Chapter 92 Brother Xiao, please take me with you!
Dinner at home was simple. Mrs. Chen made pancakes with coarse flour and eggs, and each person had a bowl of egg drop soup and a small dish of spicy and sour pickled vegetables.
Chen Xiaohua ate her fill. Eggs were her favorite food, but egg pancakes weren't something she could eat often in the village.
"Xiaohua helped me all day today. Tomorrow I'll go to the market and buy some meat so we can make braised pork."
We still have cured pork at home. It tastes okay when stir-fried, but it's too tough to make braised pork, which would be a waste.
"Aunt, I don't eat braised pork. I just had meat yesterday. How can I eat it every day?"
Chen Xiaohua shook her head repeatedly. Meat was too expensive. Her aunt's family lived in town, and firewood cost two coins a day or even more. Their house had collapsed and needed to be renovated, so they had to be frugal.
"You little girl, you've already learned to be thrifty."
Mrs. Chen smiled and served Chen Xiaohua another bowl of soup. Bringing her niece to town was also to help her escape the gossip of the villagers. Xiaohua's marriage had fallen through, and she didn't know how many people were talking behind her back; it was unavoidable.
"What's so great about braised pork? It's not as good as mutton hot pot."
Lin Yuesha took a sip of egg drop soup, thinking about the nourishing hot pot. The mutton slices were thinly cut, blanched in the pot, and then placed in a bowl of special sesame sauce. There was no gamey smell at all; instead, it had a tender and fragrant aroma.
Beef is hard to find in the North, but lamb is plentiful.
"Is this another new way of cooking that you learned at the Jiang family's house?"
Mrs. Chen believed that her daughter's ability to cook food was due to the worldly experience she gained at the Jiang family's house.
Those families lacked food and clothing, and even if they wanted to cook something, they didn't have the money to buy ingredients.
"yes."
Lin Yuesha had inquired and learned that the pot the Jiang family ate was made by boiling lamb bones to make soup, then adding meat, stewing it until cooked, and then serving it. It was different from the lamb hot pot she was talking about.
In winter, the whole family gathers around a piping hot pot to eat, adding some vegetables like cabbage, radish, and potatoes, which is better than stewed food.
"By the way, little girl, I heard there was a strange incident at the Jiang residence today..."
Chen didn't like to pry into other people's privacy, but the town was small, and she would hear people talking about it every time she went out.
"Yes, there was a woman kneeling in front of the door with a child, insisting that she was Master Jiang's mistress and that the child was also Master Jiang's son."
Lin Yuesha told the truth that Madam Xu was so angry that she fell ill, and Jiang Baozhu was overwhelmed with worry. As an outsider, she could only make things worse and couldn't help. "Sister Baozhu told me that I'm just waiting for her news at home."
"Master Jiang is a kind and generous man; he doesn't seem like that kind of person."
When Chen heard the rumors, she thought she had misheard, but she was not surprised that such a thing had happened.
In the village, some families had no sons, so they had to find a way to adopt one. Those who were well-off would divorce their wives and remarry. If they hadn't been childless, Chen Dahua wouldn't have been harmed.
Chen fell silent, her spirits low. From Xu's perspective, having accompanied Master Jiang on his escape from the south to the north, sharing both joys and sorrows, only to be kept in the dark, waiting for his mistress to come knocking with her son—anyone would find that unbearable. The blow came too suddenly, leaving her completely unprepared.
Lin Yuesha wanted to say a few words of comfort to her mother, who was soft-hearted, when she heard a sound coming from outside the courtyard.
Dinner was late at home, and it was already pitch black.
"Brother Xiao, are you home?"
Outside the door, Xuan Yao called out, her voice trembling with tears. Her voice wasn't loud, but Lin Yuesha heard it.
Who's here?
Chen stood up, picked up a lantern, and prepared to go out to investigate.
"Mother, let me go."
Xiao Qi took the lantern, and Lin Yuesha immediately put down her bowl and chopsticks and followed him out.
