Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 11966

At the Luo family's house, it's breakfast time.

Although the snow has stopped, it's still freezing cold outside, especially with the thick ice blocks waiting to melt, which is constantly drawing away the surrounding heat.

So, it's cold when it snows, and it's even colder when the snow melts.

No one dared to reach out their hands; as soon as they left the house and went outside, everyone shrank their necks.

Sure enough, Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang brought Tuantuan and Yuanyuan to the canteen for a meal, and all four of them were hunched over.

However, once you enter the canteen, the temperature immediately rises.

Because the canteen not only had fire buckets, but also charcoal braziers.

In addition, the large dining table was filled with various steaming breakfast snacks, including hot porridge and old hen soup warmed on a small mud stove.

The steamer contains freshly steamed white flour buns, steamed dumplings with corn and meat filling, spicy steamed rolls, and fermented rice cakes.

The large plate contained crispy fried rice, paper-thin crispy rice crusts, and a steaming bowl of hot bok choy, shredded pork, mushroom, and three-ingredient soup.

"Wow, this breakfast is so lavish! It looks like we've entered a restaurant." Yang Ruoqing started taking off her cloak as soon as she entered the dining hall, and then pulled off her gloves.

Ronggu walked over, took her clothes, and said with a smile, "It's cold today. The old lady said that there must be hot soup in the morning so that the whole family can drink some and keep warm."

"Okay! Everyone drink." Yang Ruoqing nodded, and as she spoke, Linglan helped Tuantuan and Yuanyuan take off their little hats and gloves.

The two little ones immediately went to Wang Cuilian and Luo the blacksmith and sat between the two old people to prepare breakfast.

Luo Fengtang pulled out a chair for Yang Ruoqing. "Qing'er, would you like some soup first?"

Well, this dignified General Protector of the Nation really transforms into a doting and affectionate husband at home, especially in front of Yang Ruoqing.

Yang Ruoqing glanced at the soups on the table. There were two kinds: three-delicacy soup and old hen soup.

Normally, she might choose a light three-ingredient soup for breakfast, with crispy rice crust in it.

But today it's unusually cold, and the body expends a lot of energy fighting the cold, so the rich, golden chicken soup made Yang Ruoqing's mouth water.

"I want to drink old hen soup to soak the rice crust and fried rice," Yang Ruoqing said.

"Okay, I'll serve you the soup." Luo Fengtang immediately got to work.

He quickly served Yang Ruoqing a full bowl of chicken soup, with a chicken leg in it.

"Thank you." Yang Ruoqing gave him an approving look. He understood her well; he knew she didn't like drinking vegetarian chicken soup and preferred to eat chicken legs while drinking it.

Add a few pieces of crispy rice crust and soak them in it—it's heavenly!

"Tang Yazi, you should eat too," Yang Ruoqing said.

Luo Fengtang nodded and sat down beside her. He ate fried rice with eggs and spicy steamed buns.

Luo the blacksmith and Wang Cuilian ate millet porridge and steamed buns. The two children liked to eat steamed dumplings, especially the willow leaf-shaped corn and meat filling dumplings.

Every now and then, Wang Cuilian would feed them two spoonfuls of chicken soup that had been blown out of their mouths to give them a little something to eat.

Well... in short, this breakfast is something that ordinary families outside would never dare to dream of.

But for the Luo family, it was just an ordinary breakfast on a winter's day. In this world, the distance between social classes is like an insurmountable chasm.

Just as Yang Ruoqing finished her first bowl of chicken soup with fried rice and crispy rice crust, Liu suddenly came over.

"Oh my god, it's so cold! It's freezing today!" Before the person even entered the house, the loud voice had already reached the kitchen.

As they were talking, Liu lifted the very thick cotton insulated curtain hanging at the entrance of the dining hall and entered the dining hall, her breath steaming in the heat.

"Oh ho, having breakfast? Your family is having breakfast a bit late today. I've already finished!" Liu said loudly, rubbing her hands together, while her eyes kept glancing at the table.

Upon seeing the tempting array of carbohydrates on the table, Liu swallowed hard.

Wang Cuilian smiled and looked up to greet Liu Shi: "It's so cold today, so everyone agreed to sleep in a little longer this morning."

Liu nodded repeatedly: "It's good to sleep a little longer. Anyway, there's nothing urgent."

