Chapter 29: Here We Go Again

Although the food that Ye Xinyan brought was a rare delicacy, and it certainly looked appetizing, Lady Wang could tell at a glance that it was not particularly rich in oils and fats—and therefore, not a very good food.

So, when Lady Han brought the soup basin to the dinner table, Lady Wang's expression remained faint, "Ye Zi and your grandfather are thoughtful. Thank Great Uncle for your grandfather."

Qi Yougui enthusiastically invited Ye Xinyan to eat, "Ye Zi, have dinner here with Great Uncle. The food at Great Uncle's house is quite good today as well, with cornbread and boiled vegetables, enough to fill you up. Just in time for us to try this rare delicacy you've brought. This food looks quite appetizing at a glance."

Lady Wang reproached him, "Look at you, old man. Your Second Brother must be waiting for Ye Zi to come home to eat. You didn't even say hello and now you're keeping her here; isn't that making Second Brother worry?"

Ye Xinyan quickly said, "Yes, Great Uncle, my grandfather is waiting for me to return for dinner. I still need to visit Great Uncle's house. I won't stay."

Amid the insincere pleasantries exchanged between Lady Han and Lady Xu, Ye Xinyan hurriedly left.

Turning back, Lady Han heard her mother-in-law speaking to her father-in-law, "Isn't Second Brother learning to be a mason? How come he's talking about setting up a stall and making food now?"

Sanshun swallowed the rice tofu in his mouth and eagerly spoke, "It's really delicious, the food from Second Grandfather's house is truly tasty. Will his house make this often in the future?"

Sanshun dearly hoped that he could have a chance to eat the delicious food from Second Grandfather's house again.

......

After delivering another portion of rice tofu to Qi Yourong's family, Ye Xinyan returned with her basket slung over her arm.

"Quick, sit down. I'll bring your food right over." Seeing Ye Xinyan enter, Nanny Jin hurriedly put down her bowl and chopsticks to scoop a bowl for her from the pot.

Ye Xinyan sat on the edge of the kang bed, took the bowl Nanny Jin brought over, and glanced at Qi Younian with a very strange expression.

Qi Younian asked, "Ye Zi, what's the matter? Did you encounter something unpleasant while delivering the food?"

Ye Xinyan shook her head, "No, it's just... Great Uncle has a grandson we've never met before, the eldest son of Fourth Uncle."

Ye Xinyan probably understood why Great Uncle had been unhappy when he saw Fourth Uncle and Madam Pang holding that child on the day they arrived.

Seeing the surprise on Qi Younian's face, Ye Xinyan continued, "That child is the one we saw collecting dung yesterday."

Today was Ye Xinyan's first visit to Great Uncle's house, and as she stepped into Qi Yourong's family courtyard, she saw a child struggling to move a bucket of pig feed towards the pigsty.

The child's attire and build were unmistakably the same as the dung-collecting child from yesterday.

The child appeared emotionless and somewhat vacant. Upon seeing someone enter the yard, they did not speak much nor linger, but continued to forcefully move the dirty wooden bucket towards the pigsty.

Ye Xinyan watched the child and, with her eyes flashing, raised her voice to call out, "Great Uncle, Great Aunt, are you home? Your grandniece has come for a visit."

As Ye Xinyan spoke, the door to the main house opened in response, and Lady Zhang came out, "It's Ye Zi, come in, come into the house quickly."

Lady Zhang's tone sounded very affectionate, but her expression was devoid of warmth. On seeing the basket slung over her arm, her eyes displayed wariness and disgust.

Is the Second Branch family out of food and here to beg for rice at her house? Since Second Uncle's return, they've been living off the main house, eating its vegetables and cornbread. Are they now scheming to live off the rice and food supply of the Third Branch family after being tired of the main house's disdain?

Ye Xinyan pretended not to see Lady Zhang's expression and, facing her cold gaze, walked inside the house.

"Have I delayed Third Aunt from having lunch?"

Upon hearing this, Lady Zhang's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that Second Uncle's adopted granddaughter really had come to ask for food. Their Third Branch family's life wasn't easy either; they couldn't foster a habit of freeloading from the Second Branch family.

