Chapter 126 The Budding of a Dream

Chapter 126 The Budding of a Dream

Xie Wanniang smiled and thanked her, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Mrs. Chen laughed, "What trouble? I don't know how worry-free it is for me."

Chen was very content with the men Jiang Yuan, Xie Wanniang, and Xiao Yang, who were all considerate, had good relationships with her, and visited her frequently. Although they were all young, they were all easy to get along with.

As for Xiaoyang's closer relationship with Xie Wanniang, Xie Wanniang saved her life and fed and cared for her for so long, making her happier than most children in the village. This sacrifice cannot be compared to the few days Xie Wanniang helped take care of her.

Xie Wanniang greeted Hao Yu with a smile, and then introduced Chen Shi and Xiao Yang to Atai and Xiao Mei.

Atai and Xiaomei first stepped forward to greet Hao Yu and Chen Shi, and then exchanged greetings with Xiaoyang.

Both children were very nervous. After they had nervously greeted everyone, Jiang Yuan invited Hao Yu to an open space nearby.

That was a place Xie Wanniang had specially reserved for herself to practice martial arts, but now it made it convenient for Jiang Yuan to demonstrate Atai's martial arts talent to Hao Yu.

Xie Wanniang then greeted Xiaomei and Xiaoyang and invited Chen Shi to sit down in the main room.

As women, they could take this opportunity to chat about Chen's health.

Knowing that Xie Wanniang was a skilled physician, Chen was happy to cooperate with her. She not only answered all her questions but also asked Xie Wanniang to take her pulse.

Xiao Mei then realized that Xie Wan Niang was not a herb gatherer, but a proper doctor.

Such a young female doctor...

Envy, longing, and the barely conscious thought that "if I work hard, can I also become capable?" occupied Xiaomei's entire mind at this moment.

Xiao Mei only snapped out of her daze when Jiang Yuan, Hao Yu, and Atai walked into the house while talking.

Seeing Atai's silly grin, Xie Wanniang immediately realized that he had already gained Hao Yu's approval and was likely to become Hao Yu's apprentice.

"Don't cook today, all of you come to my house for dinner." Hao Yu didn't plan to stay long. He smiled and looked around at everyone. "I kept two pheasants and bought a piece of pork. I'll cook them all for you later."

Chen was pregnant, and Hao Yu was particularly generous with his spending on food, including eggs and various kinds of meat, which his family ate every day.

Neither he nor Chen were as good at cooking as Xie Wanniang, especially him; his cooking was only so-so.

Fortunately, Ms. Chen didn't mind and always ate happily and with great emotion, which made Hao Yu not only feel a great sense of accomplishment, but also gave her a blind confidence in her cooking skills.

Now that Jiang Yuan has found him a disciple with good character and potential, Hao Yu is even more eager to show off his skills to everyone.

Ms. Chen had no objection to inviting everyone over for a meal, but she did object to her husband cooking. Hearing Hao Yu say this, she smiled and said to Hao Yu, "I'll do it. You can help kill and clean the chicken."

“Me, me, me,” Xie Wanniang raised her hand to assert her presence, “I’ll do it.”

Jiang Yuan also volunteered to do the work himself, saying, "Then I'll kill the chicken."

Xiao Yang immediately raised his little hand, "I'll start the fire!"

Atai looked at this and then at that, "Then Xiaomei and I will chop wood, fetch water, and pick and wash vegetables."

Hao Yu was both amused and delighted. "Alright then, you kids can do the work, and your aunt and I will sit there and wait for our meal."

Chen gave him a reproachful look, but made up her mind to help him.

The group then chatted and laughed as they moved to Hao Yu's house and started preparing dinner together.

The main dish was a mixed rice and millet dish cooked by Chen, two chickens were braised by Xie Wanniang, and the pork was made into garlic-flavored pork belly. She also served hand-torn cabbage, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a large bowl of vegetables with dipping sauce.

Xie Wanniang traded grain with Aunt Ge for the cabbage. She also made an agreement with Aunt Ge to transplant some seedlings from her next year and plant some herself to enrich the variety of vegetables in her home.

In addition to cabbage, she also ordered celery, coriander, fennel, romaine lettuce, bok choy, onions, Jerusalem artichokes, cauliflower, zucchini, and other vegetables from Aunt Ge.

Some of these vegetables are actually grown in Mingfu Village, such as celery, coriander, fennel, romaine lettuce, and taro. However, Xie Wanniang rarely visits any of the households in the village, so she has never seen the vegetable gardens of most of them.

Before the food was even served, Atai and Xiaomei, who hadn't had anything good to eat for over half a year, were already drooling uncontrollably.

As they secretly swallowed, they couldn't help but reminisce about the happy days their family had when their parents were still alive.

Although their family wasn't particularly wealthy at the time, their lives were generally better than most families in the village because their parents were able to go hunting in the mountains.

In addition, since they are all growing, their parents are still willing to feed them well and make sure they are well-fed.

Unlike their uncle and his wife, who never even gave them enough wild vegetable dumplings, let alone anything else.

After half a year, they were finally able to eat decent meals again, which made them both happy and gave them a dreamlike, unreal feeling.

Chen was unaware of the tragic experiences of the siblings, but judging from how thin they were, she could guess that the two children must have suffered a great deal before.

As the hostess, she warmly invited the two to serve her food, and of course, she did not neglect Xie Wanniang and the others.

After a harmonious dinner, Xie Wanniang and the others said goodbye and left. Before it got completely dark, they went home to boil water, wash up, and go to bed early.

Upon their arrival, Atai and Xiaomei lay in their warm bed, their initial unease completely dissipating.

The next morning, Xie Wanniang got up and began practicing martial arts as usual.

Upon hearing the noise, Xiaomei immediately got up, put on her clothes and shoes, and went out of the house.

When Xie Wanniang saw her, she raised her hand to greet her, "Why are you up so early? Did I wake you up?"

Xiaomei lowered her voice, mimicking her, "No, I've already had enough sleep."

She asked Xie Wanniang, "Sister Xie, what would you like to eat for breakfast? You go about your business, I'll cook."

Although she had paid her share of food, the food wouldn't magically transform into food and jump onto the table. Moreover, she was still living in Xie Wan's family home, using the bedding, kang table, cabinets, and other items that Xie Wan's mother had prepared for her. In the future, she would most likely continue to eat the vegetables that Xie Wan's mother had grown.

From her brief interaction with the girl yesterday, Xie Wanniang had already discerned that she was a quick and efficient worker. Seeing the girl's earnest and expectant expression, Xie Wanniang didn't stand on ceremony with her. "Then let's cook a thicker millet porridge and boil three eggs."

She didn't care what Jiang Yuan and Atai ate, but she and Xiao Yang, and now Xiao Mei, ate eggs every day.