Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Mrs. Zhang had lost quite a bit of money today and was feeling sour. Seeing Lin Taohong like this, she sneered, "Xiang Niang is so perceptive. Who’s like you? Every time you go to the kitchen to start a fire, Yan Niang has to invite you. You’d rather play with anyone else, wouldn’t you?"

Lin Taohong felt uncomfortable hearing this. "Mother, why are you siding with others? Who’s your real daughter?"

Mrs. Zhang hummed twice, then seemed to think of something. She put down her knife and beckoned Lin Taohong over.

"Tell me, has Yan Niang given you any copper coins recently?"

Hearing this, Lin Taohong stepped back repeatedly. "Why do you want to know? Elder Sister is so tight on money; how could she give me any!"

Seeing that Mrs. Zhang didn’t believe her, Lin Taohong changed her tune. "She only gave me a few coins as running errand fees, nothing more."

"Then lend me ten coins!"

Mrs. Zhang held out her hand, but Lin Taohong didn’t want to give them. "Mother, what do you need the money for? Besides, who asks their daughter for money? People would laugh at us if they knew."

The mother and daughter bickered, but Lin Chunyan, hearing the commotion, didn’t intervene. She merely looked through the window at the bamboo shoots Mrs. Zhang was cutting, her gaze full of reproach.

Being stared at by Lin Chunyan, Mrs. Zhang felt a bit embarrassed, thinking about the joke she had made in front of Lin Cuixiang. If Lin’s Second Aunt found out, she would surely mock her.

But not getting the money left her feeling uneasy.

The smell of loaches was already wafting through the air. Lin Chunyan told Lin Cuixiang to stay for dinner tonight.

Lin Cuixiang waved her hand. "I still have to go back and start a fire for my mother."

The second household only had Lin Cuixiang as a daughter, and most of the chores were done by her and Lin’s Second Aunt.

Lin Chunyan sighed. "When it’s ready, I’ll send some over to your house."

As Lin Cuixiang was leaving, Lin Chunyan gave her a jar of pickled bamboo shoots. "Eat it as a side dish."

Lin Cuixiang’s eyes lit up as she held the clay jar. "Elder Sister’s cooking skills are great; these bamboo shoots must be delicious."

Back home, she placed the jar down. Lin’s Second Aunt was already busy in the kitchen and asked what it was.

"It’s the bamboo shoots Yan Niang gave."

Lin’s Second Aunt opened the jar, picked out a piece, and tasted it. The bamboo shoots were well-pickled, tangy, spicy, and crunchy—perfect with rice.

"Tomorrow, we can eat the bamboo shoots with corn porridge."

Lin’s Second Aunt thought the taste was good and asked what Lin Chunyan did after returning home. After a short conversation, Lin Chunyan brought half of the loaches over.

Seeing her actually bring them, Lin’s Second Aunt felt a bit guilty. "These loaches were caught for your family; why are you bringing them here?"

"It’s all thanks to Xiang Niang and Third Brother. Let’s all try them; they’re fresh."

Lin’s Second Aunt didn’t refuse and planned to cook the loaches soon.

Sanlang from the third household often ate at the second household. Seeing the loaches on the table, he took a bite and found them surprisingly delicious, without any of the usual fishiness.

After tasting one bite, his chopsticks didn’t stop. "They taste better than fish!"

Seeing Silang enjoying the meal, everyone else joined in.

"It really is delicious."

Lin’s Second Uncle ate several bites before stopping. "Yan Niang’s cooking skills are improving."

Thinking of the bamboo shoots, Lin’s Second Aunt went to the kitchen and brought them out to pair with the loaches, which helped cut the richness.

Lin Cuixiang also enjoyed the meal, feeling proud of her contribution. She decided to wake up early the next day and check the river again.

Sanlang, who had eaten the most, challenged Silang to see who could eat more. Suddenly, he remembered something and slapped his head. His method of catching fish was different from Lin Cuixiang’s, allowing him to find small crabs hiding in crevices. Thinking that if loaches were this tasty, crabs might be delicious too.

And there were freshwater snails, which were good but had little meat, just like crabs. Villagers found them tedious to prepare, so few people fished for them.

With this in mind, he quickly finished eating and brought some small crabs from home to Lin Chunyan.

Seeing the crabs, Lin Chunyan was delighted. These crabs and snails were very tasty and would sell well as snacks.

