Chapter 10: Swallowing Bitter Herbs in Silence

As if to prove her words to Ah Lin, Sister Douhua slapped Da Niu's chest forcefully to demonstrate that her son was indeed very useful.

Da Niu was hit so hard that he coughed a few times.

"Mother, that hurts!" Da Niu rubbed his chest, not quite understanding why he was having such a run of bad luck today—being beaten and punished for no reason, and finally ending up with a mother to manage him.

Oh! He truly felt like a mute eating bitter melon—having a grievance but no way to express it.

"You are a grown man, yet you cry in pain from such a little bit of force? Stop making a fool of yourself in front of Miss Ah Lin!"

Sister Douhua gave her son a harsh scolding, then turned her face to ask Ah Lin to take Da Niu in.

Ah Lin truly felt utterly helpless!

She already felt quite embarrassed about taking people's vegetables and fruits for free, let alone taking in someone's son for nothing. This...

*Sigh—* Ah Lin sighed again. What was wrong with this situation?

"Wow! Ah Lin, you bought so many things again today!" As soon as Jiu Jin entered the door, he rushed toward the kitchen. He had been working outside all day and was truly hungry; the moment he entered the kitchen, he saw another abundant meal on the table—fish, vegetables, and meat!

"Can we eat now?" Jiu Jin pulled up a stool and sat down. He wasn't used to eating in the main hall; after all, it was just him and Ah Lin in this house! It was fine to make do with meals in the kitchen.

Jiu Jin raised his chopsticks, ready to dine.

"Have you washed your hands?" Ah Lin shot him a glance.

She! Managing him was just like managing a son, but if she didn't, the life of this silly old man in her house would surely fall into chaos; he wouldn't know how many times he'd fall ill in a year. This man simply didn't know how to take care of himself, no different from a child.

Jiu Jin gave a silly grin and said with a giggle, "Ah! I forgot."

"Indeed!" Despite her daily reminders, he forgot every single day. Ah Lin teased him, and only after seeing him run out sheepishly to wash his hands did she turn her back to take a pot of soup off the stove.

"Today's meal is really good." When Jiu Jin returned from washing his hands, his eyes lit up and he grinned widely at the sight of that pot of tofu soup. He loved Ah Lin's tofu soup the most; the broth was so delicious that one always wanted more after a single taste.

While Jiu Jin looked on longingly, Ah Lin methodically helped him ladle the soup.

As she ladled, she explained to him, "Most of these dishes were given to us by others. If we don't finish them today, they'll bring more tomorrow. If the vegetables pile up too long, the leaves will turn yellow and rot, so I just cooked them all at once. Anyway—from today on, our family has one more mouth to feed."

"One more mouth?" Jiu Jin's gaze shifted from the table full of food, and he asked with a look of confusion, "Who is it?"

"Da Niu."

"Da Niu?" Jiu Jin frowned. "Da Niu is coming to our house to eat?" What kind of logic was this? Although he didn't mind having an extra person in the house, Da Niu coming here for no reason—and more importantly, Ah Lin's expression didn't look angry, but rather carried a hint of helplessness—was enough to arouse suspicion.

"Mhm! From today on, he is your godson."

"My godson?!" Jiu Jin was startled again. "What's going on?"

Ah Lin told him the whole story from beginning to end, and only then did Jiu Jin understand the situation. "So where is Da Niu now?"

"Going to fetch water." Ah Lin pulled up a stool and sat opposite Jiu Jin. "He followed me home this morning and has been working all day."

"You made him do it?"

"Of course not. How could I command someone else's child to do work? It was Sister Dou—"

"She came?" As he spoke, Jiu Jin looked around, searching for her. He was quite afraid of Sister Douhua; ever since the day he saved Da Niu, every time Sister Douhua saw him, she would grab him and call him "Great Benefactor." He had saved Da Niu out of basic human compassion, it was no big deal, and besides—to be honest, it wasn't strictly him who saved Da Niu, because he couldn't swim, and in the end, it was Ah Lin who brought him back to life!

"Don't hide. Sister Douhua didn't come, but she told Da Niu that if he made us send him back, then he wouldn't be allowed to return to her place either. So, as soon as that silly boy arrived here, he became as well-behaved as a cat, working from morning till night. Look! That pile of firewood outside was also chopped by him. Master, what do you think we should do?" Ah Lin asked for Jiu Jin's opinion.

After all, he was the head of this household; he was the Master, and everything was up to him. Moreover, he was the one who had caused this matter; if he hadn't meddled and saved Da Niu's life, would Sister Douhua have sent her son here to work like an ox or a horse to repay his kindness for no reason?

What to do about this? Jiu Jin was also very troubled!