Chapter 9: Fish Soup

Mother Xu had just returned from work and was about to start preparing lunch. Seeing that Xu Ying was not at home, her face grew long with displeasure.

Hearing a commotion, she turned her head and saw the group returning. She said with some annoyance, "Shitou, who told you to take your little aunt out? Don't you know she just recovered from an illness and needs to rest?"

Seeing her mother angry, Xu Ying hurried over to extinguish the flames of her temper: "Mom, look at the good things we found."

Shitou, being clever, quickly walked over with the basket on his back.

Seeing her daughter, Mother Xu suppressed her anger and asked, playing along, "What is it? Isn't this just pig feed?"

"Grandma, it's not just pig feed." As Shitou spoke, he removed the pig feed from the top, revealing white duck eggs and chicken eggs nestled underneath.

Mother Xu’s jaw dropped in surprise, and her previous anger vanished completely. She quickly shut the front door before running over: "How are there so many?"

"Mom, there's more underneath."

Hearing this, Mother Xu hurriedly took out the wild eggs, then removed the remaining pig feed to reveal the fish and wild pheasant underneath.

She gasped in shock, stunned for a moment. Her throat bobbed as she looked at Xu Ying and asked excitedly, "Did you two find all of these?"

Xu Ying’s lips curled into a smile, and she nodded excitedly: "Mom, let's stew fish soup for lunch. I want to drink fish soup."

Mother Xu clapped her hands, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "Alright, why wouldn't that be okay? Oh my, our Yingying is truly blessed. Many people go hunting on the back mountain and never see anything good, but as soon as our Yingying goes, how did she find so many good things?"

Mother Xu was overjoyed; this was such a sudden and wonderful surprise.

Shitou stood to the side, his eyes bright as he agreed: "Isn't that right? My little aunt is just amazing. Before, those educated youths from our village went up the mountain and couldn't even find a chicken feather, but my little aunt went once and came back with a full harvest."

Hearing her grandson praise her daughter, Mother Xu was delighted, and she found her grandson much more pleasing to the eye: "That's right, you don't even look at who gave birth to your little aunt."

"Mom, let's send a portion of the fish and pheasant to Grandpa and Grandma too!"

The elder Xu couple lived with the Xu family's second branch. Logically, the elderly should live with the eldest son, but the Xu family was different. It wasn't that Xu Jianguo wasn't filial or that the old couple was biased; it was because the second branch of the Xu family was pitiful.

The second branch had three children. The eldest, Xu Shengshun, was once the pride of the family. He had been brilliant since childhood and was a high school graduate. On the very day he was to marry his girlfriend of three years, he was also assigned a good job—a double blessing.

But things went against expectations. Just as everyone was celebrating, Xu Shengshun accidentally tripped over a stone and hit his head on a sharp stone pier. He suffered massive bleeding on the spot. Although he was later sent to the hospital and woke up, he was left mentally disabled.

The good job was gone, and everyone was waiting for the new bride to break off the engagement, looking for a spectacle. But Xu Shengshun’s fiancée was a devoted woman; she didn't break the engagement and instead married the mentally disabled Xu Shengshun. She then wholeheartedly married into the family and took care of him without a single complaint. It was the Xu family's good fortune that the women who married into the family were all deeply affectionate.

Thinking of the second branch's situation, Mother Xu immediately took a fish and a pheasant and gave them to Shitou: "Put them in the basket and send them over quietly. Don't let anyone see."

If it were just some pancakes or steamed buns, it would be fine, but this was meat. If people saw it, it would cause another stir. Although Mother Xu had a bad temper, she was very rigorous when it came to important matters.

Shitou nodded smartly, stuffed the items into the basket, covered them with a cloth, and ran off quickly.

Mother Xu looked at the pile of wild game on the ground, her mouth unable to stop smiling, and carried everything into the kitchen. She then picked out the largest fish and squatted in front of the water vat to start cleaning it.

