In the warm spring of March, the temperature begins to rise slowly. This time of year should be sunny and warm with flowers in bloom, but last night it snowed lightly.
The newly sprouted branches of the osmanthus tree in the Cheng family's courtyard, the wild grass that had just sprouted by the corner of the wall, and the cracks in the eaves were all lightly covered with a layer of white frost. As soon as the sun came out, it melted into water in an instant, nourishing things silently.
This was supposed to be a beautiful scene, but unfortunately, Cheng Ruyi, who was standing in the kitchen preparing breakfast, was not in the mood to appreciate it.
"Even though I've been very frugal, I'm spending money faster than I expected..."
It has been a month since the city was locked down. There are elderly people, children, breastfeeding mothers and babies in the family. No matter how much Cheng Ruyi tries to save money, she still can't help but want to supplement everyone's basic nutrition. So she eats some meat every few days. In addition, the previous full moon banquet has caused the meat stored at home to be consumed very quickly. There is only one cured fish and half a cured pork left.
Thanks to bean sprouts, we not only replenished our vegetable stock but also exchanged ingredients with others. The consumption of staple foods and vegetables is within a controllable range. Based on the current daily consumption, we estimate that we can eat staple foods for about half a month, but there is no meat!
Cheng Ruyi walked with heavy steps toward her only hope—the chicken coop.
Thanks to Ruyi's continuous and secret feeding of the two hens over the past month, they have been able to lay at least three eggs a day, with occasional surprises.
Just like today, Cheng Ruyi looked at the four eggs in her hand with a sense of relief!
In fact, according to modern nutrition science, not to mention now, even before the lockdown, the Cheng family's daily nutritional intake was definitely insufficient. Fortunately, at least they had eggs, which continuously provided the family with basic nutrition.
The key point is that they also have a cheat code. Under the combined effects of the Bigu Pill and the Meridian Nourishing Pill, everyone in the Cheng family looks very energetic and hasn't lost any noticeable weight. Ruyi even feels that her body is getting better and better. There's no way around it; things in the cultivation world are just that unscientific.
In recent days, although Ruyi has only encountered a few people sporadically when exchanging food and fetching water, these are all acquaintances and old neighbors. Ruyi still remembers what they used to look like. However, every few days when she sees them again, she can clearly feel that they are getting thinner and thinner. If the lockdown continues, everyone's food will become less and less, and she doesn't know how life will become.
"Ugh, the evil war! I hate fighting the most! Why don't they use all that energy to farm, reclaim wasteland, and build infrastructure?" Cheng Ruyi couldn't help but complain in her heart for the umpteenth time.
Suddenly, there were several urgent knocks on the door. Who could be coming so early in the morning?
"Little Ruru! It's me, open the door quickly~~"
Upon hearing this voice, Cheng Ruyi shuddered! This cloyingly sweet voice instantly triggered memories she hadn't had time to process. In the original owner's memories, there was only one person with this kind of modern-day "baby voice" who also liked to use reduplicated words randomly, and that was her best friend: Yang Liuer!
Yang Liuer was the same age as the original owner of this body. Her family owned a pork shop in the East Market, so the Yang family was better off than the Cheng family. At least they could eat meat every day. However, Yang Liuer lived up to her name, being as thin as a willow branch, which was a waste of all the pork her family had eaten over the years.
Two girls, both pampered by their families, met by chance. Perhaps they shared similar interests or hit it off immediately, but from then on they often played together. As they grew up, they enjoyed shopping together and even stood up for each other.
Finally, she and Sun Wenhui, a good friend of the original owner's husband, formed a bickering couple, turning their relationship into a four-person affair. The relationship between the two families also became closer, and after the original owner's husband passed away, the two of them often took care of the Cheng family.
Upon opening the door, a sweet-looking face came into view. With those bright, sparkling eyes and her signature dimples, who else could it be but Yang Liuer?
As soon as she saw who it was, she rushed over with her big pregnant belly, trying to hug Cheng Ruyi. The handsome and refined middle-aged scholar behind her was startled, "Liu'er! Be careful!"
Cheng Ruyi was also startled, but luckily she reacted quickly and stopped her enthusiastic best friend. After all, the belly looked quite big, and it would be troublesome if something happened at this time.
After the two entered, Ruyi closed the door behind her and led them to the main room. While pouring water for Yang Liuer, she asked, "Why did you suddenly come over at this time? It's so early in the morning."
With the original owner's memories and her best friend's generous and affectionate attitude, Cheng Ruyi felt no awkwardness in front of strangers and felt as if she were chatting with an old friend.
Yang Liuer took the cup and drank it all in one gulp. Then her eyes lit up, and she turned to Sun Wensui, saying, "This tea is so delicious! Wensui, you should try it!"
So she took the teapot from Cheng Ruyi's hand and very naturally poured another cup and handed it to her husband.
Sun Wensui carefully took the teacup his wife handed him, took a small sip, and then looked at Yang Liuer with a smile, replying, "It has a sweet aftertaste and leaves a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth; it is indeed delicious."
Cheng Ruyi witnessed the whole thing... Did her best friend come over early in the morning just to feed her dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection)?
"Ahem, drink more if you like, it's just ordinary tea, hehe."
Upon hearing this, Yang Liuer suddenly stood up, grabbed Cheng Ruyi, and spun her around a few times: "Little Ruyi! I heard you bumped into someone and were unconscious? Are you alright now?"
