"They wanted to take the opportunity to extort something else. I played dumb and muddled through, didn't fall for their tricks, and brought the stuff back, not letting them take any advantage."
Su Yaoguang said, lifting her sweet little face, waiting for praise from Zhang Zhaodi.
A smile appeared on Zhang Zhaodi's weary face as she poked her forehead, "You're so clever."
Su Yaoguang rolled up her sleeves and said, "Leave this to me, Mom. You go rest for a while. I'll call you when dinner is ready."
"Your hands are full of cuts. Go apply some medicine first. Although we caught a wild boar today, I don't want this kind of thing to happen again. It's too scary and dangerous."
"This kind of thing doesn't happen often. If it happened regularly, Wang Shu and I would do nothing but wait on that mountain for wild boars, then kill and sell them every day."
Zhang Zhaodi was amused by her.
When she laughed, her haggard appearance softened significantly.
"Mom, let me handle this. Wild boar meat is very gamy, but I have a secret method to turn it delicious. Just wait and see how I do it."
"Alright, you handle it." Zhang Zhaodi untied the apron made from old clothes.
She didn't go back to rest but sat by the stove to build a fire.
The sound of chopping wood came from the yard; it was obviously Zhou Wangshu chopping wood there.
Zhang Zhaodi said, "This Wang Shu is indeed hardworking, just a bit weak. When we earn money from these rouge and powder, buy more good food to nourish him. He's still young; if properly nurtured, he'll definitely grow stronger. Daughter, a man needs to be strong; otherwise, if a wind blows, how can he become the backbone of the family?"
"Mom, aren't you looking down on him anymore?"
"He's still somewhat good-hearted, better than many timid men."
As Zhang Zhaodi spoke, she saw Su Yaoguang using some herbs to marinate the meat and asked, "Can these things be eaten? Aren't these all herbs?"
"Mom, these are all warm-natured herbs that can remove the gaminess from wild boar meat. Don't worry; eating them is only good for the body."
Zhang Zhaodi was busy taking jobs, often leaving Su Yaoguang alone at home for a few days. It was like this when Su Yaoguang was little, and even more often as she grew up. Some fancier employers would even have her stay over while their mistress gave birth, which would last one or two months, so she had to spend some money to have the neighbor aunt keep an eye on Yaoguang.
Looking at such a diligent and capable daughter, Zhang Zhaodi felt like she was meeting her for the first time, never tiring of it. She owed so much to her daughter, yet her daughter never resented her.
If Su Yaoguang knew what Zhang Zhaodi said, she would surely feel ashamed. In her past life, at first, she did resent, also craving companionship, which is why she clung to Xiao Yanci like a lifeline. As soon as Xiao Yanci showed a bit of kindness, she was willing to give him her heart. When Xiao Yanci showed dissatisfaction, she did everything to please him.
However, the current Su Yaoguang, with a fifteen-year-old body but a thirty-year-old soul, had seen too much, lost too much, and knew better what she should cherish.
"Dinner's ready." Su Yaoguang shouted towards the yard. "Wang Shu, wash your hands and eat."
Zhou Wangshu washed his hands and came in to help, seeing that Su Yaoguang had made both braised pork and twice-cooked pork today.
Zhang Zhaodi, while serving white rice, said worriedly, "Daughter, eating so much pork in one meal and having white rice, can we still get by like this?"
"Of course, such good meat deserves white rice." Su Yaoguang said, "Don't worry, Mom, we'll make money in a few days."
"We're not sure if things will sell yet, so we should still be frugal." Zhang Zhaodi said, "But today, this wild boar sold for one tael of silver! We can breathe a bit easier now."
Dinner was delicious. Zhou Wangshu, usually a modest eater, couldn't help but have a few more pieces of braised pork today.
Zhang Zhaodi gave some more meat to Zhou Wangshu.
Gratefully, Zhou Wangshu looked at Zhang Zhaodi, "Thank you, Aunt."
Zhang Zhaodi felt a little awkward, but when met with those eyes, suddenly felt a wave of maternal love.
She added a few more pieces and said, "You need to eat more. You're too frail and need proper nourishment."
"Aunt, you are so kind to me." Zhou Wangshu's eyes reddened, "No one has ever been as good to me as you and Yaoguang."
Zhang Zhaodi, looking at Zhou Wangshu with pity, said, "Poor child, from now on this is your home. Yaoguang and I are your family. You'll eat what we eat and never be mistreated."
Here at Su Yaoguang's place, it was warm and cozy, whereas at Uncle Su's place, there was only frustration.
Not only did they miss out on the wild boar meat, but they also earned a reputation for bullying a widow and her niece. The most important thing was that he felt Su Yaoguang had changed, becoming uncontrollable and defiant.
"We must quickly marry off that Su Yaoguang to Mutou, or else with her going against us every day, how can we live like this?" Second Aunt Su grumbled.
"Doesn't Su Yaoguang already have a little husband? If we marry her off to Mutou, everyone in the village would talk behind our backs." said Su Grandpa, who didn't manage anything.
"That little husband was severely injured before, and although he seems to have recovered now, he's still young. There hasn't been a wedding banquet, no marriage certificate, and surely they haven't consummated the marriage. We better act before they hold a wedding banquet or sign a marriage certificate, or it'll be too late." Uncle Su said fiercely, "I'll go and bring Mutou over tomorrow."
"Why are you bringing Mutou over?" Second Aunt Su said with an unpleasant expression. "He's a fool, and bringing him here means we have to take care of him."
"Have Little Sister come too." Uncle Su said, "We worry enough about their son's marriage. As his mother, she has to do something."
Su Family's Great-aunt, also known as Su Guilan, had only this one foolish son so far, and she was waiting for her son to carry on the family line. Her man was honest and simple, strictly controlled by her. Over the years, the couple had saved some money, planning to use it as a wedding gift to find a wife for their son. Su Yaoguang was their first target because this girl had no father and would be easy to control.
"I want to eat meat, I want to eat meat..." Su Family's precious Su Dabao stomped his feet and wailed. "Little Chun's family eats meat, Huaqiang's family eats meat, and I didn't get to eat any."
"Alright, Dabao, be good. Grandma will find some meat for you tomorrow." Grandma Su comforted heartily, "It's all that wretched girl Su Yaoguang's fault. Getting a big wild boar and not knowing to share it with Grandpa and Grandma. What she brought over just now was hardly enough even for beggars. Worthless thing, she's truly a burden and doesn't care for her own family at all."
"Once she's married off to Mutou, Little Sister can clean her up every day and teach her how to respect the elders." Second Aunt Su seemed to see Su Yaoguang being oppressed by a fool, her eyes full of gloating.