In this era, chefs were highly sought after. They were considered public servants, and having a relative who worked for the government was a source of great pride, something one would boast about to the entire world.
Xie Sui, who in the past would have resorted to any means necessary, short of selling his wife and children, would he let such a wealthy relative slip through his fingers?
"My cousins are everywhere, I just recognized him!"
Lin Wanwan thought, she knew Xie Sui was shameless, but she never imagined he could be *this* shameless. How unlucky it must be for anyone to be his cousin!
"Let me treat you to doufunao. I know a place that's particularly good, and it's delicious with youtiao."
"Save your money. Huzhi still needs money for treatment. I brought flatbread and plain water. We'll eat this."
Xie Sui was touched. Lin Wanwan was truly kind. How many wives in the village would give so much money to treat their nephew? What had he done to deserve such a wonderful wife?
"Fine, we won't have youtiao then. Just three bowls of doufunao. Their broth is free refills, so we can dip the flatbread in it. That's a good deal."
Zhang Wenfeng chimed in, "That sounds good. I can eat three bowls."
Lin Wanwan had no choice but to agree. The white, tender doufunao was made with rich bone broth, seasoned with soy sauce, seaweed, dried shrimp, and pickled vegetables, finished with a few drops of sesame oil. It looked appetizing.
Dipping the hot flatbread into it, they ate it warm, finding it delicious and filling.
Zhang Wenfeng refilled his broth three times. The proprietress glared at him. Even if it was free, you couldn't eat *that* much!
Xie Sui wanted to laugh. This guy was suited for an all-you-can-eat buffet; he could definitely get his money's worth.
A bowl of doufunao cost two mao. Most families couldn't afford to eat it regularly. Xie Sui paid the bill, packed two catties of youtiao, and bought ten fried sugar cakes to take home for the children and elders to try.
Lin Wanwan finally believed he had truly changed. In the past, he would hoard everything for himself, never giving a bite even if the children watched with longing eyes. He was truly inhuman, selfish to the extreme.
What had caused him to change?
Was it that bowl of rat poison? If she had known it would be so effective, she should have given it to him sooner.
"Wife, do we need to buy anything else at home? Do you want to go browse the supply and marketing cooperative?"
"No need. I want to go to the post office. I wonder if there's any mail for me?"
Lin Wanwan's eyes dimmed. Since arriving here, she had never received any letters from home, as if she had been forgotten.
Despite this, she went to the post office every year, hoping for news from her family.
"Alright, let's go to the post office."
Xie Sui accompanied her inside. The clerk searched for a while and shook her head, "There's no mail for Lin Wanwan."
"Thank you."
Lin Wanwan looked utterly dejected. Her lonely and forlorn expression pained Xie Sui. In his past life, he had no idea about Lin Wanwan's family situation. Later, when he became successful, he tried to investigate, but it had been too long, and he couldn't find anything.
"Are there any letters for Yushu Village? We can take them back with us."
"Yes, there are quite a few. Some of them were here for too long and had to be discarded.
Here, these are for someone named Cheng Yiming. He used to come to pick them up frequently a few years ago. He probably moved back to the city without changing his address, so they're still being sent here."
"Cheng Yiming? I know him. He got into Capital Normal University."
Among the educated youth who had come down to the countryside back then, Lin Wanwan was the most outstanding female youth, and Cheng Yiming was the most outstanding male youth. Many girls had wanted to marry him, and Cheng Yiming had often been the subject of gossip.
Lin Wanwan held a secret: Cheng Yiming had once pursued her, but she had rejected him. She found Cheng Yiming too slick and not steady enough; he wasn't the type she liked.
After her rejection, Cheng Yiming became very cold towards her, and Lin Wanwan also kept her distance. They weren't even ordinary friends.
Fate, however, played a cruel joke. In the end, she married Xie Sui, who was even slicker and more unreliable. If Cheng Yiming knew, he would surely laugh at her.
"Let's go back. We still need to make preserves. There's a lot to do."
Lin Wanwan pulled herself together. Life had to move forward.
Xie Sui knew she was in a bad mood and didn't tease her. They arrived home quietly.
The elders were already at home, having washed and peeled the peaches. Being accustomed to farm work, these tasks were easy for them.
"Dad, Mom, we're back. I bought some sugar cakes, try them."
"Why buy these? They're so expensive. If you want to eat them, I can make them for you."
Zhao Xiue complained verbally, but her face beamed with joy. This was the first time her son had bought something for them.
"Where's Doudou? Give a few to Grandma. Her teeth aren't good; she can eat these."
"He's out playing. There's a bunch of kids behind him; he's almost become their king."
In the past, Doudou and Dingding would chase after other children, looking thin and weak, lacking the energy to keep up. The other children didn't want to play with them.
Now, it was different. Playing with Doudou and Dingding not only meant free tin frogs but also earning money. The children's pockets could accumulate a considerable amount of one mao. They treated Doudou and Dingding better than their own parents.
Zhao Xiue was very proud. Her grandson was so capable, showing leadership potential from a young age.
This was a good opportunity to show those gossiping women how filial Xiao Sui was, remembering his grandmother even with a small treat. See who would dare to spread rumors then!
Before they could even enter the house, Cai Jinhua, the mother of Xie Dabao, appeared at the doorway, dragging her wailing son. She put her hands on her hips and yelled, "Xie Sui, get out here! What mischief are you up to again? You're not even letting children off the hook, instigating your son to have my son steal money from home! If you don't give me an explanation today, I'll scratch your face!"
Zhao Xiue instinctively felt guilty. They had been confronted so many times before, always having to apologize. This was actually one of the milder scoldings.
"Grandma Jinhua, why are you lowering your辈分 (bèifen - generation status)? My mother is right here; we don't need another mother!"
Cai Jinhua was the wife of Xie family's paternal uncle. According to seniority, Xie Sui should call her "Tang Nainai" (paternal uncle's wife, senior generation), even though Cai Jinhua was only in her thirties.
The onlookers burst into laughter. It was true; Cai Jinhua was so enraged she had forgotten her own seniority.
"Let's talk properly. What happened?"
Xie Sui didn't let Zhao Xiue come forward to clean up his mess. From now on, he would be the one to support this family. He couldn't let his parents worry and be scolded because of him.
"The peddler came to sell things today, and this child spent five mao to buy me hair ties! Oh, tell me, where did he get so much money? Isn't it from stealing from home? I spanked him, and he said Doudou gave it to him. How is that possible? Doudou and Dingding are so young! Where would they get so much money? It must be that you, Xie Sui, are a bad influence, that the top beam is crooked and the bottom beam is slanted, instigating my child to steal!"
Many people nodded in agreement. It was true; Doudou was a five-year-old child. Five mao? Would he be willing to give it to someone else? Xie Sui might have earned some money, but he shouldn't let his children spend it so carelessly, right?
"Grandma Jinhua, you should be happy. Your son is so filial; he knew to buy you hair ties. For a child this old, who wouldn't use their money to buy candy for themselves? Was it wrong to spank him?"
Xie Sui cast a sympathetic glance at Xie Dabao. Poor child, he happily wanted to please his mother, but instead, he got a beating! He wondered what the psychological impact on Xie Dabao was.