The Lady Butcher and the Delicate Bride - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Just as Mu Dingxiang was about to leave, Chu Yu suddenly called out to her. Seeing her turn back, Chu Yu asked, “Is there dinner waiting for you back home?”

Mu Dingxiang hesitated for a moment and remained silent. According to her habits over many years, even if she arrived while they were eating, no one would ever call her to the table. Over time, she had learned to avoid those times and return a bit later.

“What did you eat for lunch?”

Mu Dingxiang opened her mouth, wanting to invent a dish, but she couldn’t utter a single word. Last night, Auntie Wu had given her a very large glutinous rice ball, allowing her to eat her fill for the first time in a long while; she hadn’t even felt hungry when she woke up this morning. She had planned to find something to eat in the afternoon, but then she had returned home to change her shoes and overheard the news about Widower Zhang.

As a result, she hadn’t eaten a single thing all day.

Seeing her like this, Chu Yu sighed softly. “No rush to leave. Have dinner with me before you head back.”

Mu Dingxiang’s outward steps faltered. To tell the truth, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t gone entire days without food before—eventually, once you pass the point of hunger, you stop feeling it. But in this moment, Chu Yu’s suggestion was incredibly tempting.

“Is your right hand alright? Help me sort the vegetables.” Chu Yu didn’t dwell on the girl’s inner conflicts and gave her a direct task.

With this instruction, Mu Dingxiang found it hard to leave. Furthermore, at the mention of dinner, her stomach, which had been dormant all day, began to growl loudly.

There was a stone table outside the cave with a wooden stool beside it. Mu Dingxiang sat at the table and used her uninjured hand to slowly sort the greens.

Chu Yu watched the girl out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that she wasn’t trying to leave anymore, she went into the cave and brought out a small bag of rice. After scooping a full bowl, she thought for a moment and added another half-bowl of rice.

She washed the rice and started the cooking fires. Two stoves were lit; the wind was blowing toward the other side of the stone cave, so the smoke wouldn’t drift inside. Chu Yu had taken this into full consideration when setting up the stoves.

There was a front pig trotter left over from today’s meat sales. Initially, Chu Yu was worried they wouldn’t be able to finish it; now, it seemed the question was whether it would be enough.

She swiftly chopped the pig trotter and blanched it in the pot. Then she cleaned the pot, heated some oil, tossed in the pork with seasonings and spices to stir-fry, added water, and let it simmer slowly.

Pig trotters don’t cook quickly. Chu Yu went into the cave, brought out a small stool, and sat down beside Mu Dingxiang.

Mu Dingxiang had been watching Chu Yu prepare the pork; between that and her injured hand, she hadn’t sorted many vegetables. Once Chu Yu sat down, she pulled the remaining greens toward herself and began sorting them one by one.

The firewood burned brightly. Before long, the aroma of rice and the scent of stewing pig trotters began to permeate the air. Mu Dingxiang’s stomach suddenly began to rumble like a drum.

Chu Yu sat close and naturally heard it. The girl’s face instantly turned red all the way to her ears.

“Which academy does your elder brother study at?” Chu Yu asked. This question immediately diverted her attention, making her feel less embarrassed.

“It seems to be called… Huarou Academy?” Mu Dingxiang wasn’t entirely sure; it seemed to be that name.

“Huaru Academy.”

“Right, Huaru Academy.”

“A nest for a bunch of pampered playboys, just idling away their days.” Chu Yu was quite familiar with the various academies in the county.

“…”

“It doesn’t matter. You won’t be relying on him in the future anyway.”

“I wouldn’t rely on them even if I were dying.” After learning about the situation with Widower Zhang, Mu Dingxiang had completely given up on the Mu family, her feelings a mix of resentment and hatred.

“Are you literate?” Chu Yu asked.

“I know some. I can barely manage to understand a bit of the Four Books and Five Classics.”

Back when Mu Kongqing attended the private school, the young and curious Mu Dingxiang had followed him to listen outside the door for a while. Later, she was driven away by the teacher, so she would wait for Mu Kongqing to come home at night and secretly take his books to read. She had actually managed to learn quite a bit.

Chu Yu was greatly surprised to hear this. This young girl dealt with crops all day, yet she was so capable that she could understand the Four Books and Five Classics at such a young age. What incredible talent—it was a tragedy that the Mu couple intended to sell her like a piece of merchandise.

“Very impressive,” Chu Yu couldn’t help but praise her.

It was the first time Mu Dingxiang had been praised, and her face flushed with shyness, carrying a hint of secret joy. Mu Mother constantly preached that “a woman’s lack of talent is a virtue,” so Mu Dingxiang never dared let her know she could read. No one else knew either, let alone praised her for it.

Seeing that the time was right, the rice was ready.

Chu Yu added a few sections of Chinese yam into the pot with the pig trotters, covered it, moved the rice pot to the ground, and placed the stir-fry wok on the fire. Once the oil was hot, she added a few cloves of minced garlic, tossed in the greens, added a bit of salt, and after a few tosses, they were ready to be served.

The pig trotters were still bubbling over the fire. The waves of fragrance were enough to make Mu Dingxiang’s nose explode.

Chu Yu placed the dish of greens on a stone near the stove and said to Mu Dingxiang, “Bring the stool over. We’ll eat by the fire.”

Being a first-time guest, the girl was shy and didn’t dare move on her own. Chu Yu scooped a bowl of rice and handed it to her. “The chopsticks are behind you.” She scooped a bowl of rice for herself and sat beside her.

“The Chinese yam isn’t completely soft yet. Use your spoon to fish out the meat first.”

Mu Dingxiang’s hand tightened around her chopsticks. She didn’t feel bold enough to reach for the pork, instead reaching for the greens on the other side.

