sbdcsierra Chapter 778 Qinghe Village
Chapter 778 Qinghe Village
"White cat?"
Lu Yangyang recalled the injured white kitten that had nearly killed Sheng Yunruo and her unborn child, and vaguely realized that it was probably more than just gone.
"What?" Sheng Junyi asked sharply, "Is there something wrong with the white cat?"
Lu Yangyang shook her head: "Whether there's a problem or not, we'll know when we get back to Qingzhou Prefecture tomorrow."
Lu Jibai left no message for his mother, and for the time being, they couldn't guess what the hidden story was, so they simply stopped discussing it.
The next morning, before dawn, the village was already bustling with activity.
As soon as Lu Yangyang appeared with her sleeves rolled up, she was surrounded by the villagers. They asked her all sorts of questions. Some of her childhood friends, who had grown up around the same time as her, were already married, but most of them were only sixteen or seventeen years old. They were a little shy when they saw her, but they quickly surrounded her and called her "elder sister," telling her about the changes that had taken place in their lives over the past few years.
While catching up with them, Lu Yangyang even called her old partner, Butcher Liu, to help her slaughter a pig. Her movements were even more nimble than before, which surprised Butcher Liu, who exclaimed, "Didn't you go to the capital to enjoy life? This skill is going to kill the old master! If you come back to work, I'll lose half of my business!"
This caused the onlookers to burst into laughter, chattering amongst themselves.
In the distance, Huo Lin watched quietly, but his eyes betrayed his surprise and bewilderment.
Although he corresponded with Sheng Junyao, the situation in the capital had been complicated in recent years, so their correspondence was not frequent, and they rarely mentioned Lu Yangyang. But he could never imagine that a noble lady who had been switched at birth would have such a carefree personality.
After more than a decade of injustice, does she really not care at all?
Does she really have no resentment at all towards Qinghe Village, where she grew up?
She shouldn't have grown up in such a place. And how did she, a young girl all alone, win the genuine care and protection of these villagers in such a remote and impoverished mountain village?
His background wasn't good either. He was the eldest son of a merchant family, but his father favored his concubine over his wife. He lost his mother at a young age, and after his stepmother entered the household, he was surrounded by wolves. If he had stayed at home, he would likely have been killed by those people sooner or later. Fortunately, his uncle was a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) and had hired a martial arts instructor for him from a young age. So, he joined the army in his teens, which is how he met Sheng Junyao. The two hit it off, and he went to the capital with Sheng Junyao, where he met Yun Ruo at the Duke's mansion. At that time, Sheng Yun Ruo was of marriageable age, so Sheng Junyao acted as matchmaker, arranging for him to marry Yun Ruo and giving him a position in Qingzhou.
Before the wedding, he had visited the Duke of Sheng's mansion several times and was well aware of Yun Ruo's situation there. The third young lady was exceptionally favored, and all the other young ladies in the mansion had to avoid her. She was incredibly privileged. And all of this should have belonged to Lu Yangyang.
He would resent his birth, having such relatives, and being forced to leave home to find another way to survive. Yunruo, born into a high-ranking family, was similarly tormented and depressed in the inner quarters.
But their situation is already much, much better than Lu Yangyang's.
Does she really not harbor any resentment at all?
Huo Lin couldn't give an answer because the impact of witnessing this scene was so great that he couldn't help but think so much.
Sheng Junyi walked over and stood beside him, looking together at the exceptionally vibrant Lu Yangyang in the distance.
Huo Lin, who was usually a man of few words, suddenly spoke up, "Aren't you always on the side of that Third Miss?"
Sheng Junyi clicked her tongue lightly, "Yeah, but I'm thick-skinned."
Lu Yangyang spotted Sheng Junyi from afar and raised her arm to call out to him, "Second Brother, come and help!"
Sheng Junyi strode over, leaving everyone in the village, from the old women to the young wives and girls, speechless. Her loud voice softened instantly, and she asked Lu Yangyang with a flushed face, "Yangyang, is this really your brother?"
"Is your brother even human? How can a human be so good-looking?"
"Is this a Bodhisattva from the temple?"
"He's a male Bodhisattva!"
"What Bodhisattva? She's clearly a fairy!"
"Could it be a fox spirit in disguise?"
As soon as Sheng Junyi approached, he suddenly heard this question. He coughed lightly and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Lu Yangyang handed him a knife, saying, "Slice the pork belly I cut off over there into thin slices to make pork belly!"
Sheng Junyi rolled up his sleeves and walked casually to the cutting board. His slender fingers pressed down on the freshly cut pork belly, and he twirled the knife in his hand before making a clean cut.
Although she has never cooked before, her knife skills are quite good.
Lifting up the thin, almost transparent slices of pork belly, all the same size and thickness, instantly drew gasps of amazement.
Around a small cutting board table, all the young women and wives in the village were pushing and shoving, not paying attention to the knife skills of the butcher, but mainly to see his face. If you didn't know better, you would think there was some amazing acrobatic performance going on here.
Huo Lin watched this bizarre scene from afar and fell silent.
No one would believe it if you told them: the legendary number one beauty in the capital, the arrogant and disdainful second young master of the Sheng family who looked down on everyone, was now surrounded by a group of country women, cutting pork belly.
If he tells Yunruo about it when he gets back, she'll probably think he's having a fit.
With many people helping, about ten pigs were brought in and slaughtered quickly. The large iron pot that had been set up was already bubbling away. No one was still shaken by the near-death experience the night before. There were only sounds of people swallowing their saliva and children cheering as they circled the pot of rendered lard.
The cracklings from rendering lard in the village are the children's most cherished and delicious treat.
It makes a satisfying crunch when you take a bite, and if you dip it in some salt, it's absolutely heavenly.
It was also one of Lu Yangyang's happiest childhood memories.
The tables were set up in the village, and those who couldn't sit down would take their bowls and stand or squat anywhere to find a spot to eat heartily.
Lu Yangyang ate until her belly was round and full, and asked Uncle Zhou to lead the way in entertaining everyone. She quietly pulled the village chief aside and whispered to him, "Fifth Uncle, have you found a place to plant the seeds that I had someone deliver a few days ago?"
The village chief quickly nodded: "It's planted. You instructed in your letter that this matter couldn't be done openly, so I simply led people to find a place in the mountains to clear land and planted it first. But judging from the time, it might be a bit late, and we'll have to wait a while before we can harvest it."
Qingyuan Mountain is a large area, and Qinghe Village is adjacent to it. According to the government's division, a large area of the mountain belongs to Qinghe Village. However, the mountain land has never been productive and is not valuable. The village chief ordered people to clear land near the mountain. It was very secluded and there were no wild animals, but for safety, they still cut thorns and fenced it off, waiting to see if the new seeds could be planted.
Lu Yangyang was completely relieved. "Grow some so everyone can have a taste. Save the rest for seed according to my method and plant them again next spring. Find people who are discreet and don't tell anyone yet, so as not to cause trouble if they find out. If all goes well, the government will definitely promote it vigorously in two years. With these produce, I guarantee everyone will have enough to eat."