Her eyes remained fixed on the food on the table, and she continued to swallow her saliva.

Honestly, with her looking like that, it's impossible to eat in peace.

Luo the blacksmith said, "Fourth Aunt, sit down and have something to eat with us?"

Liu smiled and shook her head: "No, no, I've already eaten."

That's what he said, but he kept glancing at Yang Ruoqing out of the corner of his eye.

Wang Cuilian knew exactly what Liu was thinking. It was no surprise that she was eyeing the food and drink, because Liu was a well-known foodie in the surrounding villages.

However, Liu was wary of Qing'er, and she dared not sit down to eat with her unless Qing'er spoke.

Unless it's something like melon seeds, sesame seeds, or candy served to guests, Liu might not wait for Qing'er to speak, but she wouldn't dare to touch the food that's on the table.

“Aunt Liu, we’re all family here. This steamed bun is pretty good, would you like to try one?” Wang Cuilian took the initiative to pick up a steamed bun and hand it to Liu.

Liu's hand instinctively reached out to take it, but Yang Ruoqing suddenly looked up and glanced in Liu's direction.

Liu immediately withdrew her hand, smiled awkwardly, and said, "No, no, you guys eat. If I eat, what will you eat?"

Well, this statement, compared to the previous one, clearly shows a looser stance. It's a test, hoping Wang Cuilian will say: "Don't worry, we have plenty of breakfast, we won't miss your steamed bun..."

However, before Wang Cuilian could speak, Yang Ruoqing's voice arrived.

"Fourth Aunt, if you can eat, please take my aunt's steamed bun so she can continue eating in peace." "If you really can't eat, then sit on the stool over there. I'll have Aunt Rong make you a bowl of tea so you can warm your hands and we can finish our breakfast properly!"

"You've been standing here babbling on and on, not only are you disturbing our meal, but your saliva is flying all over the table!"

As Yang Ruoqing finished speaking, her face darkened, and she looked very unhappy.

Luo the blacksmith and Wang Cuilian both tacitly lowered their heads, pretending not to have heard what he said.

Although these words reflect the thoughts of many people who have had similar experiences and circumstances, most people would not have the courage to say them to Yang Ruoqing's face.

If you're unhappy, just say it directly. There's no need for beating around the bush or using subtle hints. The main point is that you never compromise yourself.

Although he didn't want to wrong himself, saying this inevitably made the atmosphere a bit awkward to those around him.

However, through repeated experiences, they learned that although it was awkward, they could not smooth things over, because doing so would only make things more awkward. Moreover, in this situation, trying to smooth things over would undoubtedly be undermining Yang Ruoqing.

Therefore, the only option is to pretend not to see or hear, leaving it to Yang Ruoqing and Liu to face and resolve.

Being publicly berated like that, and being criticized for spitting everywhere... If anyone else had said this to Liu, she would probably have jumped up and argued with them, and then cursed their ancestors for eighteen generations.

But when these words come from Yang Ruoqing's mouth, there is absolutely nothing wrong with them.

Because deep down, Liu had long since submitted to Yang Ruoqing. This submission was not only to Yang Ruoqing's fists and money, but also to Yang Ruoqing's unwavering commitment to her word and her willingness to take responsibility when needed.

Therefore, being ridiculed by Yang Ruoqing was nothing to Liu.

Moreover, Liu had already figured out Yang Ruoqing's weakness: she had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. As long as she softened her stance and said some nice things, Yang Ruoqing would be moved.

So, Liu and Yang Ruoqing chuckled and took a few steps back, making a gesture.

But he said softly, "Oh dear, it's my fault, I didn't know my limits and got too close. I'm so sorry!"

When she said that first sentence, she was apologizing for the spittle she had spat out.

Yang Ruoqing's complexion had visibly improved.

Liu then threw out her second statement: "Although I ate at home, let's be frank, as soon as I saw your breakfast, which is even more lavish than New Year's, I couldn't help but feel hungry again. It smells so good! I could smell it from the doorway earlier, it's so delicious!"

The phrase "It smells so good" was a new word that Liu made up in a moment of panic, but it just so happened to evoke Yang Ruoqing's memory.

Yes, even if she is just a 'time traveler' arranged in a novel, the feeling is completely different between the character created by the author and Yang Ruoqing herself.

Yang Ruoqing truly possessed the complete memories of a time traveler, and those memories were so real and practical that Yang Ruoqing was familiar with many internet memes from later generations.