People can't resist talking about it. Just like the devil appears when you speak of him. Xuan Yao, carrying a small bundle, stood beside the woodpile, looking somewhat timid.
"Miss Xuan?"
As Xiao Qi approached, he finally saw Xuan Yao's face clearly. Xuan Yao was crying with tears streaming down her face, looking as if she was about to die, and her face was even paler.
"Brother Xiao, please take me with you!"
Upon seeing Xiao Qi, Xuan Yao immediately rushed forward to grab his arm, but Lin Yuesha prevented her from doing so, stepping forward to block the two of them.
Faced with Xuan Yao's resentful gaze, Lin Yuesha simply forced a smile and remained unmoved.
It's late at night, and men and women shouldn't touch each other. Xuan Yao mustn't ruin her older brother's clean reputation!
Lin Yuesha had a pretty good idea of Xuan Yao's purpose. That afternoon, the He family sent a matchmaker to the Xuan family to propose marriage, and the Xuan family most likely agreed.
“Brother Xiao, my parents want to marry me off to He Xing. They have already agreed to the marriage with the He family.”
Xuan Yao thought her older brother had agreed and would speak well of her, but to her surprise, the He family came to propose marriage so quickly that there was no room for negotiation.
The wedding date was set for December 18th, to be held before the new year.
When Xuan Yao found out, it was like a bolt from the blue; she was stunned.
Her father said that He Xing was a good man, and the two families were well-matched. He wouldn't allow her to be willful; she had to marry into the family.
“My dad also said that if I cried, made a scene, or threatened to hang myself, he would marry off my corpse to him.”
Xuan Yao couldn't understand why her father, who had always doted on her, was so resolute, and why she couldn't resist him.
After much deliberation, Xuan Yao decided she didn't want to be forced into this situation. She secretly packed her valuables and her saved monthly allowance and went to find Xiao Qi under cover of darkness.
“Miss Xuan, marriage is a major life event that is decided by parents and matchmakers. Your coming to my elder brother cannot change the fact that you are already engaged to the He family!”
Lin Yuesha tried to remind Xuan Yao that she could run away if she wanted, but she must not drag her innocent older brother down with her.
The main problem is that my older brother is too kind-hearted. If he helps Xuan Yao escape, it will be hard to explain, and he'll get himself into trouble.
"But...but I..."
Xuan Yao squatted down and began to sob.
If she doesn't run away, she'll really have to marry He Xing. She has no other choice but to marry Xiao Qi!
Xiao Qi cares so much about her, can't he give up some things and elope with her?
In about a year or two, once the two have consummated their relationship, their parents will have no choice but to accept it.
“He Xing is no good man. When he learned that the Jiang family had a son and would have an heir, and that the money was no longer his concern, he immediately sent a matchmaker to my house to propose marriage. Wasn't he after the Xuan family’s money?”
Xuan Yao was not a fool in this regard; she saw through He Xing's true nature at a glance.
"Miss Xuan, what do you want me to do?"
Xiao Qi's voice, like a warm spring in winter, enveloped and comforted her. Xuan Yao couldn't help but look up, mesmerized.
His parents said He Xing was handsome and a charming young man, but compared to Xiao Qi, he couldn't even compare to a hair on Xiao Qi's thigh.
Her Brother Xiao was just too gentle and mild-mannered, which is why he didn't have much of a presence.
Xuan Yao was excited, but she didn't hear the coldness in Xiao Qi's words.
"Brother Xiao, can you help me hide?"
Xuan Yao had a sense of shame and was too embarrassed to say that she wanted to elope with Xiao Qi.
"Where are you going to hide? In my house? What if the Xuan family comes to demand your return?"
Lin Yuesha was sweating bullets, afraid that if she wasn't careful, her stepbrother, who was so willing to take the plunge, would agree without hesitation, and Xuan Yao would come knocking on her door, which would be a huge problem!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
