Chapter Fifty-Three: Naturally, I Shall Be the One to Provide for You

Gu Xiaoyao thought of Chu Chengjin’s injury. She stood up and suggested they start eating, while she slipped into the room where he was resting.

“Why aren’t you resting? Why are you still writing?”

As soon as she entered, she saw Chu Chengjin at his desk, brush in hand. Gu Xiaoyao walked over, glanced at his writing, then looked away.

Chu Chengjin turned to see her standing by his side, a faint smile playing at his lips. He stood up and set his brush aside.

“Are you worried your husband is overexerting himself?”

Gu Xiaoyao didn’t catch the hidden meaning in his words. She nodded with perfect seriousness.

“Of course I’m worried you’ll wear yourself out. After all, the clinic is far from here. If you really collapse, I’ll have to carry you down the mountain myself.”

“Come and eat. It’s cold, and if you don’t hurry, the food will get cold too.”

Seeing her answer with such sincerity, Chu Chengjin’s smile deepened. He followed her out. As soon as Li saw him, she greeted him with a cheerful smile.

“Son-in-law, come join us for dinner. We’ve got a feast tonight! Xiaoyao told me you’re not feeling well, but don’t worry. A few good meals and you’ll be right as rain.”

Gu Xiaoshu was quick-witted; he immediately fetched a stool and looked up at Chu Chengjin with bright, expectant eyes as he sat down.

The group gathered around the small table. Only when Li picked up her chopsticks did the others begin to eat.

Gu Xiaoyao’s cooking was impressive—the braised pork belly was tender yet held its shape, with a pleasant chewiness. The roasted ribs were especially fragrant and fun to eat; picking the meat clean off the bone was a delight in itself.

“Drink more of the meat broth. If you’re still not better tomorrow, I’ll take you to the clinic,” Gu Xiaoyao said, her concern completely natural now that she’d accepted this man as her future husband.

Chu Chengjin took the bowl she handed him and gave a slight twitch of the lips when he saw the meatball floating on top—nearly the size of a child’s fist.

Dinner was warm and lively, with Gu Xiaoshu chattering away, Li chiming in, and Gu Xiaoyao adding a few words from time to time.

As for the neighboring Liu family, they too had a good meal. At this moment, they were picking their teeth and talking about the land-clearing work scheduled for tomorrow.

“Second Brother, why don’t you go and muddle through it tomorrow?” Chu Qingbai, having eaten his fill, lounged against the wall, glanced at his brother holding his stomach, and grinned mischievously.

At his words, Chu Qingsong sprang up from the kang bed and shook a fist at him. “I suffered enough yesterday. I won’t have the strength for fieldwork tomorrow. I say you go instead—just swing the hoe a couple of times and call it done.”

Meanwhile, Liu was still scraping the last drops of soup from her bowl with a sweet potato—after all, it was meat broth, and not a drop should be wasted.

“What are you worrying about? Tomorrow, let’s just wander around the foot of the mountain and come back quickly,” someone suggested.

The three discussed their plans for tomorrow, not realizing the ordeal awaiting them—the thorough and merciless transformation that lay ahead. The delicacies Gu Xiaoyao brought were tempting, but anyone who tasted them would have to pay the price. There was no such thing as eating without giving something in return.

At bedtime, Li pulled Gu Xiaoyao over to the kang. She circled around her words several times, unable to bring herself to speak.

“Mother, if there’s nothing else, I’m going to sleep. I need to get up early to clear land tomorrow,” Gu Xiaoyao said, seeing her mother’s hesitation. She’d sat so long her legs had gone numb, so she got up to head to bed.

“Wait a moment—I have something to say. My child, you and your husband haven’t consummated the marriage yet, have you?” Li blurted out, finally voicing the question that had been turning in her mind as she saw her daughter about to leave.