Daily News: You promised yourself to be a fisherman, but you've become a martial arts god?

"Erlang...this..."

Zhao Lijuan stared in shock at the grain before her, then looked at Li Nian with astonishment.

A peck of rice, a bag of flour, a large blue snapper...

This is more grain than what we previously hoarded at home!

Did Erlang go to Zhang Dasao's house and agree to help her in exchange for this?

Faced with Zhao Lijuan's doubts, Li Nian truthfully explained that she had gone fishing at Repulse Bay and sold the fish.

"Thank God, thanks to the blessings of the Li family ancestors, Erlang caught a fish and was able to exchange it for grain."

Zhao Lijuan burst into tears.

"Uncle, you're amazing!"

"I also bought candied hawthorns, which are Duoduo's favorite."

"Uncle, why don't you have any? Here, have some from Duoduo."

Duo Duo's little face was full of shock. As she spoke, she handed the candied hawthorn to Li Nian.

I resisted looking at the candied hawthorn in my hand, and kept swallowing my saliva.

"Erlang, you can eat this, I don't like it."

Zhao Lijuan wiped away her tears and handed the candied hawthorn to Li Nian.

Seeing this scene, Li Nian was deeply moved.

"Sister-in-law, Duoduo, I've already eaten in the city, you two go ahead and eat."

"I'll cook for you!"

Composing herself, Li Nian gently rubbed Duo Duo's fluffy little head.

Before his sister-in-law could say anything, he took the grain into the kitchen and started cooking.

"Erlang has grown up."

"Brother, if you could see this from heaven, you would be at peace."

Watching Li Nian's retreating figure, Zhao Lijuan felt incredibly gratified.

"Mommy, the candied hawthorn is so sweet! Uncle is so nice!"

Duoduo licked the candied hawthorn in her hand and happily squinted her eyes.

"Mmm, it's very sweet!"

Zhao Lijuan looked at the candied hawthorn in her hand and nodded emphatically.

Then, I carefully put the candied hawthorns in my hand with oil paper and hid them in a jar to prevent the mice from stealing them. I would take them out again when my daughter wanted some later.

On the other side, Li Nian was busy cooking.

Although the cooking conditions here are poor, it's not difficult for him, given his military background and experience cooking outdoors.

It was dusk.

Li Nian prepared the meal.

A braised grass carp, stir-fried with pork belly.

Although there were only two simple dishes, both were meat.

For fishermen, being able to eat such a meal in the dead of winter is already a great luxury.

"It smells so good, Uncle."

Looking at the delicious food on the table, Duoduo couldn't help but drool.

"Erlang...why did you make so many dishes?"

"Fish are hard to catch in winter. This grass carp is so big, it could fetch a good price if sold."

"This pound of pork belly is enough for us to eat all winter."

"Also, you've made way too much rice."

Looking at the food on the table, Zhao Lijuan felt a pang of heartache and regretted not having cooked herself.

"Sister-in-law, I made quite a bit of money from fishing today. We can buy more after we finish eating."

"Moreover, I found a fish nest today, so I can continue fishing there."

"My brother entrusted you and your daughter to me; I can't let you go hungry because of me!"

Li Nian said earnestly.

He owes his elder brother and sister-in-law too much.

If it weren't for his older brother and sister-in-law, he would have starved to death long ago!

"Erlang, you're in charge now, and your sister-in-law will listen to you."

Zhao Lijuan nodded in agreement and said no more.

A woman should follow her husband wherever he goes, whether he's a chicken or a dog.

Although Li Nian was not her husband, after her husband's death, Li Nian was the only man in the family and the head of the household.

As a woman, you must listen to the man in charge.

Even if...

"Sister-in-law, Duoduo, eat more rice, eat more meat!"

Li Nian served two bowls of rice and placed them in front of her sister-in-law and Duoduo respectively, then placed two large pieces of fish on top of the rice.

Then, he served himself a large bowl of rice, picked up his chopsticks, and said, "Let's eat!"

