TCFSRMR |Chapter 13

The Shi Guoan family, who were also walking home from work with the crowd, naturally smelled this strange fragrance too. Even the old lady, whose taste was the pickiest, could feel her mouth starting to water, and she immediately turned to discuss it with Miao Xiuxiu:

“Xiu, let’s fry some diced meat at noon and make pork slivers noodles to eat…”

Ever since she had been sure yesterday that her daughter was not dead and had safely come home, the smile on Miao Xiuxiu’s lips had never gone away. She even wished she could hold all the good things up before her daughter. Hearing her mother-in-law say that, she nodded nonstop at once:

“Okay, okay, the children are all too thin, just right to give them some nourishment…”

Yin Zhaodi, who was somewhat listless from being too tired, was not impressed instead:

“Mom, eldest sister-in-law, that’s meat. There’s only this little bit, how can we eat it every meal? Better save it for the holidays…”

There were many children in the family, and there was simply no spare money. As for the money Shi Guoan spent buying meat, Yin Zhaodi also understood that nine times out of ten it had been borrowed outside. Her birth mother often repeated one saying, that life was denser than tree leaves, and if you had a little money, you had to save it and use it on the blade’s edge. For example, in their family, it was all saved up to marry off her younger brother.

People like eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law, no matter how you looked at them, seemed just like the kind of spendthrifts her birth mother talked about.

It was a pity that although Old Lady Shi was different from those fierce mothers-in-law, she still had her own principles, and simply treated Yin Zhaodi’s words like they were a breeze past her ear.

Yin Zhaodi immediately became even more listless.

By the time the group entered the courtyard, the twins who had been waiting by the gate had already trotted up to welcome them:

“Grandpa, Grandma, Third Sister, Third Sister is amazing…”

“And also big brother, big brother is very, very amazing…”

Shi Zongyi and the old lady still did not know what was going on, and smiled as they caught the twins who rushed over:

“Is that so? How are big brother and Third Sister amazing?”

“Big brother made the noodles, the noodles smell so good…”

“Third Sister said to make, that saozi noodles, for us to eat…”

Compared with the quiet Shi Nan, Shi Bei was undoubtedly more lively. She dragged the old lady and ran, “Bei-bei will take Grandma to look…”

She also reported nonstop to the old lady:

“Third Sister also treated the strawberries…”

“Third Sister said we’ll soon be able to eat strawberries that are big and sweet…”

As she spoke, she slurped and swallowed a big mouthful of saliva.

Because she spoke so much and so fast, the old lady was almost made dizzy by her, and could only keep nodding:

“Good, good, good…”

Oh dear, something seemed off. What big brother making noodles? The big brother in Bei-bei’s mouth should only be their Hengheng, right?! The two granddaughters surely couldn’t be saying that the saozi noodles they were shouting about were actually made by Hengheng, could they?

The others were also completely baffled. What was this about Hengheng making the noodles and Yingying making saozi noodles?

After all, in their place every household made boiled noodles, so they only felt that a saying like “saozi noodles” was really very fresh.

It was just that the old lady had seen the world when she was young, and knew that saozi noodles were from Shaanxi. She had only tasted them before; she herself could not make them.

Luckily, Shi Ying came over to greet them:

“Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom… hurry and go wash your hands, Second Sister and I, along with big brother, made saozi noodles…”

At this point not only the two elders of the Shi family, but even Shi Guoan and Miao Xiuxiu were greatly shocked.

It really was saozi noodles?

“What saozi noodles? Xiaojie, were you messing around with food at home?”

Yin Zhaodi directly threw down her sickle and shouted at the world.

Shi Jie was startled, but stood there pitifully, not daring to defend herself.

Over there, however, the twins had already dragged the old lady to two large basins. First they lifted the lid on the left basin, and inside, soaking in cold water, was that not a whole basin of noodles?

Before, with the lid covering them, nothing much could be seen. But with the lid lifted like that, the whole family immediately smelled a sweet, noodle fragrance rushing toward them.

