As dusk fully settled, the iron pot on Lin Wanru’s family’s earthen stove was bubbling with soup.
The wild pheasant and snow rabbit had long since been cleaned and chopped into small pieces of fresh meat, which, mixed with the spiciness of wild mountain peppers and the fragrant scent of cinnamon bark, tumbled up and down in the boiling water.
The rich aroma of meat seeped through the door crack into the courtyard, startling the sparrows under the eaves, causing them to flutter away.
After more than half an hour of foot soaking and rest, Zhang Dajian felt that he had finally recovered.
Aside from his stomach still growling with hunger, there were no other issues.
He was currently sitting by the stove, adding firewood, staring at the tumbling meat in the iron pot, his Adam’s apple constantly bobbing.
“Wanru, when will the meat be ready? I feel like I could swallow a bear.”
Lin Wanru gently stirred with a wooden spoon, her peripheral vision catching the urgency in the young man’s throat, a smile blooming on her lips: “What’s the rush? The meat will only be fragrant when it’s cooked just right. Be patient, it’s almost ready.”
An incense stick’s time later.
Two large bowls of steaming hot meat were served.
As soon as they stepped out of the warm kitchen, the north wind, carrying a chill, blew into their faces, making them both shiver.
They quickly ducked into the house and closed the wooden door tightly, finally shutting out the biting cold wind.
The rabbit meat in the coarse porcelain bowl glistened with oil, and the chicken had absorbed the savory flavor of the broth.
Zhang Dajian stared at the meat in his bowl, a look of regret on his face: “It would be even better if we had two white flour buns.”
Lin Wanru rolled her eyes at him: “The rice jar at home ran out long ago. To have this meat to eat is already a blessing from Heaven. Do you know that Auntie Wang next door is still gnawing on tree bark mixed with wild vegetables?”
Zhang Dajian rubbed the tip of his nose and chuckled: “Yes, yes, you’re right! Eat meat, eat meat!”
Before he finished speaking, he had already grabbed a chicken leg and bit down hard. Although no salt was added, for him, who had been hungry for several days and whose body was so weak that the wind could blow him over, this bowl of hot meat was simply the most delicious food in the world.
Seeing him devouring his food, Lin Wanru couldn’t help but try a piece of rabbit meat herself.
The firm texture of the meat, mixed with the spicy fragrance of the spices, spread on her tongue. She closed her eyes and hummed softly, as if the toil of the past few days had all melted away with this hot meal.
The two bowls of meat were quickly emptied, and Zhang Dajian slumped back in his chair, letting out a satisfied burp.
Lin Wanru looked at the bones on the table, a pained expression on her face.
“Dajian, we should have saved one. If we ate one today, we could have had another meal tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Zhang Dajian waved his hand dismissively.
“What’s there to be afraid of? If I can hunt a wild pheasant and a snow rabbit today, I can hunt even bigger prey tomorrow.
Wanru, just relax. I promise to let you have meat with every meal from now on, and raise you to be fair and plump, so you can bear many children for our old Zhang family!”
Lin Wanru blushed and glared at him, that touch of coquetry making Zhang Dajian’s heart flutter.
“In the future, let’s just say these kinds of things between ourselves. Please don’t say them outside, or I won’t know where to put my face.”
Zhang Dajian immediately nodded. Goodness, she was truly a gem. Just one look and he felt a bit overwhelmed. He wondered how Zhang Da Shan had endured this past year.
While he was thinking this, his mouth didn’t stop: “Don’t worry, Wanru, I’m not a three-year-old child. Of course I know what to say and what not to say. It’s getting late, how about we wash up and go to bed?” Zhang Dajian was already a bit impatient.
Upon hearing these words, Lin Wanru’s earlobes turned red with embarrassment.
“Da Shan just died. It’s definitely not possible today.”
“If you truly care for me, when you marry my two younger sisters, marry me along with them. Only then…” Her voice trembled slightly, “can I legitimately follow you.”
“Marry… marry you along with them?” Zhang Dajian suddenly looked up, feeling as if he had been hit by a pie falling from the sky.
Lin Wanru nodded vigorously, “What’s wrong? You wouldn’t despise me, would you? Although I married Zhang Da Shan, you also know that I was brought into your family by your step-parents for good luck.”
“Although Zhang Da Shan and I had the name of husband and wife, we never had the reality of it.”
Zhang Dajian nodded. He knew this. From the original owner’s memory, he learned that after Zhang Da Shan was severely injured by a black bear, he was carried back home.
To help Da Shan recover quickly, the original owner’s parents even used the family’s last half-bag of millet to buy Lin Wanru.
Unfortunately, even after they were married, Zhang Da Shan remained the same, which saddened the two elders even more. They both passed away within a month.
After that, the original owner, cold and hungry, also died, allowing the transmigrated Zhang Dajian to occupy this body.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but sigh. This family was truly unlucky; within a year, all four members had met their demise.
Of course, officially speaking, there was still him, Zhang Dajian, the only remaining non-blood-related descendant.
“Wanru, of course I won’t despise you. Since you’ve said so, I naturally agree. Our bodies aren’t in the best condition either, so let’s take this time to recuperate well.”
Zhang Dajian’s words made Lin Wanru’s heart warm, and her favorable impression of him surged.
【Lin Wanru’s Affection Value +10, current Affection Value 80!】
Listening to the system prompt in his mind, Zhang Dajian was overjoyed.
He silently chanted in his mind: “System, can I draw two rewards again now?”
【Ding! Yes, Host. Would you like to draw rewards now?】
“No!”
He decisively refused. He was with Lin Wanru right now. If he drew something like toilet paper again and it suddenly appeared in his hand, it would be impossible to explain.
Lin Wanru hesitated, and Zhang Dajian asked curiously: “Wanru, is there anything else you want to say?”
“Since you agree to marry my two younger sisters, there are some things I naturally need to tell you first.”
Zhang Dajian nodded: “Tell me!”
“After we finished the funeral arrangements for my in-laws, the family had no silver left, but Da Shan needed to keep taking medicine. Out of desperation, I borrowed five taels of loan shark money. With interest, it’s probably ten taels now, principal and interest combined.”
“Additionally, every December is the time to pay the head tax. Each person needs three taels of silver. Our family has four people, so we need a total of twelve taels. This is another large expense.”
“If we want to live a stable life, we must raise this silver.”
“But all of this adds up to over twenty taels of silver.”
Zhang Dajian shook his head and said with a smile: “You haven’t finished calculating. The thatched hut is drafty on all sides, and repairs will cost two taels.”
“Preparing enough winter food will cost ten taels, plus the essential cotton clothes, padded jackets, cotton shoes, thick quilts, and other necessities. We need at least fifty taels to be safe.”
Upon hearing this number, Lin Wanru felt as if the sky was falling.
Fifty taels, for this broken family, was simply an astronomical figure.
Zhang Dajian didn’t care at all, patting his chest and assuring her: “Don’t worry, Wanru, none of this is a problem. The only thing you need to do now is to quickly bring your two younger sisters over. Don’t let them get sick from hunger at your mother’s house. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”
Zhang Dajian silently calculated in his mind: As long as he brought Lin Wanru’s two younger sisters over, he would have three affection targets.
If he drew an awesome skill, what was a mere fifty taels?