Chapter 6
The kitchen at home is said to be a place for cooking, but it actually also provides a place for the whole family to eat.
The house is not big. On the far left is the dining table and chairs, and opposite is the pot, stove, rice jar and other items. In the middle are several large wooden boxes to store some sundries. As for the firewood used for cooking, they are all piled at the door.
It’s a small room, but it’s packed with things.
Just by standing in the room, he could see everything inside at a glance. Lu Shang had no intention of going deeper, so he asked someone to put him next to the table.
Lu Xian's wife, Ma, asked, "Are you hungry, brother? We always eat early, and I didn't know you'd wake up, so I didn't save any for you. What would you like to eat? I'll go prepare it right away."
Lu Shang is not picky: "Just make whatever you want, as simple as possible, a little lighter."
Ma agreed readily.
The kitchen is too small, and with so many people coming in at once, it's really crowded and hot.
As soon as the fire in the stove was lit, the room became even more stuffy and suffocating.
Seeing that Lu Shang's breathing became heavier, Lu Laoer was afraid that he could not hold on, so he hurriedly called out to everyone who was fine to leave, leaving only him and Lu Xian and his wife.
He asked nervously, "Shang'er, are you okay? How about I take you back?"
Lu Shang said, "No need, it won't take a moment." When the crowd dispersed, he realized that Jiang Wanning did not follow him.
"Where's Aning?" He felt a little uncomfortable at first with such a friendly address, but after calling it a few times, Lu Shang got used to it.
But just because he is used to it doesn't mean that others can get used to it too. Even Lu Laoer, who has rarely dealt with Jiang Wanning, feels uncomfortable.
He rubbed his dark, skinny hands: "Maybe she's still outside. I'll call her in for you."
As he was speaking, Jiang Wanning walked in slowly. It was unclear whether she had just arrived or had been waiting outside for a while.
Lu Shang didn't dwell on these small details and raised his hand to greet him: "Come and sit down."
Jiang Wanning shook her head and said, "I'll go help with cooking." After that, she dodged and walked around, lowered her head and walked to Ma's side, rolled up her sleeves, and began to wash the vegetables very skillfully.
The Lu family had no habit of men cooking, so Lu Lao Er and Lu Xian stayed with Lu Shang. But it was obvious that neither half-brothers nor biological father were close to Lu Shang, and it was difficult to find topics to talk about when they sat together like this.
Finally, it was Lu Shang who spoke up to inquire: "I heard from Aning that the corn was just planted this year. Are the seedlings thriving?"
It is now the end of July, and the previous period was the latest time for planting autumn corn.
According to Jiang Wanning, the Lu family has a total of 26 acres of land, which is just within the range of exemption from land tax. Every year, the family grows wheat and corn, and the two crops are planted in rotation. After the wheat is harvested, the corn seeds are planted immediately.
Part of the wheat and corn harvested in a year is kept as food, and more is sold to the grain store in town, which becomes the main source of income for the family.
Jiang Wanning came to the Lu family late and did not catch up with this year's rice planting. The wheat matured a few days ago, and Lu Shang was seriously ill, so she stayed at home to take care of the patient, do laundry and cook, and was unable to go to the fields to take a look.
Due to the short time, Lu Shang only learned about the situation of the Lu family. Based on the harvest situation, he could barely guess that it was located in the north. As for the dynasties in the past, he had no basis for judgment.
He originally wanted to guess the dynasty based on the germination rate, but Lu Lao Er waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about that. Just study hard and try to pass the imperial examination!"
Lu Xian agreed: "Yes, brother, you don't have to worry about this. Our family is rich and can support your studies."
"..." Lu Shang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, "That's not what I meant, I——"
"It's time to eat." Ma came over with the food and interrupted Lu Shang's questioning.
“…”Okay.
Lu Shang thought about the purpose of his efforts, sighed, and gave up exploring.
Although Lu Xian said that his family was rich, that was only enough to have enough to eat. The so-called money for Lu Shang's studies was all saved bit by bit.
Therefore, we cannot expect the food on the table to be luxurious.
Just like now, the only boiled egg was given because Lu Shang had just recovered from a serious illness.
All that was left was a plate of stir-fried pork with chili peppers. Only after searching the entire plate could two pieces of minced meat be found. Even so, there was only a shallow plate of stir-fried pork with chili peppers, and it looked like the portion was only enough for Lu Shang alone.
Everyone else in the family had already eaten. As for Jiang Wanning, who came with them, she had been at home for two or three months, and no one treated her as a family member, let alone having her sit at the table for a meal.
Steamed buns, stir-fried dishes, and boiled eggs were all placed in front of Lu Shang. He opened his mouth to call Jiang Wanning over, but when he looked up, he saw that she was still cleaning the stove.
Thinking of other people's attitude towards her, Lu Shang suddenly stopped the greeting that was on his lips.
He changed the subject and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law. It's getting late. You should go and rest. I'll eat slowly and come back to you after I'm done."
Lu Laoer and his son were worried about how to get along with him, and they felt relieved when they heard this.
