When Gu Nanjiao arrived in the kitchen, Lu's mother had already prepared dinner, and the whole family was sitting neatly together, waiting for her.
Lu Yanzhao still maintained an aloof and unapproachable demeanor.
"Jiaojiao, sit down quickly, Mother cooked some dishes today." Mother Lu pulled out a stool next to her and let Gu Nanjiao sit down.
A warm feeling welled up in Gu Nanjiao's heart, and her eyes also felt a little sore. Neither the original owner nor she had a mother, and her father didn't care about her.
Lu's mother truly gave her the warmth of a mother.
She really wanted to live with Lu's mother and younger sister forever. However, seeing Lu Yanzhao's cold and aloof demeanor, she gave up on the idea.
Lu Yanzhao dislikes her, and she doesn't like him either. Living together would only lead to suppressed pain and mutual torment.
I need to find an opportunity to talk to Lu Yanzhao about divorce another day.
Lu's mother cooked two dishes, one cabbage and one radish, but she used too little oil, so the taste wasn't very good.
Although Gu Nanjiao loves food, she understands that if you don't cook, you have no right to be picky.
After dinner, Gu Nanjiao insisted on washing the dishes, but Lu's mother wouldn't let her.
"Jiaojiao, you've had a long day, go back and rest."
...
Back in her room, Gu Nanjiao began counting the silver, and felt a pang of heartache after finishing.
I spent less than one tael of meat and vegetables and three taels of paper. Now I have less than twenty taels left. At this rate, it won't be long before I run out of money.
I couldn't fall asleep after turning off the lights. I saw a faint light coming from next door, so I figured Lu Yanzhao was still studying.
Lu Yanzhao was really hardworking. He worked as a waiter during the day and sometimes went into the mountains with hunters at night.
I need to work harder than him to crush him.
Since she couldn't sleep, she decided not to sleep for the time being. She turned on the light and started doodling on the table.
The drawing brush was made by Gu Nanjiao from charcoal, and the sharp tip made the lines drawn more smoothly.
Before long, several beautiful ancient clothing patterns were completed. Looking at her masterpiece and recalling the amazed look in Lü Siniang's eyes today, she felt very gratified.
She wanted to cooperate with Lü Siniang, but speaking up rashly would definitely cause dissatisfaction.
So today she took the opportunity to draw a novel design and had Lü Siniang make it first. After the finished product was done, she would wear it herself. It would be easier to discuss cooperation then.
Gu Nanjiao got up early the next morning and made breakfast.
She plans to make some wontons for breakfast today.
She cut off a small piece of the pork she had bought a few days ago, and Lu's mother helped her chop the meat into minced meat.
Add some salt and marinate for a while, then gradually pour in scallion water and ginger water while stirring.
Once the meat filling was ready, she started making wontons. After kneading the dough, she began wrapping the wontons. Gu Nanjiao's hands moved quickly, and in no time she had wrapped a whole plateful.
Because of the limited seasonings, only some scallions were placed in the bowl for garnish. After cooking, the filling was taken out and placed in the bowl. It looked thin-skinned and generously filled, which was very appetizing.
Lu Xiaomei came running as soon as she smelled the fragrance, surrounding Gu Nanjiao and calling her "sister-in-law" repeatedly.
After washing up, Lu Yanzhao went to the kitchen, and before he even entered, he could smell a rich aroma.
"Mom, what delicious food did you make today? It smells so good." Lu Yanzhao swallowed hard as soon as he entered the room, smelling the aroma.
Lu's mother laughed: "Look how greedy you are. Jiaojiao made wontons, sit down and have some."
Before long, steaming hot wontons were served. The rich aroma of scallion oil mixed with the fragrance of wontons almost made Lu Yanzhao's mouth water.
He wanted to turn away and not eat, but the wontons were just too delicious.
I couldn't resist and took a small bite. The tender meat juice slowly seeped out, filling my mouth with a rich aroma that left me wanting more.
Lu Yanzhao really didn't expect that Gu Nanjiao could not only make braised chicken, but also wontons.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking that this person wasn't entirely useless after all.
