Chapter 160 - Deliberately Making Things Difficul (1/2)

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Under his adoptive daughter’s admiring gaze, Fang Zizhen said in a somewhat smug manner, “I got back last night. It was too late, so I rested in town. I went to the docks this morning and got hungry from smelling your family’s braised food. After I hastily listened to the reports, I hurriedly rushed over. During the past few days when I was at the capital, I really missed my daughter’s cooking!”

Yu Xiaocao feigned a troubled expression and sighed, “Godfather, I didn’t know that you were going to come back early, so I didn’t prepare enough ingredients. What should I do?”

Fang Zizhen couldn’t stand seeing his goddaughter being unhappy, so he quickly said, “Good daughter, Godfather loves to eat anything that you make! Like lettuce with oyster sauce ah, braised eggplants ah, stir-fried eggs and tomatoes ah… Just casually pick some vegetables from the fields, and my daughter can make the most delicious dishes.”

Yu Hai’s heart felt slightly sour as he looked at their benevolent father and filial daughter appearance, as if his most beloved treasure had been robbed from him. Actually, it was also pretty good that Brother Fang became his daughter’s godfather. There would be another person to dote on her and protect her. Ay… It seemed like his daughter had rarely enjoyed a day of happiness with him. He was really useless; he couldn’t even protect his own daughter!

Xiaocao seemed to have sensed her father’s depressed mood. She turned around, smiled brightly at him, and said, “Father, why did you come back so late today? Did the braised food not sell well today?”

Yu Hai hastily sorted out his emotions and smiled at his daughter, “The braised food sold out very quickly. Didn’t I just happened to meet Brother Fang at the docks? Considering that there was nothing good to eat at home, I went to the market to buy a few catties of pork belly, as well as your favorite spare ribs.”

During this era, people usually chose the area with more fat when buying pork. Spare ribs were mostly bone and didn’t have much meat. If it weren’t for Yu Xiaocao, who liked spare ribs, Yu Hai wouldn’t have bought them. Fortunately, spare ribs weren’t expensive. With the money for one catty of meat, he could get more than two catties of spare ribs!

“There’s spare ribs ah! That’s great, we can have spoon worms and spare ribs soup for lunch! The delicious soup will definitely make you guys want second servings!” Yu Xiaocao pretended to be very happy in order to lift her father’s dejected mood.

Yu Hai’s expression slightly relaxed and he asked in a soft voice, “Spoon worms? Oh right, you guys went to dig spoon worms today. How was it? Xiaocao has never dug for spoon worms before. It wasn’t easy, right?”

Xiaolian, who was next to him, laughed, “Father, you’re looking down on Younger Sister. She dug out more than me. We dug out the most in the entire village and got over two taels from selling them! We earned more than you, who had been working all morning at the docks!”

Yu Hai looked at his pair of daughters approvingly and said with a smile, “My daughters are really capable!”

“That’s right! Just look at whose daughter I am!!” Yu Xiaocao raised her head with her nose pointed towards that sky as if unbeatable.

Fang Zizhen guffawed and said, “Yes, that’s right! You’re definitely worthy of being Fang Zizhen’s daughter! You take after me!”

Yu Xiaocao deliberately feigned a look of disdain. She looked at his beard filled face and said with a scrunched-up face, “Godfather, why do I have this feeling that you’re not praising me? If I take after you, will I still be presentable?” As she spoke, she touched her own face with a worried expression.

Her funny expression and humorous words amused everyone. Fang Zizhen laughed the loudest and refused to concede, “Daughter! Do you know why your godfather, I, grew out a beard? When I was young, I was also a very handsome and good-looking man, and had the nickname ‘Jade Face Young General’ on the battlefield. I felt that it was too feminine, and my face didn’t look intimidating enough, so I grew out a beard. Once your godfather, I, shave my beard, I definitely won’t look inferior to that of your Uncle Zhao!”

“I don’t believe you! You’re just saying it and there’s no proof. You can only prove it by shaving off your beard!” Yu Xiaocao’s disbelieving expression of ‘you’re bluffing’ caused Fang Zizhen to nearly have the urge to shave his beard on the spot!

They laughed and chatted all the way back to the Yu Residence. Yu Hang, who had just finished watering the melon fields, put down the carrying pole in his hands and heard the sound of laughter coming from behind him. He said with a gentle smile, “Uncle Fang is back ah! Quickly come sit and have a drink.”

Xiaocao carried the basket of sandworms to the well in the backyard and prepared to make lunch after cleaning them. Madam Liu, who was washing clothes beside the well, saw the fat and fleshy worms inside the basket, and the fine hair on her body nearly stood up. She chided in a low voice, “What did you dig these worms for? It looks so creepy!”

Xiaocao stirred the basket of squirming sandworms, like it was a treasure, and excitedly said, “Mother, these sandworms might look disgusting, but they’re very tasty. In addition to cooking, it can also be dried and grinded into powder, which can enhance the taste of food! I’ll go find some bamboo sticks and teach you how to clean the sandworms!”

Yu Xiaocao ran back into the front yard and asked her father to cut a few bamboo sticks that were half the thickness of chopsticks. Then she pulled Xiaolian and ran back to the rear yard. Yu Hai cried behind her, “Do you want me to help?”

“No need! You should go and drink tea with Godfather!” Yu Xiaoao’s crisp voice could be heard from the backyard.