Chapter 527: Chapter 525 Benevolent Lies
After gobbling down five buns, Zhao i felt rejuvenated, perking up to introduce her husband to Jiang Feng and company, and likewise, to introduce her unremarkable husband to them.
Zhao i’s husband hailed from Jin Province, a bona fide northern man with a towering stature and a burly fra, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Jiang Zaidi without appearing the least bit inferior—a strong man who t her uncle’s standards of beauty.
The sturdy man was now stuffing the plastic bag that had contained the buns into his pocket, aiding his wife in the destruction of the evidence of her stealthy snacking.
Seeing her younger cousins eyeing her with curiosity, Zhao i heaved a sigh and began to recount her experiences over the past few days.
The issue wasn’t anything major, it was just that… the at prepared by Tian Lin was incredibly unpalatable.
The Zhao family, due to a perennial shortage of male labor, had never been wealthy. Because of their lack of resources, oil and fat were rare commodities on their dining table, and in Zhao i’s childhood, it was a rare treat to see at dishes featured at their als.
This was precisely why braised at had beco an indispensable heavyweight dish at the Zhao family’s New Year’s feast. Not only was the braised at fatty, but even the red-braised pork was made with large chunks of fat. Stir-fried pork with chili was cooked with fatty Wuhua pork, and even in the winter lon soup, sliced pure fat was added.
In the Zhao family’s cookbook, fat was synonymous with flavor—a diocre culinary skill could be compensated with fat, and the opulence of a dish was demonstrated through its fat content.
In days of scant clothing and food, what could bring more happiness and satisfaction than a pure piece of fat and copious amounts of grease?
As a child, Zhao i loved eating fatty at.
Mainly because she couldn’t afford anything else, and also because at was only available during the holidays, Tian Lin’s braised at used to be Zhao i’s favorite.
The previously fat-loving Zhao i, in front of the Jiang family’s three plump mbers, would wolf down nearly half a bowl of pork with an equal fat-to-lean ratio, so heavily sauced that the flavor hadn’t penetrated the at. One bite and the greasy fat would explode in her mouth, clinging to her tongue and teeth for what seed like an eternity, after eating one piece, you definitely wouldn’t want a second. After finishing the red-braised pork, she would happily consu a full bowl of braised at; sotis, even one full bowl wasn’t enough, and she’d go for half a bowl more.
Late on, Zhao i went to study in the county’s high school, and her family’s finances improved slightly, beginning to fade from the confines of poverty. With so pocket money, she could eat in the school cafeteria and even enjoy snacks from the stalls outside the school.
Since then, Zhao i had beco unable to face the Zhao family’s specialty—the plain water braised at.
Years flew by, and the dazzling outside world had blinded her, the ever-changing array of fine foods had clogged her mouth; her tolerance for the family specialty dimd, causing her to react to the re sight of at with the sa dismay as the general populace—the Jiang family mbers.
The one glimr of hope was that the Zhao family’s plain water braised at was a holiday exclusive, limited to the period from the day before the Lunar New Year’s Eve to the Lantern Festival.
Zhao i just had to hold out for 10 more days to sail through unscathed.
As Zhao i was vividly describing to Jiang Feng and the others how she managed, in the past few days, to have her husband create diversions, openly repair the pathway while secretly moving goods, and smuggle in food from outside, as well as cook noodles in the middle of the night, the door suddenly opened.
Everyone jumped in fright.
“ii, if you can’t manage the braised at, you must drink this bowl of bird’s nest soup. I’ve added two chunks of rock sugar since you’ve been craving sothing sweet lately. Drink it while it’s hot,” Tian Lin entered with a bowl of rock sugar bird’s nest soup in hand.
Zhao i obediently finished the entire bowl of bird’s nest soup, which finally brought a smile to Tian Lin’s face.
Picking up an untouched piece of braised at, Tian Lin said to Jiang Zaidi, “De, I heard from your grandma that you guys left early this morning and didn’t have breakfast, let get you so braised at.”
“Mom, it’s too early for such a hefty serving of at, I’m afraid they won’t be able to stomach it. Feng brought so sweet dumplings, why don’t you cook those instead. Do you guys want sweet dumplings or braised at?” Zhao i asked.
“Sweet dumplings!” All present chid in unanimously, their eyes resolute.
“Alright, I’ll go and cook the sweet dumplings for you. The dumplings are in…”
“Here, I just made them fresh yesterday. Aunt, you should eat these fresh dumplings quickly before they go bad, eat less of the braised at over the next few days, and have more dumplings,” Jiang Feng hastily handed the dumplings to Tian Lin.
