CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 31: NOT SATISFIED WITH THE MEAL

Qin Yao rummaged through the pile of old clothes and found the one she used to wear, already scrubbed with plant ash, since washing it with water would definitely ruin it.

The smell of blood on the clothes was gone. It’s a bit small, but it’ll do for now.

"Put on the clothes properly, don’t catch a cold again," she said.

Qin Yao tossed the clothes to Liu Ji and instructed, "For the next month, we’ll have helpers at home. Besides our own three meals a day, we’ll have to prepare an extra meal at noon for everyone. You’re not fully healed yet, so you should take on some lighter tasks like these. Once you’re done cooking, if you have spare time, do some household chores."

As she spoke, she took a string of copper coins, totaling 300 coins, from the money bag and handed it to him.

"We’re out of vegetables at home. Take this to buy some. There’s still a bit of pork I bought the other day. If we leave it any longer, it’ll spoil. Cook it all today."

"From now on, make a meat dish every five days. Make it softer in the morning and harder for dinner."

"Oh, and I have a big appetite. Make sure you cook more. If I’m not full, I’ll get very irritable."

As for what she might do if she gets irritable, she wasn’t sure.

After giving these instructions, Qin Yao urged him to hurry up, then shut the door and picked up a basket, heading to the river.

Still pondering how to maintain his dignity, Liu Ji held the copper coins he couldn’t find the entire afternoon yesterday, stunned for a full five seconds.

She just handed over the money to him just like that?

A gust of cold wind blew, and Liu Ji shivered all over, sneezing loudly.

He quickly put on the ill-fitting hemp clothes. With two layers wrapped around him, he finally felt somewhat better.

The herbal poultices on his face were all peeled off, revealing a face that was no longer swollen, hinting at his former charm.

Having lied in bed for two days without grooming, his waist-length hair was in disarray, falling over his shoulders, with a few strands hanging in front of his eyes, adding to his sickly pallor.

Liu Ji’s frame was slender but not gaunt, with a tall, well-proportioned build. Even his tattered hemp clothes draped on him added a particular kind of desolation.

Combined with his current ’battle-damaged face,’ he exuded an aura of fragility that elicited sympathy.

However, this aura lasted less than three seconds, for the instant he saw the copper coins, his true greedy nature was revealed.

Liu Ji thought happily, how much can vegetables cost?

The two sisters-in-law at the old house planted quite a few, all on their own land. Would they charge him for a handful of vegetables?

And then there are the other vegetable patches in the village; neighbors as we are, what do a few vegetables cost anyway? He could take a handful from one neighbor today, another tomorrow, and keep all 300 cents for himself?

With these thoughts, Liu Ji hid all the copper coins at home, locked the door, and went out empty-handed.

Before and behind the house were relatives and villagers helping with the work, Qin Yao had already gone to the river and wasn’t there.

When the villagers saw Liu Ji appear, they all greeted him, asking where he was going and whether he had recovered.

Relatives from two uncle’s families praised Qin Yao, saying Liu Ji was lucky to have married such a virtuous woman, especially since he’s just a loafer and now gets to live in a tile-roofed house.

Liu Ji chuckled along with the previous comments, but his smile froze the instant he heard the latter part.

But then he thought differently, perhaps this was also a compliment to his ability. He flicked the unruly hair from his forehead and proudly said:

"Indeed, for anyone to see, who is Liu Ji? Not to boast, but there’s not another handsome gentleman like me in the entire Kaiyang County!"

"Interested girls and women wanting to become my concubine could line up from Liu Family Village to the Prefecture. If it weren’t for her strength and ability to earn money, do you think I would let her become my main wife?"

The relatives instantly fell silent, not even bothering to roll their eyes at him, simply burying their heads in their tasks.

Liu Ji didn’t care whether he had an audience or not; after lying nervously for two days, if he didn’t let off some steam, he’d go crazy!

Feeling high-spirited, he strode toward the river with his hands behind his back, thinking he was dashing, planning which married woman’s plot to "borrow" some vegetables from.

Just then, he ran into Qin Yao standing steadily on the bridge with two full baskets of stones.

Liu Ji’s scalp immediately went numb.

Qin Yao approached him with a blank expression, balancing her stones, as Liu Ji mustered up a smile, "Honey, you’re here. I was just about to buy some vegetables. What would you like me to get for you?"

"..."

She didn’t respond, merely glanced at him lightly when she got close.

That glance was indeed meaningful.

Liu Ji’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

She must have heard!

Liu Ji instinctively raised a hand to shield his face, but no blow came.

Realizing she had passed by, he found himself frozen.

He hated it, hated his body for not listening, hated himself for breaking into a cold sweat at the sight of that shrew!

Right now, Liu Ji didn’t realize, there was something intangible called intimidation.

He remained in place for a few seconds until his body regained mobility, then dashed into the village, a breath of relief escaping as he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, screened by houses and trees.

Twenty workers at home, and over at the Liu Family’s old house, besides Liu Ji, Liu Bai, and Liu Zhong were all here except for Old Liu and Liu Fei, who were required to fertilize the fields.

Even the eight-year-old Jinbao came to help gather stones.

The more the people, the greater the strength. Uncle Jiu directed the entire scene: some people dug the foundation, others gathered and carried stones, while another group handled soil digging.

Today was just the start; it was mainly material preparation stage.

After working all morning, a clear outline of the fence’s foundation emerged, and the intended location for the extension was clearly identified.

Qin Yao was quite satisfied with this level of efficiency.

However, after working all morning, lunch left her very dissatisfied.

A big pot of somewhat thick porridge made with mixed grains, rice, and millet, with a few thumbnail-sized pieces of green vegetables randomly mixed in.

Everyone who worked received a full bowl of it.

In truth, the lunch didn’t look bad, but it had no taste!

Having worked all morning, exerting herself as the main worker, tired and exhausted, she wanted to eat something rich and flavorful.

Yet, one mouthful of the porridge...let’s just call it vegetable porridge, after taking one mouthful, there was no taste whatsoever. How could one describe that blandness?

It’s like on a scorching summer day, laboring under the sun at a high-rise construction site, hankering to finish up quickly to savor a wedge of ice-cold watermelon, but once you’re done, you bite into a watermelon that’s not only lacking sweetness but is actually warm!

This kind of collapse nearly drove Qin Yao to stab the chef right there in front of everyone.

Qin Yao’s favorite thing is enjoying a meal, and her least favorite is having an unsatisfying one.

Because she wasn’t satisfied with lunch, her face remained stern throughout the afternoon, emitting an aura that discouraged anyone from approaching her.

The usually quite vocal Uncle Jiu, who would usually shout at the young lads in the family, unconsciously softened his tone when he saw her.

Liu Ji squatted next to the water tank, washing dishes, covertly observing Qin Yao’s reaction, relieved to see she didn’t lose her temper.

Only halfway through his relief, a pair of delicate boots appeared in his line of sight.

Liu Ji: o((⊙﹏⊙))o!!!