She sprinkled on a handful of chopped scallions, and the fish's aroma wafted through the air, enough to make even the children next door cry with envy.
However, seeing fish again, Xu Han was resistant deep down.
God knew how much chicken and fish she had eaten over the past month. The sight of them made her nauseous on a physiological level.
"Here." Grandma Qiao ladled her a bowl of fish soup, then placed the most delicious piece of belly meat into her bowl. "Eat more."
Though Xu Han resisted, she could only endure the discomfort and eat for the sake of producing milk and nourishing that little brat.
Xu Han took a sip of the soup first, and her eyes immediately widened.
Because it was so delicious!
When they had been in the city, Grandma Qiao had also made fish soup for her, but this was completely different. It was far sweeter and fresher, with a rich, milky broth and not a trace of fishiness. The moment it entered her mouth, its delicate fragrance filled her palate. It was unbelievably delicious.
"Why is this fish so tasty?" Xu Han finally found the chance to ask Grandma Qiao after finishing an entire bowl.
Seeing how much she liked it, Grandma Qiao smiled until her eyes narrowed. "Er Zhu caught this wild fish by the reservoir. It tastes much better than those fish raised on feed in the city. Tomorrow, I'll buy a few free-range chickens too. They'll be better than the city ones as well."
Xu Han kept nodding as she ate. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Why not buy some chicks and raise them ourselves? Our yard is pretty big anyway."
Grandma Qiao had wanted to say they would not be staying long enough for the chicks to grow up, but seeing Xu Han so enthusiastic, she thought they could just give them to the neighbors if they did not grow up in time. As long as Xu Han was happy, she would let her have her way.
"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?"
Though the village was remote, there was a market every fifth and tenth day of the lunar month. They sold pork, fruit, shoes, clothing, and other daily necessities, though there was little variety and the goods were fairly ordinary. For anything more, they would need to go to Town.
"Buy some vegetable seeds to plant too." 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."
In truth, Xu Han simply could not think of anything as a beginner. But she had plenty of time. She could handle whatever came to mind first, then slowly see what else they lacked.
After dinner, Aunt Li from next door, Li Lianhua, came over to visit. The moment she saw Koukou, her eyes lit up. "Children from the city really are different. Look at how fair and tender he is, like a little snowball. His features are lovely too. He'll definitely grow into a handsome young man."
No one disliked hearing their own child praised, and Xu Han, his bargain-bin mother, was no exception. Her heart swelled with delight, though she calmly said, "Aren't all children like that? Auntie, you're too good with words."
"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 with the child's father, the villagers would surely talk about her behind her back for quite some time.
So she replied naturally, "Oh, him? He cheated on me while I was pregnant, so I divorced him."
Aunt Li: "..."
"You're so beautiful. How could he lose his mind and go looking for another woman?"
"Mm, wives are not as enticing as concubines, and concubines are not as enticing as stolen affairs. Aren't all men like that?"
Aunt Li immediately became indignant and said with righteous outrage, "Men are just like that. Rotten to the core, eating from the bowl while eyeing the pot."
"Exactly," Xu Han echoed. "All men are big pig trotters."
Grandma Qiao: "..."
Aunt Li looked at soft little Koukou and sighed. Thinking that Xu Han was such a young woman, already divorced and raising a child, she figured it would be difficult for her to remarry in the future and 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 are you planning to stay this time?"
"We'll see. Maybe a few months, or even longer. I'm here to recover a little," Xu Han said casually, making her reason for returning sound perfectly justified.
"That's good." Aunt Li seemed to think of something. "Oh, right. I harvested the rice from your family's field for you, but it hasn't dried yet. Tomorrow, my husband and I will carry it over so it can dry some more."
Grandma Qiao hurriedly said, "No need. You harvested it, so 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."
Aunt Li said, "I planted quite a lot myself this year, enough to eat with some left over. Even if you're not staying long, grains and staples are things you need every day. Don't stand on ceremony with me."
Grandma Qiao still wanted to decline, but Aunt Li insisted on returning it. Grandma Qiao could only give in, thinking she would send something over later as payment for their labor.
Aunt Li sat for a while longer before preparing to leave. Before she went, she added, "I noticed your vegetable garden has been left abandoned too. Whatever vegetables you want to eat, if I have them in my garden, just go pick them. I can't finish that many vegetables myself anyway."
Grandma Qiao nodded. "Alright. If I need any, I'll go."
Xu Han watched Aunt Li's figure disappear into the darkness and said, "Aunt Li is so warm and welcoming."
Grandma Qiao smiled. "That's the good thing about being back home. The neighbors are friendly, unlike in the city, where people do not 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. The weather in early October was the perfect season for growing leafy vegetables, so Grandma Qiao bought seeds for spinach, bok choy, cilantro, and other leafy greens, as well as cherry radishes, snow peas, cauliflower, and other crops suited to the season.
It happened to rain around noon, thoroughly soaking the ground. While the soil was still wet, Grandma Qiao hurried to the field to clear away the weeds and old vegetables, loosened the soil, and planted the new seeds.