Chapter 24: Delicious Chicken Soup

"People always say that the amount of work the body does should be in direct proportion to the food it consumes; otherwise, the body will be exhausted and worn down, and then one won't live long."

Mrs. Xu was startled. Not living long—that simply wouldn't do. She still wanted to see her little daughter get married. How could she not live long?

"Stew, stew two of them. Let's eat more. Also, those wild chicken eggs at home, boil them all up for us to eat.

Tomorrow we'll eat up the duck eggs as well."

Xu Ying smiled. She knew her mother cared quite a bit about health as she took the two wild chickens her mother handed to her.

She headed straight to the kitchen with them.

Shitou eagerly ran in after her. "Little aunt, let me stoke the fire for you."

Xu Ying nodded her head slightly and quickly chopped the wild chickens into small pieces.

As soon as the wild chicken pieces were ready, Xu Ying instructed Shitou to start the fire.

"Shitou, start the fire!"

Upon hearing this, Shitou immediately struck a match and lit the stove fire.

Xu Ying placed a pot on the stove, waited for the water inside to boil away, and poured in a spoonful of oil. Once the oil was hot, she added scallions, ginger, garlic, and aromatics like bay leaves and dried tangerine peel and stir-fried them.

Once the spices released their fragrance, she poured in the cleaned wild chicken pieces, quickly stirring to make sure they were evenly coated, then added a spoonful of soy sauce and continued to stir-fry.

"Little aunt, that smells so good!" Shitou leaned in, swallowing his saliva as he spoke.

Xu Ying pinched his cute little face. "Just you wait, it's going to smell even better!"

After stir-frying the chicken for a while, she added the prepared radish into the pot, poured in boiling water, and let it cook for twenty minutes.

While waiting, she placed the eggs in a pot behind the stove to boil.

After twenty minutes of stewing, she lifted the lid, and a rich meaty fragrance filled the air.

Xu Ying dumped all the soaked mushrooms into the pot, covered it once more, and continued to let it simmer.

Shitou sat in front of the stove, incessantly swallowing saliva. "Little aunt, how come your cooking smells so delicious?"

Praised in such a way, Xu Ying's mood soared. "Because your little aunt is awesome, that's why."

The wild chicken soup had been simmering for a whole hour. When the lid was lifted, the delectable aroma instantly permeated the entire yard.

One could salivate just by smelling it, let alone eating it.

"Quickly, close the door, close the door, the aroma is drifting away," Mrs. Xu called out anxiously, promptly closing the kitchen door herself.

Inside the room, Shitou watched Xu Ying season the wild chicken soup, his mouth watering so much he nearly drooled. "Little aunt, this is too fragrant; if I keep smelling it, I'm going to drool."

"Look at you, so hopeless. Quickly open the door and bring out the chicken meat. Let's get ready for dinner," Xu Ying said with a beaming smile.

Hearing this, Shitou promptly opened the door.

Xu Ying carried the pot of wild chicken soup directly into the main room.

Mrs. Xu saw her daughter coming out and immediately closed the room's door, for no other reason than the chicken soup her daughter made smelled too wonderful.

She herself had made it deliciously before, but compared to her daughter's, it was markedly inferior.

Mrs. Xu followed into the kitchen and brought out the well-prepared large pot of porridge to the main room as well.

Mr. Xu, along with his sons and daughters-in-law, had just finished their work and were returning home when they caught a faint scent as they approached the house.

Their faces instantly lit up with excitement, feeling as if the exhaustion of the entire day had vanished in an instant.

"Guiying, we're back!" Mr. Xu called out loudly.

Mrs. Xu hurriedly ran over and opened the gate.

As soon as the gate was opened, a head poked out from next door, looking at Mrs. Xu with curiosity, "Sister-in-law, what delicious food are you making? Why does it smell so good?"

Mrs. Xu waved her hand dismissively, "What delicious food... We just boiled some coarse grain porridge, there can't be any smell to it. I think the aroma resembles something coming from your house. What are you cooking that's so delightful?"

Upon hearing this, the neighbor's wife instantly became smug, "Our man found a wild chicken in the mountains today, and we're having wild chicken soup tonight."

