Chapter 89: A “Hot Potato”

Chapter 89: A "Hot Potato"

On the way, Lin Shu walked in silence, not uttering a single word to Zhou Ye.

Zhou Ye, naturally awkward with words, didn't know what to say, so he, too, remained silent throughout the journey.

Lin Xiaopu, seeing they were almost home and A Ye still hadn't managed to appease A Shu, couldn't bear it any longer. She decided to help A Shu by asking, "Brother A Ye, why were you so late returning today? Sister A Shu has already finished drawing the blueprint for the bamboo rocking chair."

Zhou Ye was momentarily speechless.

What could he say? That he had dreamt such a dream and felt he had wronged A Shu, so he dared not face her?

"I—I was just about to head back," Zhou Ye stammered, an explanation utterly devoid of conviction.

Lin Xiaopu shook her head, sighed, and gave him a look that clearly conveyed, "I can't help you; you're on your own."

If Brother A Ye had truly been on his way back, as he claimed, he wouldn't still have been in the fields when both she and Sister A Shu arrived.

She wondered what was wrong with Brother A Ye today. Was he too tired from making the bamboo reclining chair yesterday and didn't feel like working today, preferring to stay longer in the fields instead?

This could easily be misinterpreted as not wanting to help Sister A Shu with her work. If she were Sister A Shu, she wouldn't be happy either.

Back in the courtyard, Lin Shu told Zhou Ye to put down the bucket. She then personally transferred the loaches and field snails from the bucket into a wooden basin, refilled it with fresh water, and added a scoop of salt. Soaking them in diluted saltwater would help the loaches and field snails expel sand and dirt more quickly and thoroughly. Although salt was expensive, some things simply couldn't be scrimped on.

Lin Xiaopu noticed Zhou Ye standing awkwardly behind A Shu, looking utterly helpless. She thought to herself that A Shu's temper must be quite fierce today. Had Brother A Ye done something else to anger her?

She didn't understand the full situation, but when A Shu was angry, she couldn't possibly side with Brother A Ye, or A Shu would only get angrier. However, she could offer Brother A Ye a subtle hint or two.

"Brother A Ye, Sister A Shu and I need to get busy cooking. Why don't you go attend to your own work for now? Sister A Shu's blueprint for the bamboo rocking chair is on the table. Take a look and see if you can make it."

If there was any part of the blueprint he didn't understand, he could always ask A Shu. Since the bamboo rocking chair was something A Shu wanted, even if she was angry, she wouldn't refuse to answer.

Lin Xiaopu thought her hint was obvious enough, and Brother A Ye would surely understand. To her surprise, after picking up the blueprint and looking at it, he went straight to working on the bamboo, burying himself in the task without even thinking of using the blueprint as an excuse to talk to A Shu.

Lin Xiaopu: ...

Brother A Ye wasn't stupid in other areas, so why was he so utterly clueless when it came to appeasing someone?

Fine, she wouldn't meddle anymore; let them sort it out themselves.

After soaking the loaches and field snails in diluted saltwater, Lin Shu and He Guixiang sat on small bamboo chairs, twisting linen thread for a while. Before they had the small bamboo chairs, they used wooden stumps in the courtyard to sit on while twisting the linen. Now, with the small bamboo chairs Zhou Ye had made, it was more comfortable and convenient.

He Guixiang glanced toward Zhou Ye, who was working with bamboo in the corner of the courtyard, and asked in a low voice, "A Shu, are you upset with A Ye?"

She hadn't intended to interfere. Some couples grew closer through arguments, but A Shu and A Ye weren't married yet. What if they argued and grew apart?

Lin Shu knew her mother was concerned about her. She stole a glance at Zhou Ye to make sure he wasn't peeking in their direction before replying softly, "A Ye upset me. Shouldn't I be angry?"

"But don't worry, Mother. I'm not as angry as you might think. It's just that he upset me and hasn't made it up to me, so the anger hasn't subsided."

He Guixiang felt relieved and said with a smile, "Your father sometimes upsets me too, especially when we were younger. My temper wasn't as good as yours, and I used to sulk in silence."

Lin Shu frowned. "Mother, if you're angry, shouldn't you express it immediately? Isn't it painful to keep it bottled up?"

He Guixiang said, "It is painful, of course it is. But your father worked hard in the fields every day and was already exhausted. Why should I argue with him over trivial matters? Eventually, though, my anger would fade. Do you know why? Because your father was so clueless he didn't even notice I was upset! I was the only one suffering, and the more I thought about it, the less worth it it seemed, so the anger just went away."

"But that was years ago. Your father and I have been married for over a decade now. These days, if I even frown slightly, he knows he's upset me, though he often still doesn't understand why."

She ended with a rueful chuckle.

Lin Shu sighed. "Mother, you have such a gentle temperament. Father must have accumulated blessings over several lifetimes to marry such a wonderful wife."

No wonder Mother endured so much hardship before the family split up. With such a soft nature, anyone would think they could bully her.

He Guixiang, however, shook her head gently, her eyes tender. "A Shu, I'm willing to yield to your father because I know he treats me well. He has done so much for me, and because of that, I'm willing to overlook many of his minor flaws. How can any marriage be without arguments? Some couples grow closer through arguments, while others grow apart. I'm telling you all this because I want you to know that A Ye is a good boy. He might have minor flaws, like your father, but as long as he treats you well, that's what matters. Everything else can be worked out over time. With enough time, two people can work things out."

Lin Shu, however, said, "You might be willing to tolerate and overlook men, Mother, but I'm not. Emotions aren't essential to me; taking care of my own well-being is more important. If being with A Ye doesn't make me happy, why should I suffer for the sake of emotions? Even if nothing has happened between us now, even if I marry him someday, if he upsets me, I can always seek a divorce."

