Chapter Three [Beauty Value]
Having completed her water-fetching task, Li Yan should have received favorability points by now. However, she stood in front of Aunt Xue for quite some time without hearing the mechanical voice in her mind.
Li Yan was confused.
But without thinking too much about it, after receiving Aunt Xue's permission, Li Yan turned around and went into the kitchen.
Seeing this, Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er immediately ran out of the main room as well. But instead of going into the kitchen, they peeked through the window.
In the kitchen, Li Yan took a bowl and scooped out the required amount of flour. She added water and stirred it a few times, then added water again and stirred it again, until the flour and water were mixed into a paste. Then she covered it with a gauze and set it aside.
After that, I went to the bucket to scoop out the fish.
They caught four crucian carp in total. Actually, the crucian carp were quite small; one for each of the four family members would be just enough. However, considering the Xue family's current situation, Li Yan hesitated for a moment and ultimately only caught two.
The two fish were simmered into a rich soup, enough for four people to share. As for the fish, it was naturally for the two underage children in the family.
She glanced around and saw that the rice jar was empty and there wasn't much flour left. She decided to save two fish, at least so that tomorrow's meals wouldn't be too bad.
I'll go back to the river tomorrow to try and catch some. If I do, that would be great. If not, I'll just kill the remaining two and eat them.
Li Yan's cooking account on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform) is entirely run by herself, without a team. Therefore, all the tempting dishes are made by her own hands, including all the prep work.
Killing fish is a piece of cake for her.
Li Yan was very skilled at cleaning fish. She quickly cleaned the fish, removed the internal organs, and then rinsed it with water.
There were scallions in the vegetable garden, so Li Yan picked a few.
Fortunately, there was still a small piece of ginger in the cupboard, so Li Yan chopped some, along with some cleaned scallions, into slices and sections.
After completing these preparations, Li Yan went to check under the stove and saw that there wasn't much firewood left, so she went to the corner of the yard outside to fetch some more.
Then start a fire and heat the pot.
The kitchen was only so big, and after searching it all, she couldn't find any rapeseed oil. But there was half a bowl of rendered lard in the cupboard, so Li Yan took it out, scooped some out with a spatula, and put it into the hot pan to render.
The pan was already sizzling hot, and the oil sizzled as soon as it hit the pan.
While the oil was still hot, Li Yan put the two drained fish into the pot. After frying the two crucian carp until they were golden brown on both sides, she mashed the fish slightly, breaking them into small pieces. Then she added scallion segments and ginger slices to the pot. Just then, the water in the soup pot in the middle of the stove also boiled. She ladled it out and poured it into the fish, continuing to cook it over high heat.
After simmering over high heat for about ten minutes, Li Yan lifted the lid and saw that the fish soup in the pot had turned into a thick, milky white color.
At this moment, Li Yan brought over the batter that had been mixed into a paste. After scooping out the fish, she used chopsticks to carefully scoop the batter into the pot.
After simmering for a while, I turned off the fire in the stove.
After finishing my work, the sun had already set and the sky was gradually darkening.
It was very hot in the kitchen, and Li Yan was already covered in sweat.
In the blink of an eye, Li Yan saw that Erwa had slipped under the window and into the stove. She said, "Give each of you a bowl of crucian carp noodle soup and take it to the main room. But the soup is very hot when it comes out of the pot, so be careful when you carry it."
As soon as Li Yan finished serving a bowl, Xu Ge'er grabbed it and ran off in a flash.
They quickly returned to continue serving.
He carried four bowls by himself in this manner.
Finally, Li Yan took the two remaining fish, which were on a plate, directly to the main room.
The crucian carp was so delicious that even before tasting it, just smelling its aroma made Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er's mouths water uncontrollably.
It's too hot to eat yet, so I can only wait.
Xu Ge couldn't wait any longer, so he ran into the house and grabbed a large palm-leaf fan to fan himself.
Once the dumpling soup had cooled down and was ready to eat, Xu Ge'er wolfed it down, finishing the entire bowl of dumplings and soup in no time.
Only after finishing the meal did I belatedly lick my lips, savoring the savory flavor that stimulated my taste buds, and I was still quite unsatisfied.
The taste was naturally very delicious, even more delicious than he had imagined. It was just a pity that he ate such a delicacy too quickly and did not have time to savor it.
