From the beginning, Wang Yongshun had never intended to leave himself without a way out. He planned to make everything look decent and respectable on the surface.
“But now it won’t work out. Sanya’s completely fallen out with us. I know you’re angry, but listen to your father—don’t go causing more trouble with her.”
Wang Yongshun had a sense of judgment and always remembered to leave himself a fallback.
Now that things had gotten ugly, it wouldn’t be right to continue. If Wang Ying’s mother had been an ordinary woman, it wouldn’t be so bad. But she had died transporting grain for the brigade. Even if Wang Ying didn’t bring up her father, just the fact that her mother died in service gave her a certain status at the commune.
Wang Yongshun thought, in the worst-case scenario, if his younger brother really did die serving the country, and Wang Ying’s situation blew up, the commune could officially recognize it. If that happened, no matter how many houses they took, wouldn’t they just end up in jail?
Holding over two hundred yuan in his hand, Wang Yongshun spoke earnestly to his son: “This money was left behind by Wang Ying’s mother. That woman secretly hid it at the bottom of her water tank, and only tried to tell someone when she was about to die. Luckily, she was already delirious and her vision was blurry at that time. I managed to send everyone else away and hear her say it.”
In truth, Wang Yongshun had originally gotten five hundred yuan. When he first held the money, his hands trembled. In all his life, he’d never touched so much money.
But five hundred sounded like a lot and yet it didn’t last.
Aside from the expenses he had on the surface, he secretly gave his son a fair bit of pocket money. He even spent fifty yuan just to grease the palms at the commune so his son could get into high school.
After spending here and there, when it came time to buy his son a job, Wang Yongshun realized he had overspent.
Left with no choice, he started scheming around Wang Lingling and Wang Ying.
The savings had climbed back up to over three hundred yuan, and with Wang Lingling’s bride price added, things would have worked out—until a string of accidents shattered all his plans.
Wang Yongshun gritted his teeth. “This amount of money won’t be enough to buy a job. I’m thinking since you’re a high school graduate, you can go work as a temp in the county. With your education, you’ll be one of the first to be promoted. When the time is right, we can spend a little and get you converted to a permanent position.”
If money is tight, it needs to be spent wisely. Wang Yongshun calculated that while 200 yuan couldn’t buy a job outright, it could be used as a gift.
His son was already qualified; with just a little money, a permanent job was guaranteed!
Wang Yongshun was excited as he spoke, forgetting to notice his son’s face darken.
Wang Yaozong’s expression turned uneasy. He understood everything said earlier about Wang Ying’s family and had no issue with it. His father was shrewd, and what he said made sense.
If Wang Ying’s family really had this kind of hidden story, then it was indeed not suitable to cause trouble.
So what if they lost two old mud houses in the countryside? He’d just become a worker in the city! He’d get assigned his own apartment!
But when Wang Yongshun mentioned he had to study for the exam and the family would just help him at the key moment, Wang Yaozong started to panic.
He had always told his family he was studying hard at school, but in reality, he knew exactly how he was doing.
He’d been in school for over a year, and his textbooks still looked brand new.
But he couldn’t tell his father outright that he couldn’t pass the temp worker exam in the county.
These days, there were few high school graduates. If a high schooler couldn’t pass the temp job exam, they must be truly hopeless.
Wang Yaozong stared at the money in his dad’s hand. “Dad, maybe we should think of another way?”
He figured his dad was clever and could definitely think of some way to make money.
Asking him to pass an exam—he just couldn’t do it!
Wang Yongshun frowned. He knew his son didn’t want to start as a temp worker. In those places, temps did the hardest jobs for the lowest pay.
He looked at his son with heartache. “Your dad is useless. If your second uncle were still around, even if I had to get on my knees, I’d borrow from him. But now…”
Their family were outsiders, already at a distance from most people in the brigade. Even borrowing money was hard. And who could lend out several hundred yuan anyway?
“Alright then, I’ll work even harder. We’ve got more than half a year until you graduate. A lot can happen.”
Having laid it all out for his son, Wang Yongshun felt more at ease. When his son hadn’t been home the past few days, everything at home had been chaotic, and his wife, Li Chunjuan, had stirred things up too, making him feel anxious and unsettled.
Now that his son was back, Wang Yongshun felt calmer.
