Chapter 38: Female Chicks and Eggs

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Female Chicks and Eggs

Unexpectedly, after Granny Zhang was released from prison, she didn’t look for trouble with Deng Yuyuan. Instead, she busied herself with arranging a marriage for her eldest son.

Fueled by money, the matchmakers found candidates with increasingly impressive qualifications. At first, the women’s parents would light up upon hearing about the man’s stable job. However, after asking around Dazhang Village, they would quickly shake their heads in refusal.

This relentless matchmaking drove Zhang Jiahua to the point where he barely returned home, hiding outside every day. Finally, Granny Zhang brought the entire family to corner him at his thatched cottage when he came back to grab some belongings, finally catching him.

But Zhang Jiahua flatly refused to go on any blind dates. Surprisingly, his younger brother’s wife grew the most anxious. She had accepted bribes from a neighbor back in her maiden village, and if Zhang Jiahua wouldn’t even agree to a meeting, she would have to spit out the benefits she had already swallowed!

In a moment of panic and desperation, she actually lunged forward to hit Zhang Jiahua. Who would have thought that when he dodged, she would lose her balance and tumble heavily to the ground? Granny Zhang had to hurriedly rush her to the hospital.

The gossiping older woman by the river painted a vivid picture as she spoke. She gave a dazed Deng Yuyuan a slight nudge, bringing the topic back around to her. "Just you wait, that boy will definitely come looking for you. You know how men are. When they get bullied out there, they might not show it on the surface, but deep down, they just want to come cry to their wives."

Deng Yuyuan smiled faintly. "You must be joking. Isn’t his future wife still being picked out on blind dates?"

The young woman washing clothes next to them chimed in. "Mom, just drop it. Once they’re divorced, they aren’t husband and wife anymore. You can’t just lump them together like that."

Deng Yuyuan held Tuantuan by the waist with both hands, letting the baby’s feet dip into the river.

At first, Tuantuan shuddered from the icy chill of the water. But soon, she found it amusing and started kicking her little feet, splashing around on her own.

Fearing that Deng Yuyuan might hold a grudge against her mother, the young woman tore her lunch steamed bun in half and offered it to her. She only let out a sigh of relief when she saw Deng Yuyuan accept it and eat it.

She truly did not want to get on Deng Yuyuan’s bad side.

On a larger scale, Deng Yuyuan had saved someone this month and received a massive reward, which she had donated entirely to the village. Everyone would benefit from it in the future, making her a benefactor to the entire village. On a smaller scale, Deng Yuyuan was undeniably the most beautiful woman for miles around. As for her daughter, even if she wasn’t as adorably chubby as Fubao when placed side-by-side, standing alone, she looked just like a cherub from a New Year’s painting. All the young women wanted to be friends with Deng Yuyuan; just being able to chat and spend time with her was considered a good thing.

Deng Yuyuan was probably the most leisurely person in Dazhang Village. She didn’t ask for work points, nor did she go to work in the fields. Everyone could see her heading into the mountains to hunt for wild game, and considering she had donated a valuable wristwatch and needed to care for her baby, no one made a fuss about it.

In fact, most of the young women believed that Zhang Jiahua had just been bad luck for Deng Yuyuan. Look at how comfortable her life was after the divorce—she had everything she wanted. Rumors about Zhang Jiahua cursing his wives also circulated among the younger generation, which to a certain extent suppressed the older generation’s prejudice against Deng Yuyuan.

With the young woman’s steamed bun to tide her over, and plenty of milk prepared for Tuantuan, the mother and daughter didn’t return to the Knowledge Youth Institute until one o’clock in the afternoon.

The youth on duty informed Deng Yuyuan that Zhang Jiahua had visited. He had waited until noon, and only left when he realized she wasn’t coming back soon.

"He also left a basket of tonics for you. Said he bought them from the pharmacy in town," the youth said, scratching his head. "I figured you needed to nourish your body, Sister Yu Yuan, and since Zhang Jiahua looked like he just wanted to give them without expecting anything in return, I accepted them. If you mind, I can take them back to him."

"It’s what I deserve," Deng Yuyuan replied.

