Chapter 57

After Xie Tingyu finished speaking, he carefully stored the local specialties Ye Qingshui had brought in the kitchen.

Watching his busy figure, Xie Dongmei couldn’t help but whisper to her mother, “Big brother must’ve suffered in the countryside.”

“He never used to eat pork, you know.”

Xu Maofang thought to herself: If anyone’s suffered, it surely isn’t the eldest young master of the Xie family. Xie Tingyu was their only remaining son, the last of the line. Xie Jun was getting older and had failed to father another son despite all these years. They spoiled that boy too much to ever let him suffer.

Probably the only hardship Xie Tingyu had ever experienced in his life was going to the countryside as an educated youth — and even that was his own choice. After living a life of luxury, he had brought that upon himself.

But what was strange was that, after not seeing him for a year, not only had he not lost any weight, he actually looked fuller and healthier — maybe even taller. He seemed sturdier than before, full of energy and glowing with vitality.

How could a poor village possibly raise someone so well? Xu Maofang figured Wen Zhihua must have secretly sent him quite a bit of money.

That thought led her to Wen Zhihua’s inheritance — even a sliver of it was enough to keep her family living comfortably for life — and Xu Maofang grew sullen with frustration.

She jabbed at Xie Dongmei’s chest with a “why-can’t-you-be-better” look.

“You really are useless.”

Xu Maofang had deliberately moved her daughter’s household registration to her ex-husband’s side and even planned to change her surname back. She never imagined she’d be blindsided this summer by the news that Xie Tingyu had gotten married — it was like a thunderclap on a clear day.

Xie Dongmei didn’t understand why she was being scolded for something that wasn’t her fault.

She said helplessly, “Mom, big brother isn’t like that.”

Back when she was just beginning to understand romantic feelings and her body was starting to develop, the boys in the compound would always hang around her. But only one of them stood out — he never looked at her with any affection in his eyes, no matter how gentle he seemed.

On the surface, he appeared warm and polite, but he was actually distant and cold.

That was her stepbrother.

He had always been solitary and aloof, like a lone wolf. His father didn’t care much for him, and he had no mother. But he was exceptional: a top student, gifted in music, art, and martial arts, and most importantly, he had a father with the rank of major general.

No one could compare to him.

Xie Dongmei understood better than her mother. Although her brother disliked her mother, he didn’t really hate her. But if she showed even a hint of romantic affection toward him, he would surely cut all sibling ties with her without hesitation.

So she had buried those feelings deep in her heart, quietly turning her attention to another man in the compound — someone who could stand toe-to-toe with her brother.

But then, the new sister-in-law turned out to be this kind of person.

Xie Dongmei felt as if she had been slapped hard across the face.

She was so shocked she couldn’t even hold onto her nail clipper. The brother she had tiptoed around and never dared to confess to had been snatched away by a mere village girl!

Xu Maofang gave a knowing smile and tapped her daughter’s forehead. “Alright, alright. Mom understands. That boy who’s chasing after our Meimei is a good one too.”

The boy she was talking about was Zhou Pinghuai.

He was about the same age as Xie Tingyu, also outstanding and very well-mannered. Plenty of families had their eyes on him. But Xu Maofang, being older and wiser, thought: No matter how good Zhou Pinghuai is, he can’t match the potential of Xie Tingyu.

Young girls were shallow — they always went for good looks.

When Xu Maofang looked at Ye Qingshui, she felt irritated in her heart, as if someone had poked a sore spot — not just in her heart, but in her eyes too.

If only that country girl had the sense to bow out… things would be perfect…

—

That afternoon, Ye Qingshui was awakened by a knock on the door.

When she turned her head, she saw that it was Xie Dongmei pushing the door open and walking in.

“Shui’ya, may I come in?”

Ye Qingshui yawned, not bothered by the fact that Xie Dongmei had barged in without waiting for permission. After all, this was her brother’s room — her family’s territory.

Xie Dongmei glanced at the newly-awakened sister-in-law. Her hair was messy, but in the dim light, her glowing fair skin was still stunning.

She stiffened her face.

“Shui’ya, are you awake? Mom’s cooking downstairs. Can you come help?”

Her tone carried a hint of blame and sarcasm.

All the elders are working, yet the daughter-in-law is still fast asleep.

Ye Qingshui didn’t take it to heart. She quietly pulled a crisp gray jacket and a black-and-white school uniform out of her luggage.

