Chapter 9: Milky White Crucian Carp Soup

Lin Muyu’s body froze instantly.

Xie Zhao was also stunned for a moment.

It was an instinctive reaction, but he hadn’t expected to actually touch her.

In truth, she was only seventeen. In this dog-eat-dog era, she had already given birth to his children.

A faint blush crept across her face, and her normally calm eyes looked as if a small pebble had been tossed into them, sending ripples of warmth shimmering across the surface.

“Ahem!”

Xie Zhao snapped out of it and quickly pulled his hand back, though a lingering sensation of soft, delicate skin remained on his fingertips, making his expression a bit unnatural.

For a while, neither of them spoke. About ten minutes later, Tian Xiufen returned, breaking the slightly subtle atmosphere.

“Here, eat some noodles.”

Tian Xiufen held two enamel mugs^[1] and shoved them into Xie Zhao and Lin Muyu’s hands.

They were steaming hot and fragrant. Xie Zhao looked inside and saw two fried eggs, a milky-white broth, and a large bowl of white noodles.

Lin Muyu’s bowl had more eggs and broth.

Xie Zhao paused and turned to Tian Xiufen. “Mom, where’s yours?”

Tian Xiufen smiled, having already pulled two steamed buns from a nearby enamel mug. “I’ll just eat these to fill my stomach. I’m not working in the fields today anyway, so I’m not really hungry.”

Xie Zhao’s brow furrowed.

Without a word, he reached over, took the enamel mug with the buns, and tipped out the two remaining buns. Then, using his chopsticks, he transferred half of his noodles and eggs into it.

Tian Xiufen was taken aback, immediately realizing what he was doing.

“Mom is really not hungry! Eat it yourself! You walked all this way, so eat something hot to warm your body. I don’t need…”

“If you don’t eat and someone sees, what are they going to say about me?”

Xie Zhao sighed helplessly. “My own mother is gnawing on cold buns while her son and daughter-in-law eat hot noodles with eggs. If word gets out, how am I supposed to face anyone?”

Tian Xiufen was left speechless.

“I’m still young, so it doesn’t matter what I eat. But you’re getting older, so you shouldn’t skimp on your meals.”

Xie Zhao finished dividing the noodles and handed them to her with a smile.

“Mom, let’s eat together.”

The young man’s eyes shone brightly.

How could Tian Xiufen not see his filial devotion?

Her heart felt like it was stuffed with a sour grape, tart and swelling, making her want to cry.

Tian Xiufen’s feelings toward her second son were complicated.

In truth, the bond of blood was not just an empty phrase.

During the years when Xie Qiming, or rather Chen Qiming as he was called now, was at home, they had poured their hearts into raising him. Yet for some reason, there was always a barrier between them, and they could never truly grow close.

Even so, they had still done their utmost to support Chen Qiming through school, all the way until he finished high school.

But when Xie Zhao appeared, and she saw that face which looked seventy to eighty percent like her own, a strange, powerful surge of familial love had suddenly welled up in her blood.

Feeling that she had wronged him, she tried to treat him well in every way.

However, Xie Zhao had never accepted it.

Sometimes, Tian Xiufen would wonder if she had done something wrong.

But now, looking at this bowl of steaming hot noodles, the bitterness in her heart finally melted away.

He had finally grown sensible!

Her second boy!

Tian Xiufen finally stopped refusing. She took the noodles and began to eat in large mouthfuls, finding them hot, fragrant, and delicious.

After finishing the noodles, Tian Xiufen went to wash the dishes. When she returned, she saw Xie Zhao carrying out the bucket of fish.

Only then did she notice them.

“So many fish?”

Tian Xiufen asked in surprise.

Xie Zhao nodded and pointed into the bucket. “I’m going to make some crucian carp soup for Muyu in a bit. Crucian carp soup^[2] helps with lactation and is good for recovery. I caught these in the river myself, they’re very nourishing!”

Caught in the river?

Tian Xiufen’s eyes widened in shock.

“In this freezing weather, you went into the river? Have you lost your mind?”

She stood up anxiously, quickly pulling Xie Zhao close to inspect him from head to toe.

In this day and age, there was no advanced technology, and fish farming was rare. Consequently, fish were a luxury in the winter. They tended to hide away to hibernate, and with the heavy snow around the New Year, the river water was bone-chillingly cold.

He had actually gone into the river?!

Lin Muyu also looked up with a complicated expression, staring at Xie Zhao.

Her lips were pressed tight. Although her face remained calm, a storm was already raging in her heart!

He went into the river?

To catch fish?

Just to make her a bowl of crucian carp soup?

At this moment, Lin Muyu felt a pang of regret.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have pulled away earlier, preventing him from taking his hand back…

Xie Zhao didn’t notice Lin Muyu’s gaze. He smiled at Tian Xiufen, reached into the bucket to scoop out two fish, and tossed them into a basin.

“Mom, people in the city even go winter swimming in the rivers just to build up their health. I’m young and strong, what could happen to me? Don’t worry. Look, aren’t I perfectly fine?”

Xie Zhao stood there openly, letting Tian Xiufen look him over.

He picked up a pair of shears, took the basin, waved to her, and headed out.

“I’ll go cook it. You two get some rest.”

With that, he walked out of the ward.

Not long after Xie Zhao left, the pregnant woman from the neighboring bed returned after giving birth.

“Congratulations! It’s a girl!”

The young nurse said with a smile.

However, the new mother and her mother immediately looked crestfallen.

Just a money-losing liability^[3].

What was there to be happy about?

…

In the courtyard outside the hospital.

This was a place for patients to walk and recuperate.

Many family members had also brought pots and pans to cook over open fires here. Since it was currently mealtime, by the time Xie Zhao squatted down to start his fire, there were already quite a few people in the nearby pavilion.

At a glance, most of them were using clay stoves with small pots bubbling away with hot food.

Once Xie Zhao got the fire going, he poured a little peanut oil into the pot.

Once the oil was hot, he threw in two slices of ginger. The hot oil instantly released a fragrant aroma.

The two palm-sized crucian carp had already been cleaned. Seeing that the oil was hot enough, he slid the fish in.

“Sizzle!”

The fish skin curled the moment it hit the hot oil.

The instant reaction between protein and oil released a uniquely tempting aroma.

In these times of scarcity, the scent drew many involuntary glances.

Xie Zhao waited patiently. Once the fish skin turned golden and the aroma grew richer, he flipped it over. Finally, he poured in a large ladle of hot water, and the milky-white broth instantly bubbled to a boil.

Mmm!

So fragrant!

An older woman squatting nearby to cook finally couldn’t help but peek over.

“Oh! Crucian carp soup! That’s highly nourishing stuff!”

She smacked her lips and glanced back at the chicken in her own pot, suddenly feeling like it didn’t smell quite as good anymore.

During the New Year, chicken, duck, and pork were common. Families raised them, and slaughtering them meant meat on the table.

But crucian carp? The river was so freezing, how could anyone catch them?

Xie Zhao nodded and smiled as he lifted the lid.

“That’s right. Whether you’re recovering from surgery or giving birth, crucian carp soup is the absolute best. It nourishes the body, it’s hot, fragrant, and top-tier!”