Chapter 31: They’re… a Little Busy Now!
“As everyone knows, I’m not of the Ji family’s bloodline,” Ji Zhao explained softly. “Zhao Xian is my neighbor and he passed the Elementary Scholar examination. That’s why I asked him to help me find my biological parents. All these years, Zhao Xian used this as an excuse to take a lot of money from me… I don’t know why there’s such ridiculous news that I’ve been in love with Zhao Xian for many years.”
Ji Zhao’s eyes were red, and she looked very aggrieved and pitiful.
In fact, the original owner of the body had indeed admired Zhao Xian, but that was because Zhao Xian had deliberately created the illusion that he would definitely soar in the future in front of the original owner to coax her.
After all, the Host was a selfish and vain person.
“So you never liked Zhao Xian at all? He used the fact that he could help you find your biological parents as bait to trick you into giving him money?” Second Sister-in-law Shen never expected the truth to be like this. She could not help but ask, “Are you a fool?”
“I…” Ji Zhao lowered his head sadly and choked on her words.
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“Second wife, feed the chickens!” Zhao Lanhua ordered with a frown.
“…Oh.” Second Sister-in-law Shen’s gossip was extinguished. She responded gloomily, then picked up the dustpan basket leaning against the corner of the wall and went to the chicken coop.
“Why aren’t you going back to your room to lie down?” Zhao Lanhua glanced at Ji Zhao, who was stunned under the roof, and said in a low voice.
“… Okay.”
Ji Zhao quietly returned to her room and covered herself with a thin blanket. Her thoughts ran wild for a while before she finally fell asleep again.
Because it rained last night, the old and young men in the village went to the fields to work today.
Shen Dashan waved his hoe vigorously and said happily, “I thought the drought would continue! I didn’t expect the heavens to still favor poor people like us. The rain last night was really good!”
“Isn’t that so? When my two brats heard the rain, they wanted to rush out and drench themselves! In the end, they were beaten up by their mother and finally stopped,” Shen Dayong replied with a smile.
“Sanlang, there’s not much work left in the field. You can go back first!” Shen Dashan turned around and instructed his absent-minded son.
Shen Yao wanted to refuse, but he suddenly thought of something else. He nodded and left.
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It was not until dusk that Shen Yao returned to the Shen family’s courtyard.
At that moment, Ji Zhao, who had slept for an entire day, felt sore all over. She thought for a moment and lay on the bed, preparing to practice yoga.
When Shen Yao pushed the door open and entered, Ji Zhao was practicing the Pinnacle Style.
The moment their eyes met, the atmosphere became awkward.
“You…” Shen Yao frowned in confusion. “What are you doing?”
“No… nothing…” Ji Zhao hurriedly explained. Just as she was about to stop, she felt her ankle ache. She was like a deflated ball and almost rolled off the kang bed-
Before he could think, Shen Yao rushed forward and held her.
In the end, Shen Yao lay on the ground while Ji Zhao lay in his arms.
“Third Brother, what do you think of the design of my table and chairs?” The moment Shen Zhang walked into the room, he was completely dumbfounded. “Ahem, Third Brother, why did you forget to close the door? Remember to close the door next time. Second Brother will come and find you later.”
Without waiting for Shen Yao to explain, Shen Zhang left. He even closed the door considerately.
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“Mother, don’t go in and disturb Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law!”
“What’s wrong?”
“They’re… a little busy now!”
Chapter 32: Do You Like My San Lang?
“Busy?” Zhao Lanhua raised her eyebrows curiously. “Busy with what?”
“Well… anyway…” Shen Zhang scratched his ears and cheeks nervously. “Mother, I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?”
In the room, Ji Zhao was so nervous that she forgot to breathe.
Shen Yao, who was under her, raised his eyebrows silently. His deep eyes flickered with a dark light. “When do you plan to get up?”
“Oh! I’m sorry!” Ji Zhao subconsciously apologized and hurriedly got up from his body.
The soft touch on his chest suddenly disappeared.
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Shen Yao suddenly felt a flash of disappointment in his heart.
“You…”
“You…”
“You first?”
“No, no, no. You go first.” Ji Zhao quickly returned to the kang bed. Her smile was obedient, and her tone was gentle.
Shen Yao thought for a moment and took out two taels of silver from his sleeve and handed it to her.
Ji Zhao was puzzled.
“The snake you caught yesterday is very valuable, so the pharmacy gave me two taels of silver,” Shen Yao explained softly.