“Here, take this five yuan. School won’t be out for another month. Don’t be too frugal. Eat well so you’ll stay warm this winter.”
Wang Yongshun pulled out five yuan and handed it to his son. He frowned as he stuffed the remaining two hundred yuan into a hidden compartment behind a wooden panel in the wall.
Little did he know, the son who used to be overjoyed just getting five yuan a month was now staring intently at that piece of wood behind him…
When Wang Ying knocked on Xu Shuang’s door, she nervously tugged at her clothes. She wasn’t sure if this was how she should act when visiting her boyfriend’s house for the first time.
She was wearing the least patched-up set of clothes she owned, her hair was neatly braided into two long plaits, her face was freshly washed, and she carried a bundle of herbs and some dried mushrooms she had picked from the mountains.
The door to the Xu house opened quickly, as if someone had been waiting just behind it.
Opening the door was Old lady Xu, whose entire wrinkled face lit up with a smile.
“Ying girl is here, come in, come in!”
Originally, Old lady Xu used to call Wang Ying “Little Ying,” but Wang Ying firmly refused that name. Being called “Little Ying” made her feel like she was about to whip out a card and start transforming into something else…
Wang Ying handed over the two packages she was carrying: “This is a herbal medicine I prepared myself. I noticed you had a cough the other day, so this is to treat that…”
Oops. Giving medicine on a first visit probably wasn’t quite right?
But Old lady Xu didn’t hesitate one bit—she accepted them naturally and happily: “You’re so thoughtful. Come in, come in.”
In her heart, Old lady Xu didn’t think giving medicine was inappropriate at all. She was quite pleased, thinking that she was truly lucky with daughters-in-law. One lousy one left, and here came such a good one.
Blessings like these were destined, not something you could force.
As Wang Ying stepped into the Xu household, she was immediately hit by a sweet, tangy aroma in the air—her dream dish: sweet and sour fish!
Old lady Xu pointed toward the kitchen and said, “Xiao Yao’er is in there cooking. Let him be, I’ll show you around the house.”
Wang Ying swallowed hard and reluctantly tore her gaze away from the kitchen.
Old lady Xu took her hand and showed her around each room. The Xu family’s house was spacious and impressive.
There were four rooms in total, all of them the tall, old-style kind. Three were made of earthen bricks, but even so, they were very different from other people’s homes. Others’ earthen homes were messy and decaying, but these three had intricately carved doors and well-maintained walls.
Old lady Xu explained, “These were built back in my husband’s day. Just because of this house, we almost got labeled as rich peasants.”
Thankfully, back then both she and her husband worked in the city for wealthy households and had signed indenture contracts, so they were considered oppressed laborers and were given a favorable political label.
These three rooms were originally designed as a set: one main room and two side rooms. The interior was well set up, and both side rooms had kang beds (heated brick beds).
Old lady Xu said, “These kang beds still work fine. So when Xiao Yao’er suggested tearing them down to rebuild, I said no. These are warm in the winter, absolutely essential. When you and Xiao Yao’er have kids in the future, it’s best to build one of these in your house too. Winters here are brutal without them.”
Wang Ying didn’t quite know whether to nod or shake her head. Wasn’t this a bit too far ahead? She was already talking about after having kids…
“…My house also has a kang bed. I’ll get it ready in a few days and it should be usable.”
Better to stick to talking about the kang bed.
“That’s great. Winters really are cold here. Oh, and I’ll tell Yao’er to buy more coal this year.”
In the city, people needed a coal purchase certificate. In the countryside, you bought coal directly from the coal yard, but there was a quota—you couldn’t buy too much.
Wang Ying nodded. She had only learned through inherited memories from the original host how complicated winter preparations were around here. Over two months were spent getting ready—with food, drinks, and heating fuel. From November onward, the whole month was nonstop work.
Old lady Xu then led Wang Ying to the only brick room: “This one was built later, along with the kitchen. Yao’er said I’m getting old and that the older rooms are too damp, so it’s better for me to live here.”
And then, the kitchen—Wang Ying walked to the kitchen doorway and saw Xu Shuang.
It was cold outside and misty, and Xu Shuang, wearing an apron, was focused intently on his cooking.
Wang Ying had never seen this side of Xu Shuang before. At the stove, he looked completely at ease—his movements quick and skillful, but his entire demeanor calm and relaxed, like it was both his battlefield and his stage.
