Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 25

“Mother, stop talking. My mother-in-law has already seen me and my younger brother this morning. We can’t deny this.” Liu Lanhua closes her eyes and lets her mother beat her. The harder her mother hits her, the more she realizes that her mother really doesn’t love her at all.

“What do you say? You and your brother are just chatting about family matters. What else can you say?” Old Lady Liu stamps her feet in anger at her youngest son’s guilty look, but she never admits to this matter, even if she is beaten to death.

“That’s right. We figured out this recipe ourselves. How can you prove that only your Lu family can come up with this method?” The eldest brother of the Lu family steps forward, pointing at Liu Lanhua’s nose and scolding her, looking like a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water.

It’s ridiculous. They already have the recipe. Why should they give up five taels of silver? Do they think their money grows on trees? The Lu family is the same; they’re so wealthy but still haggle with their in-laws. The richer they are, the more stingy they become. They have no humanity at all.

“Father, Mother, I have nothing more to say to you. I have helped the family earn a lot of money over the years. Now I’m sharing the secret recipe from the eldest girl. With this recipe, you can earn at least dozens of taels a year. Now I only want five taels. Just five taels to keep my marriage. Are you going to watch the Lu family divorce me?” Liu Lanhua suddenly breaks down and cries hysterically.

“Second son-in-law, what right do you have to divorce my daughter?” Old Lady Liu is silent for a while. She is not entirely unmoved by Liu Lanhua’s tears, but so what? She can still rely on her sons in the future. How can she offend the sons who will take care of her in her old age and will bury her for a married-off daughter?

“My daughter has given you a son and a daughter. Even if she has no other merits, she has worked hard. Are you just going to watch your parents bully your wife? Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?” Old Lady Liu turns her ire on Lu Jiahou.

Before today, she always smiles at Lu Jiahou like a blooming chrysanthemum, wanting to show every muscle in her face and smile until her teeth are exposed.

Lu Jiahou says nothing, only looks coldly at the members of the Liu family present.

“Sister, you can’t let the Lu family treat you like this. It’s just a divorce letter. If they dare to write it, we’ll dare to accept it. Go home, and we brothers will support you. When the time comes, our parents can find you another man. With your beauty, are you afraid we won’t find someone more humane than the Lu family?” Little brother Liu takes a few steps forward and squeezes between Liu Lanhua and Lu Jiahou. He grabs Liu Lanhua’s hand, his eyes shining with determination.

Although Liu Lanhua is already a mother of two, she doesn’t look old at all. Back when the Liu family was so harsh on the girls, Liu Lanhua managed to catch Lu Jiahao’s attention with her beauty, which shows just how attractive her features are. After marrying into the Lu family, she still has to do a lot of work, but at least she doesn’t have to farm every day, and the intensity of her labor decreases significantly.

Over the years, Liu Lanhua’s skin becomes fairer, and her figure fuller, making her look like a ripe apricot.

Liu Xiaodi’s words strike a chord. Yes, now that Liu Lanhua’s secret recipe for her family is exposed, the Lu family will likely be wary of her in the future. It will be challenging for her to gain any benefits from them.

But if Liu Lanhua is divorced, they can find her another match. Given her looks, she can still marry a widower with decent conditions. By then, not only can they earn a bride price, but once she settles into her new family, Liu Lanhua can help them out again.

“That’s right, Lanhua. Look at how much your brothers care for you. Just come home and leave that heartless, ungrateful man behind.”

As a woman herself, Old Lady Liu understands how hard life can be for a divorced woman. She can only feel sorry for her daughter in her heart and then help her sons persuade her.

“Mother! You are my own mother! Brother! Sister-in-law! Little brother! Sister-in-law! What have I done to mistreat you all these years? Why do you have to treat me like this? Did I dig up the Liu family’s ancestral grave in my last life to be reborn into this family as a daughter?” Liu Lanhua completely erupts.

“I don’t want to leave the Lu family! I am the wife of the third son of the Lu family, the mother of San Ya and Baotie. Five taels, I only want five taels; the family can definitely come up with that money.”

Liu Lanhua pushes Liu Xiaodi away and rushes to the wardrobe in the room of the two elders like a madwoman. She knows her mother is accustomed to hiding the most valuable things in that wardrobe.

