Chapter 74: Do You Think Mom and Dad Might Not Like Me?

As the white mist in front of him finally cleared, Wang Maquan didn’t even bother with the pain wracking his body, nor did he argue with the guards about whether or not they should still go to the Bai Family.

He just ran.

No kidding—if he didn’t run now, was he planning to stick around and get beaten up by some weird ghost?

The guards, who had been dead set on completing their mission just moments ago, hesitated for a second, then also took off after Wang Maquan.

Hidden in the shadows, Bai Yunqi watched them disappear into the distance before finally standing up, satisfied. He hummed an off-key tune as he strolled back home.

The jade pendant and gold in his hand were quickly stashed away. After last time’s experience with Marrow Cleansing and Meridian Washing, he definitely wasn’t going to do it out in the open again.

No way he was letting the whole village gossip that Bai Yunqi had fallen into the cesspit again.

Just thinking about getting to do Marrow Cleansing and Meridian Washing again today made Bai Yunqi giddy with excitement.

He turned to glance in the direction of town.

See? He knew it. The town always had more opportunities.

Still humming, arms swinging, Bai Yunqi skipped and jogged his way home.

Then, at a corner, he ran into Bai Yun’an, who was also hurrying back.

The two brothers locked eyes.

Bai Yunqi: Well, would you look at that! What a nice surprise!

Bai Yun’an: I’ve already packed the wild vegetables into the basket. Shouldn’t raise any suspicion.

“Come on, come on! Let’s hurry back to Dachui’s place for dinner!” Bai Yunqi called out cheerfully to his third brother.

He also snuck a glance at the bamboo basket on his brother’s back. “Whoa, that’s a lot of wild greens! Not bad, you’ve been busy!”

Bai Yun’an wore a gentle smile on his face, but inwardly he was grumbling: 【What’s wrong with this big brother? What’s he so happy about?】

Bai Yunqi: 【I just got rid of a huge problem for the family and scored some gold and a jade pendant. Tsk, I’m amazing!】

The two of them headed toward Dachui’s place together.

Before they even reached the door, they spotted a small figure standing at the entrance of the Wang family’s courtyard.

“Big brothers!”

Juanjuan waved at them and ran over.

Bai Yunqi was in a great mood. He bent down slightly and reached out to rub Little Juanjuan’s face.

“Waiting here for your big brothers, huh? Have you eaten yet?”

Lately, their little sister hadn’t been working as much, and the family had been eating better too. Her face wasn’t so scrawny anymore—she was starting to get a bit of baby fat.

That’s good!

Juanjuan nodded, then shook her head. “Not yet. Dachui-ge got beaten up again, so I came out to wait for you.”

It felt a little cruel to stand in the yard and watch Dachui-ge get hit.

She didn’t dare to help, but standing there watching made him feel embarrassed, so she came out to wait for her brothers instead.

Bai Yunqi let out a sigh that sounded sympathetic but was actually tinged with a bit of schadenfreude.

“Where’s your second brother? What’s he doing at Dachui’s place by himself?”

Juanjuan replied, “Second Brother… he’s learning to cook with Grandma Wang.”

Bai Yun’an immediately latched onto the key point. “Second Brother’s learning to cook?”

Juanjuan said, “Grandma Wang told him to learn, and Second Brother wanted to. He said I should wait until I grow taller before I start cooking for the family.”

Bai Yunqi, ever the carefree one, just said, “That’s great! Saves you from having to cook. You always have to stand on a stool—I’m always afraid you’ll fall into the pot!”

If he hadn’t been so clueless about cooking before—couldn’t even tell grains apart—and if the original host’s memories didn’t include any cooking skills either, he would’ve stepped in already.

But the family was still poor, and he didn’t want to waste food while practicing. Still, he really did need to start learning.

【You can’t rely on anyone but yourself. What if one day I’m out on my own and there’s no one to cook for me? I’d have to suffer through hunger all by myself.】

Bai Yun’an, on the other hand, felt a little disappointed.

【Second Brother’s learning to cook? Tsk… there goes another chance to praise Juanjuan and earn some goodwill!】

Juanjuan glanced at her two brothers, then lowered her head, a flicker of confusion and nervousness in her eyes.

After growing up in such a harsh family environment, she’d come to believe that her role was to help with the household chores.

Now, her parents and brothers all seemed so capable—and they treated her way better than the parents she used to have.

Juanjuan was scared, yet she still wanted to get closer. She didn’t know how to say sweet things, so she could only use the way her parents used to like, hoping to win their affection.

It hadn’t been easy, but now that neither of them could cook, and only she could make decent meals, it felt like this was the only value she had in the family.

She could trade her cooking for praise, for their love.

But now, Second Brother wanted to learn how to cook too, and even Eldest Brother said he wanted to try making meals himself.

She felt a twinge of fear—if she became useless, would her parents and brothers stop liking her?

It was because she cared, that she was so anxious and afraid of losing it all.

“Juanjuan! Come on, time to eat!”

Just moments ago, Wang Dachui had been howling from a beating, but now he came running out cheerfully, grabbing Juanjuan by the wrist.

He took off toward the house, dragging her along.

Lunch was coarse wheat buns, pickled white radish strips, and stir-fried wild greens with meat.

Granny Wang picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Juanjuan’s bowl.

“Juanjuan, eat more. From now on, let your Second Brother help you with the cooking. You’re still young—eat well, grow tall, and cook later.”

Granny Wang had a kind heart. She had never liked the way Bai Tian and his wife acted, and she’d always felt sorry for the Bai children, especially Juanjuan.

This girl had helped them rescue Dachui when he was nearly kidnapped before the New Year. And whenever she foraged for wild vegetables, she’d secretly send some back with Dachui.

Granny Wang no longer had to wrestle with how to care for Juanjuan while dealing with her awful family.

Now that Bai Tian and his wife had started acting like proper people, she didn’t have to worry so much about Juanjuan anymore.

“Ma…” Dachui’s mother frowned at the meat being given to Juanjuan.

But Granny Wang said firmly, “That meat came from the Bai Family.”

Dachui chimed in, exposing his mother without hesitation: “Ma, didn’t you just say Juanjuan’s too skinny and should eat more meat?”

Dachui’s mother didn’t dare argue with her mother-in-law, but she still reached out and gave Dachui a light smack. “Shut up and eat!”

Dachui: “Okay.”

Bai Yunxing looked at his little sister, who was quietly eating with her head down. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Does it taste good? I made that dish.”

Juanjuan paused mid-chew, then swallowed and looked up at her second brother.

Seeing the hopeful look on his face, she nodded. “It’s good.”

“Great. From now on, I’ll cook. You’re still a kid—no need for you to cook anymore.”

Juanjuan wanted to say something, but in the end, she just nodded.

After the meal, the three Bai brothers habitually went to help Granny Wang wash the dishes.

They couldn’t help it—they’d gotten used to it over the past few days at home.

Dachui quietly scooted over to Juanjuan’s side.

“Hey, you’re upset, aren’t you?”

He tilted his head, looking up at her from below, blinking exaggeratedly to show his concern.

It was a bit over-the-top, but it worked.

Juanjuan stayed silent for a moment, then nodded. “A little.”

“What happened? Who bullied you? I’ll go beat them up with your brothers!”

Lately, Juanjuan’s three brothers had been doing pretty well—they were finally reliable!

So Wang Dachui would generously include them in the fight, just this once!

There were things Juanjuan couldn’t say to her parents or brothers, but with her good friend Dachui, she could.

She asked, “Do you think… if I stop cooking, will my parents stop liking me?”