Fine grain, eggs, and cured meat?
No matter which it was, all three Yu sisters—Yu Jin, Yu Yin, and the youngest, Yu Zhu—were utterly transfixed, their eyes glued to the basket, unable to look away. Especially the palm-sized, glistening piece of cured meat, with oil seeping from it. It almost seemed as if they could smell the rich, delicate aroma of the fat just by looking at it.
It had been a long time since they last ate meat.
The last time was during the New Year celebration, but even then, they were only given a tiny chicken bone to share. The meat had been scraped clean, leaving only the faint flavor of meat lingering in the bone. They had chewed on it, savoring every bit of the flavor, and couldn’t bear to throw it away until they had crushed and swallowed the bone entirely.
Yu Li noticed her three younger sisters staring intently at the basket, swallowing hard. She asked, “Are you hungry?”
Finally, Yu Jin reluctantly tore her gaze away from the basket. Yu Yin forced herself to look away as well, but the youngest, Yu Zhu, lacked their self-control. Trusting her eldest sister, she was honest.
“Elder Sister, I’m hungry,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “For breakfast today, we only had some thin porridge…”
By “thin porridge,” she meant a watery gruel with barely any grains of rice in it.
A pot of porridge that was two-thirds water had most of the rice grains scooped into the bowls of the men in the Yu family who went out to work the fields. By the time it was the second branch’s turn—the sisters’ turn—there was only watery soup left.
According to Old Madam Yu, the girls from the second branch didn’t need much food since they didn’t work in the fields. They didn’t need strength, so there was no point in wasting grain on them.
But even if they didn’t work in the fields, there was still plenty of work to be done at home. Cleaning the chicken coop and pigsty, washing clothes, feeding the chickens and pigs, and cooking for the entire family all required strength.
Yu Li was well aware of these circumstances. Seeing her three younger sisters now, their frail appearance struck her far more deeply than the memories in her mind.
Even in the post-apocalyptic world, where food was revolting and hard to swallow, at least it didn’t leave people starving like this.
Carrying the basket, she said to them, “Come, let’s cook some eggs.”
The Yu sisters froze for a moment, then followed her toward the doorway instinctively.
Once they reached the kitchen, they finally came to their senses.
“Elder Sister, this… this isn’t right, is it?” Yu Yin said fearfully. “If Grandma finds out, she’ll be angry.”
Yu Yin was timid by nature. Even a slightly raised voice from others could scare her, and she was terrified of their grandmother’s wrath. When Grandma was angry, she didn’t just scold them—she hit them, and it hurt terribly.
Yu Zhu, meanwhile, was staring wide-eyed at the eggs in the basket, practically drooling. “Elder Sister, I want to eat eggs…”
Yu Jin, who was initially just as afraid, hesitated when she saw Yu Li start putting all the eggs into the pot, adding water, and lighting the fire. Gritting her teeth, she said, “What’s there to be scared of!” She scolded her youngest sister. “We just won’t tell Grandma.”
Fortunately, apart from the sisters, everyone else in the family was out working. Even Grandma, who couldn’t sit still for long, wouldn’t stay home all day. They could eat the eggs without anyone knowing. After all, Grandma didn’t know how many eggs their elder sister had brought back.
After lighting the fire, Yu Li asked, “Why would Grandma get angry?”
“Because we’re cooking eggs…”
“But the eggs are the ones I brought back!” Yu Li said to her sisters. “These are my things. What does that have to do with Grandma?”
Hearing this, all three sisters looked at her with strange expressions.
In their minds, even if the eggs were part of the return gifts their elder sister brought back, they still belonged to the family’s communal storage. They had nothing to do with the second branch, let alone the sisters.
No matter how much they craved the eggs, they didn’t dare steal and eat them.
“But if Grandma finds out…” Yu Yin said hesitantly.
Yu Li maintained a calm expression. “If she finds out, she finds out. Either way, whether she knows or not, she loves to scold people.”
The Old Madam Yu in her memory was someone who simply enjoyed scolding others. Sometimes, when she got particularly angry, even Old Master Yuzi (Grandpa Yu) wasn’t spared. The only ones who rarely faced her wrath were Yu Laoda (Eldest Yu) and his two sons, Yu Jingde and Yu Jingli, who were studying with Chen Xiucai1Xiucai (秀才), literally meaning “distinguished talent,” was a title given to scholars who passed the lowest level of the imperial examination system in ancient and imperial China. in the county.
The three sisters were stunned, staring blankly at Yu Li, seemingly unable to believe that she had actually said such a thing.
Yu Li had always been a quiet and withdrawn person, practically invisible in the household. She would silently do her chores, rarely speaking, even to her sisters. Like their mother Liu Shi, Yu Li’s silence stemmed from the immense pressure of life, which had long drained them of words and vitality.
After a long while, Yu Jin hesitated and said, “Elder Sister, you…”
Yu Li looked at her calmly.
Yu Jin bit her lip and then, with sudden resolve, declared, “Elder Sister is right! At worst, we’ll get scolded by Grandma. By then, the eggs will already be in our stomachs. It’s not like we can spit them out!”
Seeing her two older sisters speak so boldly, Yu Yin, though still fearful, chose to follow their lead.
As for Yu Zhu, her mind was entirely occupied by thoughts of the eggs and nothing else. Being the youngest, she relied on her three elder sisters, who usually doted on her, allowing her to remain pure and carefree.
Soon, the dozen or so eggs were fully cooked.
Yu Li scooped the boiled eggs out into a bowl, grabbed the basket, and led her sisters back to their room to eat.
