As soon as Su Yaoguang stepped out, the shyness and unease vanished from Zhou Wangshu's face.
The woman speaks nicely, but who knows if she's genuinely kind or just placating him on purpose.
No matter what, it's certain she's just an ordinary village girl. Once his injury heals, such a weak woman is nothing to fear.
Zhang Zhaodi wasn't around, so Su Yaoguang didn't want to complicate dinner. After tidying up, she made some ribs for noodle soup.
She carried the fragrant ribs to the woodshed.
Zhou Wangshu, who was resting with eyes closed, heard the enticing aroma, and his stomach growled. He slowly sat up and took the noodles she handed over.
"Thank you, Yaoguang."
Su Yaoguang waved her hand: "No need, you take your time eating. There's more if you want."
"That's enough, I've never had such delicious food before."
Su Yaoguang felt comforted in her heart.
Indeed, this is how one should treat a lifesaver.
After delivering the noodles to Zhou Wangshu, Su Yaoguang went to the kitchen to eat her own portion.
She returned to when she was fifteen, a time when she and her mother were frugal, and hadn't tasted meat for six months. In the past, she had spent all her silver to buy Xiao Yanci, leaving her family stretching to find food, forced to forage wild vegetables in the mountains. Only after Zhang Zhaodi helped deliver a baby and earned some money did they afford to buy rice. Xiao Yanci's face was unpleasant then. Although he said nothing, she could sense his disdain.
This life she didn't use the money to buy Xiao Yanci; she bought rice and various meats, and still had plenty of silver coins left. With thriftiness, they could last two or three months without problem. Moreover, she planned to start making rouge and powder tomorrow, selling it in town, which would make her and her mother even more financially stable.
Early the next morning, Zhang Zhaodi returned wearily.
"I'm exhausted," Zhang Zhaodi said, "I'll sleep a bit first, you prepare breakfast."
"Mom, eat first, breakfast is ready," Su Yaoguang said.
"Alright, bring it over," Zhang Zhaodi was famished, seating herself in the hall and collapsing weakly over the table while waiting for breakfast.
She was just recovering from illness, and with a night of labor, she looked even worse.
Su Yaoguang brought over the rib noodles.
"Did you buy white flour yesterday?" Zhang Zhaodi frowned, "Even if you did, you shouldn't waste it like this! If there were guests it'd be different, but it's just us, plus that half-dead one. How can we afford such good food? What else did you buy in town yesterday, and how much did you spend?"
"Mother, you're still sick, why can't you have something good? Eat first, take a nap, we'll talk later."
"You—you wait until I wake up, I'll deal with you," Zhang Zhaodi complained about the waste while eating, then paused, "Have you eaten yet?"
"I have," Su Yaoguang said, "These are all for you."
Zhang Zhaodi continued grumbling while eating noodles: "Last night that woman had a difficult birth, she lost a lot of blood, lucky it ended well, otherwise I wouldn't get paid and still end up with trouble. Though the family paid, since it was a hard birth and a girl was born, they only gave half of the agreed money. What nonsense, the baby isn't mine, am I responsible for whether it's a boy or girl? They fed that woman so much, no wonder she had a hard birth."
In the past, Su Yaoguang always found Zhang Zhaodi brash and difficult to get along with, treating her daughter with beatings and scolding unlike Zhong Lanhua's tenderness. But later, she deeply missed her mother's nagging, her warmth beneath the cold exterior, and her weathered face that seemed older than her years.
"Is it good, Mom?"
"With this much meat, how can it not be?"
"You've worked hard all night, you deserve something good to reward yourself. If you're tired and you can't enjoy good things, what's the point of life?"
Zhang Zhaodi touched Su Yaoguang's forehead: "Are you alright today? Why suddenly so sweet-talking? Have you caused trouble again?"
"Can't you think positively about me, Mom?" Su Yaoguang was helpless.
Too tired, Zhang Zhaodi gulped down the noodles, leaving the ribs in the bowl, looking disgusted: "Not good, you finish it!"
Su Yaoguang picked up a rib, offering it to Zhang Zhaodi's mouth: "Come, your daughter is feeding you. Daughter-fed ribs taste better."
"This girl..." Zhang Zhaodi was no match for her, grabbed the chopsticks, eating the ribs heartily.
As she ate, droplets of sweet tears splashed into the bowl.
Su Yaoguang pretended not to see, got up and walked outside: "I forgot to feed the chickens. You keep eating, leave the bowl, I'll wash it when I'm back."
Zhang Zhaodi watched Su Yaoguang's form, her gaze softened.
Her dad, can you see? Our daughter has grown up. Didn't you say you liked daughters best? You'd surely like her.
Su Yaoguang came back from feeding chickens, finding only empty bowls on the table, her mother had gone to rest.
She tidied the bowls and chopsticks, then went fetching water and collecting firewood. With her strength now, fetching water was easy, not tiring at all.
Waiting in line, surprisingly Xiao Yanci was ahead.
Xiao Yanci labored to turn the winch, pausing after a while, panting heavily.
Su Yaoguang grew impatient: "Can you do it or not? If you can't, move aside, let me go first."
Xiao Yanci looked annoyed, attempting to lift the filled bucket but failing, glanced at Su Yaoguang, wanting to ask for help yet feeling embarrassed.
A typically tough situation prompts someone to offer assistance, he'll reluctantly agree, then someone finishes the job.
But Su Yaoguang was no ordinary person.
Seeing him troubled, she boldly approached, poured his bucket back into the well, tossed the bucket down, and started turning the winch again.
"You…" Xiao Yanci was angry. "Why pour out my water?"
"You're too slow, wasting time. If I wait for you, would I get water today?" Su Yaoguang impatiently replied, "Relax, I'll draw a bucket for you too."
Xiao Yanci's face looked a bit better.
This village girl intends to draw hers first, then get his. Although slightly selfish, at least she's kind.
Once Su Yaoguang filled her two buckets, she tossed another down, drew up a full bucket and said to Xiao Yanci beside her: "Come carry it! Still standing there dumbfounded? You're not a woman, are you?",