"It's getting late. I'll go make dinner." Shen Moxi patted Song Zhitao's arm.
"Sister-in-law, I'll help you." She stood up and followed her toward the kitchen.
"No need. Your brother can help me. Stay here and chat with Aunt Shan. You don't get to come home often." Shen Moxi smiled and shook her head.
"All right." Song Zhitao let go of her arm and sat beside Huang Yushan. Suddenly remembering how Shen Moxi had addressed her earlier, she asked, "Mom, why does Sister-in-law call you Aunt Shan?"
Huang Yushan smiled. "Your sister-in-law and your brother only have a marriage contract for now. They haven't had a wedding or gotten a marriage certificate yet."
"My brother's awake now, so why haven't they gotten married? Sister-in-law is so wonderful. What if she stops liking him and leaves?" Song Zhitao frowned.
"Hehe, you're even more anxious than your brother." Huang Yushan smiled and patted her head. "Tomorrow, your dad and I are planning to visit the Shen family in Lower River Village and ask them to pick an auspicious date for the wedding."
Hearing that, Song Zhitao hugged her. "You have to tell me ahead of time when Brother and Sister-in-law get married. I'll come home early to help."
"You should be on break by then. We'll need over a month to prepare, anyway," Huang Yushan said with a smile.
Song Zhitao nodded. "Mm, I also want to help at Sister-in-law's shop, bask in her reflected glory, and earn some pocket money."
Huang Yushan gave her a sharp rap on the head. "Have we ever left you short of food or drink, you little brat? You make it sound as if your dad and I mistreat you."
"Ow! I'm just trying to lighten your burden. I'm going to my room to tidy up." Song Zhitao sprang up and ran back to her room.
It was Shen Moxi's first time meeting her sister-in-law today, and she seemed quite easy to get along with. Shen Moxi planned to make a few extra dishes to celebrate.
She bought a large, three-jin piece of pork tenderloin from the system to make Sichuan boiled pork slices and shredded pork in sweet bean sauce, then bought a jin of ribs to braise with potatoes.
With those three meat dishes and another three vegetable dishes, there would be more than enough: hand-torn cabbage, homestyle braised napa cabbage, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Once all the dishes were ready, she started mixing batter to make pancakes. They wouldn't have steamed buns tonight. With so many dishes, they could eat more of those and a few pancakes, and that would be enough.
After some thought, she cracked in eggs and added chopped scallions to make a big stack of egg pancakes. They would smell wonderful and taste delicious wrapped around the dishes.
The thought alone almost made her drool, and she quickened her hands. Once everything was ready, she had Song Qi manage the heat while she cooked the pancakes. Twenty minutes later, more than half a basin of egg pancakes was ready.
Song Qi fetched two large trays and loaded the dishes onto them. Each carrying a tray, they went into the house.
"Aunt Shan, dinner's ready!" Shen Moxi saw that no one was at the dining table. She must have gone back to her bedroom.
"Coming!" Huang Yushan emerged as soon as she answered. Not seeing Song Yongjun, Shen Moxi asked, "Where's Uncle Song?"
"He's not back yet. Taozi came to find us after she got home, and I came back first. He'll be back soon." Huang Yushan waved a hand.
"I'll go outside and have a look. It's nearly dark." Song Qi glanced outside as he spoke.
"All right. If he isn't back, we'll wait for him." Shen Moxi nodded.
Song Qi went outside the courtyard and looked around but saw no one. He walked a little farther and spotted Song Yongjun carrying a hoe over one shoulder and something else in his other hand.
He walked up to him. "Dad, what are you carrying?"
Song Yongjun lifted it and waved it in front of him. "A rabbit. When I came out of the field, I happened to see it run into a tree. It wasn't dead yet, so I killed it with the hoe and brought it back."
Song Qi: ...
"Let's get home. Dinner's ready." Song Qi took the hoe and rested it on his shoulder.
"Mm." Song Yongjun nodded, and father and son went home one behind the other.
Once in the courtyard, Song Qi set down the hoe and took the rabbit, telling his father to wash his hands and change. He carried the rabbit to the kitchen to deal with after dinner.