Although their own family also rolled out noodles, this was still the first time they had smelled such a rich, clean fragrance that belonged uniquely to wheat.

Miao Xiuxiu carefully thought over the twins’ words, and looked at Shi Heng in disbelief:

“Was this noodle really made by Hengbao?”

“It really was big brother who kneaded the dough, oh.” Shi Ying lifted her chest and said crisply.

“Yes, yes, yes.” The twins nodded nonstop, practically like little chicks pecking at grain, and Shi Jie also blushed as she nodded.

Miao Xiuxiu seemed not to believe her own ears, and turned to look at Shi Guoan:

“Guoan, did I hear wrong?”

“You didn’t hear wrong… Yingying and Nannan, Bei-bei, and Xiaojie all said that our Hengheng can knead dough now…” Shi Guoan mechanically repeated the children’s words, but his mind was blank.

His son can knead dough. His son actually can knead dough?!

The family first looked at each other, then almost burst into tears from joy.

“To be able to eat Hengbao’s kneaded noodles in this lifetime, I could die with my eyes closed.” Shi Zongyi said, wiping his eyes.

His grandson not only had much better spirit now, he could also help out with work at home. Did that mean that in the future, when their old bones were all gone, Hengbao could still feed himself?

If that was really the case, then he would be satisfied.

Old Lady Shi’s eyes were also sour. She stepped forward and took Shi Heng’s hand, rubbing it again and again.

“So good, so good…”

If it were on other days, Shi Heng would definitely have pulled his hand away first thing. Today, although his expression was still blank, he did not pull his hand away like usual.

Seeing that everyone was not saying anything, Shi Bei was undoubtedly anxious, and finally could not help tugging at Shi Guoliang:

“Dad, Bei-bei wants to eat…”

“Good, eat, eat!” The old lady hurriedly nodded, and also called to the women of the house, “Quickly get bowls, taste the saozi noodles our granddaughter made…”

As she spoke, she leaned her head over to look, and saw that the noodles soaking in the cold water were black with a hint of translucent white, slender and thin with a bit of delicate, glossy moisture, spreading out in the water like swimming fish.

“This skill is really up to standard.” Shi Zongyi could not help blurting out. After he said it, he looked at Shi Heng in disbelief again. “Was this also cut by Hengbao?”

“No, no,” Shi Bei hurriedly shook her little hand. “It was Third Sister…”

As she said that, she went to lift the other pot lid, and the bright red, oily saozi inside immediately came into everyone’s view.

The fresh aroma that had almost made everyone drool just now also rushed into their noses.

Only then did the whole group belatedly realize that the fragrance that had made their hearts restless just now had actually been from their own house?

“And this, and this too.” Shi Bei jumped up and pointed at the stove area. “Third Sister also made oatmeal porridge.”

“Oatmeal porridge? What is oatmeal porridge?” Yin Zhaodi found it a little strange.

For the family to eat wheat, they either threw it directly into water to simmer, or ground it into flour. It could be made into steamed buns, or into dough-scrap soup, either way was fine. As for something like oatmeal porridge, this was her first time hearing of it.

Half in doubt, she stepped forward and lifted the pot lid. Steam surged up, and a clean fragrance mixed with a rich, sweet aftertaste of wheat scent immediately steamed out.

These oats were all taken out by Shi Ying from the system.

After being pounded in a stone mortar, the wheat fragrance inside had already been fully brought out. Then it was simmered in water over low heat. Looking at it now, there seemed to be a layer of thick yet transparent slurry floating on top, and the individual oat flakes looked like beautiful little boats floating on the sweet liquid.

“My goodness, why does this look just like the jade nectar of the Queen Mother of the West.” Yin Zhaodi’s eyes were wide open. Thinking of something, she turned back to look at Shi Ying. “Yingying, how did you make this oatmeal porridge?”

“It wasn’t just my credit, Second Sister helped too.” Shi Ying smiled and pushed Shi Jie. “Second Sister and I pounded it together in the stone mortar.”

“Second Aunt, Bei-bei wants to eat…” Shi Bei kept swallowing her saliva, clearly already unable to wait.

