Chapter 775: Stewed Chicken Soup

Chapter 775: Chapter 771: Stewed Chicken Soup

Gu Jiaojiao had only gone out to buy some tofu. She never expected to return not only with fish, shrimp, and river snails, but also with two chickens Leng Yuan had brought back.

Jiang Baishu could tell at a glance that they were domesticated, egg-laying hens. Most families depended on such chickens to lay eggs they could sell for a little money. Some families wouldn’t even bear to kill an egg-laying hen when a daughter-in-law was in her postpartum confinement; they would buy a different one instead.

Now, both chickens had their necks wrung. Jiang Baishu was curious who could be so extravagant.

“Brother Leng, where did the hens come from?”

Gu Jiaojiao explained casually, “On my way to get tofu just now, an auntie from the Sun family insisted on giving me two chickens. I didn’t even want them, but she was so insistent she said she’d fall out with me if I refused, so I had to take them.”

Fang Ziyin, who had seen the whole thing, was at a loss for words.

If she hadn’t seen Leng Yuan go into the yard and catch the chickens himself, she really would have believed it.

Jiang Baishu, on the other hand, didn’t doubt her in the slightest. He trusted Gu Jiaojiao completely and even remarked, “That auntie from the Sun family is so nice.”

It wasn’t that he was stupid.

Given Gu Jiaojiao’s current standing in the village, everyone was eager to get on her good side. While two chickens was a bit extravagant, Gu Jiaojiao was definitely worth the gesture.

Gu Jiaojiao had just been joking; the whole village knew that she and Sun Yeshu didn’t get along.

But unfortunately, Jiang Baishu wasn’t one to care about village gossip, so he had taken her seriously.

She rubbed her nose guiltily.

Leng Yuan glanced at Gu Jiaojiao with amusement, his deep eyes shimmering with a soft light. He was a world away from the avenging god who had taken on the Sun family’s two sons.

Rarely flustered, Gu Jiaojiao felt a bit embarrassed under his gaze. She turned and went into the kitchen to start preparing the ingredients.

Fang Ziyin happened to witness this exchange. Girls tend to be more perceptive than boys; while Jiang Baishu hadn’t noticed the chemistry between the two of them, Fang Ziyin had taken it all in.

This made her feel even more conflicted.

‘There are some things… I don’t know if I should tell Jiang Baishu.’

Jiang Baishu, however, was completely oblivious to Fang Ziyin’s turmoil. He simply took the two chickens and started preparing them. Meanwhile, Leng Yuan had gone into the kitchen. He saw a table laden with ingredients, with Gu Jiaojiao busy slicing tofu.

Leng Yuan came forward and, with a single arm, lifted her and set her to the side. He then washed his hands, took the knife from her, and began working on the food himself.

“You direct, and I’ll do it.”

Gu Jiaojiao beamed at the sight.

‘Finding a man who’s actually observant? Your quality of life just soars.’

‘Sometimes, a woman doesn’t mind doing extra work. What’s most important is that her partner understands and appreciates her effort and hardship.’

Gu Jiaojiao directed Leng Yuan in preparing the food they had acquired. Before long, there was a knock on the courtyard gate. Gu Jiaojiao opened it to see several children holding small buckets filled with fish, shrimp, and river snails.

Gu Jiaojiao had arranged this with the local children earlier, promising them candy in exchange. She had promised two pieces to each child, with the final payment to be settled upon delivery.

Gu Jiaojiao glanced into each child’s bucket and distributed the candy fairly based on how much they had collected.

After receiving their candy, the children dashed away.

Jiang Baishu helped Gu Jiaojiao carry the buckets into the house.

Fang Ziyin’s expression grew even more complex. Gu Jiaojiao, however, paid no mind to her mood; her thoughts were completely consumed with how to make all this food delicious.

When Jiang Baishu came out, Fang Ziyin couldn’t help but walk up to him.

“Bai Shu, you… you haven’t noticed anything?”

Jiang Baishu didn’t even look up from plucking the chickens. “Notice what?”

Fang Ziyin really couldn’t bear to see Jiang Baishu being deceived.