“You sold that snake for me?” Ji Zhao asked happily. Her bright eyes were shining brightly, looking extremely cute.
“Mm!”
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“Thank you so much!” Ji Zhao was extremely grateful and thanked him repeatedly.
“You’re welcome.” Shen Yao smiled indifferently, but his lips clearly curled into a faint smile.
“Logically speaking, I should give you a tael of silver. However, I urgently need money now, so I owe you a favor. If you need my help in the future, feel free to ask.” Ji Zhao looked into his eyes and said sincerely.
“No need.”
“In any case, I’ll remember this.” Ji Zhao smiled firmly. “It’s getting late, so I’ll leave first.”
“You’re going back to the Earth Temple?”
“Mm!”
“You should stay,” Shen Yao suddenly said. “Don’t misunderstand. Your injuries haven’t healed yet. You should recuperate.”
“I feel fine.”
“If the patient could sense their own condition, would there still be doctors in the world?”
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Uh…
Ji Zhao fell silent.
Ji Zhao didn’t know what to say.
In the end, under Zhao Lanhua’s strong request, Ji Zhao temporarily stayed at the Shen residence to rest.
“Mother.” After drinking the medicine, Ji Zhao looked at Zhao Lanhua nervously. “I…”
“Just say what you want to say. Don’t be nervous.”
“I want to ask you for a favor.” Ji Zhao thought for a moment and handed the two taels of silver in her arms to Zhao Lanhua. “Sanlang helped me sell that snake. I wonder if you can help me buy some rice and noodles and send them to my grandparents’ house?”
“Ah Tao,” Zhao Lanhua looked straight into her eyes and asked seriously, “Do you hate your grandmother?”
Ji Zhao shook her head. “I did resent her at the beginning, but I really don’t hate her.”
No matter how wrong Madam Xie was, she had raised Ji Zhao.
If Old Master Ji had not brought Ji Zhao home back then, she would have long become a pile of yellow soil.
“That day, I heard someone say that you asked Zhao Xian to elope with you. I felt very upset.” Zhao Lanhua faced her and said sincerely, “I know that my third son has a leg problem. Ordinary girls would definitely not be willing to marry him. However, I’m his mother. How can I not consider him? That’s why I came to propose when I heard that your grandmother had the intention to marry you off.”
“Ah Tao, I want to ask you something.” Zhao Lanhua faced her and asked in a deep voice, “Do you like my Sanlang?”
Chapter 33: Catching Fish
“I…” Ji Zhao did not expect Zhao Lanhua to ask this question. She hesitated for a while before pursing her lips and falling silent.
“Alright, I understand what you’re thinking.” Zhao Lanhua patted her shoulder and comforted her with a smile. “Rest well!”
Ji Zhao sensed the disappointment in Zhao Lanhua’s tone and felt even more upset.
Right now, she did not have any admiration for Shen Yao.
She couldn’t lie about her feelings.
When Zhao Lanhua walked out of the room, she met Shen Yao’s calm face.
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“Sanlang, go to your eldest brother’s room tonight and sleep.” Zhao Lanhua waved at him and left.
Shen Yao nodded slightly.
After resting in the Shen family for three days, Ji Zhao bade farewell.
This time, Zhao Lanhua did not stop her.
Ji Zhao, who had returned to the Earth Temple, was very surprised.
The dilapidated Earth Temple suddenly looked new.
There was a bamboo bed in the temple with a thin greenish-gray blanket on it.
What made Ji Zhao the happiest was that there was a newly built stove outside the temple. Beside the stove was a stack of dry firewood.
“Earth God, could it be that Miss Conch is here?” After looking around the entire Earth Temple, Ji Zhao piously knelt in front of the statue of the Earth God and asked with a surprised smile.
“Who is Miss Conch?”
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Shen Yao’s voice suddenly sounded behind her. Ji Zhao looked back in surprise.
“I cleaned up this place a little while you were recuperating at home.” Shen Yao looked at her and explained softly, “In addition, I’ve already reported to the village chief of Shanghe Village. He also agreed to let you stay here temporarily.”
“That’s great!” Ji Zhao was extremely grateful. “Shen Yao, thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome.” Looking at the bright smile on her face, Shen Yao smiled silently.
“Why don’t I treat you to a meal?” Ji Zhao smiled warmly. “You helped me tidy up my residence so well. Logically speaking, I should treat you to a meal!”
“Come, let’s go look for ingredients first!” Ji Zhao grabbed his arm and left the Earth Temple.
The two of them walked 1.5 to 2 kilometers west and finally saw a clear river.