The wardrobe is locked, and the key hangs around the old lady’s neck. Unable to get the key, Liu Lanhua simply picks up a nearby stool and swings it at the wardrobe.

“She’s crazy! Crazy! Big brother, stop her!” Old Lady Liu looks at the marks on her dowry cabinet, her heart aching so much that she can barely breathe.

“A married girl comes back to her parents’ home to rob money. Is there any justice in this? Why doesn’t God send down a thunderbolt to strike you dead?”

“Let go, you crazy woman!” Liu’s brothers and sisters-in-law step forward to block her. During the struggle, Liu Lanhua’s sisters-in-law and younger siblings don’t forget to grab and twist her arms harshly. Seeing this, Lu Jiahao furrows his brow and steps forward to pull the women away from Liu Lanhua.

What starts as a scene to retrieve money quickly devolves into a brawl, with both sides completely entangled in a fight.

******

When Lu Jiahao leaves the Liu family, he already bears wounds, and Liu Lanhua fares even worse—her exposed skin shows no good flesh, and several strands of hair have been pulled out. 

Of course, the Liu family members don’t come away unscathed either. Lu Jiahao’s strength is far beyond that of those weak Liu men. Even though they surround him, each of them bears wounds just as severe as his.

Unfortunately, the other side has the numbers, and Liu Lanhua doesn’t manage to get the five taels of silver.

Lu Jiahao walks ahead, sensing that the footsteps behind him are slowing down. In the end, he can’t help but speak up. “Let’s go home.”

During the commotion, he actually considers divorcing Liu Lanhua. But when he leaves home, his daughter Xiuxin hugs his leg, asking if her mother will come back. Her pitiful and helpless expression makes Lu Jiahao’s heart soften.

No matter how good a stepmother might be, she can never replace a child’s own mother. Although Liu Lanhua is somewhat foolish, she has always been good to Baotie. She is less attentive to Xiuxin but still takes care of her food, clothing, housing, and daily needs.

If he remarries and has more children, the lives of his first two might become difficult.

“I—I didn’t get the silver.” Liu Lanhua wipes her tears, accidentally touching the wound on her face, making her gasp in pain.

Yet what hurts her more than the physical wounds is the anguish in her heart. If she doesn’t get the money, her parents-in-law will definitely urge her husband to divorce her. Her family is already offended. If her husband’s family turns their backs on her, she will be left with no choice but to die.

“You still don’t understand. Father never intends to wait for you to get the silver back. From the very beginning, he knows that the money won’t be retrieved. He just wants to knock some sense into your thick head and make you realize whether you’re truly helping family or wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

It must be said that Lu Jiahou is quite perceptive. After witnessing Liu Lanhua’s transformation, he understands his father’s intentions. This realization is also one of the reasons why Lu Jiahou is willing to accept Liu Lanhua again. If she remains stubborn and continues to believe her family is the best, he will not bring her back at all. Instead, she will stay in the Liu family forever with the divorce decree he has prepared before leaving.

“Jiahou, I will definitely change. I was confused before, and I fed your hard-earned money to a pack of wolves. From now on, I will wholeheartedly support you. I will help us build a prosperous life together and never care about those people again.”

Liu Lanhua is resolute this time; she truly sees the situation clearly. 

Sure enough, after Liu Lanhua returns to the Lu family, no one mentions the matter of the five taels of silver, but Jiang Bai’e frequently pokes at her about it. However, Liu Lanhua endures and quietly goes about her work. 

As time passes, Jiang Bai’e also finds it rather pointless, and no one in the family mentions the matter anymore.

******

In the past couple of days, Lu Xiuyu has not gone to the stall to sell goods. Instead, she frequently visits the town and the county. Every time she returns, she brings back something, yet no one in the family sees her. They only know she has been mysteriously tinkering in the kitchen.

The Liu family is truly thick-skinned. Even after openly breaking ties with the Lu family, they still set up their stall without fail. However, their business in recent days has not been as good as before. 

Business along the official road mainly caters to traveling merchants. The same people might pass through this area only after many months. Aside from returning customers who appear once every few months, most of them are new customers.

After losing Lu Baobao, the living advertisement, the Liu family begins to struggle.

