Chapter 24: Calculating

After perfunctorily attending to their father, the three little ones shook their heads and scampered off to the kitchen to find Shao Diandian, without a single look back.

Wei Ting’s mouth twitched. "Little brats..."

At that moment, Shao Diandian was talking to young Mistress Wu outside the back door of the kitchen. Since Shao Kang had to handle matters regarding the Cheng family today, Shao Diandian had once again entrusted the three little ones to the care of young Mistress Wu. As a token of gratitude, she offered her some food.

Young Mistress Wu declined, "I haven't even finished the flatbreads you gave me this morning."

"Did they taste good?" Shao Diandian asked.

"They were... very delicious," young Mistress Wu replied. This was no mere pleasantry; it was the honest truth. Once, when her sister-in-law fell ill, she had accompanied her mother-in-law to a banquet in the neighboring village. She had heard they hired a cook from town, and it was the best food she had ever tasted. Yet, she felt that the flatbreads made by "Fatty Shao" were no worse than what that cook had prepared.

Shao Diandian handed her a covered bowl. "These few were crushed, so they aren't easy to sell. If you don't mind, take them home for the children."

Young Mistress Wu tried to refuse again, but under Shao Diandian's stern glare, she obediently took the bowl. It was only after returning to her own kitchen that she opened it. What Shao Diandian called "crushed" were actually just very minor cracks; such flatbreads would normally still be sold at the market. Furthermore, beneath the three flatbreads, there was a large chunk of braised pork, perfectly balanced with fat and lean meat. Her family didn't even manage to eat meat twice a month, and what they had was mostly reserved for her father-in-law, her second brother-in-law, and Niu Dan. Her mother-in-law and the second sister-in-law, Mistress He, occasionally got a chopstick's worth, but she and her daughter hadn't tasted meat in half a year. Wait—the flatbreads Fatty Shao had given her that morning had meat filling. She had actually eaten meat twice in one day!

...

As for young Mistress Wu looking after the Shao family’s children, the Liu family didn't say much. The Shaos were overbearing, so it was no surprise they would exploit others to watch their children. If young Mistress Wu didn't do it, would they have expected Mistress He or the elder Mistress Wu to do it? Besides, even with the children, young Mistress Wu still completed all her required chores.

In the kitchen, the three little ones circled the stove, tiptoeing to peer into the pot, though they were too short to see anything but air.

"Mama," Little Hu said, pointing to Shao Diandian’s cutting board. "Little... eat."

Shao Diandian mischievously picked up a slice of scallion and fed it to him. Little Hu took a bite, only to have his brow furrowed and his tongue darting out from the spicy sting. Shao Diandian laughed uncontrollably.

With Little Hu having tested the scallion, Da Hu and Er Hu lost interest in the cutting board. They turned their attention to the basket on the small table where the unsold crispy cakes were kept. They had eaten them that morning and liked them, but now they didn't want any, as Little Hu had just licked all three of them.

"Sister! I'm starving, anything to eat?" Shao Erdan walked into the kitchen.

Da Hu grabbed the basket and held it out to him. "Uncle, eat."

"You guys aren't eating?" Shao Erdan asked. Da Hu and Er Hu shook their heads, while Little Hu was still poking out his tongue in discomfort.

"Oh, then I'll eat them!" Shao Erdan grabbed a crispy cake with one hand and shoved it into his mouth. "Huh? Why is it a bit soggy..."

***

Old Man Shao had gone to deal with the Cheng family's affairs and was expected back by evening. Shao Diandian made a stir-fried pork kidney with scallions, deep-fried a bowl of crispy meat, sautéed two vegetable dishes, and steamed several small cups of egg custard. Previously, she had steamed one large bowl, but the three little ones didn't like it; they preferred individual servings in small cups. Shao Erdan and Wei Ting also had their portions.

"Erdan, bring the dishes out."

"Coming!" Shao Erdan nimbly entered the kitchen, brought out the dishes, and served rice for the family.

Shao Diandian went to Wei Ting's room. "Should I bring it in for you, or will you come out and eat with us?" she asked.

Wei Ting glanced at the three little ones running around in the main room and said, "I'll come out."

Shao Diandian went to the bedside. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you up. Can you walk on your own? Don't ruin your left leg again! It would be my medicine going to waste!" Wei Ting frowned, likely wanting to call Shao Erdan over, but after a moment of hesitation, he held out his hand to Shao Diandian.

She helped him to the main room and seated him. "Brother-in-law, your injuries are much better, aren't they?" Shao Erdan asked.

Wei Ting didn't know whether to acknowledge the "brother-in-law" title or not, so he simply said, "Much better."

Wei Ting sat opposite Shao Diandian, with the three little ones to her left and Shao Erdan to her right. Because the little ones were too short for the chairs, Shao Diandian turned the chairs around to lean against the table so they could stand on them to eat.

Shao Erdan picked up his bowl and chopsticks, leaned over to Shao Diandian's ear, and whispered, "Sister, brother-in-law is quite handsome, right? Dad and I didn't lie to you, did we? Isn't he a hundred times better-looking than Liu Tongsheng? I told you you'd like him!"

Wei Ting ate his food unhurriedly. Shao Diandian glanced at him and hissed through her teeth, "Can you speak any louder? Just eat!"

"Oh," Shao Erdan mumbled, burying his face in his bowl.

The three little ones were also eating diligently, though they were so small that they ended up covered in food and made a mess of the table. Wei Ting looked over at Shao Diandian. There wasn't a hint of impatience or annoyance in her eyes. He felt a sense of relief. He picked up a piece of meat from the dish in front of him, but paused mid-bite.

"What dish is this?" he asked.

Shao Diandian took a look. "What's wrong? Doesn't it taste good?"

Wei Ting thought for a moment. "It's not that, it's just... the taste is a bit strange."

"It's pork kidney," Shao Diandian said.

"Cough! Cough, cough, cough!" Wei Ting choked, turning his head away from the table to cough violently. Once he finished, he looked at Shao Diandian in shock. "Say that again. What is this?"

"Pork kidney!" Shao Diandian smiled slightly. "I used yellow wine to remove the gamey smell! Isn't it tender and refreshing?"

Wei Ting suddenly felt that the food in his bowl was no longer appetizing.

Shao Diandian pushed the plate toward him. "I bought it especially for you. 'Eat what you need to mend'—you should eat more of it!"

Wei Ting’s grip on his chopsticks tightened until they clicked. "My... kidneys... are... perfectly... fine!"

Shao Diandian glanced at the three little ones, nodded, and fell into deep thought.

Wei Ting: "..." That was not what he meant!

***

After nightfall, Old Man Shao finally returned. He had spent the entire day running around, first reclaiming the fifteen taels of silver owed on the promissory note from the He family, and then leading the Cheng family's orphans to settle the debts the Cheng family owed to others. There were seven taels left over, and when the Cheng family refused to take them, he secretly tucked the money into their wardrobe.

With his burden lifted, he was finally able to rest. When Shao Diandian brought his dinner in, he was already fast asleep.

Shao Diandian returned to her own room. She calculated her accounts in her head while pondering how to proceed with her business. In her past life, she had never worried about money, but now she wished she could split every copper into two.

The three little ones tried to sleep with her again, but she heartlessly rejected them. They went off to sleep with Shao Erdan. Not long after, a scream erupted from the west room: "Ahhh! He peed! He peed!"