For a moment, the sounds of men cursing, women crying, and children being beaten mingled together, creating quite a scene.
When Shen Ying heard Jiang Yu's name, he deliberately slowed down, listening to the entire argument between the couple. After getting the gist of it, he realized that Jiang Yu really did earn money legitimately, and had suffered a lot of grievances for it.
He was torn between feeling sorry for her and going to Zhang Xinhua to get to the bottom of things. Perhaps she hadn't intentionally come home late tonight, but had been bothered by someone. Wasn't Zhang Ergou from last night a perfect example?
Shen Ying felt increasingly annoyed, realizing that her earlier ignoring of her was petty.
Knowing he had made a mistake, Shen Ying stopped to see if she was following. Putting everything else aside, it would be good to ease the tense atmosphere first.
The argument at Zhang Xinhua's house was very loud, and Jiang Yu could hear it even from a distance. At first, she felt a little sorry for her when she heard the man say that her teeth had been knocked out, but when she finally understood, she realized that it was because Zhang Xinhua had tried to scheme against her but failed, and this was the result. She felt that she was the most pitiful one.
She kicked at the pebbles on the roadside, silently cursing in her mind: Serves him right, why didn't he break all his teeth? It would be better if his scalp was ripped off too.
The pebble slid into the ditch, and Jiang Yu quickened her pace, crashing straight into the man's back with a 'thud'.
"Ouch."
Jiang Yu rubbed her head, trying to see what it was. How could it be so hard? She almost got a concussion. When she looked up, she saw the man staring at her. His face was expressionless, and his expression was indescribably eerie.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Jiang Yu took two steps back and bowed repeatedly, afraid of being retaliated against if she apologized too late. Indeed, she had already angered him by being late, and now she had bumped into him; wouldn't the man despise her even more?
The two remained locked in a stalemate for two seconds, when Shen Ying suddenly grinned and forced a smile.
"It doesn't matter."
His tone was harsh, and his face was contorted; a child standing nearby would have been terrified. He was usually so serious, so this sudden gentleness was a bit unsettling.
But he thought it was perfect. Generous, good-looking—that woman would probably be head over heels for him.
"......"
Jiang Yu pursed her lips, gave an awkward smile, and didn't know what to say. His expression was so strange; was he furious beyond his limits? Was he going to bury her alive later?
Fear gripped her, and she continued walking cautiously behind the man.
Shen Ying was unaware that his expression looked terrifying. Seeing Jiang Yu keeping her distance from him, he assumed she was throwing a tantrum. He stopped several times to try and talk to her, but Jiang Yu deliberately avoided him.
I think I'll pass. There's plenty of time in the future, so what's the harm in taking a little longer?
Back home, Shen Ying put the things on the floor of the outer room. The two children had never seen so many things before and excitedly spun around in the room.
After a while, Jiang Yu finally came in from the doorway. After patting the two children's heads, she began to organize the goods. Shen Ying reached out to help take the ingredients, but Jiang Yu snatched them away first and quickly put them in the cupboard.
Although Shen Ying didn't understand, he wasn't discouraged. Seeing that the carp was quite large, he decided to start preparing it. Jiang Yu quickly snatched it away, placing it in the basin while asking the two children for their opinions:
"Sui Sui, Niannian, shall we make fish soup tonight?"
The two children had never eaten fish before. They heard from their neighbor, Dongdong, that there were bones in the fish and that if they got stuck in their throats, they would bleed. They were so scared that they covered their mouths.
"No, no, there are bones in the fish, it will hurt."
Hearing the children say this, Jiang Yu smiled and patiently explained:
"Mom will remove all the bones before cooking. This fish tastes even better than chicken. Don't Sui Sui and Niannian want to try it? If not, then Dad and I will have to finish it."
As she tempted the two children, she couldn't help but glance at the man. Seeing that he still had that same expression, she quickly looked away. Her heart was pounding; oh my god, how terrifying!
After hearing what her mother said, Shen Niannian immediately ran over and hugged her arm, shaking her head like a rattle drum.
"Mom, I was just kidding. Every year, fish is my favorite food."
His reaction was quick, and his exaggerated expression made it seem like he was about to perform at a variety show, which made Jiang Yu burst into laughter.
"Okay, then you and your sister stay in the inner room obediently. We'll give you some when it's ready, okay?"
Shen Niannian nodded vigorously and pulled her sister to play. Shen Ying stood to the side, watching her chat and laugh with the child, and couldn't help but smile. It was a genuine and natural smile, but unfortunately Jiang Yu didn't see it.
Jiang Yu rolled up her sleeves, took the scissors, and cut off the fish head. She set it aside, thinking, "This is good. I can make a spicy fish head tomorrow and have another meal." She then cut the fish meat into pieces, rubbed it with flour to clean it, and rinsed it with water.
As she scooped up pieces of fish, her black hair slipped down her back and onto her chest, obstructing her vision and making her extremely uncomfortable. Jiang Yu was about to wash her hands and brush her hair back when the man produced a hair tie from somewhere and tied it up for her.
Jiang Yu washes her hair almost every day, and it feels incredibly smooth to the touch. Shen Ying gently strokes it, careful not to hurt her. Fortunately, he had learned his technique from Shen Suisui before, and his movements are quick.
Once the hair was tied up, there was no longer any obstruction. A few minutes later, the fish was washed and set aside. Chen Ying started a fire, keeping it low so that the scallions, ginger, and garlic wouldn't burn.
Jiang Yu carefully removed the bones, leaving a piece of the spine to gnaw on slowly. She felt that fish without bones wasn't perfect.
As soon as the dishes were served, a fragrant aroma wafted through the air. Shen Niannian's mouth watered, and when Jiang Yu scooped a bowl and placed it in front of him, he began to wolf down the food. He was still thinking that his mother hadn't lied to him after all; this fish really didn't have any bones.
Shen Suisui also held her bowl, gently blowing on it to cool it down. Under the watchful eyes of the family, Jiang Yu placed the piece of meat with the fish bone into her own bowl.
Shen Ying frowned slightly and couldn't help but remind him:
"Carp has many bones, which can easily prick your mouth."
The man's sudden concern made Jiang Yu feel uncomfortable. She stuffed the fish into her mouth and hurriedly waved her hand.
"It's okay, I like eating meat with fish bones."
A single word of concern subtly altered the atmosphere at the dinner table. Shen Suisui glanced at her father, then at her mother, and secretly smiled.
So this is what a warm and loving family looks like!
Seeing that she was enjoying her meal, Shen Ying didn't say anything more. He focused on eating, took a couple of sips of soup, and savored it slowly. To be honest, the fish was so delicious it made his eyebrows fall off.
Jiang Yu swallowed the meat in her mouth, feeling as if a thorn was stuck in her throat. She swallowed a couple of times, but it still didn't feel right. She figured she had a thorn stuck in her throat, and remembering how she usually swallowed thorns, she stuffed two pieces of food into her mouth and swallowed them raw.
Who would have thought that the thorn was so cunning, digging straight into her flesh. It caused her excruciating pain even without opening her mouth.
Jiang Yu didn't have time to think it through and rushed out of the outer room to find vinegar. She opened the lid and gulped down two mouthfuls, her teeth aching from the sourness, but it still didn't help.
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