Lu Yan pouted, after all, she was at the age where she craved food. "Grandma said the eggs are to be saved to sell for money, and from now on, only Xiao Si can eat them."
"We're not that poor. We still need to eat. Malnutrition and illness are painful and expensive." Qin Xiaozhou ate a simple meal, then rummaged through the pig intestines in the basin before going to Qingzhugou to check on the ducks.
Qingzhugou used to be covered with bamboo forests that blocked out the sun. Now, the bamboo and most of the forests on the northern hillside have been cut down by the Lu brothers, opening up a wide view. Sunlight shines directly into the pool, where ducks float on the water and graze in the bamboo forest, leisurely and carefree. Whenever there is any noise, geese quack loudly, dutifully guarding the ducks.
It's only three months old; it's too early to cash in.
After checking on the ducks, they went to check on the chickens. Lu Yunxing had taken good care of the orchard; most of it had already been loosened and fertilized. It was currently the fruiting season, and the fertilizer would take effect in the next two months, allowing them to sell the fruit for a good price. Unfortunately, they couldn't use it now.
A distant solution can't quench a nearby fire!
Qin Xiaozhou returned home and started braising pig intestines. Lu Yan came back and smelled the aroma of the braised meat. She happily ran into the kitchen, "Sister-in-law, you've made something delicious again!"
Qin Xiaozhou scooped out the pig intestines, cut them into two bowls, and said, "Send them to the village chief and my great-uncle's house, one bowl each."
Wang Lan heard this as she entered the kitchen, and a smile appeared on her face. "I'll go. You're just a little kid, you're too clumsy."
The aroma of meat had already wafted through half the village. Wang Lan went out with a basket, and the first person she encountered on the way was Zhou Meixiang. A Jin was again clamoring for meat at the door, lying on the ground and rolling around like a spoiled child. Zhou Meixiang cursed the Lu family for being heartless, saying that they didn't even share a piece of meat with the neighbors. She then comforted A Jin, saying that the meat was just for pig manure and even beggars wouldn't eat it.
She couldn't help but swallow hard. The new daughter-in-law of the Lu family was indeed a butcher; she could even make pig offal smell so delicious. She cursed and dragged her grandson into the house, slamming the door shut with a bang. Li Guihua was startled by the sound of the door being slammed. Before she could say anything, Zhou Meixiang came in and poked her forehead hard.
"You good-for-nothing, nobody wants you. Why did we marry you into our family? You can't do anything. Look at the Lu family's new daughter-in-law. She's only been married for two months, and she's already eating meat, raising chickens and ducks, and even raising that rat-like Xiao Si and taking him out. And you! You've been married for ten years, eating our food, wearing our clothes, and living in our house every day, and all you've done is give birth to one grandson. The other two are money-losing goods. One sold for seven taels and the other for only five taels. We've raised them for nothing for so many years."
Li Guihua is Zhou Meixiang's daughter-in-law. She has been beaten and scolded since she entered the house. Now she just stands there numbly when she hears these things. She doesn't even react when she hears about the money her two daughters were sold for.
The mother-in-law sold her daughter and granddaughter, and even after her daughter died, she would sell her off for two taels of silver to arrange a ghost marriage. Her heart had long since lost all feeling for such things.
Seeing her blank and wooden expression, Zhou Meixiang grew angrier and angrier. She picked up a stick and started hitting her, saying, "Look at you, you dead body! You haven't laid eggs in five years. Even the hens on the hillside of Lujia Mountain lay eggs more frequently than you."
Should she have a child? If it's a daughter, she'll still be sold. Li Guihua doesn't know whether to be sad or relieved that her belly hasn't conceived in the past few years.
Wang Yaozu sat at the table eating, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his mother was beating and scolding his wife in the yard. After finishing his meal, he put down his bowl and chopsticks, walked out of the kitchen, and said, "Go clean up."
Zhou Meixiang then stopped. Li Guihua went to collect the bowls and chopsticks. There were only three empty bowls on the table. The bowl that Wang Yaozu had eaten from was covered with some mixed flour paste. Li Guihua scraped it off with her fingers and ate it. This was her dinner tonight. In the ten years she had lived in this family, she could only eat leftovers. She could eat as much as was left. But the countryside was poor. Zhou Meixiang always cooked only enough for the three of them, so there would be no leftovers for her.
She survived by eating wild vegetables and fruits raw.
The village chief was surprised by Wang Lan's gesture of giving meat, and his expression became complicated after hearing that Qin Xiaozhou had made pig intestines. Pig intestines are bitter and dirty, and no one in the village likes to eat them. However, this bowl smelled quite fragrant, and since it was a token of goodwill, he accepted it. After tasting a piece, he immediately discovered a new world and shared it with his son and grandson. "Try it, it's really amazing, it's actually delicious."
Wang Hui took a piece, his eyes lit up, and he shared some with his wife from his own bowl, saying, "You eat some too. We'll go ask Lu Yunfeng's wife how she made it another day."
After eating, Wang Hui's wife kept thinking about asking Qin Xiaozhou for the recipe. "No wonder the Lu brothers' wives are so fat. It turns out they make such delicious pork dishes."
Lu Yunfeng still hadn't returned by dinner time. Qin Xiaozhou sighed. Why was this twenty-year-old man so sensitive? He had only said a few harsh words when he was angry. Was he running away from home or what?
"Second brother, is your brother really saying he's going to the mountains? Did he say when he'll be back?"
Lu Yunxing had been in a heavy mood all day. He shook his head silently. Wang Lan slapped him on the back and said, "You brat, how old are you? Don't you know how to stop your brother? I've raised you for nothing. You're stupid and not quick-witted at all."
Wang Lan grumbled and cursed, while Qin Xiaozhou picked out some meat and vegetables and left some rice for Lu Yunfeng, saying, "Let's eat first."
Wang Lan wanted to scold you for still being able to eat, but then she remembered the argument from last night, so she kept quiet. Feeling depressed, no one could eat. Qin Xiaozhou ate most of a bowl of pig intestines and a bowl of white rice. Seeing that Lu Lao Er was half dead, she said, "Lao Er, eat quickly. After you're full, we'll go look for someone along Qingzhugou."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yunxing finished eating the rice in his bowl and put it down. "Sister-in-law, I'm done eating. Let's go."
He was afraid that if he was too slow, Qin Xiaozhou would go. Xishan was too dangerous for him to go alone. If Qin Xiaozhou were there, he would dare to go. At least Qin Xiaozhou was stronger than him. She was quick, accurate and ruthless when she killed wild boars. Many men in the village could not compare to her.
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