Miao Xiuxiu stared at this food and drink, but her eyes were a little red.

If her son could knead dough, then she was happy and excited. But knowing that such delicious porridge and saozi were made by Shi Ying, Miao Xiuxiu’s heart started aching in waves again.

Her daughter was thin and small. She was obviously only two months younger than Shi Jie, yet she was half a head shorter. How could she look like a seven- or eight-year-old little girl?

A little girl who was only a bit taller than the stove could make food this well. That definitely was not something that happened overnight. In reverse, it meant that the Niu family had probably been using their daughter as a maid.

Wasn’t Shi Guoan thinking the same thing? For a moment, he felt even more guilty toward his daughter.

“Oh my, this old lady really is blessed. I can even eat food cooked by my eldest grandson and youngest granddaughter.” Old Lady Shi said with a laugh. “Worth it, worth it. My whole life, it was worth living…”

As she spoke, she used a spoon to stir the basin containing the saozi.

As the old lady stirred, the diced meat that had sunk to the bottom rolled back up to the surface.

Yin Zhaodi’s first reaction was that her niece was really being too lavish, wasn’t she? How could she be like the old lady and have cut so much meat?

But very quickly, she had no way to think about that anymore.

It was really because the saozi was too fragrant.

When they were still far away, they were already drooling. Now that they were close, they were even less able to hold back. The earlier bit of discomfort vanished like smoke and mist.

By the time she brought the bowl up and ate the saozi noodles, Yin Zhaodi practically felt so happy she wanted to groan out loud. She shoveled into her mouth with force, one bite after another, where would she still have time to care about teaching the children to be frugal?

The others’ movements were simply even more excessive than Yin Zhaodi’s. For a while, in the Shi family courtyard, apart from the “slurp slurp” sounds of eating noodles, nothing else could be heard.

Those who knew would know Shi Ying’s cooking was extraordinary; those who did not might think that a bunch of refugees who had gone days without eating had run here to take shelter.

14章

Their family was eating happily and sweetly, but the neighbors on the left and right were suffering. Especially the Shi Dajun and Wang Xiujin family, separated by only one wall.

Just as the two of them put down their farm tools, Shi Juan came pattering out to meet them, wiping her saliva as she ran:

“Mom, want to eat…”

Only after a long while did she remember the name Shi Ying had said:

“Saozi noodles… made by Third Sister… saozi noodles… and, oatmeal porridge…”

In fact, while they were cooking, when Shi Juan was staring at them with eager eyes, Shi Ying immediately said that Shi Juan could eat at their house. It was just that Shi Juan understood that her mother Wang Xiujin did not like seeing her play with the several children of Shi Ting, so she did not dare go.

“Third sister, what third sister?” Since the two families were only separated by one wall, Wang Xiujin naturally also smelled that pungent fragrance, but she still did not quite believe it.

After all, Wang Xiujin knew very well what kind of days the Shi Guoan family had been living.

Even though Shi Guoan was a burden, he was the backbone of that whole big family. In the few years after Shi Ying was gone, Shi Guoan had been like half his life gone too, just barely holding on. Their family naturally went from prosperity before to being so poor now that they were ringing empty.

Even if that girl suddenly appeared again from who knew where at this moment, Wang Xiujin still did not believe they had money to get those good things to eat.

And the “Third Sister” Shi Juan was talking about, Wang Xiujin also did not react at first to what it meant.

What saozi noodles, she had never even heard of them. What could that so-called Third Sister know?

Shi Juan was practically about to cry from wanting to eat, and genuinely liked Shi Ying, this suddenly returned Third Sister. Hearing Wang Xiujin say that, she immediately became unhappy:

“Third Sister is Yingying-jiejie, she’s amazing. She even took us to plant strawberries… and she wouldn’t let Uncle Dajun bully me…”

At the last sentence, the little girl’s voice suddenly lowered.

“What bullying you? Don’t learn from that little thing Shi Ying, all petty and narrow-minded!” Wang Xiujin glared at her daughter. “Your Uncle Dajun likes you.”

