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Early the next morning, Xie Youshun went to the fields. People in the countryside who farm are like this; they believe in the saying that early risers reap the rewards, while late risers face hardships. At dawn, they get up to work in the fields. If it is not the busy farming season, they usually finish their work in the fields before returning home for breakfast, and then they go on to other tasks. During busy farming times, the women at home wake up early to prepare meals, eat quickly, and head to the fields until noon when they are exhausted and hungry, either returning home or eating at the field's edge.
Xie Youshun did not ask Xiao Lihua to get up and cook for him. After closing the door and returning, Xiao Lihua found she could not fall back asleep. She tidied up the yard and then began preparing the meals for the guests she was hosting today.
Yesterday, Copper Coin's parents had delivered items they were lending to them: a large bag of cornmeal, a small bag of corn husks, over twenty potatoes, more than ten eggs, and even a good amount of soaked soybeans for stir-frying.
Xiao Lihua was very grateful. Looking at these ingredients, she had already planned what dishes to make.
Stir-fried cabbage with pork slices, pork stew with potato noodles, stir-fried shredded potatoes, scallion stir-fried liver tips, stir-fried fatty intestines, scrambled eggs with chives, braised tofu, and stir-fried diced meat with soybeans—these made eight dishes in total. To accompany the drinks, she also prepared fried peanuts and two jars of sorghum liquor. The staple food would be corn cakes; for those who did not like cakes, there would be sorghum rice.
This spread of dishes was quite lavish.
After hearing about Xiao Lihua's planned menu, Xie Youshun felt it was great. Zhang Lianxiang remarked that it was more than enough but expressed particular interest in learning how to make the scallion stir-fried liver tips and stir-fried fatty intestines. She said she would come early to help out and learn the techniques.
That early morning, Zhang Lianxiang arrived with a young woman following her. This young woman was fair-skinned and delicate-looking; when she smiled, two dimples appeared on her cheeks, making her quite endearing.
“Li Hua, look who has come! Your temperament seems to have improved; I think you two can get along better now. Yumiang is gentle and doesn't talk much. She used to be scared of you because you were so fierce; she didn't dare speak to you for fear you'd glare at her. I thought since you seem different now, I’d invite her over.”
Zhang Lianxiang said with a smile as she pushed the young woman forward.
Yumiang blushed at Zhang Lianxiang's words. She looked at Xiao Lihua shyly and seemed somewhat doubtful as if trying to confirm whether Xiao Lihua had really changed.
Seeing her like this made Xiao Lihua quite fond of her; she thought Yumiang resembled a rabbit—nervous yet curious enough to approach but always on guard, ready to flee if things went awry. People with such personalities are generally easy to get along with. Xiao Lihua did not have many memories of Yumiang since they rarely interacted before; however, she remembered that Yumiang also had the surname Zhang and grew up in the same village as Zhang Lianxiang. Their families were close; Yumiang's husband was Xie Qingfeng, who shared a surname with Xie Youshun but belonged to a different lineage. The two men were of similar age and thus had a good relationship.
“It’s great that you’re here! Come by often. I used to have a bad temper but wouldn’t take it out on someone like you; I find you quite likable.”
Xiao Lihua said as she held Yumiang's hand with a smile—this was her honest opinion.
Yumiang’s face turned red again as she replied, “I will come often from now on.”
"Aiya, it only took two nice words to win you over. You're really easy to please; no wonder your mother-in-law has such a tight grip on you! I really don't know when this will end for you."
Zhang Lianxiang gently pushed Yumiang. The first part of her statement was said with a smile, but she stopped smiling by the end.
Yumiang bit her lip and lowered her head, saying, "It's fine. My mother-in-law is getting old; I should do more."
"Come on, if you should do more, then why doesn't your sister-in-law do more? Look at how exhausted you are. After all these years, she hasn't had a child, yet she got pregnant as soon as she entered the door and blames you for everything. If she worked as hard as you do, it would be a miracle if she could even have a child! You're just too easy to bully!"
Zhang Lianxiang slapped Yumiang lightly in frustration.
Yumiang lowered her head even further but didn't say anything else; the color had drained from her face.
Xiao Lihua listened and understood the situation, feeling quite sympathetic towards Yumiang. However, she thought that Yumiang also needed to be more assertive. Her personality was soft like dough, allowing others to mold her however they pleased; how could she not suffer? There are always people in this world who love to bully honest individuals, and Yumiang's mother-in-law and sister-in-law seemed to be just that type.
"Wang Ersao is right. Yumiang, you need to be a bit tougher. If anything comes up in the future, just tell me. When it comes to being tough, I'm the toughest around. But let's not talk about unhappy things today; we can discuss them whenever you're ready."
Xiao Lihua said this not because she liked meddling in others' affairs but because in her past life, she had also suffered at the hands of her mother-in-law, losing her child and the chance to be a mother. So she felt a sense of shared suffering with Yumiang.
Yumiang nodded, thinking that Xiao Lihua had really changed for the better. She was soft-hearted and always felt both fear and envy towards strong women.
While the three were talking, voices were heard at the door again.
"You two came early; I hope I'm not late?"