After saying that, he picked up a piece of meat and ate it with the rice.

Only after seeing Li Nian start eating did Zhao Lijuan and Duoduo begin to eat.

Li Nian knew that in this world, men were in charge; men had to start eating first before women could begin.

The three men sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) eating dinner. Inside, the firewood in the hearth crackled and popped, casting long, orange-red shadows on the wall...

Li Nian enjoyed the meal very much.

He ate three bowls of rice and half a bowl of meat all by himself.

This weak body consuming these foods is like parched land suddenly receiving a downpour, bringing life and indescribable comfort.

of course.

What truly made Li Nian feel comfortable from the bottom of her heart was...

My sister-in-law and niece are full too!

In his past life, he abandoned his sister-in-law and niece, letting them starve to death in the cold winter; that was a scar that could never be erased from his heart.

Now that I can feed my sister-in-law and niece with my own hands, I feel less guilty.

However, this is far from enough.

He wanted his sister-in-law and niece to have enough to eat and wear, and to live a peaceful and safe life.

Only in this way can he feel at ease!

Boom boom boom!

"Is Erlang home?"

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a woman's voice.

"It's Sister-in-law Zhang."

Zhao Lijuan put down the dishes she was clearing.

"Sister-in-law, you clear the dishes, I'll go open the door."

Li Nian stood up and said.

After saying that, he went to open the door.

The fact that Zhang Daniu and his wife stole grain from his house had not been exposed, so it was unreasonable and illogical for them to suddenly refuse them entry.

Might makes right.

But when your fists aren't strong enough, you must be in the right!

creak-

The door opened, and a woman came into view.

Zhang Dasao, also known as Huang Chunli.

She was about thirty years old, with a plump face and a captivating beauty mark under her eye. Her face was covered with thick rouge, which smelled pungent.

She was slightly plump, but overall quite pleasing to the eye, a rare beauty among young women in the village.

However, compared to her sister-in-law Zhao Lijuan, she is still far inferior!

"Oh, it's Erlang."

Upon seeing Li Nian, Zhang Da Sao's eyes lit up instantly, her body trembled slightly as she spoke, and she kept giving Li Nian flirtatious glances.

"Erlang, I came looking for you this morning, but you weren't here."

"You look more energetic, more handsome, and more manly than ever since I last saw you today!"

Li Nian is naturally pretty, but she caught a cold a while ago and didn't eat well, so she became weak and looked listless.

After eating this meal tonight, I felt radiant and full of energy.

"You slut!"

Seeing Zhang Dasao's flirtatious behavior, Li Nian inwardly scoffed.

Composing herself, Li Nian greeted Zhang Dasao politely.

"I wonder what brings Sister-in-law Zhang here tonight?"

Sister-in-law Zhang gave him a reproachful look, "What am I doing here, Erlang, don't you know?"

As she spoke, she playfully nudged Li Nian's chest with her hand.

The meaning of this is self-evident.

The reason I came here tonight with rouge on was to seduce the inexperienced Li Nian and finalize the deal about forming a partnership as soon as possible.

She was thirsty.

I'm very thirsty.

Extremely thirsty.

Snapped!

"Sister-in-law, please have some self-respect!"

Li Nian slapped Zhang's sister-in-law's hand away and said in a deep voice, "Sister-in-law, you have a family. Don't touch my body!"

"Erlang, you're going to my house to help me out, so from now on, your sister-in-law will be yours. Come on, don't be so formal."

As she spoke, Sister-in-law Zhang was about to reach out, but Li Nian dodged her.

"Sister-in-law Zhang, I was just about to talk to you about this. I don't want to go to your house and cause trouble!"

"Erlang, your family has no food to last through the winter. Come to my house and borrow some grain; only then will you have a chance to survive the winter!"

"Sister-in-law, we have food at home."

"Even if I don't have it, even if I starve to death, I would never defile someone's private quarters or do anything that would harm Brother Zhang or Sister-in-law Zhang!"