She herself would not be like Shi Guoan. It was just that people wanted to hug his daughter, and he acted as if they had dug up his family grave. Really clueless.

Then she suddenly thought of something, and her voice rose at once:

“Third Sister? The Third Sister you’re talking about is Shi Ying?”

Although the two families were close neighbors, and Shi Zongyi was also her husband’s real second uncle, from the day Wang Xiujin married in, she had never once put this family in her eyes.

Shi Guoan was a burden. To put it bluntly, he was not even a Shi family member.

Shi Guoping and Shi Guoliang, meanwhile, were just like their second uncle Shi Zongyi in temperament, each and every one of them a useless coward who could not kick out a fart with three kicks.

Especially Shi Guoliang. According to Wang Xiujin, he was simply a stupid fool with no brains at all. If he was not stupid, how could he have acknowledged that pair of twins?

Even now Wang Xiujin still remembered how, when she saw that female educated youth directly kneel down and hug his leg, Shi Guoliang’s face went white with fright. At that time a lot of people had gathered, all waiting to watch a show. And what happened? After hesitating for a while, Shi Guoliang really did lose to the educated youth’s tears, and then he set the wine and married the pregnant female educated youth into the door.

That female educated youth did find herself a way to survive, but Shi Guoliang, after his father Shi Zongyi, became yet another joke in their Shilibu.

Back then, who did not say that the Shi family were generation after generation of take-the-fall men? Even people like them who were of the same clan and went out were laughed at.

Because of this, Wang Xiujin was also furious. At the time she repeatedly warned the children at home not to play with the children next door. Don’t let their own children get infected and turn stupid too.

Although Shi Juan was a girl, with already two older brothers above her, Shi Juan’s parents still doted on this daughter very much. So now that they heard that, while she was supposed to be watching the house, she had run off to play with Shi Ying, and even followed Shi Ying in copying her, refusing to let Shi Dajun hug her…

If it were normal, Wang Xiujin would not think much of it. But right now she felt that it was simply her own good child being led astray by Shi Ying, and she immediately flew into a rage. She raised her hand and smacked Shi Juan’s little backside once, while deliberately raising her voice to say:

“You good-for-nothing thing, you can’t find anyone else to play with? You just had to run to their house? And you even offended your Uncle Dajun. What, because they didn’t let your Uncle Dajun enter the door, you had to copy them and not let him in too? No brains at all, you don’t even know who is close and who is family. If you dare run over there to play again, see if I don’t break your legs…”

She was shouting fiercely here, and the Shi Zongyi family next door could hardly avoid hearing it.

Yin Zhaodi had just finished the last bite, and subconsciously looked at Shi Ying:

“What’s going on, how does this involve your Uncle Dajun too?”

As soon as she said that, Shi Jie’s face went a little pale, while the twins pouted:

“I don’t like Uncle Dajun…”

Shi Ying’s chopsticks paused for a moment, and she did not answer Yin Zhaodi’s words either.

She knew about Shi Dajun’s wicked deeds, but the problem was that there was no evidence right now. If she just said it rashly, not only might nobody believe it, it might also cause a huge uproar.

Yin Zhaodi looked at this one, then at that one, and the uncomfortable feeling in her heart grew even stronger. Suddenly she raised her hand, snatched the chopsticks from Shi Jie’s hand, and directly threw them down.

“I’m asking you something, have you no ears?”

Shi Jie was obviously frightened badly. Her body lurched backward and she fell onto the ground at once.

Shi Ying hurriedly got up to help her, and also looked up to say to Yin Zhaodi:

“Second Aunt, don’t be fierce to Second Sister… I was the one who wouldn’t let him hug Bei-bei, it has nothing to do with Second Sister…”

Old Lady Shi and Miao Xiuxiu also hurried over to see whether the child had fallen. Seeing the tears welling in Shi Jie’s eyes, the old lady immediately felt heartache:

“Oh dear, Xiaojie, get up quickly. Grandma will see whether you fell anywhere.”

