Chapter 8

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Li Jinhuan frowned and turned her head away. “I don’t need you to feed me and I don’t like your food. Take your stinky rice and get lost!”

She was very afraid now. She was afraid that she would suddenly fall ill or get injured while she was in contact with Chu Wei. Wouldn’t it be letting them off easy if she gave Chen Hu’s family an excuse to push her to Chu Wei?

“I’m not leaving. Unless you eat the food, I won’t leave even if you beat me to death,” Chu Wei insisted.

Li Jinhuan panicked and raised her arm as if she was going to hit her. While she was opening her mouth, Chu Wei took the fish meat and stuffed it in. The fish meat melted in her mouth. It was soft, smooth, and tender. It was salty and mild, and its fragrance assaulted her nose. She swore to God that this was definitely the best thing she had eaten in half a month. From the texture and freshness, she knew without asking that the carp was still alive this morning.

“Stupid girl, do you think I don’t dare to hit you? Why don’t you listen to me?” Li Jinhuan sighed and swallowed the fish.

Chu Wei stuffed the food back into her mother-in-law’s hands and smiled. “If you can’t see now, can you still hit me? If I were you, I would want to eat first.”

As the two of them laughed and scolded each other, their hearts were filled with poignancy.

On the bed, Zhao Jinli was resting with her eyes closed. She was using a hot water bag to cover her lower back, pretending to be sick all over. Her ears were like radar as she listened to the conversation between Chu Wei and Li Jinhuan.

“Girl, I regret it now. I know I was wrong. When we divided the family, I gave the Chen Hu a lot and gave you a little less. It was also because of my selfishness. I thought that one day, when I was sick and old, they could take care of me until I died. Now that they despise me, you just want to get closer. Are you stupid?” Li Jinhuan said in her loudest voice. “When Chen Ji comes back, the two of you should quickly leave Peach Blossom Town. Don’t even come back after I die. Stay away from this lousy place and away from scum like them.”

“That’s enough, Mom. Hurry up and eat. There’s so much nonsense to think about all day. How old are you that you need to be talking about death? We’ll talk about it when Chen Ji comes back.” Chu Wei comforted her.

“Hmph, hurry up and get lost. Don’t let me see you again. I’ve been working hard for the family for half my life. It’s normal for them to take care of me. Even if I die, I’ll die in the house,” Li Jinhuan said angrily.

Zhao Jinli opened her eyes. Li Jinhuan’s words were piercing to her ears, and she could not lie down anymore. However, she did not dare to say anything. Even though her mother-in-law was blind, Zhao Jinli still did not dare to provoke her. She clearly remembered that when her father-in-law was still alive, he would often drink alcohol and throw things at others. In the end, he was always beaten down by her mother-in-law.

Only when her mother-in-law was blind would she dare to make things difficult and bully her. Before she was blind, she would not dare to do so even if she had a hundred guts.

“I’ve left the food for you. Do you want to eat it or not? I’ve been working from the second half of the night until now. I’m so hungry that I’m dizzy. I don’t have the energy to quarrel with you.” Chu Wei countered and turned to walk home.

She started the stove again and cooked a big bowl of noodles for herself. Then, she made some hot braised food and grabbed a handful of dried shrimps from the storeroom. She mixed the tomatoes with the braised noodles and shrimps. Finally, she sprinkled some chopped green onions on the bowl. It was so sumptuous that it could make one drool.

After the meal, Chu Wei finally recovered a little of her strength. After resting for a while, she went to the kitchen and threw three bowls of lard into the big black pot to boil. In this era, lard was very precious. It could satisfy one’s cravings, and the lard that was boiled could be kept for stir-fry. At the very least, it could be made into lard rice.

Boiling lard was a slow task. She had to slowly boil it with a small fire. If the heat was too strong and the lard was muddled, it would not taste good.

After replacing two batteries, she turned on the radio. 104.7 mph. Chu Wei’s favorite channel. It was the same time slot as before, the same time slot, the same song. Chu Wei hummed softly as she guarded the pot.

“There is a beautiful flower in this world. It is the blooming of youth, the blossoming of flowers, and the scarlet blood dying them red…”

Accompanied by a beautiful melody, hot lard rolled in the big black pot, and the fragrance of meat spread out. She picked up a piece of boiled oil and put it into her mouth. It was crispy and soft, incomparably delicious.

After a while, the fire stopped and the pot was ready. When the lard was dried, the temperature was not so high. Chu Wei filled a bowl and put the mushrooms that were of good quality into the bamboo basket. Then, she carried the bowl and left the small courtyard.

When she passed by the big door and saw that her mother-in-law had just finished eating, she stacked the bowls and chopsticks neatly at the side. Chu Wei walked over and stuffed a bowl of lard into her mother-in-law’s hands. “It’s freshly cooked. Hurry up and eat it while it’s hot. Otherwise, someone will bully you again for not being able to see it and feed it all to the dogs..”