Mrs. Xu immediately feigned envy, "Oh my, you're in for a treat tonight."

Once inside the yard, Mrs. Xu was full of disdain, "Look at her, acting all high and mighty just because she's eating meat. What's there to show off?"

"Exactly, just like how that auntie next door behaves, it's bound to lead to trouble in her home sooner or later," Eldest Sister-in-law Xu joined in.

These days, when someone had something good to eat, they would hide it, not flaunt it openly like she did.

This might be overlooked once or twice, but in the long run, it would inevitably attract jealousy and lead to a report.

"Mom, what are we having for dinner tonight?" Second Brother Xu ran over, trying to please.

"What are we eating? Hurry up and wash your hands for dinner. Your little sister cooked tonight, making wild chicken soup. She was worried one wouldn't be enough for all of you, so she insisted on making two.

Ah, how considerate your little sister is. I've told you, after eating your little sister's wild chicken, you must remember her kindness. Did you hear me?" Mrs. Xu spoke with a stern face.

Eldest Sister-in-law Xu was the first to agree, "Mom, rest assured, I'll definitely remember little sister's kindness. I'll wash all her clothes for her in the future."

Mrs. Xu curled the corner of her mouth slightly, "You'd better recognize your little sister's worth."

Eldest Sister-in-law Xu chuckled. Before, when there was nothing, she would wash the little sister's clothes. Now that the little sister was providing her with chicken meat, she was even more motivated to wash.

"My daughter not only hunted wild chicken for you today but also went up the mountain in the afternoon to gather several bundles of firewood. Look, all that firewood was gathered by my daughter," Mrs. Xu boasted.

Xu and Second Brother Xu's faces were full of amazement; ever since their little sister fell into the river once, she had changed drastically.

"Little sister, don't go up the mountain anymore, just let Shitou gather the firewood," Xu said with concern.

Second Brother Xu nodded in agreement, "It's unsafe for a girl like you to go up the mountains. Next time, Big Brother and I will accompany you; we can gather firewood after work too."

Xu Ying knew they were concerned about her, and her heart was filled with both gratitude and guilt, loathing her past self for being so foolish as to hurt the ones who loved her most.

"Daughter, why, why are you crying? Don't cry. Your big brother and second brother only have your best interests at heart; they're afraid you'll encounter danger," Mr. Xu, with sharp eyes, immediately spoke upon seeing the tears welling up in his daughter's eyes.

Mrs. Xu, seeing it too, became anxious, "Oh dear, if she wants to go up the mountain, let her be. Sweetheart, don't cry, you'll break your mom and dad's hearts."

Xu, being naturally honest, felt even more anxious upon realizing he made his little sister cry, not knowing what to say, "Little sister, please, don't cry."

Second Brother Xu was also stunned; his little sister seemed silly, wasn't it more comfortable to rest at home than go up the mountains?

Why was the girl crying now?

"Little sister, if you want to go, then go. Second Brother won't stop you."

Xu Ying was already touched, and she had no intention of crying, but as her family spoke, she couldn't help feeling wronged, and tears began to flow down her cheeks, "Mom, I still want to go to the mountain; I want to help everyone strengthen their bodies.

You and dad have suffered for us your entire lives, never having tasted anything of quality, who knows how much it has cost you.

In these recent years, my second brother and I haven't been any less of a hassle. Second Brother has become sensible, bringing home full work points every time he finishes work, but I am not skilled in fieldwork.

However, I don't want to be idle. I thought of going up the mountains to find some game to help nourish everyone."

"My sister-in-law's life hasn't been easy since she married into our family. She had such a comfortable life at her parents' home, and since following my big brother, she has suffered quite a bit. We can't let her regret marrying into this family!

Big brother, you have to treat sister-in-law better. She has given you two sons and helps you raise them; you need to be truly grateful to her."

Eldest Sister-in-law Xu, moved to tears, hugged Xu Ying and started crying, "Little sister, I was wrong. I shouldn't have despised you for being lazy before, and I shouldn't have blamed you for being shameless and unladylike for trying to please Dong Zhiqing."

Mrs. Xu's eyes widened in disbelief, "Eldest Son's wife, what are you talking about? You actually despised my daughter for being lazy and shameless?"