Song Zhitao had just woken from a nap. Still groggy, she washed her face and sat at the table. Seeing it covered with delicious food, her eyes instantly widened. "Did Sister-in-law make all this? What a feast!"
Huang Yushan handed her a pair of chopsticks. "Your sister-in-law made it. It's even better than restaurant food. You should learn from her."
"My brother is so lucky to marry someone as capable and good at running a home as Sister-in-law." Without standing on ceremony, Song Zhitao picked up a rib and happily gnawed on it.
"Yes. If your sister-in-law hadn't come, your eldest brother might still not have woken up," Huang Yushan said with a smile.
Shen Moxi had just come out of her room when she heard their conversation. She smiled. "Eat plenty tonight, Taozi. I made all this for you. Studying is hard work, so you need some nourishment."
"Thank you, Sister-in-law. If my brother ever bullies you, tell me. Mom and I will beat him up together." Song Zhitao put down the bone in her hand and fiercely raised a clenched fist.
"Ahem." Song Qi suddenly coughed behind her.
Song Zhitao immediately lowered her arm and smiled sweetly. "Brother, come eat. Sister-in-law's cooking is delicious."
Song Qi walked over and sat down helplessly. He suddenly had a younger sister and really didn't know how to get along with her. He had always been alone before. Family affection, romantic love, and all that had been far removed from him. Now that he suddenly had them, he really wasn't used to it.
"Eat up. Go study afterward." Song Qi put a rib in her bowl.
"Oh, come on. I hardly ever get to come home. Let me relax a little. Stop always telling me to read and study. What if I study myself stupid?" Song Zhitao pouted unhappily.
"It would be a good thing if you could study yourself into a foolish bookworm," Song Yongjun said, giving her an unsparing sidelong look.
Shen Moxi ate as she watched them bicker, thoroughly amused. Her sister-in-law really was straightforward and adorable.
"With such delicious food in front of you, you still have time to bicker? Eat up, you two." Huang Yushan helplessly tapped their bowls with her chopsticks.
Only then did the two stop.
"Exactly. Sister-in-law's cooking is so good, and you're still not hurrying to eat. I won't get to have it next time." Song Zhitao nodded and quickly piled plenty of food into her bowl.
"Taozi, when are you going back to school?" Shen Moxi asked, looking at her.
"The morning after tomorrow." Song Zhitao sighed. "Ah, it's too short."
"School is hard work. Things will be better once you finish and graduate," Shen Moxi said with a smile.
"Sister-in-law, Mom told me you were amazing at school. You even skipped grades! How does that brain of yours work?" Song Zhitao gazed at her with stars in her eyes.
Shen Moxi: Uh...
Could she say she didn't know either?
"Well... as the Buddha said, it cannot be spoken." Shen Moxi burst out laughing. "I don't know either. I just studied my way through it. I learned things as soon as I saw them. I couldn't help it."
"Ah, if I were even half as smart as Sister-in-law, I might be close to graduating too." Song Zhitao shook her head with a sigh.
"It's not too late now. You're only in junior high. What's the rush? Eat up." Huang Yushan really didn't know what to do with this daughter of hers.
Dinner was so delicious that all four of them except Shen Moxi ate too much.
After dinner, Song Zhitao took Huang Yushan and her husband out for a stroll, while Shen Moxi and Song Qi washed the dishes and cleaned up.
Once they finished, the two left the courtyard hand in hand, admiring the night scenery beneath the stars as they took a walk.
The air in the eighties was so fresh that every breath made them feel comfortable all over.
I need to make good use of this era, earn enough money as soon as possible, and then go to the Capital. That's the top priority, Shen Moxi thought silently.
Suddenly remembering something, she looked at Song Qi. "Brother Song, let's stop by the post office tomorrow before we come home."
Song Qi didn't understand. "The post office? What kind of place is that?"
Shen Moxi slapped her forehead. "I haven't told you about that yet. The post office is a place that sends things. For example, if I'm in one place and you're in another, and I want to send you something, I have to use the post office. They deliver it to you. It's like the escort agencies in your time. You can think of it that way."
Song Qi nodded. "Oh. Wouldn't that be dangerous?"
Shen Moxi shook her head. "This is a society governed by law now. There generally isn't much danger. People in this era are still very law-abiding."