The youth nodded. "That’s exactly what Zhang Jiahua said too. He looked terrible today, which serves him right. Since he recently had a falling out with Zhang Ci Hao, he probably doesn’t even have anyone to talk to. He pulled me aside and started venting about his family drama. He told me his younger brother’s wife fell all on her own, yet Granny Zhang insisted on sending her to the hospital. They spent dozens of yuan, buying expensive tonics and hiring top doctors."

The youth shot Deng Yuyuan a cautious glance and fell silent. He realized that the rest of his words probably weren’t appropriate to say in front of her.

Deng Yuyuan had already guessed what was going through Zhang Jiahua’s mind. Once again realizing his mother’s blatant favoritism, his convictions had shattered. He was likely feeling immensely guilty toward her—his ex-wife who had genuinely suffered through a difficult childbirth.

By the afternoon, there were practically no women left washing clothes by the river. The children, sternly warned by the adults, didn’t dare play in the water either. Deng Yuyuan handed Tuantuan over to the youth on duty—the youths at the Knowledge Youth Institute were now quite skilled at babysitting—and headed to the river with a net to catch fish.

She had excellent luck, catching several crabs and three or four medium-sized fish. Adding the five large, fat grass carp she secretly purchased from her farm system, she returned fully loaded.

She used the bucket of fresh catches to barter with the villagers for two baby hens and three eggs, leaving her with two large grass carp.

Tonight, they would be dining on grass carp and steamed egg custard.

The youths had gone from being unaccustomed to her presence to actively helping Deng Yuyuan prepare the ingredients, eagerly awaiting her delicious meals.

Deng Yuyuan’s culinary skills were actually quite average, but she had seen a vast array of recipes in her previous life and was generous with ingredients. Furthermore, she had the cheat of using seasonings purchased from the farm system’s shop. The resulting dishes utterly captivated these youths, who hadn’t eaten anything decent in two years. The food was so incredibly delicious they felt like they could swallow their own tongues.

During dinner, Tuantuan stared at the braised grass carp, drooling profusely as Deng Yuyuan spooned egg custard into her mouth. The little baby kept her eyes glued to the fish, as if pretending the food entering her mouth was the fish meat. She was a little glutton through and through.

"Once the baby hens grow a bit bigger, we’ll be able to eat eggs more often," Deng Yuyuan said.

Eggs were a luxury in this era. Not only were they nutritious to eat, but they were also incredibly convenient to barter with for other goods.

After dinner, Tian Tian sought out Deng Yuyuan for a chat. "Sister Yuanyuan, you don’t have to keep feeding us all these good things from now on. You could easily trade them with others for things you need. You have to plan for your own future; don’t just give everything to the Knowledge Youth Institute."

"Aren’t you all craving it?" Deng Yuyuan asked, amused.

Tian Tian’s small face flushed red, and her mouth instinctively began to water again. She had to admit, the food was genuinely phenomenal. "Well, everyone just doesn’t want to keep sponging off you. They asked me to come talk to you. If you don’t start saving some for yourself, they refuse to eat anymore."

The Knowledge Youth Institute had always taken great care of Deng Yuyuan. The only potential emotional crisis had been nipped in the bud the moment Deng Yuyuan gave away the wristwatch. No one was envious or jealous of her anymore; instead, they just thought she was a bit foolish. Could the gratitude of a village really compare to being a ten-thousand-yuan household?

Over these past few days, they had clearly seen everything Deng Yuyuan had done for the Institute. At first, they ate happily, assuming she simply wanted to repay them for looking after her. But to keep eating her food day after day was just unacceptable.

Moreover, outsiders might not understand, assuming Deng Yuyuan just had incredible luck with her catches. But living behind closed doors with her, they knew the truth as clear as day. Simply foraging for wild game and fruits was absolutely not enough to explain how she consistently brought back such fine goods from town.

They were terrified that their gluttony was putting too much pressure on Deng Yuyuan, potentially forcing her down a crooked path.

"You guys must have guessed it, haven’t you?" Deng Yuyuan raised a brow playfully. "Just consider it my hush money to you all."

"So it really is... the black market?"