So over the past two days, Yang Ruoqing gradually came to understand a principle.

In this world, there is no such thing as something being real and something being fake.

The question of truth versus falsehood, and falsehood versus truth, is itself a rather abstract one.

Just like the author of this novel, is she necessarily the supreme ruler, the real one?
Perhaps the author himself is just a character in a novel, disguised as an author?
This world is nothingness, the universe is infinite, everything can be infinitely large or infinitely small. In the end, one link leads to another, like an endless Russian nesting doll. You don't need to distinguish who is the beginning and who is the end. Everyone can be real, and everyone can be fake.

If you believe you are real, then you are real.

At this moment, Liu's original phrase "It smells so good" made Yang Ruoqing happy. Well, even if Liu was just a supporting character in the author's writing, Yang Ruoqing was willing to give her an extra breakfast because Liu could portray the gluttonous nature of this supporting character so vividly and wonderfully.

"Fourth Aunt, if you want to eat, please pull up a stool and sit down so we can have a few bites together!"

Upon hearing Yang Ruoqing's personal greeting, Liu's pupils widened. She thought she would need to say a few more conciliatory words, and then have Wang Cuilian and Luo the blacksmith chime in to secure this opportunity.

Unexpectedly, Qing'er was so easy to talk to today!
Liu was determined to seize this rare opportunity, so she moved swiftly.

Not only did he pull out an empty stool next to him and sit down, but he also said to Yang Ruoqing with a face full of gratitude, "Thank you so much, Qing'er. No wonder everyone in our village says that our Qing'er is a living Bodhisattva!"

Yang Ruoqing raised an eyebrow, "A living Buddha?"

Luo Fengtang and Wang Cuilian, who were sitting at the same table, also turned their attention to Liu.

Liu nodded vigorously, "Yes, these past two days everyone in the village has been praising you, saying that you took in the Mai Sui'er sisters, and that you didn't sell them as slaves. They say you gave the children food and a place to stay, and that you didn't let them be abused by their parents. They say you are a true living bodhisattva who saves people from suffering!"

Yang Ruoqing's lips twitched slightly. The villagers' praise was a bit too much; she felt a little embarrassed.

A smile appeared in Luo Fengtang's eyes as he looked tenderly at Yang Ruoqing and said, "My Qing'er is a kind person by nature."

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Luo the blacksmith stroked his goatee and nodded with satisfaction. "Doing good deeds accumulates merit and takes care of your family's descendants!"

Wang Cuilian was also overjoyed, "Fourth Aunt, what else did the outsiders say?"

Liu said, "They say so much, cursing the Mai couple and praising our Luo family! They say it's no wonder the Luo family is becoming more and more prosperous, with each descendant more successful than the last, because the Luo family has someone like Qing'er who acts ruthlessly but has a compassionate heart!"

"Oh, that's well said, so apt!" Wang Cuilian was overjoyed, patting her leg lightly. "My Qing'er is the kindest person in the world. The Mai sisters are truly pitiful. My Qing'er gave them a place to stay and took care of them until they grew up. That's a great deed!"

And if these merits can be transformed into blessings and good fortune in the future, gradually nourishing the children, that would be the best!

When elders do good deeds and accumulate merit, isn't it all for the sake of their descendants' well-being?
"Alright, Fourth Aunt, let's eat. Stop talking." Yang Ruoqing's face was already a little red; she couldn't take such praise anymore.

Liu nodded quickly and began to launch wave after wave of frantic attacks on the food on the table, wielding her chopsticks.

Wang Cuilian was in a great mood, and since she had almost finished eating, she helped Liu Shi ladle chicken soup and other dishes.

After everyone else had finished eating, Liu was still eating and even took over the task of cleaning up the plates.

Luo Fengtang and Luo the blacksmith had already left the canteen, and the two children had been taken out to play by Linglan.

At this moment, only Wang Cuilian, Yang Ruoqing, and Liu Shi remained in the dining hall.

When Liu finished her third bowl of chicken soup with fried rice, she burped, looked up, wiped her mouth, and said to Wang Cuilian and Yang Ruoqing, "There was something I couldn't say earlier when the blacksmith, Tang Yazi, and the children were here. I was afraid the two men would scold me for being a gossip, and I was also afraid of scaring the children."

(End of this chapter)