Chapter 48: Chapter 23: Anticipation (Part 2)
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family quickly adjusted her mindset. "Brother Rui, no matter what, whether we face hard times or good times, Mother will be here with you."
Fang Rui’s heart stirred. Such simple words touched his soul, sending a warm current surging through his chest.
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family had Fang Ling boil water while she helped Fang Rui prepare the large rooster. They gutted and cleaned it. Besides the meat, which was set aside to be marinated, the chicken feet, heart, liver, and intestines were all carefully collected and stored.
Afterward, they each washed up.
The cool night was like water. Inside the Fang Family’s small home, the little room gradually grew warmer with the flickering candlelight and the visible puffs of their breath.
It had a unique, heartwarming coziness.
...
After washing up, Fang Ling PITTER-PATTERED into Fang Rui’s room, clearly intending to sleep with him.
"Brother, when are we going to eat the chicken?"
"Tomorrow at noon."
"Wow, we’re having a feast tomorrow noon!" Fang Ling cheered.
"What’s wrong? You don’t want to hear a story today?"
"I do! I do!" Fang Ling’s attention was immediately diverted, and she nodded emphatically.
"Then I’ll begin..."
Fang Rui’s voice rang out.
Just like always, the moon peeked through the window, casting a clear, bright glow.
「Some time passed.」
Fang Rui finished a Chapter of the story, and the small room fell silent. He reckoned that Fang Ling would usually be asleep by now and habitually reached over to cover her little belly.
But at his movement, Fang Ling immediately turned her head to look at him, her big eyes sparkling in the dim light.
"Why aren’t you asleep yet?"
"Brother, I’m too excited about eating meat tomorrow to sleep!"
Fang Ling answered honestly, swallowing her saliva. "I’m waiting for dawn!"
"Are you that greedy?! Didn’t we have meat at the end of the month before last? Rabbit meat, have you forgotten?" Fang Rui said.
"Oh, I remember now."
Fang Ling rolled over to face Fang Rui. "But Brother, it still feels like I haven’t eaten meat in a very, very long time!"
"Haha!" Fang Rui chuckled.
He could actually understand that feeling very well.
For the past month or two, the family had had too little oil in their diet, and what they had was only flaxseed oil. Their staple foods were all coarse grains, leaving their stomachs devoid of any richness. Under these circumstances, anyone would go wild at the sight of meat.
The little girl couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning in bed, bursting with energy.
So Fang Rui continued with the story, "...Sun Monkey stealing the Ginseng Fruit..."
"Brother,"
Fang Ling suddenly asked, "Is Ginseng Fruit tastier than chicken?"
Fang Rui was speechless for a moment. A mischievous impulse took over, and he teased, "Probably not! After all, how could fruit be tastier than meat?"
"That’s what I thought, too," Fang Ling nodded, as if it were a serious matter.
Fang Rui: ...
That completely stumped him.
He told a long stretch of the story, and it wasn’t until very late that Fang Ling dazedly fell asleep.
When Fang Rui went to cover her little belly, he found that the girl was muttering ’meat’ in her sleep and drooling so much she had soaked her pillow.
He wiped the corner of the girl’s mouth, smiled and shook his head, then went to sleep himself.
...
「The next day.」
Around five or six in the morning, Fang Ling woke up. She didn’t say anything, not wanting to disturb Fang Rui’s sleep, but she kept tossing and turning.
Fang Rui was a light sleeper, so he naturally woke up too. "Ling’Er, why aren’t you sleeping in today?"
"Brother, I’m thinking about eating meat!"
Fang Ling’s voice had the delicate quality of someone just waking up. It was so crisp and fresh it reminded one of tender bamboo shoots poking through the earth after the first spring rain.
"I dreamed... a flock of roosters was chasing me... and then, they all jumped into a bowl... and I ate a whole chicken in one big bite..."
’Is this ’what one thinks about by day, one dreams about by night’?’
Amused, Fang Rui rubbed the little girl’s head. "We’re having chicken for lunch today. You can eat your fill..."
He could understand the little girl’s feelings.
In his past life, when Fang Rui was a child, whenever the New Year was approaching during the last month of the lunar calendar, he would be too excited to sleep at night, counting the days on his fingers...
That kind of anticipation was something people who hadn’t lived through hardship could never understand.
They horsed around for a bit.
