After Transmigration, I Picked Up A Husband and Daughter
Chapter 127: Take it if you can’t eat it

Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Take it if you can’t eat it

"Hey, look, with this walking stick, we’ve really saved quite a bit in our Silver Coin pouch."

These words were like a fresh spring, instantly washing away the gloom in Jiang Ziling’s heart, and a smile involuntarily formed at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, are you mocking me for being stingy?"

Su Yu pretended to be displeased, her eyes twinkling playfully as she rolled them, as if to say, "Every penny I earned came from hard work."

Her candidness caused ripples to spread through Jiang Ziling’s heart, and he indulgently replied, "Alright, alright, from now on, anything he sends, I’ll accept it all, just consider it my contribution to Ah Yu’s purse."

This silent agreement and understanding deepened the bond between them.

In the afternoon, the sunlight lazily spilled across the courtyard while Su Yu began her busy, skilled kitchen work.

In the family’s jars, the pickled meat was running low, and the strips of meat hanging at the air vent, over time, had lost their initial moisture and dried into a uniquely flavored jerky.

She skillfully moved these semi-dried meats above the stove, where the dance of smoke and flames was about to begin.

Every time the firewood was lit, it wasn’t just for cooking, but also inadvertently resulted in the creation of uniquely flavored smoked meat—a favorite of the old man.

Initially, the thick smell of smoke and fire was almost torturous to Su Yu, but over time, she found a sweet and unique flavor in it.

Today, she decided to make a pot of fresh vegetable noodle soup and "rescue" the last precious piece of meat from the bottom of the jar, stir-frying it simply with fresh green peppers.

Even though this meal was hastily put together, for the burden-bearing Su Yu, it was a luxury.

The skincare cream business pressed on her like a massive stone, making her desperately wish she could stand in the marketplace immediately, launching a campaign about beauty.

And this meal, which she considered simple, was a great temptation in the eyes of others.

The praises from Xixi and Jiang Ziling had hardly faded when San Ya was already leaning by the window, eagerly staring at the food soon to be ready, drooling.

From the neighbor Second Aunt’s kitchen, the aroma of spicy meat wafted over, its rich scent almost soul-stirring, filling San Ya’s eyes with melancholy and longing.

She looked toward her mother, full of grievance, only to see Xie Xinghua engrossed in mending Da Ya’s worn clothes, one patch after another, marking the passage of time and highlighting their financial straits.

Da Ya’s clothes were already too short to cover her wrists and ankles, and Xie Xinghua pondered where to find more fabric to lengthen the clothes, so the children could wear them decently.

It was then that she felt an intense gaze, and looking up, she met San Ya’s longing eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you also want to learn how to sew?"

Xie Xinghua joked.

San Ya shook her head vigorously, resembling a playful little animal, "I just want to go out for a walk, staying at home is driving me crazy."

Da Ya and Er Ya also looked at their mother with expectation, for them, playing wasn’t important, what mattered was the chance to escape the confines of these four walls and enjoy the freedom of breathing.

Extended periods at home felt suffocating to them, even going to the toilet seemed like a secretive operation, making them feel like rats afraid of the light.

Xie Xinghua’s heart was filled with mixed emotions, who could have predicted such a sudden change in the Jiang Family’s circumstances, the burden of life unexpectedly bearing down on her shoulders.

She felt pain for her children’s longing, yet she worried about the harsh realities, finding herself caught between a rock and a hard place.

Lady Zhao’s eyes still held a lingering sense of unsettled fear, evidently, that sudden storm had left a deep imprint in her heart.

She had always been vengeful, and in the next few days, she would definitely find some pretext to teach Da Ya a lesson.

The villagers were all talking about how the bite on Lady Zhao’s hand had almost taken her life. Although Xie Xinghua was puzzled—how could a mere bite cause such severe damage—she knew all too well that Lady Zhao had a narrow heart and ruthless methods, and would never easily forgive anyone who offended her, especially not her own children.

Thinking of this, Xie Xinghua couldn’t help but feel a chill rise up her spine, as if foreseeing the storm that was about to come.

She shook her head gently, her voice mixing helplessness with concern, "Your third uncle’s seventh day after death hasn’t even passed yet, and causing a stir at this time, if grandma sees, it will be an endless scolding again."

Hearing their mother’s words, the children all showed discouraged expressions, their little shoulders drooping slightly from the disappointment.

Xie Xinghua’s gaze swept over her children, finally resting on Da Ya as she earnestly advised, "Especially you, Da Ya, try to avoid grandma as much as possible, and if she scolds you, you better run away quickly, never confront her head-on."

Despite saying this, Xie Xinghua’s internal worries were not alleviated in the slightest, so she added, "How about this, in a few days I’ll send you to your grandmother’s house to stay for a while."

"Why?"

Da Ya, looking confused, clearly did not take kindly to this suggestion.

At her grandmother’s house, the preference for boys over girls was especially severe, not only did they look down on granddaughters, but even Xie Xinghua herself, as the daughter, had not received much affection.

Xie Xinghua’s weak and ineffectual natal family indirectly enabled Lady Zhao’s arrogance and despotism.

She knew in her heart that her mother was always haunted by the fact that she had not borne a boy and held a cold attitude towards her and her daughter.

But no matter what, blood is thicker than water, and no matter how dissatisfied her own mother was, she would not truly harm Da Ya.

What Xie Xinghua really worried about was that a series of hits might cause Lady Zhao to lose her mental balance and do something irreversible.

At this very moment, lying in the hospital bed, though Lady Zhao’s body was extremely tired, her hatred for Da Ya grew wildly like weeds in her heart.

She stared at the bandages wrapped layer upon layer on her arm, her eyes flickering with resentment and coldness.

This girl had almost killed her, if it weren’t for her, Youfu wouldn’t have met with misfortune in the chaos outside.

She only blamed her weak body, otherwise, she would have made that girl regret it deeply!

Suddenly, a tantalizing aroma of food entered her nostrils, undoubtedly a great temptation for Lady Zhao who hadn’t been able to eat properly for many days, and she couldn’t help but swallow.

Following that, Fang Qin, holding an infant, strode into the room and stood upright by the bed.

"You old fool, always lying there, never bothering to ask what’s being eaten at home, how can I produce milk for the child if I don’t eat well?"

In Fang Qin’s view, the Jiang Family’s dining table had always been rich. But ever since that woman named Su Yu appeared, her dietary quality had plummeted, not to mention meat or fish—even a bit of greasy food had become a luxury.

What was unbearable for her was the aromatic scent from the woman’s cooking flooding the entire courtyard, an ordeal for her taste buds, how could she bear it?