Chapter 84: I’m Willing to Support You
Seeing her mother-in-law like this, Yun Qinghuan knew she had been frightened by today’s events.
However, she herself really didn’t want to continue cutting pig feed. This work looked easy, but it was actually very tiring.
So, she went along with it. “Alright, but Mom, don’t push yourself too hard with the farm work. I can earn money to support the family now. Although earning twenty yuan a month isn’t a lot, it’s enough to support the four of us in our family.”
She directly included Bai Naihan and Liu Yuzhi.
Hearing her say she would support him, Bai Naihan’s eyes curved slightly.
Liu Yuzhi shot him a look, signaling him not to go too far.
The man then became expressionless again, just listening.
Liu Yuzhi couldn’t help but smile. “Mom is very happy you can say that. But your gǎofèi is earned by you, so you keep it. You don’t need to give it to me. As for the family, Mom can’t promise to let you eat very well, but basic food and clothing can still be guaranteed.”
She worked very diligently every day. The work points she earned, plus the vegetables grown in the private plot, were actually almost enough for the family’s food and drink. It was just that they might not eat so well.
Moreover, when her son’s leg got better, he could also go to the fields to earn work points. Liu Yuzhi hadn’t thought of letting her son stay idle at home all the time. He couldn’t go to the fields now because of his leg injury.
Thinking of her son’s leg injury, Liu Yuzhi’s gaze dimmed slightly.
Even if he really couldn’t walk in the future, he still had to find a way to support himself. Others couldn’t support him for a lifetime. If his feet couldn’t move, he still had his hands. There would always be a way to support himself.
Hearing her mother-in-law say this, Yun Qinghuan felt a warmth in her heart. Other people’s mothers-in-law couldn’t wait to take possession of their daughters-in-law’s things, but Liu Yuzhi didn’t covet her money.
“Mom, we’re all family. There’s no need to be so clear about who owns what.
“Besides, I’m willing to support you all.”
If they were a bunch of white-eyed wolves who only knew how to suck blood, they could forget about getting a penny from her.
Liu Yuzhi’s smile widened upon hearing this.
The next day, when Yun Qinghuan and Bai Naihan went to cut pig feed, they went by the pepper tree and picked a lot of peppercorns. They also found a lot of wild spices halfway up the mountain, planning to make braising liquid to braise the pig offal.
Knowing that she had experienced such a dangerous thing yesterday but still dared to run up the mountain today, Qiao Yue gave Yun Qinghuan a thumbs-up.
“You are really brave!”
You had to know that the villagers, knowing there were still wild boars on this mountain, were all guessing that there might also be wolves or the like. Usually, many people would go up the mountain to dig wild vegetables, but today there were much fewer.
Logically speaking, Yun Qinghuan, as the person involved who had experienced a life-and-death situation, should have been the most afraid. But surprisingly, she went up the mountain again today.
Yun Qinghuan laughed when she heard this. “Those are places we often go to. There shouldn’t be anything wrong. Encountering that wild boar yesterday was likely an accident.”
Besides, with Bai Naihan accompanying her, her sense of security was overwhelming.
Especially when she saw Bai Naihan specifically sharpen his military bayonet and wear it when they went out in the morning.
Seeing him with the bayonet also suddenly reminded Yun Qinghuan of her stunned reaction when he pulled out the bayonet from his waist yesterday.
So she asked him about the origin of this knife and why he carried the bayonet even when cutting pig feed.
Bai Naihan didn’t hide anything. This bayonet was the reward he received for his first military merit when he first joined the army and went on a mission. This bayonet was said to be imported and extremely sharp.
He liked to carry it when he went on missions, and he was used to it. It was indeed very sharp.
He had been discharged from the army due to his accidental injury, and his weapons had all been handed over, but this bayonet was his prize, so he hadn’t handed it over.
Now it was late spring and early summer, the season with many insects and snakes. He was afraid of encountering these things when cutting pig feed, so he carried the bayonet, thinking it would be useful just in case. He hadn’t expected it to be so useful when they encountered the wild boar.
Thinking that without this bayonet, yesterday’s wild boar probably wouldn’t have been killed so easily, the man’s expression tightened, and he looked a bit pale.