The newcomer was a tall and sturdy woman with a round face and healthy, rosy skin. She wasn't unattractive and walked in carrying a basket.
This woman was the village chief's eldest daughter-in-law, surnamed Yang, named Yang Cao.
Xiao Lihua had seen this woman yesterday and knew she was a straightforward person, so when she saw her, she smiled and said, "You're not late. Sister-in-law, come in quickly. Let's sit for a while before we start cooking."
Yang Cao took out a piece of cloth and a paper bag from the basket and said, "This is a gift for you."
Xiao Lihua politely accepted it and welcomed them into the Hall. She first put the items away in the inner room.
Yumiang looked around the room and said to Xiao Lihua, "Sister Four, your room is really nice. It's kept so clean."
Xiao Lihua noticed the envy in her eyes and thought that Yumiang must be feeling this way because she hadn't separated from her family yet and was likely under some pressure. She smiled and replied, "This room was already quite clean; I just tidied it up a bit. But after all, it's an old house. Unlike you all, when you separate, you'll definitely build a new house. At that time, I'll be the one feeling envious."
Yang Cao said, "Separate? Who knows when that will happen! Anyway, you have already separated; you can be in charge of your own household. Just this alone makes me envious of you."
After saying this, Yang Cao regretted her words; it sounded somewhat like a complaint. If they were close friends chatting casually, it wouldn't matter, but Xiao Lihua had only recently changed her temperament and was still somewhat untrustworthy. She glanced at Xiao Lihua with some concern.
Xiao Lihua reassured her, "Sister-in-law, don't worry; we’re just talking among ourselves."
Yang Cao nodded quickly, thinking that Xiao Lihua was quite perceptive.
The four women chatted casually, growing more comfortable with each other as they talked. Before long, they were very warm with one another.
Seeing that it was about time, they began preparing to cook. When they heard what dishes Xiao Lihua planned to make, they all agreed that the meal would be quite sumptuous and were curious about her cooking skills, eager to learn how to make pig intestines and liver slices from her.
With three people assisting her, Xiao Lihua took charge of the cooking. They prepared three tables' worth of food quite quickly; within an hour, most of it was ready. Only the harder-to-cook dishes remained in the pot.
At this point, all three women were praising Xiao Lihua, saying that her cooking was delicious. Not only did they think that her liver slices and pig intestines tasted better than what they usually ate, but even the other dishes were fragrant and visually appealing—colorful and flavorful enough to be served in a restaurant. This was what Yang Cao said, and the other two agreed wholeheartedly.
Xiao Lihua thought to herself that in her past life she had always wanted to be a virtuous wife and mother, constantly pondering over recipes. However, despite her excellent cooking skills not winning over any man's heart back then, now being able to cook for the men and children in her family made her feel that all her efforts had not been in vain.
At this moment, Stone and Wood returned, followed by a group of little kids, including Copper Coin, Yang Cao's daughter Xiao Yue, and several children from the Xie Family Old Residence. The group of kids were drooling at the delicious smell and refused to leave the doorway. Stone and Wood looked on eagerly, wanting some too, just like Copper Coin and Xiao Yue. However, the other kids were not so polite and pushed their way inside.
"I want to eat meat! Hurry up and give me meat!"
A chubby little boy said, looking up with his eyes fixed on a steaming bowl, saliva almost dripping from his mouth.
Xiao Lihua wondered whose child this was. Judging by his expression and tone, he was clearly a spoiled little tyrant at home, demanding food as if it were his right. Compared to him, Stone and the others seemed far too cute and well-behaved! She felt even more grateful for having such good sons; if she had a little tyrant like him, she would have to work hard to educate him!
Yang Cao said, "Dog Egg! This isn't home; you should be polite when asking for things!"
Upon hearing the name Dog Egg, Xiao Lihua couldn't help but smile. Although she knew that people in the countryside often gave their children such names, it still made her chuckle when she heard it suddenly. She remembered that this chubby boy was Zhang Shuitao's son, the only grandson of the village chief and a precious child of the Li Family. No wonder he was so domineering! However, she recalled that he had bullied her own son before, and his mother had also been unkind to her.
"You want to eat meat? Then you need to speak nicely and ask properly; otherwise, no one will like a rude child who doesn't understand manners. No meat for you!"
Xiao Lihua said. She wouldn't argue with a child but wouldn't indulge him either. In her view, children were like young saplings; they needed watering and fertilizing but also pruning. This wasn't harming them; it was for their own good. Even if the child was unpleasant or his mother was unlikable, she still had to say it.
Upon hearing this, Dog Egg's eyes widened as he shouted loudly, "You dare say I don't understand manners? If you don't give me meat, I'll tell my mom! I'll tell my dad! I'll have my grandpa kick you out of the village!"
Yang Cao raised an eyebrow and shouted back, "Dog Egg! What are you saying? Be careful or I'll have your grandpa teach you a lesson!"
"My grandpa wouldn't hit me; I'm his precious darling! I'll have him kick you out instead!"
Dog Egg shouted back defiantly. Then, taking advantage of everyone's distraction, he sneaked over to grab a bowl of what looked like delicious liver from the stove. However, Yang Cao quickly intercepted him. Upset by this, Dog Egg pouted and stormed out.
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