A former cannon fodder trying to rewrite his life (7 chapters) - Please add to your favorites, muah...
Old Master Han was most afraid of his second daughter, Han Ying. He could only be angry but dare not speak out when he was rebuked. After a long while, he finally managed to say, "Fine, since he's so capable, I'll just leave him alone. Let him do whatever he wants from now on."
Han Ying was so quick to let Old Master Han off the hook, and continued in a sarcastic tone: "Old man Han, don't blame me for not reminding you, although those few bastards have changed their surname to Han, none of them are of Han family blood."
In the future, they won't be worshipping the ancestors of our Han family. You spent money and effort on the weddings of your illegitimate sons, but when it comes to your own son's wedding, you don't even say a word?
If the Han family line is of no use to you, then you might as well let the mistress's child take her surname. If the Han family line ends in your generation, tsk tsk tsk, when you go down to earth and see my great-grandfather, do you think he'll slap you to death?
These words were both deadly and psychologically damaging. Old Master Han trembled as he clutched his chest: "Second girl, what exactly do you want? I'm your father!"
Han Ying chuckled twice: "Now you remember you're my father? Where were you before? My conditions are very simple: five thousand yuan for the bride price and my mother's dowry."
Grandpa Han was heartbroken and his eyes were pounding. Five thousand yuan was a small matter; the real problem was the dowry left by his ex-wife.
But he also understood that, given his second daughter Han Ying's temper, if he dared not give in, that brat would definitely try to persuade his third son to marry into the family and change his surname.
No, San'er is his only biological son. It's okay if he's not close to his biological father, but he absolutely cannot marry into the Han family. The Han family line must not be severed by him.
Han Ying handed over the five thousand yuan and a small box of gold bars that she had taken from the old man to Han Xiao, and Han Xiao turned around and handed all the money and gold bars to Chen Xia.
Chen Xia looked shocked. Han Xiao thought Chen Xia was afraid to accept the money because it was of dubious origin, so he explained, "Old Han's salary is very high, and he's quite stingy, so it's not surprising that he can save so much money."
The gold bars were part of your mother's dowry when she married him, and now they're simply being returned to their rightful owner. You don't need to feel guilty; whatever amount of money Old Man Han pays is only right and proper, since he's the one who gave birth but didn't raise the child.
From now on, we'll continue as before and ignore him. My second sister said that we should take the money if we're supposed to; otherwise, his stepsons will benefit too. Taking the money is one thing, forgiving him is another.
Chen Xia put this money together with the secret stash Han Xiao had previously given her, and with what she had saved up over this period of time, their family's wealth was growing steadily.
After getting married, Chen Xia moved into the marital home that Han Xiao had applied for, and returned the single room that her workplace had allocated to her.
The military family compound was a bit far from the factory where she worked, so the women's bicycle that Han Ying had given her as a wedding gift came in handy.
One day, half a month after moving into the family compound, Chen Xia rode her bicycle back to the compound as usual.
When I was almost home, I remembered that my eldest sister Han Jing's third son, Zhang Baoqing, had a cold, so I turned around and went to the service store and bought malted milk powder, White Rabbit milk candy, canned yellow peaches, and calcium milk biscuits.
As I was leaving with my net bag, I ran into Tang Siyu, who was bringing her two stepsons to buy candy.
Before Chen Xia could speak, Tang Siyu pulled the two dirty children in front of her and proudly boasted, "Chen Xia, let me introduce you. These are my sons, Guo Weimin and Guo Weijun. Chen Xia, you don't know, but my two sons have been smart since they were little. They will definitely become pillars of the country in the future."
Chen Xia glanced at the two dirty boys with snot bubbles hanging from their noses, gave them a perfunctory compliment, picked up the net bag, walked to the bicycle, put the net bag in the basket, and rode the bicycle towards Han Jing's house.
The older Guo Weimin looked up at Tang Siyu and said, "Stepmother, I want to eat canned food and White Rabbit milk candy. Go and buy them for me right away."
Tang Siyu took a deep breath, suppressing her irritation, and patiently coaxed Guo Weimin: "Weimin, it's not easy for your father to work hard every day to earn money. He also has to send living expenses to your grandparents every month."
"Mom, I quit my job to take care of you two brothers, and I'm pregnant now. We have so many expenses, we don't have any spare money for White Rabbit candy or canned food. Be a good boy/girl, okay? How about I fry you an egg for dinner tonight?"
Guo Weimin disdainfully shook off her arm: "You always say the same thing, saying how good you are to us brothers, but you won't even buy me a White Rabbit milk candy. No wonder my grandma says that no stepmother is ever a good person."
"Hmph, now that you have your own child, you're unwilling to spend money on me and Weijun. Fine, don't buy it then, who cares? Xiao Tai, come on, I'll take you to Grandma's house and ask Auntie to buy you some White Rabbit milk candy."
Tang Siyu quickly pulled him back: "You child, how can you run to your grandma's house for every little thing? Okay, buy it, Mom will buy you whatever you want to eat, alright?"
Guo Weimin knew when to stop; she was just saying it for show. Although his maternal grandmother and aunt said they were very close to them, it was all just talk. When it came to actually spending money, they were incredibly stingy.
Every time he said he was going to his maternal grandmother's house, he was just using it as an excuse to scare Tang Siyu, his stepmother.
Tang Siyu was unaware of the inside story. Furthermore, after their marriage, Guo Xiangqian, in an attempt to manipulate her, exaggerated the small amount of help his ex-wife had given him into a huge one. Therefore, Tang Siyu always felt inferior in front of Guo Xiangqian and held Guo Weimin and Guo Weijun's maternal grandparents in awe.