Lu Xiaomei was especially excited. Ever since her sister-in-law's suicide attempt, she felt like it was New Year's Day every day, with candied hawthorns and meat to eat.
Everyone enjoyed the breakfast, and even Lu Yanzhao's eyebrows showed a hint of satisfaction.
...
Gu Nanjiao took Lu Xiaomei to the nearby mountains for a stroll.
Even though it was the dead of winter and the tree trunks were bare, Gu Nanjiao still wanted to try her luck.
After searching around for a long time, they didn't even see a sparrow. Just as they were about to go back, Lu Xiaomei tripped over something that looked like a tree root.
It doesn't quite look like a tree root. Gu Nanjiao turned it over in her hand and sniffed it.
"Sister-in-law, why are you smelling this tree root? It's for firewood in the winter," Lu Xiaomei asked, puzzled by Gu Nanjiao's strange behavior.
"Little sister, is this a tree root? Everyone uses it as firewood?" Gu Nanjiao asked, her excitement barely concealed.
"yes."
"Wow, we're going to make a fortune!" This discovery surprised and delighted Gu Nanjiao. This wasn't a tree root at all; it was clearly kudzu root!
"Sister-in-law, what do you mean by getting rich? What kind of wealth are you getting?" Lu Xiaomei didn't understand, and her sister-in-law's behavior was becoming more and more confusing.
"Shh, little sister. Don't make a sound. I'm asking you, where are these tree roots left?" Gu Nanjiao gestured for Lu Xiaomei to be quiet and asked in a low voice.
"There are plenty on the mountain."
...
So the two sisters-in-law struggled to drag a large bundle of tree roots home.
They ran into Zhang San on the road, who greeted them with a smile: "Madam Lu, going up the mountain to gather firewood? Do you need any help?"
"Thank you, Brother Zhang, but no need for help. We can just drag it home slowly." Gu Nanjiao was very grateful for Zhang San's help. As few people knew about the kudzu root incident, the better.
When Lu's mother saw such a large bundle of tree roots, she was very surprised: "What are you doing dragging those tree roots? We have plenty of firewood at home, enough to last all winter."
Gu Nanjiao leaned close to her mother and whispered, "Mother, that's kudzu root. It's edible and can be sold for money. Don't tell anyone yet."
Lu's mother pondered for a moment, "Kudzu root? Can you eat that?"
However, if the daughter-in-law doesn't want it to be made public, then it's best not to make a fuss. Listening to the daughter-in-law is definitely the right thing to do.
Gu Nanjiao arranged for Lu's mother to wash the kudzu root clean, while she and Lu Xiaomei planned to make another trip up the mountain.
Upon hearing Gu Nanjiao's arrangement, Lu Xiaomei pouted, clearly unwilling. However, Gu Nanjiao coaxed her into following along, saying that the money would be used to buy delicious food.
Peeling and chopping is a big task, and she plans to hand it over to Lu Yanzhao, the only male laborer in the family, who can't just sit around doing nothing all day.
As soon as Lu Yanzhao arrived home, he was attracted by a fragrant aroma.
For dinner, Gu Nanjiao made braised pork with radish, hot and sour shredded potatoes, and a homemade spicy dried radish. She also made pancakes for the main course. Although it was a simple meal, the family ate happily and cheerfully.
After dinner, Lu Yanzhao was stopped by Gu Nanjiao. He didn't want to turn around and talk to her, but then he remembered that he was indebted to her, so he stopped.
Lu Yanzhao turned and glanced at Gu Nanjiao, his eyes still devoid of warmth as he asked, "What is it?"
"I'll give you some work to do. Go and help peel and chop the kudzu roots outside," Gu Nanjiao said.
Lu Yanzhao...
Lu Yanzhao glanced at the cleaned tree roots and frowned: "This?"
"Yes, what's the problem?" Gu Nanjiao raised an eyebrow and looked at Lu Yanzhao beside her.
“This is a good thing, it can be sold for money. You're well-educated, you must have seen something like this before,” Gu Nanjiao continued.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanzhao bent down, picked up a knife from the side, and began to cut.
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