“The river water has risen a lot!” Ji Zhao could not help but sigh. “When I came to the river to get water earlier, the river water was almost dry.”
“Thanks to the heavy rain a few days ago, the riverbed has risen a lot,” Shen Yao explained.
“Do you like to eat fish?” Ji Zhao inadvertently caught a glimpse of the fish swimming in the river and looked up at Shen Yao with a smile.
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“Mm.”
“Then I’ll treat you to fish!” Ji Zhao quickly rolled up her sleeves, bent down, rolled up her pants, and carefully walked into the river.
Before Shen Yao could stop her, she had already caught a chubby fish!
The warm sunlight shone on her body, giving her a faint glow.
The fish struggled in her arms, splashing water onto her bright and smiling face.
Shen Yao forgot to breathe when he saw this scene.
That poem involuntarily appeared in his mind.
It must be a fairy that had descended into the mortal world, her smile defeating the stars.
Ji Zhao did not notice the change in Shen Yao’s gaze. At this moment, she was immersed in the joy of having gained a lot!
After a while, she actually caught five big fish!
“Sour pickled fish, steamed fish, sweet and sour fish, Zhuge grilled fish, crucian carp tofu soup…” The cooking methods of countless types of fish appeared in Ji Zhao’s mind.
Chapter 34: Fish Soup
Ji Zhao quickly pulled out two reed poles and skewered all the fish. She handed them to Shen Yao with a smile. “Can you help me carry them?”
“I didn’t expect you to know how to catch fish.” Shen Yao really didn’t expect her to be so powerful.
“Hehe, I didn’t expect my luck to be so good!” Ji Zhao said happily. “Let’s go back to the courtyard later?”
“Okay,” Shen Yao agreed happily.
The two of them walked side by side in the direction of the Shen family’s courtyard. Ji Zhao deliberately slowed down so that Shen Yao could keep up with her.
Zhao Lanhua, who was drying the bedding in the courtyard, raised her eyebrows in surprise when she heard Ji Zhao’s voice.
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“Ah Tao?”
“Mother, I caught a lot of fish!” Ji Zhao pointed at the fish in Shen Yao’s hand and asked happily, “Can you lend me the kitchen? I want to use these fish to cook.”
“Okay,” Zhao Lanhua agreed.
Second Sister-in-law Shen’s eyes lit up when she heard that there was fish to eat!
After entering the kitchen, Ji Zhao began to show off her skills.
She picked up the kitchen knife and knocked out a fish that was still jumping around on the chopping board.
Then, she swiftly cut it open and quickly took out the organs.
“Ah Tao, I didn’t expect your knife skills to be so amazing.” Zhao Lanhua was full of praise for Ji Zhao’s knife skills.
“Mother, do you have pickled vegetables at home?” Ji Zhao changed the topic without batting an eyelid.
“We do.”
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“Mother, please bring me some pickled vegetables. I want to make fish with pickled vegetables.”
“Okay!”
She placed the sliced fish in a bowl and added wine, salt, and starch to prepare it. Then, she washed the onions, ginger, and garlic and minced them.
She rinsed the pickled vegetables a few more times and finally cut them into the right square size.
“Mother, is there any tofu at home?”
“You want tofu?” Zhao Lanhua hurriedly called out to the outside. “Second wife, go to Grandma Chunhua’s house and buy two pieces of tofu!”
“Yes!” Second Sister-in-law Shen replied. She took two large sums of money and left.
After all the ingredients were prepared, Ji Zhao began to cook.
She heated the oil in the pot and stir-fried the chopped onions, garlic, and chili until they were fragrant. Then, she added pickled vegetables and stir-fried them continuously. Then, she poured clear water into the pot. Finally, when the water was completely boiled, she poured in the fish fillet. When the fish fillet was slightly curled up from the heat, she poured a spoonful of boiling hot oil.
Sizzle-
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The fragrant pickled vegetable fish was fresh out of the pot.
In addition to pickled fish, Ji Zhao also made a crucian carp tofu soup.
“The crucian carp tofu soup with fried eggs and shredded radish will have a richer fragrance and taste,” Ji Zhao explained with a smile as she placed the chopped scallions into the pot of fish soup.
At noon, the Shen family sat in the central room and prepared to eat.
Ji Zhao got up and scooped a spoonful of fish soup for Second Sister-in-law Shen. “Second Sister-in-law, drink more soup. I heard that pregnant people should drink more fish soup. It will make the baby in their stomach smarter.”