Chen Xia pushed her bicycle with one hand and opened the door to Han Jing's house with the other. Her nephew, Song Tianming, who was being made to do his homework in the living room by his mother, jumped for joy when he saw her: "Auntie, you're here! I've missed you so much!"
Chen Xia handed him the nutritional supplements from the net bag: "You look more energetic than yesterday."
As she spoke, she took out a hen that had been slaughtered in advance from the bicycle basket and handed it to Han Jing: "Sister, let's stew chicken for dinner tonight, it'll be good for my nephew to nourish himself."
Song Tianming swallowed hard when he heard about the stewed chicken. Han Jing glared at Chen Xia and said, "He only has a cold, and you're already buying him nutritional supplements and chicken. You're spoiling him."
Chen Xia parked her bicycle in the corner of the yard and pulled Han Jing towards the kitchen: "How much Tianming can eat? The main thing is that I'm craving your braised chicken in an iron pot. I don't know why, but I just can't make it taste the same."
When Han Jing heard that Chen Xia liked her iron pot stewed chicken, she happily pulled her into the kitchen and began to teach her the techniques of stir-frying and stewing chicken.
Song Tianming moved a small stool and sat at the kitchen door, drooling. After the chicken was stir-fried until it smelled fragrant, Han Jing added half a pot of water to the pot and put in a packet of stewing seasoning: "Bring it to a boil over high heat, then turn to low heat."
Chen Xia threw two pieces of firewood into the stove: "Okay, sis, stick a ring of cornbread around the pan."
Han Jing put the lid on the pot and quickly kneaded the dough to prepare the flatbreads. She was also craving them, but recently the supply had become increasingly scarce. Having money and coupons was useless without supplies.
The young hens that Chen Xia raises in her space are tender and plump, and whether stewed or braised, they are unforgettable.
After Tang Siyu bought White Rabbit milk candy for her two stepsons, she had just coaxed them into the house when a rich aroma wafted over.
Guo Weimin swallowed hard, his mouth watering. "Stepmother, I want to eat meat. Xiaojun, do you want to eat meat?"
Guo Weijun sucked his thumb: "Yes, stepmother, I want to eat meat, fragrant meat."
Tang Siyu rolled her eyes: "Who doesn't want to eat meat? I want to eat meat too. If your dad doesn't buy meat, what am I going to cook for you? If you really want to eat meat, tell your dad to buy some when he gets back tonight."
As she spoke, Tang Siyu went into the kitchen. If it weren't for Guo Xiangqian sending money back to his hometown every month and having two stepsons to raise, her family wouldn't have to live such a frugal life.
Chen Xia brought a hen weighing over five pounds, which, along with side dishes such as potatoes, vermicelli, and hazel mushrooms, filled two half-sized enamel basins to the brim.
As soon as Song Qiang turned into the alley, he smelled the aroma of stewed chicken. He sniffed and said, "Xiao'er, we're in for a treat today. Your sister has ordered stewed chicken in an iron pot."
"Brother-in-law, you can smell what my sister cooked from this far away. Your nose is amazing. Even the military dogs in our region can't compare to you."
Song Qiang slapped him: "You're the one with a dog's nose. Your sister's stewed chicken in an iron pot has such a unique flavor that no one else can replicate it. Come on, let's go home."
As the two were approaching their doorstep, Song Qiang's partner, Commander Wang He, came out of the yard with a lunchbox in his hand.
Song Qiang casually greeted, "Hey, Lao Wang, your wife isn't back yet? Alright, don't bother going to the cafeteria. Just grab a bite at my place. Can you smell the aroma? My wife made braised chicken in an iron pot, a famous Northeastern dish. Please, you gourmand, have a taste."
"Changjiang, you brat, why are you hiding from me? Hurry up and invite your younger siblings over for dinner."
As Song Qiang spoke, he pulled Wang He and Liu Changjiang into the house. As soon as they entered, he called out to Han Jing, "Wife, wife, Lao Wang and Changjiang are here."
Han Jing came out of the kitchen and greeted Wang He with a smile: "Brother Wang, Changjiang is here. Come in and sit down. Xiao'er, wash your hands and bring the food to the living room."
After saying that, she turned around and went back to the kitchen. Wang He and Liu Changjiang were both big eaters, and the cornbread she made wasn't enough for them. There wasn't enough time to make more, so she had to roll out some noodles, which would be a perfect match for soaking in chicken soup.
Two bowls of chicken were brought to the table, and the aroma was simply irresistible. Han Jing and Chen Xia worked together seamlessly, one kneading and mixing the dough, and the other rolling out the noodles.
Chen Xia is strong, and the noodles she rolls out are chewy and smooth. Fearing there wouldn't be enough to eat, she cooked two large pots, rinsed them with warm water, scooped them into bowls with a strainer, and brought them to the living room for everyone to serve themselves.
Liu Changjiang's wife refused to come, so Han Jing served her a large bowl and brought it over. When she returned, she brought back two sausages.
Many hands make light work. The six adults, along with Song Tianming, the little glutton, devoured two bowls of chicken, a basket of cornbread, and a bowl of hand-pulled noodles.
After the meal, the men, without being asked, conscientiously divided the tasks of clearing away the dishes and wiping the table. Han Xiao, the youngest and lowest-ranking officer, was in charge of washing the pots and pans.
After chatting for a while, Han Jing packed a sausage she had brought back from Liu Changjiang's house, and also packed a lot of other food and supplies into a full bag before sending Han Xiao and his wife away.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
