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Sprinkle on a handful of chopped scallions, and the fish's aroma became irresistible enough to make even the children next door cry with envy.

However, seeing fish again made Xu Han recoil inwardly.

God knew how much chicken and fish she had eaten over the past month. Just seeing them made her feel physically nauseated.

"Here." Grandma Qiao ladled her a bowl of fish soup, then picked the tastiest piece of belly meat into her bowl. "Eat more."

Though Xu Han resisted, she could only endure the discomfort and eat it for the sake of producing milk and giving that little brat proper nutrition.

Xu Han took a sip of the soup first, and her eyes immediately widened.

Because it was so delicious!

Back in the city, Grandma Qiao had made fish soup for her too, but this was completely different from the city version. It was far sweeter and fresher, the broth rich and creamy like milk, without the slightest fishy taste. The moment it entered her mouth, its delicate fragrance filled her entire palate. It was unbelievably delicious.

"Why is this fish so tasty?" Xu Han finally found a chance to ask Grandma Qiao after finishing a whole bowl.

Seeing that she liked it, Grandma Qiao smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits. "Er Zhu caught this wild fish by the reservoir. It tastes much better than the fish raised on feed in the city. Tomorrow, I'll buy a few free-range chickens too. They'll taste better than city chickens as well."

Xu Han kept nodding as she ate. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Why don't we buy some chicks and raise them ourselves? Our yard is pretty big anyway."

Grandma Qiao had wanted to say that they would not be staying long enough for the chicks to grow up, but seeing Xu Han so excited, she thought they could always give them to the neighbors if they did not grow large enough. As long as Xu Han was happy, she would let her do as she pleased.

"Alright," Grandma Qiao agreed. "There happens to be a market in the village tomorrow. I'll see if anyone is selling chicks. Is there anything else you want to buy?"

Although this village was remote, a market was held every fifth day of the lunar calendar. They sold pork, fruit, shoes, clothes, and other daily necessities, but there was little variety and the goods were fairly ordinary. Anything more extensive had to be bought in town.

"Buy some vegetable seeds too," Xu Han said. The vegetables in their garden had all grown old and were no longer edible, so they needed to plant new ones. "Other than that, I don't need anything for now."

Actually, Xu Han was a complete beginner and could not think of much. But she had plenty of time. She would handle whatever came to mind first, then slowly see what else they lacked.

After dinner, Aunt Li from next door came over for a visit. When she saw Koukou, her eyes lit up. "City children really are different. Look at how fair and tender he is, like a little snowball. His features are lovely too. He'll definitely grow up to be a handsome boy."

No one disliked hearing praise for their own child, and Xu Han, his bargain-bin mother, was no exception. She felt delighted inside, but kept a calm face as she said, "Aren't all children like that? Auntie, you really know how to talk."

"Yours is especially adorable. Come to think of it, the last time I saw you, you were still a little child this tall. In the blink of an eye, you're already a mother." Aunt Li paused, then asked, "The child's father didn't come back with you?"

Xu Han knew that people in the village loved gossiping, and news traveled especially fast. If she said she had gotten pregnant out of wedlock and was not together with the child's father, the villagers would surely discuss her behind her back for quite some time.

So, with a perfectly natural expression, she said, "Oh, him? He cheated while I was pregnant, so I divorced him."

Aunt Li: "..."

"You're so beautiful. How could he possibly lose his mind and go looking for another woman?"

"Well, I suppose wives can't compare to mistresses, and mistresses can't compare to stolen affairs. Aren't all men like that?"

Aunt Li was instantly indignant and said righteously, "Men are just like that—rotten to the core, eating from their bowls while eyeing the pot."

"Exactly," Xu Han echoed. "Men are all pig trotters."

Grandma Qiao: "..."

Aunt Li looked at the soft little bundle that was Koukou and sighed. Thinking that Xu Han was such a young woman yet was already divorced with a child, she guessed that remarrying in the future would be difficult. She felt deeply sympathetic.

But afraid that saying too much would bring up painful memories, she did not continue the subject. Instead, she asked, "So how long do you plan to stay this time?"

"We'll see. Maybe a few months, maybe even longer. I'm here to heal a little," Xu Han said casually, making her reason for returning sound entirely convincing.

"That's good," Aunt Li said, then remembered something. "Oh, right. I harvested the rice from your family's fields for you, but it hasn't dried yet. Tomorrow, my husband and I will carry it over so it can dry a little more."

Grandma Qiao hurriedly said, "No need. Since you harvested it, just keep it. We won't be here long, and there's still plenty of rice left from last year. We have enough to eat."

"I planted quite a lot myself this year, and I'll still have leftovers after eating my fill," Aunt Li said. "Even if you aren't staying long, staple grains are something you need every day. Don't stand on ceremony with me."

Grandma Qiao still wanted to decline, but Aunt Li insisted on returning it, so Grandma Qiao had no choice but to give up. She thought she would send something over later as payment for the work Aunt Li's family had done.

Aunt Li sat for a while longer before preparing to leave. Before she went, she added, "I noticed your vegetable garden has gone to waste too. If there's any vegetable you want to eat and I have it in my garden, just go pick some. I can't finish that much produce by myself anyway."

Grandma Qiao nodded. "Alright. I'll go if I need anything."

Xu Han watched Aunt Li's figure disappear into the darkness and said, "Aunt Li is so warm and friendly."

Grandma Qiao smiled. "That's the good thing about family back home. The neighbors are warm with each other, unlike in the city, where people don't even know who lives across the hall."

Xu Han nodded. She liked this kind of harmonious rural life among neighbors.

The next day, Grandma Qiao went to the market and bought ten chicks, along with quite a few vegetable seeds. In the early October weather, it was the perfect time to plant leafy greens. Grandma Qiao bought seeds for spinach, bok choy, cilantro, and other leafy vegetables, as well as cherry radishes, snow peas, cauliflower, and other crops suitable for the season.

It happened to rain around noon, soaking the ground thoroughly. While the soil was still wet, Grandma Qiao hurried to the fields to pull out the weeds and old vegetables, loosen the soil, and plant the new seeds.

Rankings

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Transmigration into a Book

Sweet Romance

Sweetness Is Justice