"I'll give you this bowl too." Seeing her grandson looking so greedy, Aunt Xue couldn't bear it and pushed her bowl toward him.
Li Yan stopped her, saying, "If you give it to him, you won't have anything to eat. Besides, it's not good to eat too much at night; it can cause indigestion."
Xu Ge'er would never eat food that belonged to his grandmother, and immediately pushed the bowl back: "I'm full, Grandma eats."
"There are two more fish here, one for Xu-ge and one for Yue-jie," Li Yan said, placing the two fish into their bowls.
Xu Ge'er didn't think he could eat the fish himself, because he didn't catch it; his aunt caught it.
He stared blankly for a moment, then shook his head, saying, "I'm really full."
Li Yan said, "I specially cooked this fish for you and Yue'er. It's such a small fish, it won't fill you up. You can eat some more after you're full."
Xu Ge'er looked at his grandmother, and when she nodded at him, he buried his head in his food.
"Eat slowly, crucian carp has many small bones, be careful not to choke on them," Li Yan advised.
Xu Ge'er listened to her and ate slowly and seriously.
Just then, a sudden "ding" sound rang out, and that familiar mechanical voice rang out once again.
[Congratulations, host! Mission complete. Target's favorability increased by 10.]
Hearing the pleasant mechanical sound, Li Yan was in a great mood, and she even ate the ordinary bowl of dumpling soup with relish.
Before Li Yan could even start eating, Aunt Xue instructed her grandson, "You and your sister go wash the dishes."
Xu Ge'er ate heartily and was very happy. He worked hard without any hesitation. After collecting the bowls and chopsticks, he hugged them to his arms and immediately left the main room.
Yue'er followed closely behind her brother, keeping him company.
"Thank you for today." After Li Yan and Aunt Xue were left alone in the main room, Aunt Xue sincerely expressed her gratitude.
Although Li Yan was tired today, she gained a lot, so she was in a good mood.
Li Yan: "Regardless of whether the family's misfortunes were truly caused by me, they did happen after I entered the family, and I cannot shirk my responsibility. I know that Mother is in a difficult situation right now, and Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er are at the age of growing up, so they can't go hungry. Therefore, if Mother is willing, please let me stay. At least I can help with the chores and earn some money."
At this moment, although Aunt Xue still had some hesitation in her heart, her opposition was not so obvious.
Li Yan wasn't in a hurry for an answer. Seeing her hesitation, she decided to give her plenty of time to think.
"I'm a little tired, I'm going back to my room to rest." He said, yawning.
Just then, the mechanical voice sounded again: [Newbie Quest 3: Go to the Li family to retrieve two taels of silver as betrothal money, target's favorability +10]
Li Yan had been considering for a long time, hesitating whether to go back to the Li family to beg for money. The truth was, the Xue family was so poor they couldn't even afford to eat.
The flour at home, plus those two crucian carp, will last for at most one or two more meals.
After all, the Li family was the original owner's maternal family. If she was having a hard time at her husband's family, it wasn't unreasonable for her to go back and get some money to tide her over.
But remembering that the original owner was unwilling when this thought first arose, she didn't think much of it.
Unexpectedly, the system assigned her this task, which can be considered a coincidence.
"Oh, right, Mother, I'm going back to my parents' home tomorrow. I've been married for a few days now, and I haven't returned home yet."
Aunt Xue had no objection: "Go ahead." She didn't say she couldn't go back to her parents' home, nor did she say she shouldn't come back after she went. Aunt Xue no longer forcefully interfered with her decision to stay or leave.
.
Perhaps she was exhausted from the physical labor she had done that day, or perhaps her body hadn't fully recovered and was still very weak. In any case, as soon as she got back to her room, Li Yan immediately fell into a deep sleep.
Li Yan lives alone in one room, while Aunt Xue lives in another room with her two grandchildren.
After a good night's sleep, I woke up the next morning just as the first hint of dawn was breaking in the east.
Li Yan lingered in bed for a while, and just as she was about to get up, she heard the wooden door creak open.
Aunt Xue brought in a bowl: "Have some breakfast before you go."
Li Yan looked down and saw that it was a bowl of white rice porridge.
"Mom, there's only a little rice left in the rice jar, did you use it all to make porridge?"
Aunt Xue didn't say anything.
Li Yan thought for a moment, then decided not to eat the porridge: "Give it to Xu-ge'er and Yue-jie'er; they're growing up. I'm going back to my parents' home today; surely I can have a hot meal?"