When it was time to get up, Fang Ling stood barefoot on the bed, gazing at the round, crimson sun outside the window. Suddenly, she asked, "Brother, doesn’t that look like a big meatball?"
Fang Rui was thoroughly amused and tapped her on the forehead. "Can you really connect everything you see to meat?"
...
Breakfast.
Today, it was cornmeal porridge, which was much better than the throat-scraping Sorghum Flour porridge.
Mid-morning, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family started stewing the chicken early. Fang Rui helped from the side—not because he didn’t trust her cooking skills, but because he was worried she’d be too frugal with the oil.
The fragrance began to rise.
Fang Rui wasn’t afraid. He didn’t even bother to specifically close the door.
As an Entry Grade Martial Artist, what was wrong with eating something good? With his strength, he was more than capable of protecting his family, so there was no need to be overly secretive.
...
「High noon.」
The aroma from the Fang Family’s house grew even richer. Countless neighbors sniffed the air, glancing in their direction from time to time.
"Brother Rui, it’s about done. Add a handful of wild vegetables, and we can take it off the stove," Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family said.
"Alright!"
Fang Rui agreed and went to take the pot off the stove.
Fang Ling quickly followed, like a little tail, waiting eagerly by his side.
WHOOSH!
The lid was lifted. White steam billowed out, and a fragrant aroma rushed to greet them.
And there it was:
In the large pot, a chicken and mushroom stew bubbled in a rich, oily broth. Pieces of chicken were pushed to the surface by the bubbles, dripping with golden oil. Chunks of mushroom had soaked up the greasy broth, becoming plump and succulent, an absolutely mouth-watering sight...
Just before taking it off the heat, a handful of wild vegetables was added. The freshness of the greens brought out the aroma of the meat, making it even richer—so fragrant it made one’s mouth water!
Fang Rui picked up a small piece of chicken, blew on it, and tasted it.
The moment it entered his mouth...
Delicious!
With one bite, the rich, smooth chicken, along with the savory broth it held, exploded on his taste buds. It was mixed with the fresh flavor of the wild vegetables, filling his mouth with a lingering fragrance.
As he continued to chew, the chicken had Force; the more he chewed, the more fragrant it became!
—The rooster itself was a bit old, but he didn’t know how Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family had prepared it. The toughness was almost gone. In fact, that ’oldness’ had transformed into a satisfyingly firm texture.
Seeing the little girl staring at him with wide, expectant eyes, Fang Rui smiled, picked up another piece of chicken, and fed it to her. "Slow down, be careful, it’s hot!"
HUFF! PUFF! HUFF! PUFF!
The chicken was so hot that Fang Ling puffed out her breath, rolling it around in her mouth, unwilling to spit it out.
Once the meat had cooled a little, she took a bite and chewed. The flavor... Instantly, she squinted her eyes in satisfaction, like a cat basking in the winter sun.
At that moment, all along Willow Alley, countless people poked their heads out of doors and windows, staring in the direction of the Fang Family and swallowing hard.
"Mother, should I take half a bowl over to the Third Lady’s House? Oh, and maybe we should send some to Uncle Zao Hua’s house, too?" Fang Rui asked.
"That’s fine."
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family agreed, then suddenly thought of something and lowered her voice. "Brother Rui, why don’t we invite both families over? If you carry it over like this, it’s easy for people to see, and that won’t look good."
Fang Rui thought for a moment. "Better not. There are three people at Uncle Zao Hua’s house and two at Third Sister’s, plus the three of us... If we all eat together, then..."
He didn’t finish his sentence, but Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family understood. With something this good, it was fine to let close friends have a taste, but the lion’s share had to go to their own family first.
Of course, knowing the Third Lady’s family and Uncle Zao Hua’s family, Fang Rui was sure they wouldn’t greedily snatch the food and cause the Fang Family to eat less, even if they were invited over.
But the situation would be so restrained that no one would be able to eat comfortably. What was the point? It was better to stay separate and let everyone enjoy the meal heartily in their own homes.
"I’ll just take some over!"
Fang Rui said. "As for other neighbors seeing and it looking bad... there’s some truth to that, but really... it’s not a big deal."
This world had its advantages. Power and fists were paramount. He was an Entry Grade Martial Artist; what was wrong with his family having a good meal once in a while?
This wasn’t some unspeakable era; in this world, there was no fear of being reported.
"Alright then. As long as you know what you’re doing, Brother Rui," Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family agreed.
...