Then she said to Yin Zhaodi:

“What can’t be said after eating? Look how you frightened the child…”

“Mom…” Yin Zhaodi, however, did not reflect on herself at all, and instead became even more convinced by what Wang Xiujin had told her when they were at work in the morning. “A child has to be taught from a young age. If they aren’t taught properly when they’re little, what will they be like when they grow up? However you put it, Dajun is an elder. If people know better, they’ll say our child is still young. If they don’t, wouldn’t they say our child wasn’t taught well? They’ll be gossiping behind our backs somehow…”

As she spoke, she deliberately turned her head to look at Miao Xiuxiu:

“Eldest sister-in-law, tell me, isn’t that the truth?”

Miao Xiuxiu had already picked up Shi Jie. Hearing Yin Zhaodi say that, she did not answer, only carefully wiped Shi Jie’s hands and then sent her back to sit on the bench, and washed the chopsticks clean before stuffing them into Shi Jie’s hand.

“Xiaojie, keep eating.”

After settling Shi Jie, she then raised her head to look at Yin Zhaodi:

“This afternoon, when you’re cutting the wheat in the northeast field, you and Guoping switch positions back.”

Yin Zhaodi had just been eagerly waiting for Miao Xiuxiu to agree with her, and suddenly hearing this, she was a little unable to react. Subconsciously, she refused:

“Why should I switch positions with Guoping for no good reason? You’re not unaware that my stomach is delicate…”

Originally in the family, Yin Zhaodi was on the far left. Unfortunately, Chunsheng Sao had been assigned to the position right next to her.

Chunsheng Sao was lazy in everyday life, and the clothes she wore all year round were dirty. She did not wash her hair often, and her clothes were never changed. That was not all. She also had body odor. In this hot wheat season, with nonstop sweating, the smell on her body was indescribable.

Yin Zhaodi had to cover her nose with a towel, and kept retching, simply unable to do work.

So she switched positions with Shi Guoping?

Seeing that this afternoon they would be able to completely finish harvesting that plot, and the eldest sister-in-law still insisted on making her go over and suffer that crime?

“Then look,” Miao Xiuxiu glanced at her, her tone still calm, “you’re an adult, and there are things you don’t want to do. Why, when you do something, do you demand that a child must absolutely accept someone they don’t like according to your wishes?”

Yin Zhaodi had not expected Miao Xiuxiu to be waiting for her here, and for a moment she was at a loss for words:

“Th-th-that’s the same thing?”

“How is it not the same thing? Aren’t they both unwilling? Heh, you’re such a grown person. If there’s something you’re unwilling to do, you can choose not to do it. But children can’t? How old are they? If you can’t endure the grievance, can they endure it? Those who know would know you’re their mother, those who don’t would think you were their enemy.”

Miao Xiuxiu had long looked down on Yin Zhaodi’s way of doing things.

Speaking of it, this younger sister-in-law was also a kind-hearted person. It was just that there was one thing: not only did she have no real opinions when doing things, she also looked at everyone else’s expressions for everything.

If you said she was tactful, that wasn’t quite right either. For example, she was always more polite to outsiders than to her own family. As for at home, when facing her husband Shi Guoping she was a bit better, but in front of her two daughters she was like a female tyrant, and with the slightest dissatisfaction she would start scolding with her nose not like a nose and her eyes not like eyes.

More than that, she was fine as long as she smiled apologetically at whoever it was, but she was also afraid that the other people in the family would not go along with outsiders. She could restrain herself in front of her parents-in-law and her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, but that did not work with the children below. They were repeatedly scolded by Yin Zhaodi because of this.

“Besides, children are all at the age where they’re growing. This is right in the middle of eating. How can there be anything so important that it can’t wait until after the meal?”

Yin Zhaodi was blocked until she was speechless, unwilling in her heart but not knowing how to answer. She raised her head to look at her parents-in-law and her husband, and they were all wearing expressions that showed they did not think much of her. Aside from losing face, she felt an indescribable grievance.

Aren’t children all taught like this?