Aunt Xue was also reluctant to part with the rice and the thick porridge. But thinking that she hadn't had a decent meal at home either, she felt a little guilty.
"Eat up. It may not be as good as the food at your mother's house, but consider it a farewell meal from your mother."
Li Yan: "What's there to say goodbye to? It's not like I'm going and never coming back." She laughed, "I'm just going back to my parents' home to visit, and maybe ask for some money back. I'll definitely be home before dark at the latest."
Aunt Xue is still conflicted; she wants her to leave, but she also wants her to stay.
She had initially assumed that the woman was leaving, and felt a sense of reluctance and regret. However, upon hearing her tone, it seemed that she wasn't leaving and wouldn't be returning, which made Aunt Xue's heart pound with unease.
But after spending time together yesterday, he couldn't bring himself to tell her to leave.
Aunt Xue had to admit that the child's personality had changed drastically after he jumped into the river and nearly died. He was no longer the silent and clumsy boy he used to be; instead, he had become quite endearing, and it was much easier and more pleasant to be around him.
Yesterday she was so close to Xu Ge'er, and he seemed perfectly fine. The night passed, and nothing happened.
Perhaps... Erlang's death and the theft at home really had nothing to do with her.
While Aunt Xue was lost in thought, Li Yan had already leaped out the door and rushed out.
Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er stood side by side in the courtyard, staring blankly at her.
"Listen to Grandma at home, and I'll buy you meat when I come back." Li Yan was full of confidence, so she made that promise beforehand.
Upon hearing the word "meat," Erwa's eyes lit up in unison, and they both subconsciously swallowed. Yuejie, being younger, didn't have the same self-control as Xuge, and drool was already dripping from the corners of her mouth down to her chin.
Seeing the adorable child's greedy look, Li Yan secretly vowed that she must gain something from this trip!
There is only one main road leading from Xingshan Village to Qingshan Town. After arriving in the town, following the original owner's memories, Li Yan quickly found the front of the Li family's house.
The Li family was considered a wealthy household in Qingshan Town. Their grand brick house, with its white walls and black tiles, was very impressive.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the "Li Residence," Li Yan could still feel a resistance within her body. However, it was much better than yesterday.
Li Yan knew that the original owner of this body probably didn't get along well with her biological father and stepmother, so she was very resistant to being with them.
If these two had cared about her even a little bit, they wouldn't have acted like this.
In the book "My Lucky Charm Wife," the descriptions of Li Shangping and his wife, who are the protagonist's biological mother and stepfather, are naturally quite extensive. Of course, when they were with Li Jiaojiao, both the mother and stepfather were good mothers and fathers.
The book always depicts warm and joyful scenes of family members getting along.
Looking back at Li Yan, the unlucky character in the book, it seems that every time she is mentioned, she is said to have a strange temper and not get along with others. After marrying into the Xue family, she also did not get along well with her mother-in-law.
The two sisters were about the same age and initially looked and acted similarly when they first moved in together. However, gradually, the female lead's life improved in every way, while her stepsister, Li Yan's life deteriorated.
After they got married, their lives became completely different.
Li Yan is not the original owner of this body and has no feelings for anyone in this house. She has come here to ask for money.
With a clear objective, there is no psychological burden.
Li Yan stepped forward and knocked on the door. The person who opened the door was taken aback when they saw her. They didn't let her in immediately, but instead called her "Second Miss" and said, "I'll go and ask the Master."
Li Yan instantly flew into a rage, quickly leaning half her body into the doorway and shouting, "Who are these people? Their own daughter comes to visit, and they're stopped at the door and not allowed to come in. But other people's daughters are treated like precious jewels. Sure enough, the old saying is true. Once you have a stepmother, you'll have a stepfather. Why is my life so miserable?"
Because it was a town, the neighbors lived close together. Li Yan's shouting immediately attracted the attention of the neighbors on both sides.
The neighbors all poked their heads out of their doors, pointing and whispering in this direction.
Li Yan didn't care; she didn't care about her reputation, all she wanted was money.
"My poor mother, she left us too soon. If she were still here, I would never live like this."
[Ding~ Congratulations, host! A new task has been automatically activated, starting the "Don't Be Angry" mode. Completing the task will earn you beauty points.]
A note from the author:
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See you tomorrow~
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