Chapter 15 Haven't you heard the saying, "Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately"?
With Xu Cuilian's help, Sheng An pushed a cart full of things back home.
Xu Jinnian was staying with the Master, and only Xu Chenglin was at home.
Hearing his daughter-in-law and sister's voices suddenly made Xu Chenglin's heart tighten.
You're back so early, did something happen?
Just as he was about to call his younger sister in to ask her something, Xu Cuilian excitedly pushed open the door and came in, her round face crinkling with laughter.
"Second brother, our An'an is amazing! Her business was booming on her very first day of setting up her stall! You didn't see the crowds; everyone was practically squeezing into the pot!"
"real?"
Xu Chenglin was surprised, but then he thought it was quite normal, considering his daughter-in-law's cooking skills.
“An’an’s cooking is delicious, so it’s no wonder that the guests like it.”
Xu Chenglin's tone was filled with pride as he spoke about his experience eating Sheng An's cooking these past few days:
"The food this child makes smells so delicious that I want to eat it as soon as I smell it. He's regained some strength in his limbs these past two days, so he shouldn't die anytime soon."
Xu Cuilian was overjoyed and excitedly stepped forward to carefully observe her second brother's complexion:
"He looks much better. I heard my second brother say a long string of words, and he's not breathing as hard as before. It seems like he's really getting better!"
Xu Chenglin chuckled, "It's all thanks to An'an."
After hearing this, Xu Cuilian felt even more that she had made the right choice in marrying Sheng An as her nephew's wife, as her second brother's health had improved as soon as he entered the family.
Sheng An carried the heavy money bag into the house, not missing the two people inside praising him.
She smiled, didn't go in to join the fun, poured the money bag onto the table, and counted her total income for the day.
The clanging sound rang out, and Xu Cuilian came out to help count.
After counting, the two of them put it together and found that it totaled 276 coins.
After deducting the costs of pork, flour, firewood, etc., the profit is about 170 coins.
“That’s great. You can earn at least four or five taels of silver a month, which is more than your father-in-law earns as a foreman at the docks.”
Xu Cuilian was overjoyed, never expecting that such a small business as selling wontons could be so profitable.
Sheng An was not surprised.
In my past life, those who sold street food seemed insignificant, but after two or three years of hard work, they could easily afford an apartment in a small city.
Thinking about how busy she had been this morning, Xu Cuilian offered Sheng An a suggestion:
"Your wontons are delicious, and your business will only get better and better. If you're really too busy, why don't you ask your grandma to come and help you?"
Farming is tiring and hard work, and you don't earn much money.
It would be better to run a wonton stall properly. My niece-in-law can pay her grandmother-in-law a monthly wage; it's much easier than farming.
"Hmm, let's set it up for another two days and see. If it's still as busy as this morning, I'll ask Grandma to come and help."
Sheng An agreed verbally, but secretly she wanted to find a hardworking young man.
It's not that we dislike Grandma Sheng, it's just that Grandma Sheng is old, and making her get up before dawn every day to work would easily wear down her frail body.
Xu Cuilian was very busy. She chatted with Sheng An for a few minutes and then left. She didn't accept the money Sheng An offered for the pork, but told her to keep track of the expenses herself and settle the accounts at the end of the month.
Sheng An was grateful for the help from Xu Xiaogu's family and planned to buy some good wine and food in a couple of days to invite them over for a meal.
After cleaning the bowls, spoons, and kitchen utensils, and then boiling water to sterilize them, Sheng An saw that it was still early, so he simply went back to his room for a nap.
I got up too early today and have been busy with chores all day. I'm really tired and sleepy.
When I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
The sound of chopping vegetables came from the kitchen; it turned out that Xu Jinnian had returned and was preparing lunch.
"Why didn't you call me?"
Sheng An yawned and leaned against the door frame as if he had no bones, watching Xu Jinnian busy himself with swollen eyes.
"You're too tired."
Xu Jinnian glanced at Sheng An's face and saw that she still looked tired. He felt a growing sense of guilt and his hands moved even faster.
Sheng An's lips curved into a smile as she looked at the man's impressive knife skills and couldn't help but joke:
“If you ever stop doing scientific research, let’s open a family business. I’ll cook and you can help out. We’re sure to make it a success.”
Xu Jinnian paused in his chopping, his gentle eyes shining: "Okay."
Seeing that he looked serious and wasn't joking, Sheng An felt a little flustered, afraid that he would slack off.
"You're not cut out to be a manager. You should just focus on your studies and try to pass the imperial examinations."
Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—classes were clearly distinguished.
If Xu Jinnian were to change his social standing through the imperial examination and enter the "scholar" class, it would also be beneficial to Sheng'an.
