Chapter 41: You Just Wait

Yanyan saw that Lin's mother was speaking up for her, and her sharp expression eased slightly.

She smugly raised an eyebrow at Lin Ruanyuan, then turned to look at the items on the table.

At first, she hadn't paid much attention, but now she saw there were quite a few things on the table.

There was a piece of meat weighing about two pounds, and several packages wrapped in oil paper, which looked like they contained either snacks or cooked dishes.

Indifferently, she used her fair fingers to untie the string on one of the oil paper packages. Seeing that the first package contained some square cakes, she curled her lips in disdain.

Despite her disdain, she didn't hesitate to put the cake into her mouth.

"Since we have meat, let's cook it all. Our family hasn't had meat in a long time. Let's cook everything and give Dad and Lin Qiu a good meal."

She casually picked up the piece of meat and handed it to Lin's mother, giving her instructions.

Yes, giving instructions.

As a daughter-in-law, she spoke to Lin's mother as if she were a lady of the house speaking to a servant.

Lin Ruanyuan frowned and stepped forward to pull her away, but Lin's mother grabbed her.

"Alright, alright, I'll go cook right away. Yanyan, if you're tired, you can go back to your room and rest. I'll call you when the food is ready," Lin's mother said with a flattering smile.

Lin Ruanyuan felt a throbbing pain in her forehead. Her useless mother was so infuriating.

"Go back to my room? Are you planning to sneak a bite when no one is around? Or are you planning to let your daughter eat more? I can't go back to my room. I need to watch you cut the meat. I'll count how much you cut, and you better not sneak any."

Yanyan raised her head arrogantly and spoke with a cunning look.

Lin Ruanyuan couldn't stand it anymore. She shook off Lin's mother and slapped Yanyan.

With a crisp sound, the whole room fell silent.

Yanyan, who was about to take another bite of the cake, dropped it on the ground after the slap.

Bai Cheng'an pursed his lips and looked at Lin Ruanyuan with increasing concern.

His worried look didn't escape Lin Ruanyuan's eyes.

Worried about her, huh? That's good. If he was worried about her, he wouldn't ignore her if she couldn't stay in this family anymore.

With this thought, she raised her hand and gave Yanyan another slap.

Although she wasn't eloquent, she was quite handy. Considering what Yanyan had just said, two slaps were already lenient.

The first slap stunned both Yanyan and Lin's mother.

The second slap brought them back to their senses.

"How dare you hit me!" Yanyan exclaimed in disbelief, her voice trembling.

Lin Ruanyuan sneered. She dared to hit people? She had even killed before.

"Ruanyuan," Lin's mother called, holding her hand, her voice also trembling.

But unlike Yanyan's trembling with anger, Lin's mother was trembling with shock.

Clearly, her second daughter had always been as gentle as she was, but today she was so fierce, even hitting someone.

"Alright, you stutterer, how dare you hit me," Yanyan said, rolling up her sleeves and charging forward with her neck stiff.

Seeing that a conflict was about to break out, Bai Cheng'an took a long stride and stood in front of Lin Ruanyuan.

He frowned and his face, covered with stubble, looked intimidating when he didn't smile.

Yanyan, who was about to tear at Lin Ruanyuan, almost bumped into his arm when he blocked her.

"Move aside, move aside!" Yanyan shouted angrily.

She had been married into the Lin family for almost a year and had never suffered such humiliation.

"I...I...I won't move, wh...what...what will you do about it," Lin Ruanyuan said, peeking out from behind Bai Cheng'an and mimicking Yanyan's provocative eyebrow raise.

Yanyan was furious, reaching out to sweep the desserts she had unwrapped off the table.

"You stuttering idiot, how dare you hit me. Fine, just wait, wait!"

Stomping her foot, Yanyan ran out with two red cheeks.

Her crying was so loud that anyone who didn't know better would think the Lin family yard was filled with crows.

With the annoying person gone, Lin Ruanyuan felt much better.

She took Lin's mother's hand to start cooking, but Lin's mother put the meat on the table and...

Lin's mother shook off her hand.

"Yanyan, Yanyan, where are you going?" she shouted, abandoning her cooking to chase after her.

Lin Ruanyuan watched her anxious figure disappear and could only sigh silently.

"Your sister-in-law doesn't seem to like you," Bai Cheng'an said worriedly, looking at her.

Lin Ruanyuan shrugged. How could this rough guy speak so unconfidently? It wasn't just "seem"; it was definite that she didn't like her. But it didn't matter; she didn't like that woman either.

Having walked for a long time and only eaten two buns in the morning, Lin Ruanyuan was very hungry. Since Lin's mother went after Yanyan, she decided to cook for herself instead of waiting, unlike Yanyan, who seemed incapable of doing anything for herself.

Carrying the two-pound piece of meat, she hummed a tune and headed to the kitchen. The Lin family's kitchen was much more convenient than the one in Bai Cheng'an's wooden house. Here, there was a large stove, albeit a bit old, but it made cooking much easier.

After washing and cutting the meat, she decided to make a delicious dish of braised pork. Bai Cheng'an liked flavorful dishes and meat, so she specifically chose to make what he liked.

She was determined not to let go of this man, who was honest, straightforward, and perfectly suited to her tastes. If she let him go, who knew what kind of trouble Yanyan might cause for him?

After busying herself in the kitchen for a while, the aroma of braised pork wafted out, filling not only the small courtyard but the entire Willow Tree Village.

Lin Ruanyuan also cooked a pot of rice and prepared some fresh green vegetables. Finding some eggs in the wooden cupboard, she made a tasty tomato egg soup.

This meal, with meat, vegetables, and soup, was considered a feast in Liu Family Village.

After setting the dishes on the table, she noticed that Lin's mother hadn't returned from chasing Yanyan. Neither Lin's father nor Lin Qiu, who had gone to the fields, were back either.

Rubbing her growling stomach, Lin Ruanyuan grew a bit anxious.

"After this meal, I'll leave. If things don't go well for you here..." Bai Cheng'an said, not looking at the delicious braised pork but at Lin Ruanyuan with concern.

Seeing him speak, Lin Ruanyuan looked expectantly at him.

At this crucial moment, Lin Qiu's voice interrupted, "Hey, why does it smell like the meat is coming from our courtyard?"

"What are you dreaming about? We don't have money to buy meat," Lin's father replied.

"But the meat smell is indeed stronger," Lin Qiu insisted.

"Mom, Yanyan, did you buy meat? How come there's such a strong meat aroma? It smells so good," Lin Qiu said, dropping his hoe in the courtyard and rushing into the house, calling out as he went.

Lin Ruanyuan and Bai Cheng'an heard their voices and came out to meet them.

"Sis?" Lin Qiu was surprised and a bit delighted to see his sister.

"Father," Lin Ruanyuan greeted the middle-aged man behind Lin Qiu, then turned back to her brother.

"Ruanyuan's here," Lin's father said with a bit of delight in his voice. Then he noticed the rough-looking Bai Cheng'an standing next to her, and his face darkened immediately.