The Husband I Snatched Is Not Right!-Chapter 31: This Poor?

Making meat sauce is both time-consuming and laborious.

Yu Tingwan watched from the side. Once Hui Niang had everything prepared, she picked up the wooden stool and sat by the stove, starting a fire.

When the oil was hot, there was a sizzling sound. Hui Niang first fried shrimp oil, then put the shrimp meat in to fry until crispy.

She scooped it out and cut it into evenly sized pieces, then started handling the black fungus.

The meat hadn’t even been processed yet, and already the air was filled with a tantalizing aroma.

Yu Tingwan worked diligently. When Hui Niang said to add firewood, she did. When told to lower the flame, she used the long iron tongs beside her to remove a few sticks of firewood.

The firelight reflected off the teardrop-shaped mole at the corner of her eye, making the young girl’s delicate features even more luminous.

Hui Niang spoke as she stirred with the spatula.

"Wan Niang, how old are you now?"

"I’ll be eighteen after the new year."

"Oh dear, at this age, it’s time to start looking for a husband’s family."

This comment made Yu Tingwan nod in agreement.

Hui Niang only asked casually and soon discussed other topics with Yu Tingwan.

"I learned to make this meat sauce from my mother before I got married. It’s just a pity she passed early, and I only learned the basics of her excellent skills."

Is this just basics?

But upon hearing this, Yu Tingwan couldn’t help feeling sad.

She whispered, "My mother also passed away early."

"She could embroider and sing, and I learned, too."

Yu Tingwan rarely talked about this to others. People in the village didn’t like to mention her mother, and if they did, it wasn’t in a good way.

But she always felt Hui Niang was different from the others.

She looked intently at Hui Niang, unconsciously gripping the hem of her clothes.

Hui Niang paused her movements, looked at her with surprise, and smiled, "Wan Niang can embroider, huh. In our countryside, few people know needlework beyond ordinary mending. With these skills, you won’t worry in the future."

Yu Tingwan’s eyes lit up.

Hui Niang continued, "You can embroider some handkerchiefs and sell them to embroidery houses for some money. Once married, your husband’s family will regard you more highly."

Yu Tingwan said, "But my skills aren’t good yet."

"Don’t be modest."

Yu Tingwan truly wasn’t being modest.

"I lack patience; my mother felt sorry for me and didn’t want to teach me anymore."

How could she not feel sorry?

The young girl was delicate, never having suffered much since childhood. She would tiptoe, raising her hand under her mother’s watchful eye, afraid she’d miss seeing the needle-pierced, bleeding fingertips.

And she naïvely asked,

"Mom, are you going to stew a chicken for Yaoyao today?"

Unfortunately, she was no longer a naïve young girl, and no one indulged her anymore.

"But I can sing."

Yu Tingwan said calmly, but if you listened closely, there was a well-hidden hint of pride: "Every time I start to sing, my dad immediately pulls out silver and praises my voice, telling me to stop."

Wei Zhao: ...

Can’t you hear the sarcasm?

The room was filled with the fragrant aroma of meat sauce, and Hui Niang was sweating from the heat.

Yu Tingwan washed her hands and helped to pack the sauce into clay pots.

It was at this moment Wei Shouzhong returned. He was covered in snow again, bringing a chill with him.

He shook it off outside before coming in.

"Lang."

He called out first.

No response.

Wei Shouzhong was used to it.

Hui Niang asked, "Have those outsiders been arranged?"

Wei Shouzhong stepped forward quickly, "I was just about to tell you."

"The Village Chief originally planned to settle three people at our house, five at Doctor Qian’s place, and the rest at Silly Girl’s place."

But would Old Man Qian agree?

He turned hostile on the spot, saying he wasn’t short of money!

The Village Chief spoke kindly and persuasively.

"You should lend a hand. It’s so cold outside; think of it as saving lives."

Old Man Qian was stubborn and directly retorted,

"That’s easy to say. Come to me once they’re about to freeze and I’ll see if I can save them."

He was very confident now.

"It was me who saved that young Wei from the Wei family. Without me, he would’ve been long gone. It proves I have the skills."

Wei Shouzhong was preoccupied, absent-minded: "In the end, there was no choice but the Village Chief sought others, but arrangements were made properly."

While speaking, he glanced at Wei Zhao, who was lost in thought not far away. Uncertain emotions flashed in his eyes and, slightly wary of Yu Tingwan beside him, he hesitated for a moment before heading out.

"Hui Niang, come outside with me for a moment."

Upon hearing the tone, Hui Niang was suspicious.

She asked Wei Shouzhong to wait. After packing the meat sauce with Yu Tingwan, she wiped her hands.

The two of them walked out one after the other.

Outside the house, Wei Shouzhong beckoned Hui Niang to a corner, lowered his voice without wasting words.

"Among these outsiders, there’s a baby broker who brought five girls with her, all bought from the north to be sold to the south."

In this world, poverty is widespread, and selling daughters for money is common.

"Before they arrived at Linxi Village, bandits targeted this group; the baby broker was completely robbed. The girls suffered a lot along the way, all thin as bones; a few even died of illness. So she wanted to dispose of them early, sell as many as she could."

When she heard this, Hui Niang held her breath.

She understood Wei Shouzhong’s point and grabbed his arm: "How much silver?"

Wei Shouzhong: "One tael."

Hui Niang’s eyes dimmed.

The family had saved up over the years, along with what was taken from the big house that year, totaling just about five taels, and they still needed to visit the county to see the doctor in the future.

Hui Niang’s mind was in turmoil: "Give me some time to think."

While the two talked outside, inside the kitchen, Yu Tingwan paced over to Wei Zhao.

As a shadow loomed over him, Wei Zhao remained unresponsive.

Yu Tingwan couldn’t help but ask, "Why are there rocks and tiles in the basket?"

She couldn’t figure it out! 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Seeing Wei Zhao not responding, Yu Tingwan pursed her lips and tentatively said, "You’ve been in the military camp for so many years and have good skills."

Wei Zhao didn’t even glance at her.

Yu Tingwan, speaking nicely, negotiated, "Next time you throw it, could you aim a bit to the right?

Hitting the same spot every time, and even though it’s damaged like this, it shows your accuracy is pretty good. But that spot is much deeper than the surrounding ground, about the length of an arm.

Every time, Yu Tingwan had to dig in the snow for a long time.

She was tired, too.

Wei Zhao didn’t want to engage with her.

Yu Tingwan: "Keep the medicine for yourself; I don’t need it."

Seeing no sign of anger from Wei Zhao, Yu Tingwan dismissed Old Man Qian’s earlier words.

She even made another request.

"Could you throw it at a fixed time?"

She wanted to eat warm eggs.

Wei Zhao slowly raised his eyes, without a trace of emotion in them.

He always seemed to carry an innate aura, yet his frail appearance made others feel he posed no threat.

Yu Tingwan pursed her lips: "You threw them willingly. I didn’t steal or rob; even though I picked them up and ate them, I won’t pay you."

"Even if you ask, I don’t have any."

"But in the future, if I have money, I..."

Before she could finish, Wei Zhao finally spoke.

It was unpleasant to hear, and even harsh to Yu Tingwan’s ears.

He spoke in a faint voice.

"Are you really this poor?"