"Okay, we'll leave first. Let your wife take care of this place. Call us when you want to go back to your room later."
Lu Shang nodded and watched them leave.
It was not until there was no one else in the kitchen that Lu Shang turned his attention back to Jiang Wanning.
I don’t know if she did it on purpose or for what, but she hasn’t even glanced at Lu Shang since she came in. Even now, she is still busy packing up with her head down, and has no intention of coming over.
Lu Shang called out, "Aning."
Jiang Wanning paused in wiping, but did not look back.
Lu Shang called again: "Come and eat."
This time, Jiang Wanning finally responded.
But she still packed up the last bit and rummaged through the cupboard next to her for a long time before finally finding half a dry and hard bran bun.
Seeing Jiang Wanning coming over, Lu Shang breathed a sigh of relief before he saw what she was holding in her hand: "What is this?"
"Steamed buns." Jiang Wanning said.
Many years ago, Lu Shang had suffered a lot. During the most difficult period of his life, it was common for him to compete with dogs for food on the street. Although wheat and bran buns were not good, it was good enough to have something to eat in the poor ancient families.
What puzzled Lu Shang was that he pointed to the white flour buns on the table and said, "Isn't this here?"
Jiang Wanning lowered her head: "That's yours."
Lu Shang was not surprised to hear this answer: "Have you forgotten what I said in the courtyard just now?"
Jiang Wanning froze again after saying this. She suppressed the trembling in her voice and said, "No, no need. I'll just eat this."
But the next moment, Lu Shang leaned over and snatched the wheat-wheat bun from her hand, and stuffed the white flour bun into her hand.
At a certain moment, Jiang Wanning had difficulty breathing. She tightly grasped the steamed bun in her hand and did not dare to look up at Lu Shang's expression.
Lu Shang suddenly asked: "What are you afraid of?"
Opposite him, Jiang Wanning suddenly looked up.
Only then did Lu Shang realize that the little girl's eyes had turned red at some point. She bit her lower lip tightly, and her face was full of fear.
Lu Shang finally confirmed that his perception was correct and Jiang Wanning was just afraid.
If Jiang Wanning's reaction when he asked her to go to bed before could be regarded as a child throwing a tantrum, he should have realized that something was wrong by now.
When their eyes met, Jiang Wanning's body trembled and tears streamed down her face.
Lu Shang is not a patient person. He has only known her for a day or two. If it were before, he would not pay any attention to her even if she cried or died.
But whenever he thought about the little girl in front of him who had married the original body at such a young age, was not welcomed at home, and had suffered countless grievances, he couldn't help but feel some sympathy.
Since he inherited this body, he should take better care of it.
Lu Shang thought.
He put down the dry steamed bun and asked softly, "Aning, what are you afraid of?"
"You were scared in the house just now, right? What about now? Tell me about it."
Jiang Wanning didn't believe him at all, but she hadn't been treated so gently for a long time. Even though she knew there might be a trap ahead, she couldn't help but step into it.
She closed her eyes: "Lu Shang, what do you want to do this time?"
"Wasn't the humiliation from last time enough?"
Lu Shang's face turned pale, and he finally realized what he had overlooked.
Judging from Jiang Wanning's expression, the topic should no longer be continued. However, thinking that there was still a long time to go, Lu Shang couldn't always pay attention to her, so he steeled his heart and asked, "What happened last time?"
"Last time you asked me to get into bed, you told everyone that I was the one who sneaked up on you in the middle of the night. I did it on purpose, hoping to use you as my son to get ahead."
Even if they are already married, these words are a great humiliation for any girl.
Lu Shang finally understood that his previous self-righteous gestures of goodwill sounded like bombs that could explode at any time to Jiang Wanning.
He couldn't help but hold his forehead with his hand. He wanted to say something, but when he met Jiang Wanning's desperate eyes, he felt for the first time the powerlessness of words.
After a while, he took action.
He peeled the only egg on the table, put it back in the bowl, and slowly pushed it to Jiang Wanning.
Facing Jiang Wanning's puzzled gaze, he said, "Aning, let's make peace."
Maybe he couldn't treat a teenage girl as a real person, but he could still raise her as a younger sister.
Lu Shang wanted to propose a divorce, but he didn't know what Jiang Wanning was thinking, nor did he know how heavy the constraints on women were in this era. The best thing he could do right now was to maintain the status quo.
In the end, Jiang Wanning didn't say whether it was good or bad, but under Lu Shang's coaxing, she ate half an egg fearfully.
Lu Shang had a normal appetite and could not eat any more after just two bites. He fed the remaining steamed buns and stir-fried dishes to Jiang Wanning.
As for the bran and wheat buns she had found at the beginning, they had been thrown into a corner and no one was interested in them.
The food may not be considered good, but for Jiang Wanning, it was the best meal she had had in the past six months.
Not long after the meal, Lu Shang was sent back to his room. After such a long time, it was already completely dark. Every household in the village turned off the lights and prepared to go to sleep.
Lu Shang lit the candles again in the room, and the next question they faced was -
How to sleep two people in one bed.
Two people who have never slept together since they got married.
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