He Guixiang's eyes widened slightly, as if taken aback by her words.

In the Da Yan Dynasty, divorce wasn't unheard of, but it was difficult for poor families to find a wife, and village gossip was rampant. Once a couple married, no matter how unhappy they were, they would often struggle through life together.

If they divorced, a poor man might not save enough to marry again, and a woman returning to her maiden home would face disdain from her family. Village gossip alone could drive someone to suicide—many chose to end their lives with a linen rope.

Lin Shu thought: This is nothing. The truly shocking things she hadn't even said yet, like wanting to live together first before deciding whether to marry.

She considered herself conservative. In the apocalypse, everyone lived by the idea of "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die." Many treated each day as their last, leading lives of indulgence and excess, filled with primal desires and wildness. It was common for people to change partners daily.

She simply hadn't had the time or energy for such things because filling her stomach was hard enough. Although she disliked such a reckless lifestyle, finding it no different from beasts, if she hadn't had to worry about food and had met a man who was pleasing to the eye and shared her values, she would have long since ceased being single.

He Guixiang, however, seemed to have misinterpreted her words, her brows furrowing. "A Shu, how can you say such things before even getting married? When you were in the Marquis's residence, did you... did you suffer some injustice?"

Lin Shu quickly said, "Nothing like that. With my status as the Marquis's daughter, how could I have suffered any injustice? What are you thinking, Mother? It's just that after spending so long in the capital, I've seen too many stories of heartless men and fickle affections. Romance seems overrated to me. If I hadn't met A Ye, I wouldn't have wanted to interact with other men. I would have been content to be your and Father's old maid forever. I mean that; I'm not just saying it to make you happy."

Seeing that her mother's frown hadn't eased, Lin Shu changed her tone and said cheerfully, "But then there's A Ye. As you said, he's a good person. The more time I spend with him, the more I like him. It's just that he can be too honest, dull, and clumsy with words, which is really annoying. If I don't assert myself today, what if he keeps upsetting me in the future? Just think of it as a little flirtation between A Ye and me."

He Guixiang immediately turned from worry to delight, though she scolded softly, "You silly girl, have you no shame? How can you say such things, even talk about flirtation?"

"What flirtation?" Lin Xiaopu suddenly popped her head over, her expression curious.

Lin Shu quickly covered her mouth and glanced nervously toward Zhou Ye. Seeing that he wasn't looking their way, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

Lin Shu withdrew her hand and said sternly, "Don't be so loud when you speak. What will people think?"

Lin Xiaopu grinned. "Yes, ma'am!"

The three of them, mother and daughters, each sat on a small bamboo chair, chatting about this and that. When Lin Shu estimated the time was about right, she started preparing the morning meal.

The coarse rice had already been steamed by her mother; all that was left was to make a few home-style dishes.

He Guixiang didn't want Lin Shu to dirty her hands, so she helped clean the loaches and field snails. Lin Shu only needed to cook.

The field snails were stir-fried again, but this time with a small handful of dogwood berries to enhance the flavor.

For the loaches, she decided to splurge and make braised loach.

She cut the loaches into sections, let them drain in a basket, then pan-fried them over medium heat until both sides were golden brown. She set them aside.

The lazy way to make braised loach was to stir-fry and then stew them with sugar, but Lin Shu opted for a slightly more complex method—using oil to caramelize sugar.

After removing any residue from the pot, she added sugar when the pot was hot but the oil was cool. Lin Shu tossed in a handful of pre-crushed rock sugar and stirred quickly with a wooden spatula. The rock sugar soon melted into a syrup, turning from pale yellow to golden, then to a reddish-brown, and began to form small bubbles.

This was the moment!

She poured in hot water from the clay pot, added the loaches and all the seasonings—a bundle of wild onions tied together and thrown in whole, sliced ginger, and a small handful each of Sichuan peppercorns and dogwood berries.

After stewing for less than a quarter of an hour, she removed everything from the pot and reduced the caramel sauce.

When the sauce thickened and clung to the spoon, it was done.

The shiny, reddish-brown glaze was poured over the loach; just looking at it made your mouth water.

Finally, a sprinkle of chopped wild onions was scattered on top, adding a touch of green to the red, making it a feast for the eyes, nose, and taste buds.

Just as the braised loach was freshly out of the pot, Lin Dashan returned home, chuckling as he said, "I could smell this delicious aroma from far away outside!"

"Take a seat and rest, Dad. There's just one more soup to go."

Lin Shu added half a pot of water to the scraped-off juices clinging to the sides of the pot and simmered it into a wild vegetable egg drop soup.

Once the soup was ready, Lin Shu used a large ladle to scoop it into a big bowl, planning to wait until she had scooped out a couple of ladlefuls to lighten the pot before lifting it—after all, this iron pot was much heavier than pots from later eras, with handles on both sides that required both hands to lift.

But before she could act, two hands suddenly shot out next to her and effortlessly lifted the iron pot.

Lin Shu, remembering something, suddenly snapped, "Be careful, it's hot!"

But Zhou Ye had already lifted the pot. His brows furrowed abruptly, yet his hands did not let go of the iron pot. He steadily poured the soup from the pot into the big bowl before setting it back on the stove.

Lin Shu hurriedly tried to force his hands open. When she managed to unfold his palms, she saw two bright red marks.

Without another thought, she quickly grabbed Zhou Ye's arm and pulled him toward the stove, pulled out the stopper from the bamboo water pipe, and held his hands under the flowing water.

"A Shu, I'm fine."

"Shut up!"

Zhou Ye was frustrated; it seemed he had accidentally made A Shu angry again.