Xu Ying squatted down in front of Mother Xu: "Mom, let's send the remaining fish to the Lu family!"

Mother Xu looked at her daughter and sighed—why was her daughter so kind-hearted?

"We won't send the fish. I'll stew it later, and you can take it to Da Ya yourself. In her family's situation, even if we sent a whole fish, Da Ya wouldn't get a single bite."

Xu Ying thought about it and realized that was true. Lu Da Ya’s mother favored boys over girls; the boys were treasures, and the girls were grass. If she sent it to Lu Da Ya, it probably wouldn't reach her mouth. Otherwise, the 1.7-meter-tall Lu Da Ya wouldn't have been so exhausted that she fainted by the river just from saving her, a small 1.6-meter-tall person. Honestly, it was a miracle that Lu Da Ya grew to 1.7 meters in that family. Genetics were truly carved into the bones; if the parents were tall, the children wouldn't be short.

"Mom, is there anything I can help with?" Xu Ying walked over and asked, squatting in front of Mother Xu.

"You just go to the room and lie down; I'll handle the rest." Mother Xu had a loud voice with outsiders, but she was different with her daughter—gentle and soft, afraid of startling her.

Xu Ying refused. She couldn't sit still now. In the apocalypse, she was always running around, and now that she was asked to lie down and sleep, she really couldn't. She looked at the vegetable garden by the door, slipped inside, and pulled out a white radish: "Mom, let's stew the fish with white radish. I remember we still have some mushrooms at home. Let's put some mushrooms in the soup later, and stir-fry some green peppers with eggs."

Mother Xu agreed to everything. Since the family had gained so many good things, she didn't feel the pinch anymore: "Alright, whatever you say."

Shitou took the basket to the second branch's house. When he arrived, his aunt was wiping drool from his uncle's mouth.

"Auntie, my little aunt caught fish and a pheasant on the mountain today. Grandma asked me to bring you a portion."

"This fish is really not small. Your little aunt is truly amazing." Zhang Ru took the fish and exclaimed in surprise.

Shitou raised his head proudly: "Isn't my little aunt amazing? Not many people can catch pheasants and big fish on the mountain, but my little aunt caught them on her first try."

Zhang Ru looked at Shitou’s smug expression and smiled: "Yes, yes, our Yingying is the most amazing."

Shitou’s uncle, Xu Shengshun, saw the pheasant and his mouth curved into a smile: "Meat, have meat to eat."

Zhang Ru looked at her husband and said dotingly: "Be good, stay here, and I'll go make you some stir-fried meat."

"Auntie, then I'll head back first." Shitou said, anxious about the meat at home.

Zhang Ru didn't delay him, gave the basket back to Shitou, and let him go. Looking at the fish and pheasant in the kitchen, Zhang Ru hummed a little tune happily. Outsiders thought she was a fool for giving up a good life to marry a mentally disabled man, but only she knew that it was this "fool" who had given her the kindness no one else ever had. If he was a fool, so be it; she was willing.

Shitou took the basket and ran out quickly, not forgetting to close the door on his way. When he got home, Mother Xu had just finished cleaning the fish.

"Grandma, should I start the fire now?"

Mother Xu looked at her daughter, who had already sliced the radish, and said: "Start the fire. Look at how diligent your little aunt is; she just finished catching the pheasant and already washed and sliced the radish."

Xu Ying’s mouth twitched—her mother could praise her for even this.

In the apocalypse, she had been alone and helpless. Returning suddenly, she really wasn't used to this. A house that sheltered her from the wind and rain, living with a loving family, no more fighting, just peace and stability—it was truly wonderful.

Shitou chuckled and squatted down to start the fire: "My little aunt is not only diligent, but also amazing."

Hearing this, Mother Xu felt as if her heart had been smeared with honey. She looked at Shitou with a rare, pleased expression: "You can have an extra piece of fish at lunch."