Once the eggs had cooled slightly, Yu Li handed one to each of her sisters.
The freshly boiled eggs were warm in their hands. As they cracked the shells, the smooth, tender egg whites were revealed. Taking a bite, the unique flavor of the egg spread in their mouths, bringing an indescribable sense of happiness.
Boiled eggs were a rare luxury for the sisters—something they might not eat even once a year. In their memories, the only times they ever had eggs were when they fell ill, and Liu Shi would beg Old Madam Yu to allow them one egg to help them recover.
Because of this, there were times when the sisters secretly hoped to get sick, just so they could have an egg.
However, being sick was miserable, and Old Madam Yu would never call a doctor for her granddaughters. Instead, she would resort to rural remedies, picking wild herbs from the field, boiling them into a bitter brew, and making them drink it to break a sweat. That was it.
Fortunately, as hardy rural children, they usually recovered after a few days of illness.
Yu Li also ate her egg.
It was her first time tasting a boiled egg, and it was just as delicious as she had imagined. The egg wasn’t the least bit fishy, only rich with the aroma of egg. She felt like she could eat all ten eggs in one go.
In this era, raising chickens wasn’t very advanced, so the eggs were small—barely a mouthful.
After finishing one egg, she restrained herself from taking another.
Yu Jin and the others ate very cautiously and carefully, taking small bites, afraid that the eggs would be gone too soon.
When they finished eating, they couldn’t help but glance at the bowl of eggs, swallowing hard.
The eggs were so fragrant. They really wanted to eat more…
Yu Li handed each of them another egg and told them to keep eating. She then set aside two eggs, saying they were for Yu Lao’er and his wife, and stored the rest away.
After eating the eggs, the sisters were in excellent spirits. Yu Jin began asking Yu Li about her days since getting married.
Yu Li replied, “It’s been great. Mother-in-law treats me well, and Yanhui and Yansheng are just like you two—good kids, very well-behaved.”
“And Brother-in-law?” Yu Jin pressed curiously.
Yu Yin and Yu Zhu both looked at their elder sister.
Yu Li blinked, only belatedly realizing that the “brother-in-law” her sisters were referring to was Fu Wenxiao.
It wasn’t surprising that she felt detached from the term. She had always considered herself merely a temporary guest in the Fu household and regarded Fu Wenxiao as a patient she needed to care for, rather than as her husband.
“He… is a good person,” Yu Li said, reflecting silently. After all, when she accidentally strangled him in her sleep, he hadn’t scolded her or kicked her out. He truly seemed like a good person.
The phrase “good person” sounded a bit odd, but since the Yu sisters were still young and lacked worldly experience, they didn’t overthink it. They simply assumed that their elder sister was living well after marrying into the Fu family.
Judging by today’s return gifts, it was clear the Fu family valued their sister greatly.
This probably had something to do with the village rumors about a “lucky star.” The sisters didn’t believe in such superstitions, though. They only cared about whether their elder sister was doing well.
After some catching up, Yu Jin noticed the time and took the youngest, Yu Zhu, to prepare a meal.
When Yu Li offered to help, Yu Jin stopped her.
“Elder Sister, you’re a jiaoke now. How could we let you do any work?”
In their tradition, a married daughter returning to her parents’ home was treated as a cherished guest—a jiaoke. It wouldn’t be proper to let a guest help with household chores. Yu Jin, feeling protective of her elder sister, refused to let her work, not wanting her to be burdened with cooking for the entire family during her rare visit.
Yu Li had no choice but to sit in the room with Yu Yin, who had started doing needlework.
Yu Yin was working on a small embroidered pouch.
The pouch resembled the ones Yu Li had given to Fu Yanhui and Fu Yansheng as greeting gifts. Made from scraps of fabric, the pouch was skillfully pieced together with colors that complemented each other beautifully, making it particularly eye-catching.
Although Yu Yin was still young, her needlework was the best in the family. The pouches and handkerchiefs she made were highly appreciated by the embroidery workshop, which paid a good price for them.
After discovering her granddaughter’s talent, Old Madam Yu had Yu Yin focus solely on making small items like pouches and handkerchiefs. Once enough were completed, she would send them to the embroidery workshop through a contact and pocket the money herself.
Yu Yin’s needlework brought in a significant amount of silver each month, though she never saw a single coin of it.
Yu Li picked through the basket of pouches and handkerchiefs, comparing them to the ones made by Zhou Shi. She felt that although her younger sister lacked formal training in embroidery, her designs were clever and aesthetically pleasing.
Zhou Shi’s work excelled in its intricate embroidery, but Yu Yin’s strength lay in her innovative designs and eye for color, giving her creations a refreshing appeal.
Yu Li said, “Third Sister, I gave the pouches you made to Yanhui and Yansheng. They both really liked them.”
“Really?” Yu Yin’s thin face lit up with a smile, and her hands worked even faster.
A timid girl by nature, Yu Yin was as invisible as Yu Li in the Yu household, rarely receiving attention. But when she picked up a needle and thread, she seemed to transform into someone confident and vibrant.
The sisters were chatting when they suddenly heard a commotion outside, followed by the sharp voice of Old Madam Yu.
“Where’s Li Niang? I heard she’s back. Why haven’t I seen her yet?”
Startled, Yu Yin’s hand trembled, nearly pricking herself with the needle. Her face was filled with fear.
The boiled eggs had been delicious, but they were part of the return gifts Yu Li had brought home. Old Madam Yu would surely demand those gifts. If she found out that they had boiled and eaten all the eggs…