At least in the future, if I open a small restaurant or something, I won't have to worry about anyone being jealous and causing trouble.
Xu Jinnian said solemnly, "My wife, I will certainly not let you down."
Sheng An was taken aback for a moment, then scratched his face as the pressure suddenly increased: "This is your own business, don't drag me into it!"
This guy has leveled up; she'll at most benefit from it.
If he fails halfway through his studies and blames her for his poor performance in the imperial examinations, her small frame won't be able to handle it.
"My wife, husband and wife are one, there is no distinction between you and me."
Xu Jinnian felt that his wife's thinking was problematic; she always seemed to be making clear distinctions with him without him even realizing it. He wanted to take this opportunity to have a serious talk with her.
"Or is it that my wife has never thought of sharing weal and woe with me, never leaving me?"
At this point, Xu Jinnian's expression became very serious, and he stared intently at Sheng An.
Sheng An felt a headache coming on from his stare, and blurted out without thinking, "Haven't you heard that husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest, flying away separately when disaster strikes?"
The cramped space instantly fell into dead silence.
Sheng An wanted to slap himself twice. He had killed the conversation with just one sentence. What kind of nonsense was that!
Okay, she admits that's what she really felt.
She truly lacked confidence in marriage.
An orphan abandoned by her biological parents at birth, she is skeptical of family ties, so how could she believe that a marriage certificate could completely bind two unrelated people together?
Even Sheng An herself couldn't guarantee that if disaster were to strike, she wouldn't abandon Xu Jinnian and run away.
She couldn't possibly expect Xu Jinnian to do something that she herself might not be able to do.
"Sheng An".
When Xu Jinnian called Sheng An by his full name for the first time, he looked very calm, as if he didn't take Sheng An's cold words to heart.
Sheng An felt a chill run down her spine. She looked up at the sky and down at the ground, but refused to look at him.
For some reason, she wasn't afraid of his yelling and shouting, but she was afraid that he would remain unmoved and secretly plot a big move to deal with her in one fell swoop.
Just as Sheng An was secretly on guard, preparing to be kicked out, she unexpectedly heard the man recite the menu:
"There's still some meat left from last time. We'll stir-fry it with eggplant, add some greens, and steam an egg custard. Is that okay for lunch?"
Sheng An: "..."
The incident ended in such a bizarre way.
Sheng An sat in front of the stove, tending the fire, staring at the man cooking, wondering how he could be so emotionally stable at such a young age.
It's so stable it's frightening.
Sheng An always felt that things wouldn't be so easily forgotten.
Could it be that he secretly put rat poison in her food and killed her when she wasn't looking?
Sheng An trembled.
Xu Jinnian was unaware of her rich inner thoughts. After the food was served, for the first time, he did not sit down to eat with Sheng An, but went to the room to serve Xu Chenglin first.
Xu Chenglin knew his son had made lunch as soon as he took his first bite, and he found it hard to swallow.
However, he swallowed it down and said to his son in a low voice, "An'an is exhausted today, you should be more understanding of her."
Xu Jinnian remained silent for a moment, then humbly asked for advice: "Father, how should I understand her?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Chenglin was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared at his opponent:
"How dare you ask me, an old bachelor, such a question? If I knew the answer, would I have been both your father and mother and raised you all this time?"
Xu Jinnian: "..."
Xu Chenglin had a poor appetite and ate less than half of what he had eaten the previous two days.
Xu Jinnian felt very guilty. When he sat down at the table, picked up his bowl, and tasted the first bite of food, he began to dislike his own cooking skills for the first time.
Sheng An, on the other hand, didn't complain and ate about the same amount as before.
Seeing that Xu Jinnian had a poor appetite, they assumed he was sulking.
After a moment's hesitation, Sheng An decided to make peace, so she reached out and tugged at his sleeve: "How about you say something nasty to me too, and we'll be even."
Xu Jinnian: "..."
Seeing that he didn't speak, Sheng An became even more enthusiastic: "I'm telling the truth, and I promise I won't get angry with you!"
Xu Jinnian took a deep breath and asked a completely unrelated question: "Wife, how old are you this year?"
Sheng An was puzzled: "Sixteen."
A smile appeared in Xu Jinnian's eyes, as if he had just realized something: "So you've grown up so much. I thought my wife was just six years old."
Sheng An exploded, her cheeks puffing out like a pufferfish: "You're only six years old, your whole family is six years old!"
How dare they mock her for being naive? How is she naive?
Xu Jinnian remained silent, simply smiling as he looked at her.
Sheng An was even angrier, wishing she could pounce on him and scratch that smug face until it was covered in bruises.
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