“Really?” Second Sister-in-law Shen took the bowl of fish soup without hesitation and drank it in one gulp.
“It smells so good! There’s actually no fishy taste at all?” Second Sister-in-law Shen usually did not like to eat fish. She felt that it was too troublesome to eat fish, and the fish meat always had a fishy smell. However, she did not expect Ji Ah Tao’s fish soup to be so delicious.
Ji Zhao smiled and scooped another bowl of fish soup for Zhao Lanhua. “Mother, why don’t you drink it while it’s hot?”
Shen Yao lowered his head and looked at the empty bowl in front of him. Anticipation rose in his heart.
Chapter 35: I… Don’t Have a Grandpa Anymore
“Ah Tao, don’t just take care of us.” Zhao Lanhua grabbed her arm affectionately and made her sit down. “Drink a bowl while it’s hot.”
“Okay!”
Shen Yao lowered his eyes to hide the disappointment in them.
When there were more fish slices in the bowl in front of him, he looked up in confusion and met Ji Zhao’s smiling almond-shaped eyes.
“How about you try this fish with pickled vegetables?”
Shen Yao nodded reservedly and tasted it carefully.
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“The fish is tender and smooth. It melts in your mouth. The sour and spicy taste is very rich,” Shen Yao commented objectively. “It’s very delicious.”
“Then eat more!” Ji Zhao said happily.
She was quite confident in her culinary skills.
Shen Yao, who usually did not eat much, ate an extra bowl of rice after hearing this.
“Ah Tao, I saw three live fish in the water tank outside just now. What delicious food do you plan to cook tonight?” Second Sister-in-law Shen asked impatiently.
“Second Sister-in-law, what flavor of fish do you like to eat?”
“As long as it’s good food, I like it!” Second Sister-in-law Shen said hurriedly.
“Then I’ll make another grilled fish tonight,” Ji Zhao said happily.
“That’s great!” Second Sister-in-law Shen could not stop smiling when she heard that there would be delicious food tonight!
“Mother,” Ji Zhao put down his bowl and chopsticks and asked Zhao Lanhua softly, “Can I send two fish back to Pomegranate Village later?”
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“You silly child. You were the one who caught these fish. It’s up to you how you want to deal with them!” Zhao Lanhua smiled and said, “Sanlang, accompany Ah Tao back to Pomegranate Village in the afternoon. By the way, I’ve already prepared the rice and noodles you asked me to buy. I’ll get Sanlang to accompany you back to your parents’ house later.”
“Thank you, Mother. You’re the best!” Ji Zhao’s eyes were filled with tears as she was extremely grateful.
It was a hot June afternoon.
Ji Zhao had only taken a few steps when she felt drenched in sweat.
“There’s an old pagoda tree in front. Why don’t we rest?” Shen Yao handed her the water bag he was wearing and asked softly.
“Might as well.”
Ji Zhao leaned against the tree trunk and rested for a while.
“Wait for me.” Shen Yao saw a touch of green in the distance and immediately put down the basket on his back. He hurriedly turned around and left.
A moment later, Shen Yao placed the freshly plucked lotus leaf on her head.
The fragrance of the lotus leaves seeped into her heart, and Ji Zhao thanked him gratefully.
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After resting, the two of them moved again and finally arrived at Pomegranate Village at 3pm.
However, the atmosphere in the Ji family was rather gloomy.
When Ji Zhao saw the white banner hanging on the fence, her heart sank!
She hurriedly pushed the door open and entered. She saw her grandmother, Madam Xie, kneeling on the ground and crying her heart out.
“Grandfather?” Ji Zhao hurriedly rushed up. At that moment, Old Master Ji, who was lying on the bed, had already stopped moving.
Ji Zhao’s trembling index finger reached for his nose.
“Grandpa…”
Ji Zhao cried out in grief. She was on the verge of collapse!
If Shen Yao, who was following closely behind, had not caught her in time, Ji Zhao would have fallen to the ground.
“Are you okay?” Shen Yao subconsciously held her shoulder and asked in a low voice.
“I… I’m not okay.” Ji Zhao closed her eyes weakly.
An indescribable bitterness and guilt suddenly surged from the depths of her heart.
Ji Zhao knew very well that it was the subconsciousness hidden in the original owner’s body.
Although the Host was despicable, she was not a wicked person. She also knew that if Old Master Ji had not saved her, she would have died long ago.
But now, Old Master Ji had passed away.
“I… don’t have a grandfather anymore.” Ji Zhao choked on her words as tears rolled down her cheeks.