The white blouse and black skirt weren’t the original ones — she had bought new fabric and sewed them herself. After all, she couldn’t bring herself to hand over clothes she had already worn.

Facing Xie Dongmei’s gaze, Ye Qingshui spoke calmly, “Your brother bought this for you.”

“See if it fits?”

Xie Dongmei was still sulking about being neglected since her brother got a new wife. But when she saw the brand-new outfit, joy lit up her eyes and curved her lips.

She tried to hide her excitement, but the joy in her eyes was impossible to contain.

She held the clothes up to herself and suddenly felt a little frustrated.

The size was mostly right — except the chest area, which was way too big. She was only seventeen. There was no way she could fill that out.

Her face turned slightly red, but she thought: It’s his first time buying clothes for me. He’s a guy — how could he understand such things?

Still, she happily accepted the gift.

Ye Qingshui headed downstairs and into the kitchen.

She frowned as she watched Xie Tingyu’s stepmother awkwardly chopping vegetables. The slices were uneven — some thick, some thin. Her knife skills were just as poor as Xie Tingyu’s.

Even worse, she was about to dip a wet ladle into hot oil.

Ye Qingshui closed her eyes briefly, then quickly slammed the lid on the pot and nudged the woman aside.

Xu Maofang wiped her sweat with a handkerchief and righteously said, “Just now I was chopping vegetables, Shui’ya, you saw that, right? Go ahead and chop the rest of the melon, and cook it too.”

“Tonight we’re making two meat dishes and two vegetable ones. His father has a heavier palate and is quite picky, so try to make it delicious. The father and son in the Xie family are both very particular about food. As a daughter-in-law, you need to not only be sensible and good at housework, but also good at cooking — otherwise, this marriage won’t last—”

She launched into a full elder-mode lecture, deeply satisfied with herself as she evaluated her new daughter-in-law’s cooking skills.

She thought: People say the countryside is poor — no clothes, no food, not even pork for a year. How could someone from that kind of place know how to cook?

But the very next moment, she was proven wrong.

Xu Maofang suddenly heard the rhythmic, crisp sound of chopping on the cutting board — cha-cha-cha — as clean white radish slices fell like feathers, each one thin as a cicada’s wing. After slicing the melon, Ye Qingshui picked up the butchered radish head and casually carved it into a flower.

Xu Maofang’s mouth dropped open in an “O” shape.

She watched as Ye Qingshui took some cured sausage and sliced it diagonally into perfect pieces, then steamed it with the radish. The sausage, smoked with pine resin and branches, released a faintly fresh, woody aroma.

Then Ye Qingshui made a soup, expertly gutted a fish, and fried it to golden perfection.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with a rich fragrance — the kind that could awaken every hungry stomach nearby. The blend of spices was heavenly.

The scent drifted out of the attic, spilling into the neighboring homes.

People nearby sniffed the air and asked:

“Who’s cooking?”

“That cured sausage smells amazing!”

Ye Qingshui stood for over an hour preparing the meal. Her injured foot was beginning to give out.

She hadn’t wanted to be ordered around by Xie Tingyu’s stepmother, but after seeing how terrible the woman’s cooking was, she knew she’d never sleep tonight if she had to eat her food.

She remembered what Xu Maofang had said earlier: “Being a Xie daughter-in-law isn’t easy. You need to be capable at home and in the kitchen, or this marriage won’t last.”

Ye Qingshui gave a quiet, ironic laugh in her heart. She really has the nerve to say that.

After cooking, she walked a bit strangely — slowly making her way to the sofa and sitting down to massage her foot.

Xu Maofang had never smelled sausage this fragrant — not even at restaurants. The whole house was filled with the irresistible aroma!

She hurried to serve the dishes at the table.

Clearing her throat, Xu Maofang had to put away her lofty attitude. She had clearly underestimated this village girl. So she actually had such cooking skills…

She began trying another angle to lecture her:

“Shui’ya, being a Xie daughter-in-law isn’t easy. When your elders are still working, how could you sit down first? What if the men saw — they’d think you lack manners. You have to remember, men work hard outside—”

Before she could finish, Xie Tingyu returned home. He sniffed the air in surprise and quickly realized the little girl had cooked dinner.

Without saying a word, he walked up to Ye Qingshui and squatted down in front of her.

He gently removed her shoes, pressed his thumb to her foot, his handsome features creased with concern.

“Does your foot still hurt?”

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