But that pork smelled so good. The last time Mu Dingxiang had eaten meat was during the Lunar New Year last year when Auntie Wu secretly gave her a chicken leg; before that, she had almost no memories of eating meat.

The fire in the stove was still burning, the broth in the pot was bubbling, and the scent of pork mixed with yam made one’s mouth water. Mu Dingxiang didn’t want to lose her composure in front of Chu Yu for the first time; she suppressed her cravings and shoveled the rice and greens into her mouth.

It had to be said that even just plain rice and greens felt like a delicacy from heaven to her. Thinking back over the years, the number of times she had been able to eat a hot meal was countable on one hand; usually, she ate corn gruel. It was nothing like the pearly white rice in her bowl now. Even the greens, because they were cooked with enough lard and precise timing, gave her the sensation of eating a rare mountain delicacy.

Chu Yu looked at her restrained and disciplined manner and couldn’t help but sigh in her heart. She took a slotted spoon, scooped a large piece of trotter meat, and put it in the girl’s bowl.

“Eat more. The weather is hot now; this meat won’t last until tomorrow. If we don’t finish it tonight, I’ll have to throw it away.”

Hearing this, Mu Dingxiang felt a pang of “pork-pain.” A pot of meat like this wouldn’t necessarily be seen once a year in the Mu house, yet this person was so extravagant as to throw it away—what a waste of God’s gifts. However, she wasn’t stupid; she knew Chu Yu was saying that on purpose just to get her to eat more. A warm current flowed through her heart. Suppressing the sting in her nose, she bowed her head and took a bite of the pork.

The soft, chewy, tender meat exploded against her teeth. The delicious flavor filled her entire mouth. Mu Dingxiang had never eaten such a worldly delicacy; she couldn’t help but close her eyes to savor the indescribable taste.

Seeing her close her eyes with both cheeks puffed out and a look of total satisfaction, Chu Yu’s desire to provide was greatly fulfilled. She couldn’t help but scoop another large piece of meat into her bowl.

Feeling the weight in her hand grow heavier, Mu Dingxiang opened her eyes. Seeing the extra piece of meat in her bowl, her face turned embarrassed. She felt that her gluttonous appearance—like someone who had never seen the world—must be making her a laughingstock.

“The Chinese yam is done too.” Chu Yu didn’t look at her pointedly, picking up two pieces of yam and putting them in her bowl.

Once she had tasted such deliciousness, words of refusal could no longer be spoken. Mu Dingxiang could only silently bow her head and eat, finishing every piece Chu Yu placed in her bowl.

“There’s more rice in the pot, help yourself.” Chu Yu reminded her when she saw the bottom of her bowl become empty.

Mu Dingxiang indeed wasn’t full yet. Finishing a bowl of rice and several pieces of pork left her wanting more. So, she no longer acted coy, stood up, and added another bowl of rice.

“I’m full. I’m going inside for a bit. Eat slowly out here. It’s best if you finish this whole pot of trotters, or else I’ll throw it all out when I come back.” After putting down her bowl and chopsticks, Chu Yu went straight into the stone cave.

Mu Dingxiang knew Chu Yu had gone inside because she was afraid the girl would feel constrained. She was grateful for her thoughtfulness and gave a soft “mhm.”

By now, the sky was gradually darkening. The surroundings were tranquil. A light breeze blew gently, like soft tentacles brushing over her face and hands; it was extremely comfortable. The fire in the stove had gone out, leaving only the dark red charcoal glowing fitfully, emitting its last bit of heat. Steam rose from the pot, and the fragrance of food never ceased.

Mu Dingxiang ate several pieces of pork in a row. Her body, which hadn’t seen meat in a long time, frantically absorbed the nutrients from the food; she was almost devouring it. Finally, she finished the last piece, and her stomach was bulging. Looking at the clean plates, bowl, and the tiny bit of broth left in the pot, her face flushed with bashfulness.

On her first visit to this house, she had eaten like this. Would Chu Yu look down on her?

Having eaten and drunk her fill, Mu Dingxiang placed their bowls, chopsticks, and the pot next to the water jar and began scooping water to wash the dishes. Since one hand was injured, she used the good one to rinse slowly.

Chu Yu heard the noise outside and knew she was finished. Her tall figure emerged from the cave. She saw the girl crouching on the ground, using her injured hand to steady the pot handle while the other hand held a luffa sponge to carefully scrub the dishes. Shrunken into that small space, she looked like a pitiful little kitten.

“Your hand is injured. Leave it to me.” Chu Yu reached her side in a few strides.

Mu Dingxiang shook her head and continued washing.

“Don’t be stubborn. It’s dark; it won’t be easy to cross the river soon.” Chu Yu pulled her by the collar from behind.

Mu Dingxiang felt somewhat helpless. To eat so much at someone’s house on the first visit and not even wash the dishes felt truly improper. But she couldn’t win against Chu Yu; this person was always exceptionally persistent, making even her thoughtfulness and kindness impossible to refuse.

The sky was dim. Chu Yu blew a sharp whistle with her hand to her mouth. From nowhere, a white horse came running, circling around the two of them.

Chu Yu flipped onto the horse and reached her hand out toward Mu Dingxiang. “Come up. I’ll drop you off by the crossroads so they won’t see you.”

Mu Dingxiang stared at the slender, powerful hand before her, then looked up at the woman. The sky was too dark to see the expression in her eyes. She placed her uninjured hand into Chu Yu’s.

A warm sensation spread from the point of contact. With a pull of strength from the arm, before she knew it, she was on the horse, her back pressed tightly against Chu Yu’s chest.

The soft firmness of the woman’s chest bumped against her spine as the horse began to run. Mu Dingxiang’s head suddenly began to buzz.

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