Old lady Xu chimed in, “Xiao Yao’er built this kitchen himself. Goodness, even his dad who was a professional chef didn’t build himself such a big kitchen, but he just had to have it. Look, it’s as big as a whole room in other people’s houses.”
Indeed, the kitchen was spacious and well-equipped. Xu Shuang had even built two shelves, neatly arranged with all sorts of items.
At first, Old lady Xu didn’t understand. Her husband had been a chef for the rich, so it made sense for him to be precise since rich people had picky palates—they could tell what spice was missing or if the timing was off by a few minutes. But Xu Shuang was now working in the town. There really didn’t seem to be a need for such fuss.
It wasn’t that Old lady Xu looked down on working-class people—she was one herself. But even she couldn’t taste the difference between putting in this spice or that one. And Xu Shuang sometimes made complex gourmet dishes that took half a day.
She just didn’t get it. Meat was rare. Weren’t vegetables easy enough? Spending half a day fiddling with a vegetarian dish—who had the patience to wait that long for just a bite of cabbage?
Wang Ying said, “I actually think a big kitchen is great.”
A big kitchen gave you space to work. How could you make so many delicious dishes with just one pot?
Old lady Xu looked at Wang Ying’s eyes, full of sincere appreciation, and couldn’t help but feel amazed. This really wasn’t some makeshift couple—wasn’t this a match made in heaven?
She truly felt grateful to Wang Lingling for ruining the previous engagement. Otherwise, how would her Xiao Yao’er have met such a wonderful wife?
Finally, Xu Shuang finished the sweet and sour fish and took off his apron. Wang Ying, almost as if by instinct, stepped forward to set the table. The two of them worked together so smoothly that in no time, the table was fully set.
Only after that did Old lady Xu snap out of her daze and feel a little regretful. It wasn’t proper to let a first-time guest do any work.
She glared at her son and quickly urged Wang Ying to sit down.
On the table was not only sweet and sour fish, but also a dish of cold-dressed black fungus, stir-fried wild rabbit with sauce, and a plate of stir-fried bean sprouts.
It wasn’t an extravagant spread, but for the times, it was definitely impressive.
Xu Shuang didn’t eat much—he seemed to be waiting for Wang Ying’s verdict.
“It’s delicious!”
The sweet and sour fish was tangy and appetizing. The fish had been fried so the tail stood up high, coated with a golden, glistening sauce. The snow-white tender fish meat dipped in the sauce—it was a burst of sourness straight to the head, and the sweetness was absolutely satisfying.
Xu Shuang’s lips curled up slightly. “Do you want rice?”
In their area, noodles were the main staple, but rice wasn’t unheard of. That evening, Xu Shuang had not only made steamed buns, but also cooked a pot of rice.
“Yes!”
Wang Ying nodded enthusiastically, still chewing on fish. With that sweet and sour sauce poured over rice, she could easily devour two bowls by herself!
Faced with a table full of delicious food, Wang Ying successfully stuffed herself to the brim.
Xu Shuang walked her home, and halfway there, Wang Ying suddenly remembered something.
“Oh right, I’ve got everything ready on my end. How about we head to town the day after tomorrow?”
Xu Shuang readily agreed. He also had a bunch of things to prepare—it was about time he went into town to get the ticket from his master.
Wang Ying was curious. “How come other people’s masters get gifts from their disciples, but you…”
Xu Shuang twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth. “Because other disciples aren’t as good as me.”
Wang Ying: “…”
She used to think this guy was just a cold-faced weirdo—now he seemed kind of narcissistic too?
Seeing her doubt, Xu Shuang added, “When I was trying to become a disciple, my master’s fellow disciples were all fighting over me… In the end, they settled it with a round of drinking and rock-paper-scissors.”
Xu Shuang recalled it with some exasperation. “My master later admitted that he secretly swapped his liquor for plain water. That’s how he won me.”
Wang Ying: “…”
Xu Shuang: “I’ll take you to meet my fourteen senior brothers sometime. My master only took me as a disciple, but my uncles really love recruiting.”
Got it—he’s got an entire chef battalion behind him! His culinary sect is massive!
Suddenly, Xu Shuang dashed ahead and grabbed a shadowy figure lingering near Wang Ying’s house.
Wang Yaozong was caught by the arm and howled loudly, “Wang Ying! Tell him to let me go!”
I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.