"Ah? Oh, it's all done..."
"At that time, I also had some problems and could only lie in bed. This person also stopped me from coming out to see you. Sigh~~ The previous two pregnancies were very stable. I was lively and energetic every day and gave birth smoothly. But this time, I have been constantly sick, both big and small. I even have to be careful when walking. Do you think it's because I'm getting older? Or is it because this baby is a girl and she's especially delicate?"
Cheng Ruyi got up early in the morning and hadn't even had breakfast yet when she was suddenly pulled around in circles. She was a little dazed, and Yang Liuer's speech was a bit disjointed, so she didn't know how to respond for a moment.
Fortunately, Cheng Yan and Xu Cui arrived at this moment, and everyone was busy greeting each other, bringing the topic back on track after Yang Liuer had led them astray.
"Liu'er, please sit down first, let's talk slowly." After greeting everyone, Sun Wenhui helped his lively wife to sit down before explaining to everyone, "A few days ago, Liu'er accidentally fell at home. After she recovered, the city was suddenly locked down. With so many people in the family and so many things to take care of, I was unable to visit her in time. Please forgive me!"
The Sun family can be described as a family of scholars. Sun Wenhui's father, Sun Shao, was one of the few successful candidates in the imperial examinations in Huaishan County. He not only excelled in his studies but also ran a bookstore, earning him considerable prestige among scholars. Later, as he grew older, he gradually gave up on continuing his studies and turned to educating his two sons. Unexpectedly, he took in many more students, so he simply opened an academy and settled down at home to teach and nurture students.
Sun Wenkang, the eldest son of the Sun family, barely passed the county-level imperial examination after his younger brother passed the county-level examination. Realizing that he was not cut out for studying, he took over the family business and focused on running the bookstore.
In his earlier years, he seemed quite honest and serious, but after his wife, Madam Tan, gave birth to three daughters in a row, he began to change. He often frequented brothels and stayed out all night. There were even rumors that he was keeping a mistress. Madam Tan was both angry and resentful, but felt she had no right to stop him, so she could only take it out on her daughters. Recently, she has even turned her attention to Yang Liuer, and she makes sarcastic remarks about her whenever she has the chance.
Unlike his brother, Sun Wensui became famous at a young age. He attended the same academy as Cheng Ruyi's husband, Shen Yun, and passed the imperial examination at a young age, showing great promise. His wife, Yang Liuer, has given birth to two sons for him and is currently pregnant with their third child.
Even if the two brothers were unintentional, they were inevitably compared by others, so the Sun family had many members and therefore many troubles.
After hearing this, everyone understood without saying a word. It was nothing more than the eldest brother and sister-in-law causing trouble again. The Sun family lived only a few streets away. As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. They had all heard about these things.
"You're so kind, we're all so familiar with each other, there's no need for so much formality!" Although Cheng Yan was touched, he couldn't help but scold her: "It's so chaotic outside right now, why didn't you wait until it's safe to come and visit? Especially since your wife is pregnant, you can't just indulge her and let her do whatever she wants!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Liu'er immediately objected: "Uncle Cheng! What have I done wrong? You're making me sad. All my hard work in bringing you meat from so far away has been for nothing!" With that, she picked up the basket at Sun Wensui's feet and made as if to leave.
Cheng Ruyi instantly understood their intentions. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over, grabbed Yang Liuer, and coaxed her softly, "Liuer, you've misunderstood your father. He's just worried about you!" Then she took the basket from Yang Liuer's hand and placed it on the table, afraid that Yang Liuer would really leave like that.
Just kidding, what the Cheng family lacks most right now is meat! Ruyi was just lamenting in the kitchen that there was no meat, and now her best friend has come to bring some. How could we let her just leave like that!
Xu Cui understood and quickly poured another cup of tea for Yang Liuer. "Liuer, don't be angry. Your health is important. Sit down and have some tea to calm down."
Ruyi secretly gave Xu Cui a thumbs up in her heart, Sun Wenhui also lowered her head and chuckled, only Cheng Yan was still confused.
Yang Liuer was very satisfied after drinking the tea and said happily, "Oh, I have to say, Ruyi, what kind of tea is this? It's really delicious, and most importantly, my stomach feels much better after drinking it."
"It's just ordinary tea. If you like, I'll brew a pot for you to take back later!" Cheng Ruyi knew what Yang Liuer meant when she heard her say that. Yang Liuer had fallen and had been bedridden for so long, so her body must not have fully recovered yet, which might have made the fetus in her womb weak. This tea contained Runmaidan water, which could nourish the meridians and strengthen the body. If the mother was healthy, the baby in her womb would naturally be more comfortable.
Thinking that Yang Liuer was clearly not feeling well, but had just recovered from her illness, she still came to visit the original owner despite the city lockdown, Ruyi felt that the original owner's best friend was worth befriending!
"Hmph, that's more like it. All my efforts weren't in vain!" After saying this, Yang Liuer, under the expectant gazes of Cheng Ruyi and Xu Cui, lifted the package in the basket. "This pork is for you~~"
You won't believe it until you see it!
The package contained two fresh pork belly pieces, each weighing at least five or six pounds, along with several large pork bones and some offal.
My best friend isn't offering help in a time of need, she's offering pork in a time of need!
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