boiled a pot of water, then scooped out half a bowl of rice, rinsed it clean, and put it into the pot to cook. Next, she scooped out a spoonful of milk powder, mixed it with warm water, blew on it to cool it down, and handed it to An'an: "An'an, drink this first to fill your tummy."
Shen Nian'an looked at the milky white liquid in his hand with curiosity in his eyes. He asked softly, "Mom, what is this? It tastes sweet."
"This is milk powder, it will help An'an grow tall and strong," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile. Watching An'an carefully take a sip, her eyes lit up instantly, and she drank it in small sips, quickly finishing the small bowl of milk powder.
Seeing her son's satisfied expression, Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart. She started preparing dinner again. In addition to white rice, she took out two potatoes and a tomato from her spatial storage, intending to make a potato and tomato stir-fry. She first peeled and shredded the potatoes, cut the tomato into chunks, and then put a little cooking oil in the pan—this oil was also taken from her spatial storage; it was pure peanut oil with a rich aroma.
After heating the oil, she first added the tomatoes and stir-fried them until they released their juices, then added the shredded potatoes and stir-fried them, seasoning with salt and a little soy sauce. Soon, an enticing aroma wafted from the kitchen. Chen Nian sat on the bed, her little nose twitching, her eyes fixed on the stove, and whispered, "Mom, it smells so good, is it for An'an?"
"Of course it's for An'an, and there's also some for Mom." Lin Wanqiu said with a smile, ladling out the stir-fried potatoes and tomatoes, and then bringing out the cooked white rice. The fluffy white rice, paired with the sweet and sour potatoes and tomatoes, made Shen Nian'an's mouth water.
Lin Wanqiu served An'an a small bowl of rice and a spoonful of vegetables, handing it to him: "An'an, eat slowly, don't choke."
Shen Nian'an picked up the small spoon and ate heartily, saying indistinctly, "Mom, it's delicious, so delicious! It's much better than the sweet potato porridge Grandma makes."
Lin Wanqiu felt both heartache and anger watching her son wolf down his food. The original owner of this body had done the hardest work and eaten the least amount of food in the Shen family; An'an had suffered from chronic malnutrition and never had a proper meal. She vowed never to let An'an suffer like that again.
Just then, Old Mrs. Shen's sharp and sarcastic voice came from outside the door: "You brat, you fell into the river and survived, and you still dare to slack off at home? Get out here and cook for me right now!"
Lin Wanqiu's eyes darkened. She put down her chopsticks and said coldly, "Coming." She gave An'an a wink, signaling him to continue eating, then got up, walked to the door, and opened it.
Old Mrs. Shen stood at the door with her hands on her hips, her face full of anger. When she saw Lin Wanqiu, she started cursing: "You jinx! If you hadn't killed my son, would our Shen family be so unlucky? I hope you'd drown in the river, so as not to waste food!"
Lin Wanqiu sneered. The original owner of this body used to be submissive, but the current her was no pushover. She crossed her arms, looked at Old Madam Shen, and said slowly, "Mother, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Tingzhou was a hero who sacrificed himself for the country, not someone I cursed to death. You know who pushed me into the river. Also, I'm cooking for An'an right now, so I don't have time to serve you. If you're hungry, go cook for yourself."
Old Mrs. Shen was stunned that Lin Wanqiu dared to talk back to her. She was taken aback for a moment, then became even angrier: "You little bitch, you think you're all grown up now? You dare to talk back to me? Let me tell you, I'm still the one who calls the shots in this house. You have to cook for me, and you also have to take out the dowry left by your mother to help your older brother get married!"
“My dowry is my private property, why should it be given to my elder brother?” Lin Wanqiu retorted. “Besides, I am also the mistress of this house. I can cook for myself and An’an, so you don’t need to bother. If you have nothing else to do, please leave and don’t disturb our meal.”
"You...you've gone too far!" Old Mrs. Shen trembled with rage, reaching out to strike Lin Wanqiu. Lin Wanqiu, anticipating this, grabbed her wrist and twisted it sharply. Old Mrs. Shen screamed in pain, "Ouch! You little bitch, you dare hit me? I'll fight you to the death!"
"Mom, stop it." Lin Wanqiu tightened her grip, and Old Lady Shen's face turned pale with pain. "I'm warning you, don't bully me and An'an again, or I'll report you to the village secretary and let the whole village know how you abuse widows and orphans!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com