Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Today, Lin Chunyan urged Mrs. Zhang to go to the village and bring back a puppy. The neighbor, Lady Zhao, had a dog that always barked whenever they passed by.

Mrs. Zhang was reluctant and made several excuses, saying she would inquire elsewhere because that dog was too aggressive.

Lin Chunyan then remembered that Mrs. Zhang and Lady Zhao did not get along. Despite living so close, they refused to speak to each other.

The origin of their conflict was unknown, but Lin Chunyan recalled that they once fought over trivial matters.

In the village, men generally did not intervene in fights between women, as it could lead to lasting grudges.

Mrs. Zhang and Lady Zhao were evenly matched at first, pulling each other's hair and pinching each other's waists. The villagers just watched, no one wanting to help.

However, Lady Zhao's loyal dog saw its owner's hair being pulled and rushed out to bite Mrs. Zhang's leg.

Fortunately, it wasn't too hot yet, and Mrs. Zhang was wearing thick pants, so the wound wasn't deep, but her pant leg was torn.

This gave Lady Zhao the upper hand, and she beat Mrs. Zhang back home. Since then, Mrs. Zhang hated both Lady Zhao and her dog.

Thinking about this, Lin Chunyan took some fried river fish and knocked on Lady Zhao's door.

That loyal dog was indeed better than any man who wouldn't help.

Seeing Lin Chunyan, Lady Zhao's face remained stern as she asked what she wanted.

Lin Chunyan smiled and handed over the fried river fish before mentioning the puppy.

Lady Zhao looked at the fried fish, smelled the aroma, and hesitated to refuse.

"Does your mother know about this?"

Lin Chunyan assured her, "I won't cause you any trouble."

Lady Zhao studied Lin Chunyan for a moment and muttered, "I didn't expect you to have improved so much; you're like a different person now, more like your grandmother."

After a few more jabs at Mrs. Zhang, Lady Zhao went to the yard and brought out a black puppy with black eyes, barely a month old.

Lin Chunyan took the puppy and stroked its head.

Lady Zhao was eager to go home and eat the fried fish and asked Lin Chunyan how to prepare it.

Lin Chunyan explained briefly. Lady Zhao had been smelling the delicious food from their house for days, and her youngest son would cry every time he caught the scent.

If not for her poor relationship with Mrs. Zhang, Lady Zhao would have asked for some.

Now, with these fried river fish, she could finally coax her son into eating another bowl of rice.

Bringing the puppy home, Lin Taohong, who was sleeping inside, heard the commotion and came out in slippers. Seeing the puppy, she jumped in surprise but then smiled and picked it up.

"Where did you get it? Mother said she couldn't find any puppies recently?"

"From Lady Zhao next door."

Lin Taohong was shocked, almost dropping the puppy, which clung tightly to her clothes. She quickly regained her composure.

"Sis, you're really brave. If Mother finds out, what will we do? Don't drag me into it if she decides to hit you."

Lin Chunyan wasn't worried. When Mrs. Zhang returned and saw the puppy, she only frowned for a moment, then commented, "It's much prettier than a yellow one."

Lady Zhao's dog that bit her was yellow, so Lin Chunyan assumed she had accepted it.

She needed to find some wood and bamboo to build a shelter for the puppy. For now, the puppy could sleep beside them, but eventually, it would need to stay in the yard.

The sky was overcast, and Lin Chunyan went to the kitchen to make bone broth.

Once the broth was ready, it would be perfect for cooking anything.

She had planned to buy some pork offal when buying pork, but found it all sold out due to its low price.

Mrs. Zhang rested for a while and then went to the field nearby, which was just a piece of reclaimed land where she could grow vegetables.

When Lin Lao's father was away, Mrs. Zhang and the girls stayed home, and someone suggested transferring the fields to the second and third households due to the heavy workload.

This left them unable to rely on farming for survival.

Mrs. Zhang regretted this decision but never mentioned it to Lin Chunyan and Lin Taohong, fearing the second and third households might take their house too.

She hoped the Zhang family would come quickly to support her.

Lin Chunyan took out the chilled melon early and called Lin Taohong to the kitchen.

"Burn the firewood."

Lin Taohong, accustomed to this, glanced at the stove and saw only a few large bones, feeling disappointed.

"What's the point of these bones? There's hardly any meat on them."

She then looked around, hoping to find the leftover braised pork from yesterday.

That meat was so fragrant; she dreamed about it last night.

"Stop looking. That meat will be heated up for you to eat tonight. Hurry and start the fire."