“Okay.” Tian Lin accepted the dumplings and happily went to the kitchen to cook them.
The people who narrowly escaped the ordeal couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.
“ii, just tell Aunt the truth,” Jiang Shoucheng, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. “Aunt called Grandma the day before yesterday and ntioned that you’ve lost quite a bit of weight recently. You’re about to give birth next month, and sudden weight loss during pregnancy is a big taboo. It’s not for any other reason; you can’t be skipping als just to avoid eating braised at.”
After Jiang Shoucheng said this, everyone found it very reasonable and nodded in agreent.
Standing in the crowd like a backdrop, Zhao i’s husband exclaid in shock: “What?! ii, you’ve lost weight recently? Why didn’t you tell !”
With an expression of speechlessness, Zhao i glanced at her husband: “Didn’t you see I gained three pounds when I weighed myself last night?”
Her words were filled with anger, clearly displaying her frustration with her constantly increasing weight.
Jiang Shoucheng: ???
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Zhao i put on a serene smile and said to Jiang Shoucheng, “Shoucheng, don’t worry. I haven’t lost weight recently, and while I might not eat at regular al tis, it doesn’t an I’m not eating. My parents have been accustod to having at for so many years, even if I tell them, they will still make it. It’s just been like this for a few days. Telling them the truth would just upset my mom, and it’s not necessary since I won’t starve myself.”
It’s always hard to predict a pregnant woman’s mood, which can change in an instant. One mont Zhao i was calmly explaining her recent eating habits to Jiang Shoucheng, and the next, her face twisted with anger as she said to her husband:
“I told you last night to just boil a bowl of noodles with a couple of eggs, and you made such a huge bowl. Is that a bowl? That’s a basin! I’ve already been feeling uncomfortable because of the pregnancy, feeling like my stomach is being pushed. And last night, that huge basin of noodles made feel like they’re stuck in my throat. I was so uncomfortable all night, I hardly slept at all.”
“I’m sorry, my wife.” Zhao i’s husband knew that during such a special ti, it didn’t matter who was right or wrong; apologizing was the correct thing to do.
“ii, can you really get enough nutrition just from noodles?” asked Jiang Feng.
“Yes, I get enough. I only eat noodles at night. Although I don’t eat als at altis during the day, I’m actually eating all the ti. Ever since I got pregnant, I can’t keep my mouth still. Plus, my mom thinks I haven’t been eating much lately and is afraid I’m not getting enough nutrition, so she makes drink a bowl of bird’s nest every morning just like she did earlier. I think those three pounds ca from drinking bird’s nest,” Zhao i explained, her tone once again even.
“Feng, I heard that your family opened a store in Beiping,” Zhao i said with a smile.
Jiang Feng nodded: “Yes, Grandpa and Grandma moved to Beiping too, and De has gone to work in Beiping.”
“That’s great. You and your brothers have always liked sticking together since you were kids. I’m carrying twins, and I hope they can work in the sa city when they grow up,” Zhao i said, her face glowing with maternal warmth.
Jiang Feng was about to continue with the family chat when a ga notification sounded in his mind.
“Ding, an optional side quest has been discovered. Please choose at your discretion.”
The words Jiang Feng was about to say turned into: “ii, I need to use the bathroom. Where was it again?”
Zhao i straightened up with so difficulty and shuffled a bit, then pointed to the right: “Just two steps to the right.”
“Thanks, ii,” said Jiang Feng as he got up and quickly walked outside.
Jiang Shoucheng and Jiang Zaidi exchanged a knowing look, more resolved than ever to take Jiang Feng for a full physical check-up after the new year.
Unaware of Jiang Shoucheng and Jiang Zaidi’s plans, Jiang Feng found the bathroom without issue, went inside, closed the door, and opened his attribute panel.
As Jiang Feng had suspected, the side quest was related to Zhao i.
Jiang Feng decisively clicked yes to accept the side quest.
[The Well-Intentioned Lie] Zhao i, after being exposed to various cuisines for many years, could no longer stomach the braised at her mother cooked. To avoid disappointing her mother’s good intentions, she has maintained the well-intentioned lie that she still likes eating braised at. Now that Zhao i is 36 weeks pregnant, to ensure both her health and that of the twins in her womb, the player must maintain this well-intentioned lie while ensuring her daily diet brings joy to body and mind.
Quest Tip: It’s better to teach soone to fish than to give them fish.
Quest Reward: [A mory Fragnt of Tian Lin]
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