Because the public is somewhat averse to pig offal, even with reduced prices, it still seems high for such a cheap ingredient, making it hard for people to decide to buy without sufficient temptation.

Liu Xiaodi and his wife can only encourage customers to taste the food first. Some customers take advantage of this, insisting on eating two or three pieces before claiming they have “tasted” it. As a result, while they ultimately manage to sell out their food, a significant portion is given away for free, which greatly reduces their income.

On the fourth day, Lu Xiuyu begins setting up the stall again. Seeing the two sisters, Liu Xiaodi and his wife are nearly moved to tears, thinking this time they can take advantage of favorable winds to make their business prosperous once more.

Lu Xiuyu confidently lifts the lid, and an enticing aroma immediately fills the air, causing everyone who catches a whiff to swallow their saliva subconsciously.

“What smells so good?”

Inside is a large pot of stew containing not only pig offal but also a whole pig head and four trotters.

Both the pig head and trotters are among the harder-to-sell parts of the pig. In this era, country folk prefer fatty cuts when buying meat; although pig head meat is delicious, many view it as not worth the cost.

They would rather buy a piece of meat that is more fatty than lean, rendering the fat into lard for future cooking, and then stir-frying the lard with the lean meat. This is the approach favored by country folk who know how to make the most of their resources.

Pig head meat symbolizes luxury, and women only consider buying it when they want to treat their men, making it a dish to accompany drinks. 

As for the pig trotters, they contain more bone than meat and are often difficult to clean. They are commonly sold at half price or given away at meat stalls.

Lu Xiuyu removes the pig head from the pot, slicing off half an ear, some cheek meat, and half a trotter, then arranging them evenly over a bowl of rice before drizzling a small spoonful of fragrant gravy on top.

Liu Xiaodi swallows hard. Isn’t this the same marinade used for braised large intestines? Why does it smell better than his own pot?

Meanwhile, Lu Baobao has already picked up her bowl and started eating.

The pig trotters have been stewed early that morning, resulting in crispy skin and tender meat that falls off the bone with ease. 

Everyone watches as Lu Baobao effortlessly pierces the trotters with her chopsticks, their glossy sheen sparkling in the sunlight, making everyone swallow harder.

The most satisfying aspect of pig trotters is their rich, gelatinous texture. Just licking them with your tongue releases a burst of flavor that fills your mouth. The meat is tender and slightly sticky, with a perfect blend of spiciness, saltiness, and sweetness from the brown sugar. This is the ideal braised pig trotter.

Lu Baobao is so happy she can’t stop eating, alternating between bites of meat and rice, wishing she has ten more stomachs. 

She finally understands why her cousin has been so mysterious these days. Although the braised large intestines have been delicious before, they are only good by the standards of this era, as the available ingredients are not ideal. With only peppers, onions, ginger, and semi-finished soy sauce, it is challenging to elevate braised dishes to their full potential.

Today’s pot of marinade is different. Lu Baobao feels that her cousin has completely captured the essence of a modern chain brand’s old marinade shop. She realizes that Lu Xiuyu has likely been busy gathering complete ingredients during these past few days.

With Lu Baobao attracting customers out front, Lu Xiuyu’s business thrives once again.

Liu Xiaodi and his wife shout from the sidelines, trying to lure in customers by claiming they use a recipe similar to Lu Xiuyu’s. However, the difference in aroma and taste is so pronounced that even when Liu Xiaodi grits his teeth and lowers the price of his rice bowls by one or two cents, his sales still do not improve.

Some customers, unwilling to spend too much, opt to buy a rice bowl from other stalls for two cents and then pay another two cents to have Lu Xiuyu pour some gravy over it, enjoying their meal all the same.

This leaves Liu Xiaodi’s food—priced high but tasting far inferior—unsellable.

It isn’t that he is unwilling to lower the price, but Lu Xiuyu’s original recipe requires a significant amount of oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar, making the cost relatively high. Reducing the price to two cents per serving like ordinary food would likely lead to no profit at all.

Seeing the couple’s distressed expressions, Lu Xiuyu feels a surge of satisfaction.

Long before the calculations begin, she has already prepared this backup plan. Her deals are never so easy to exploit.

Author’s Note: The highest realm of soft rice: enjoying the benefits provided by the golden thighs! ~ (￣▽￣)~