"Yes, we are just having lunch. These days, with the farming work, the family only gets to have a midday meal. Once we're done with the busy farming period, we won't be able to afford lunch; we'll just have to make do with porridge in the mornings and evenings."

Ye Xinyan smiled without saying much and stepped into the house.

At Qi Yourong's family's home, there were also two tables set up, one on the kang bed and one on the ground, where the family was eating lunch. Around the kang table were Qi Yourong, Madam Song, and their two sons. Several grandsons and two daughters-in-law sat around an old table placed on the ground, which held a basket of cornbread and a bowl of boiled vegetables for each of them.

Qi Yourong immediately asked, "Ye Zi, have you come for something at this time?" This was the difference between Qi Yougui and Qi Yourong.

The adults and children of the third branch of the family all stared at Ye Xinyan.

Ye Xinyan cleared her throat and removed the cloth covering the basket, "Today, our family made rice tofu. Grandpa asked me to bring some over for Great Uncle's family to try."

Realizing that she wasn't there to freeload food, everyone both on and off the kang sighed in relief.

Madam Song hurriedly said, "We're all living tightly, why send over tofu? Second Brother is being too polite. We've just returned, and there isn't much we can do to help. On top of that, taking from you for nothing—how could we accept that?"

Tofu, especially rice tofu, didn't seem like much of a delicacy. She wondered if taking their food today meant they would come asking for more from the third branch tomorrow.

Ye Xinyan handed the soup basin to Lady Zhang, "Great Aunt, Grandpa didn't mean anything by it. This food is just a small business my family is starting. We made a little bit today, and Grandpa just wanted Great Uncle to taste something new."

Ye Xinyan was really too tired to guess their thoughts. She placed the basin down and was about to turn and leave when she casually asked before taking a step, "Great Uncle, who is that little boy outside?"

After asking her question, Ye Xinyan didn't wait for anyone else's response and just stared at Qi Yourong and Madam Song.

Qi Yourong replied indifferently, without making a big deal of it, only telling Lady Zhang, "Go and get some spoons."

Seeing Ye Xinyan's insistent wait for an answer, Madam Song looked embarrassed and said, "Oh, that's your fourth uncle's eldest son. He just remembered he hadn't fed the pigs, so we sent him to do it. He'll be back for lunch soon."

Just realized the pigs haven't been fed, then sent a three- or four-year-old child with a basin almost as heavy as him to feed them, while the grown-ups and older kids sat eating lunch inside.

Ye Xinyan sneered in her heart, but could only nod her head and say, "Then I'll be going back first."

After hearing Ye Xinyan's account, Qi Younian's brow furrowed as he asked, "What you mean is, it's possible that Madam Pang is not that child's biological mother?"

"It's unlikely." What kind of mother would treat her own child that way?

Suffering under a stepmother is why, at such a young age, when other kids were playing, he was collecting manure. It's why he was doing work far beyond his age and strength while the rest of the family had lunch.

Qi Younian sighed and pushed the plate with the mixed grain pancakes towards Ye Xinyan, "Eat first. After all, it's not our family's affair. Even if we want to help, we're powerless."

Ye Xinyan nodded her head. Not to mention in ancient times, but even in the modern era with legal protections, such matters can't be interfered with by outsiders unless things get out of hand.

She picked up her bowl and tasted the rice tofu seriously, considering where to make improvements. This was her family's livelihood, and she couldn't afford to be negligent.

She hadn't eaten this snack for many years. After leaving the countryside with its lack of conditions, there was no chance to make it. She hadn't expected this strange trip through time to require her to use it to scrape a living.

In the afternoon, Ye Xinyan helped Qi Younian finish building the livestock shed. They then discussed the snack stall business, and time quickly passed by.

When Nanny Jin was preparing dinner, Lady Han led Sanshun over to return their basin used for the rice tofu.

After putting down the bowl, Lady Han didn't rush to leave; she sat on the kang bed in the outer room and chatted with Nanny Jin, who was cooking, subtly inquiring about how the rice tofu was made.