In her family, let alone being scolded a few times in the middle of eating, when her birth father got angry, not only did they scold the several girls, he would even say that her mother’s bowl could be smashed whenever he wanted. Even Yin Zhaodi herself had been kicked flying by her birth father while they were eating so many times she couldn’t even count.

Hadn’t she still grown up just fine?

So why, once she got here to her husband’s family, was it as if she had committed some great sin?

Just as she was feeling aggrieved, she heard someone at the brush gate give a “ha” sound, and then Liang Cuiping’s high-pitched voice rang out:

“I was just saying, what’s going on? Why did our Dajun come back once, with the injury on his hand not even medicated, and then got hurt worse? So it turns out it was your family who did it?”

As she spoke, she turned and shouted loudly at Shi Dajun, who was cowering and refusing to come over:

“You’re so considerate of feelings and face, thinking they’re all brothers and he’s just a little kid, so you won’t bother with them. Now look, people simply think we deserved it!”

Hearing Liang Cuiping’s shouting, Wang Xiujin was the first to drag Shi Juan out of the house:

“Oh, sister-in-law, after working all morning, shouldn’t you hurry and eat something and rest a bit? Why are you so angry?”

“Eat? Your Dajun is practically being hacked to death by people!” Liang Cuiping sneered. Seeing that Shi Dajun still had no intention of coming over, she got even angrier. She stepped forward, grabbed him, and shoved him hard forward. “What? Clearly it was a junior who hacked you, and if anyone should be ashamed, it’s his family. What are you shrinking back for?”

Shi Dajun stumbled from her push and muttered,

“It’s no big deal, what are you doing…”

But in the end he was dragged by Liang Cuiping into Shi Guoan’s house.

“You even want to be a good uncle to them, but do you even look at whether they have you in their hearts!” Liang Cuiping glared hatefully at the couple, Shi Guoan and Miao Xiuxiu, her eyes seeming almost poisoned.

Early this morning, her eldest brother from the machinery factory suddenly came back, called her out, and asked her whether she had anything to do with the matter of Shi Guoan’s daughter going missing back then.

Only then did Liang Cuiping learn that after Shi Guoan found his daughter again, he had actually rushed overnight to the county public security bureau to make a report. The bureau already had his old comrade there, and the bureau chief had also been transferred out of the army. Hearing that the child of a discharged soldier had suffered such grievance, they were all furious.

Originally this matter should not have reached Liang Cuiping’s ears, but the timing was also just a coincidence. Her natal brother-in-law’s father-in-law was also an old hand at the public security bureau. Hearing the name Shilibu, he felt it was familiar, so of course he paid special attention to it.

As a result, she heard that among the suspicious-person list the other side had provided, there was her Liang Cuiping. According to her elder brother, that old father-in-law of his had said that if she really had done anything guilty, she should hurry and go turn herself in, and not wait until things blew up and the punishment got even worse.

How could Liang Cuiping not panic then? After all, in the countryside, if anything really happened, everyone would just call the family elders together and talk it out, and that would be the end of it. How could there be someone like Shi Guoan, who without making a peep, directly ran to the public security bureau to file a complaint?

She just said that Shi Guoan was a sneaky little bastard, and that his father should have died before he was even born.

But curses were curses, and Liang Cuiping was truly afraid in her heart too. Although she barely managed to send her elder brother away, her heart was still in turmoil. It was precisely because she was so distracted that she ended up making this blunder of slicing the sickle onto her husband Shi Dajun’s hand.

As a result, when she got home, she saw that not only was Shi Dajun’s hand injured, but there was also a bloody cut on the top of his foot.

When she first asked, Shi Dajun was still evasive and unwilling to say. Just then Wang Xiujin happened to be there scolding her daughter, saying again and again that Shi Juan was too ignorant, and what was the big deal about going into the house to get her uncle a bit of medicine? Was there any need to listen to other people’s instigation and throw a tantrum at her uncle…

Only after listening for a while did Liang Cuiping understand that the injury on the top of Shi Dajun’s foot was not at all, as he said, accidentally cut by himself. In fact, it was that troublemaker Shi Ying who did it!