FDNL CH 20

Chapter 20

Seaweed

It seemed that the eldest aunt truly liked her—or rather, liked the real Su Lianyi—but no matter what, Lianyi genuinely liked this cheerful and straightforward eldest aunt.

In this other world, the eldest aunt was the first person to help and care for her. Su Lianyi was deeply moved, and in her heart, she had already come to regard the eldest aunt as real family.

“Eldest aunt, I appreciate your kindness, but we still won’t trouble you. We’ll go home and cook for ourselves.” Saying this, Su Lianyi glanced toward about ten meters away, behind a large tree, where the small-framed eldest uncle was cautiously peeking out to watch.

Su Lianyi was clever and naturally guessed why, the moment she arrived in the field, everyone who had been busy immediately disappeared, and why, when seeing the eldest aunt and her husband, they were bickering. She also understood why the eldest uncle was hiding behind the tree and dared not come out.

Power! This is Su Lianyi’s power!

Naturally, Da Hu also understood, and shot Su Lianyi a look full of mockery.

“This child, when you were little, you used to go to my house a lot with your mother. How come you’ve grown up and become so distant? Come on, go home with eldest aunt.” Saying this, he pulled Lianyi toward the edge of the field without giving her a choice.

Unable to refuse, Lianyi had no choice but to follow, but her heart grew warmer and warmer. She had no family in this world, and from now on, the eldest aunt would be her family.

“What are you looking at? Pick up the farming tools and follow along.” Mrs. Zhao stopped, turning to shout at Da Hu.

Da Hu stiffened. Of noble status, he was rarely ordered around like this, but since he had a task, he bit his tongue, picked up the tools and the lunchbox, and followed.

Seeing Da Hu comply, Mrs. Zhao, as if not done scolding, continued nagging. “Da Hu, you’re a grown man! You can’t farm and have lost all the family money gambling—are you even a man?”

Da Hu’s muscles tensed, and as he tried hard to suppress his anger, his body trembled slightly.

Walking ahead, Mrs. Zhao was completely unaware, but Lianyi turned back, giving Da Hu a warning look—if you dare lose your temper, I’ll expose all your secrets.

Da Hu felt wronged and helpless.

Mrs. Zhao still didn’t realize. “Da Hu, you and Lianyi are still young. If you go hungry now, that’s fine. But what about when you have children? Are you going to let them starve too?”

Da Hu was close to losing his mind. He admitted he couldn’t farm well but had already done his best. Gambling, though—he was truly innocent.

Lianyi turned back and blinked apologetically at him, making a pitiful expression.

Da Hu hadn’t expected that the usually “aloof” Su Lianyi, who seemed to have everything under control, would humble herself to appease him and express an apology. Half of his anger was gone in surprise.

As Mrs. Zhao opened her mouth to say something more, Lianyi quickly pointed behind the tree. “Eldest aunt, look! Eldest uncle is waiting for you there.” She shifted the focus of her ire, leaving the eldest uncle to suffer.

Sure enough, seeing her husband cowering behind the tree, Mrs. Zhao immediately let go of Lianyi and charged over, scolding him nonstop.

While Mrs. Zhao lectured, Su Zheng listened. The two of them complemented each other perfectly.

Lianyi chuckled, thinking to herself about what her future partner would be like. He didn’t need to be wealthy or powerful, as long as he was like her eldest uncle and aunt—simple, yet loving and inseparable.

Su Zheng and Mrs. Zhao’s home was not far from the fields. It was a small three-room old house with a large yard. Though not new, it was clean and tidy, showing the diligence of the housewife.

Upon entering the yard, on the left was a pigsty, where a large fat pig was thriving. Further in was the chicken coop. Mrs. Zhao closed the gate behind her and opened the chicken coop. A proud rooster led a group of hens out, followed by a flock of chirping chicks.

Mrs. Zhao generously scooped a ladle of aged corn kernels and handed them to Lianyi. “Girl, go feed the chickens. I’ll cook.”

“Okay.” Lianyi quickly took the ladle.

Mrs. Zhao went into the kitchen, and Su Zheng, not daring to stay with the “female rascal” Su Lianyi, quickly ran into the house. In the yard, besides the rooster family, there was only Su Lianyi.

Lianyi had never fed chickens but had fed pigeons. Following the same method, she grabbed a handful of corn kernels and scattered them on the ground, attracting the rooster and hens to peck.

She found it amusing and fascinating. Squatting down, she held some kernels in her palm and cautiously stretched it toward a seemingly very docile hen. To her surprise, the hen pecked the corn from her hand. The firm yet ticklish sensation made Lianyi giggle.

Da Hu stood aside, frowning at the tiny bundle of Su Lianyi. Truly a strange woman.

Su Zheng and Mrs. Zhao had one son and three daughters. The daughters were married, and the only young son, ten years old, was staying with relatives in town to conveniently attend a private school.

In ancient times, the best future was through passing the imperial exams. Even if becoming a top scholar was impossible, becoming a junior scholar was enough to honor a farmer’s family.

A well-off family like Su Zheng’s naturally hoped their son would have a bright future, no longer as a farmer.

Soon, the aroma of food came from the kitchen.

Farming families didn’t have large tables. They used small, low tables. Normally, the tables were stored upright, but for meals, they were laid flat, surrounded by small wooden stools.

The meal consisted of porridge and steamed buns. The buns were yellowish-white, made with a mixture of wheat and corn flour. Even well-off farming families couldn’t always afford white flour or rice—that was reality.

There were four dishes and a soup: diced pork with green beans, scrambled eggs with chives, stewed mushrooms, and a cold dish of cilantro leaves.

Da Hu, perhaps long deprived of proper food, was very moved. In the past, he either tossed leaves into the pot to cook or hunted wild game to eat, but now he had a proper meal.

Soon, two large buns went into his mouth. Su Zheng’s heart ached seeing him, while Mrs. Zhao happily added two more buns, moving Da Hu deeply.

Lianyi, on the other hand, sat quietly, repeatedly picking vegetables from the soup with her chopsticks, examining them, tasting tiny bites to carefully judge texture and flavor.

“Lianyi girl, is something wrong? Did I make the soup too salty?” Mrs. Zhao asked anxiously.

“No, it’s not that.” Su Lianyi’s eyes sparkled with delight, her round fair face flushing. “Eldest aunt, what is this dish called? Where does it come from? Where can I buy it?”

Mrs. Zhao brightened, laughing. “It’s no big deal. If you like it, eldest aunt can give you some. There’s plenty at my house. Eat as much as you like.”

“No, eldest aunt, you must tell me what it’s called and where it’s from.” Lianyi grew more excited, her voice trembling.

Da Hu swallowed his bun, looked at the soup bowl, frowned in confusion, and took a large sip. The fishy taste made him almost vomit.

What strange thing is this!?

Su Zheng, quietly eating in the corner, also didn’t understand. He didn’t like drinking it either, but Mrs. Zhao seemed to love it.

“Oh, this comes from the sea. Your second sister married into Fangchi, right? That town isn’t far from the sea, and people there like eating this. Your sister had someone bring some to me. I think it’s called… seaweed.”

Lianyi was overjoyed. That was it! There was no mistake! This was the perfect food rich in iodine and potassium—ideal for treating hypokalemia: kelp!

Sidebar: Tomorrow, the second young master of the Li family appears. Guess whether he’s good or bad.