Chapter 10 - Hidden Plan (1/2)

Yu Xiaocao was infuriated, “Eldest Aunt, who are you accusing of pretending to be sick? Didn’t you see my mother fainting yesterday? You’re such a healthy person, yet you’re ordering a sick person to work. Moreover, you still think you’re in the right. If you want to know whether my mother was faking her illness, then just invite Grandpa You over!”

Madam Zhang, who was inside her room, finally couldn’t sit still anymore when she heard Xiaocao’s words, “Li Guihua, you lazy woman! You disappeared once it was time to cook and finally came back now! Why are you still chitchatting? Hurry up and go help in the kitchen!”

We’ll have to spend money if we call for a doctor!

Madam Zhang walked to the entrance of the kitchen and jeered at Liu Muyun, who was working busily, “You should hurry up and go back to your room to rest. Your daughter’s heart was aching for you.”

“Are there any daughters who doesn’t love their mothers? Mother, you sit down. I’ll help you bring the dishes over!” Yu Caodie came out of her room. She and the third son, Yu Bo, were the only ones within the family who could calm the old lady down.

Madam Zhang turned her head and saw the seafood that Yu Hai and his children were holding. Her gloomy expression turned bright and she immediately smiled, “Give me the barrel! The seafood looks quite fresh. We can keep them overnight and let your eldest brother sell them to a restaurant in town tomorrow morning.”

“Grandmother, let’s keep some oysters and steam some to eat ourselves! I want know what it tastes like.” Yu Xiaocao deliberately suggested.

Madam Zhang’s expression instantly turned grim. She angrily said, “There are plenty of things that you haven’t eaten before! If we sell them in town, one catty of oysters can be worth several copper coins. Won’t you feel vexed for eating them?!”

If Yu Hai wasn’t standing beside them, Madam Zhang would had made even harsher comments. She called for her daughter and didn’t even spare the children’s buckets. She wanted to take everything back to her room. As long as it was something that could be exchanged for money, she must grasp it within her own hands by all means.

She turned around and looked at the basket within Yu Xiaocao’s hands. She signaled with her lips and said, “Bring the basket you’re holding into my room, too.”

Xiaocao pouted and replied resentfully, “Grandmother, you already took all the seafood. There are only kelp and sea lettuce in my basket, which aren’t worth much money. We should just keep them and make cold dishes for grandfather to accompany his drinks in the evening.”

Madam Zhang stretched out her head to take a look. When she saw that it was only glossy and green kelp, she spoke as if she was showing mercy, “Just this once! In the future, I have the final say in everything within the family. You’re not allowed to act on your own!”

Yu Xiaocao agreed. She waited for Madam Zhang to enter the main room before winking at Xiaolian and taking the small basket into the west room.

Yu Xiaolian understood her meaning and got a worn-out earthenware jar from the corner of the kitchen. She filled it with some water and quietly followed her younger sister into the room.

It was impossible to sell them today, so the sisters carefully placed the abalones inside the ceramic jar and hid them under the kelp. Yu Xiaocao was still worried, so she added some mystic-stone water inside and hid the jar in a concealed place in the corner of the kang bed. After that, she came out of the room again with the rest of the kelp.

Yu Hai followed them inside and saw the sisters’ actions. Xiaolian had always been a hot-tempered person. When she was angry, she had even dared to argue with Madam Zhang. Thus, she was frequently scolded and disciplined for her actions. Xiaocao’s personality was also rather fierce now. However, she had more tricks up her sleeve and was also courageous. She decisively hid the expensive abalones.

In the kitchen, Madam Liu was almost done preparing dinner. Yu Xiaocao went in and swiftly made shredded kelp with crushed garlic [1] and sea lettuce soup [2]. Hence, dinner was much more lavish than in the past.

During the meal, the men and women in the Yu Family sat separately. On the women’s side, each person had a dark-looking piece of pancake that was about the size of a palm. There were also poached vegetables that were seasoned with a small amount of salt and a bowl of bean paste soup.

The staple food for the men was an unlimited amount of triple-flour steamed buns [3], which were made with a mixture of wheat flour, millet flour, and potato flour. Their meal also consisted of vegetables that were cooked with lard, and they drank the same soup as the womenfolk. However, this had nothing to do with the idea of men being superior over women. It was just that the men did hard labor that required a lot of energy and strength, so they needed to eat a nice and filling meal.