Even when people had many options, these remained popular.

Without waiting for nightfall, she went into the kitchen, blanched the crabs, stir-fried them with sauce until red oil appeared, added minced ginger, garlic, and scallions, then seasoned them before adding sugar at the end.

Once the crabs were done, the snails, which had been soaking for hours, had their tails clipped off, boiled, washed several times, and then fried with oil.

The snails were cooked with plenty of pepper and garlic, making them incredibly fragrant, tempting everyone to lick their fingers.

After finishing the loaches, everyone’s bellies were already full, but the aroma of the crabs and spicy snails drew them back for more.

This time, they couldn’t stop eating, but fortunately, the portions weren’t large enough to cause overeating.

"This is too delicious! Are we selling these tomorrow?"

Lin Chunyan looked around; there wasn’t much left. "Let’s catch more and make a larger batch."

Sanlang’s eyes twinkled. "Leave it to us; we’ll catch plenty."

Lin Chunyan thought for a moment and nodded. "Then I'll leave this to you. Later, just like Xiang Niang, I'll give you some copper coins."

Sanlang and Silang felt a surge of excitement in their hearts.

Silang ate until his belly was round before heading home. By then, the sky had grown dark, and Li Shi, fearing it would strain their eyes, usually did not embroider at this hour.

After embroidering all day, Li Shi had no energy left to prepare a good meal; she always made do with whatever was available.

As Silang passed by, he glanced a few times but had no desire to eat anything.

"Mother, can we even eat this? Look, it's all burnt. I just had some loaches cooked by Yan Niang, and they were delicious."

Hearing Silang's words, Li Shi was somewhat displeased. "It's just food, meant to fill your bellies. What's so special about loaches?"

Silang wanted to argue back, but Li Shi was always strict, guiding them rigorously. They could afford private tutoring because Li Shi worked tirelessly, stitch by stitch.

Lin Fengdie also defended Li Shi. "When it comes to cooking, anyone can do it. Mother and I simply don't have the time. If we put in the effort, we could learn too."

With Silang's interruption, the meal was not particularly pleasant. Feeling misunderstood, Silang returned to his room, feeling gloomy.

Unbeknownst to him, Li Shi took his words to heart. She was a competitive person, always striving to be better than others.

Though Li Shi rarely ventured outside, she knew how the village viewed her—mostly with envy for her embroidery skills.

Some villagers even brought meat and cloth, hoping to learn from her.

Li Shi looked down on these offerings. If not for financial constraints, she wouldn't even take students from the Village Headman's household.

How hard could it be to make something tasty?

The next morning, Li Shi got up early to cook porridge, adding fresh vegetables, determined to prepare a proper meal.

Lin Chunyan was unaware of the second and third households' thoughts. She had eaten plenty of loaches the previous night and still felt full before bedtime.

Lin Taohong was even more affected, needing to support herself while walking. Under Mrs. Zhang's urging, she carried several buckets of water to help digest her meal.

At night, the sisters lay on the roof, a mat beneath them, gazing at the starry sky above, which made their eyes drowsy after a while.

Lin Taohong whispered to Lin Chunyan, "Elder Sister, where did you hide those little silver fish?"

Lin Chunyan, already drowsy, was startled awake. She glanced sideways at Lin Taohong. "Why do you ask?"

Lin Taohong sighed. Her private savings had been reduced by ten copper coins given to Mrs. Zhang, and she wanted to find a safe place to hide the rest.

Lin Chunyan didn't tell her, leaving her to figure it out on her own.

"How about you give them to me, and I'll keep them for you?" Lin Chunyan teased her.

Lin Taohong waved her hands. "No way. Tomorrow, when we go to town, I want to buy some flowers to wear!"

"But you already have some."

"Those aren't the latest styles. I saw the maids at Hu Mansion wearing such beautiful flowers."

Lin Chunyan responded casually, then suddenly heard barking from the neighboring courtyard. Their dog, Little Hei, also barked a few times, making her alert.

Lin Taohong stopped chattering and, mimicking Lin Chunyan, listened intently. Someone was heading up the mountain late at night, passing their homes, causing the dogs to bark.

Lin Taohong shrugged it off, muttering, "Who goes up the mountain at this hour?"

The moonlight wasn't particularly bright tonight, and Lin Chunyan couldn't see who it was. Once the person was far enough away, she relaxed.