And Yun Qinghuan was also very grateful when she heard him say that. “Luckily you were thoughtful, otherwise we would have been unlucky yesterday.”
Although Yun Qinghuan said that encountering the wild boar was an accident, she also cherished her life very much, afraid of encountering any more dangerous things. She didn’t go up the mountain at all, only wandering around the places she usually went to at the foot of the mountain. After picking the spices she needed, she returned.
In the afternoon, Jiang Wenxiu specifically came over to ask her to teach her how to make braised pork, saying that she had smelled the aroma wafting from the Bai family’s house last night. She had also received a lot of wild boar meat and planned to treat herself to a meal. Recently, the people in her family had been busy in the fields and hadn’t had a moment to rest, so this was a good way to replenish their energy.
Actually, the main reason was that she was a bit hungry for it.
Yun Qinghuan didn’t hide anything and told her all the steps.
Jiang Wenxiu nodded, indicating she understood. They were all people who often cooked, so she understood as soon as Yun Qinghuan explained.
Seeing Yun Qinghuan simmering something in the kitchen that smelled very fragrant, she curiously looked over. “What are you simmering? Why does it smell so good?”
Moreover, the aroma was very unique; she had never smelled it before.
Yun Qinghuan didn’t hide it from her. “Simmering braising liquid¹, preparing to put yesterday’s pig offal in to braise.”
[T/N: [1] – Imagine a flavorful soup that you use to cook things like meat or tofu. That soup is called braising liquid, or 卤料 (lǔliào). It gets its taste from things like soy sauce and different yummy spices. People in China use it to make food taste good, and what’s cool is you can use this soup over and over again, and it gets even tastier each time you use it! It’s like a special cooking liquid that makes food delicious.]
Bai Naihan, who was sitting under the stove quietly tending the fire, should have had a very low presence, but it was impossible for people to ignore him.
Jiang Wenxiu glanced at the man before saying embarrassedly, “Can I watch you braise it for a while here?”
“Of course.”
Just at this moment, the braising liquid was almost done simmering. Yun Qinghuan put all the washed pig offal in to braise.
The braised pig offal could be eaten directly, stir-fried as a dish, or used to make a hot pot base with chili peppers. In short, it was delicious in any way.
The man’s gaze was too piercing, making Jiang Wenxiu feel a bit uneasy, as if she had thorns in her back, feeling very uncomfortable.
She felt like she was superfluous standing here and really wanted to leave, but the aroma from the pot attracted her, and she couldn’t move her legs.
Seeing her staring greedily at the pig offal in the pot, Yun Qinghuan smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, I’ll give you some to try later when it’s done braising.”
“How could I?” Jiang Wenxiu’s face turned a bit red. She felt it wasn’t right to always eat the Bai family’s food.
Moreover, pig offal was very difficult to clean, and braising it for half a day was both time-consuming and firewood-consuming. If it were her, she would definitely find it too troublesome to do.
There was no reason for others to share a bit of what they had painstakingly made with her.
“What’s the big deal? I was planning to make some for your family to try anyway.”
“Alright, it just so happens that my family is planning to grind soybeans to make some tofu these two days. I’ll bring you a few pieces then. You can’t refuse.”
Jiang Wenxiu wasn’t one to freeload. Usually, if she had anything tasty, she also liked to bring a little to Yun Qinghuan to try.
Give and take was the only way to have a lasting relationship.
“Just bring it. I definitely won’t refuse.”
Thinking of the tender white tofu, Yun Qinghuan also felt a bit hungry for it. It would be great if they had fish; tofu stewed in fish soup was very delicious.
[T/N: This FL sure gets hungry a lot! 😅]
Because the pig offal needed to braise for half a day, which was quite a long time, Jiang Wenxiu left in a hurry after staying for a while.
The main reason was that the aura on Bai Naihan was too strong, making Jiang Wenxiu feel very uncomfortable.
After leaving the courtyard, she even quietly asked Yun Qinghuan if she found her younger brother-in-law difficult to get along with. Yun Qinghuan looked at her in surprise. “How could that be? He’s incredibly easy to get along with. Do you have some prejudice against him?”
Xoxo 🤍💜🤍
