Chapter 5

    Seeing that she had gathered enough ingredients for a meal, Zhao Ying returned to the kitchen to start cooking. As she approached, she noticed Madam Zhang already awake, standing by the stove with a furrowed brow, looking at the pot of rice porridge.

    Uh-oh! Zhao Ying thought. Her mother-in-law was likely upset about the last of the rice being used.

    Zhao Ying knew that her mother-in-law had spent all their money on medicine for her father-in-law, leaving nothing for buying more rice. She quickly stepped forward, showing Madam Zhang the shrimp and greens she had gathered.

    “Mother, I saw that we didn’t have much rice left, so I used it all. I’ll go to the market later today to buy more rice,” she explained.

    Madam Zhang’s brow remained knitted, her expression hesitant and slightly bewildered. Zhao Ying guessed that she might have startled her mother-in-law and added reassuringly, “I’ll cook today. After we eat, I’ll take the ox cart into town to buy more supplies. Is there anything you’d like me to pick up for you?”

    “We have no money left, so we can’t really buy anything,” Madam Zhang sighed. “As for the rice, it’s already cooked, so let it be. I’ll borrow some from Aunt Wang for now.”

    At that, she let out a weary sigh.

    “Mother, I have some money. We’re family—please don’t refuse me,” Zhao Ying urged gently.

    After a moment’s thought, Madam Zhang realized Zhao Ying was right; knowing Zhao Yingying, she’d surely saved up some money. Still suspicious, she asked, “Alright, but... Ah Ying, do you even know how to cook? Set that shrimp down; I’ll do it myself.”

    With rice and money in short supply, Madam Zhang reluctantly decided to trust Zhao Ying this once. For the first time, she addressed Zhao Ying by name. Zhao Ying was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered, laughing awkwardly. Of course, she thought. The old Zhao Yingying had never done a thing around here. No wonder Mother-in-law is skeptical.

    “Yes, Mother. I used to help my mother cook all the time. You go take care of Father—I already prepared his medicine,” Zhao Ying replied, pointing to the pot of herbal remedy she’d set up. She had added antibiotics and anti-inflammatory ingredients, along with several of her own medicinal herbs, to help heal Father Lu’s injured leg.

    Madam Zhang nodded, carefully ladling out some of the dark liquid from the pot.

    Zhao Ying decided to make a simple shrimp porridge. She cleaned the large river shrimp, removed all the meat, and chopped it coarsely so it would retain its texture. She didn’t discard the shells and heads, knowing they’d add a rich aroma. She briefly sautéed them in a pan, then added a cup of water and a pinch of salt, simmering it for half an incense stick’s time.

    After straining out the shells, she had a fragrant shrimp stock. She wished she had pepper and other spices; she would have to buy those as soon as possible.

    Since she couldn’t simply pull spices from her mystical dimension without raising suspicion, Zhao Ying resolved to scout the market in the township today to gather supplies and check prices.

    Recalling the original owner’s memories, Zhao Ying remembered that she’d once lived in town. However, beyond that, her memories were dominated by laziness, a sharp tongue, and a tendency to boss others around.

    'Zhao Yingying, Zhao Yingying! How unlucky I must be to end up in such a troublesome body!'

    One memory that surfaced disturbed her deeply: Zhao Yingying had once considered killing her own son, all to have Lu Wenyao’s attention to herself, jealous that her husband adored their child while despising her. Even a tiger doesn’t harm its own cubs, yet this woman… words fail me.

    Shaking off thoughts of Zhao Yingying, Zhao Ying refocused on her cooking. She’d kept the dish simple, seasoning it only with salt. Once the shrimp stock was ready, she added the shrimp meat to cook it through before pouring it into the rice pot. Stirring it all together, she simmered the mixture for another incense stick’s time until the porridge was thick and fragrant.

    “Mother, I went to your room to find you, but you weren’t there. Grandma said you were making breakfast—I’ve wanted to eat something you made for so long!”

    Xiao Bao came running in, eyes shining with excitement. Zhao Ying caught him before he could stumble, playfully pinching his little cheek.

    “Be careful, okay? The kitchen is full of firewood and hot stoves,” she reminded him.

    “Yes, Mother,” Xiao Bao nodded obediently.

    “Go ahead and call your grandparents for breakfast.”

    “Yes!” he replied, then ran back outside, not forgetting to grab a small rice bowl to set on the table—a clear sign he was used to helping around the house. Country children grow up so fast.

    Zhao Ying brought the rice pot to the wobbly table in the main hall, just as Madam Zhang was helping Father Lu walk over. He looked even paler than yesterday, with his leg appearing even more swollen. While the medicine she’d added to his remedy that morning was effective, it wasn’t potent enough. His condition needed modern interventions like IV antibiotics and debridement, otherwise, his leg might soon become septic.

    Zhao Ying frowned with worry. He urgently needed proper wound care, so she’d use the trip to town as a pretext to gather supplies for treating his leg. All right, that’s the plan.

    “Father, Mother, please have some breakfast,” she said, inviting them to the table.

    Everyone began eating, with Xiao Bao eagerly taking the first bite as usual.

    “It’s delicious! Really, really delicious, Mother!”

    His small voice and enthusiasm lightened the mood for everyone.

    “Good, eat a lot, Xiao Bao. I’ll get something extra tasty for you later,” Zhao Ying replied, patting his back.

    She then turned to her in-laws, who were quietly watching Xiao Bao. “Father, I’d like to repair the house.”

    Father Lu nodded, “I’ve been thinking the same. Initially, I planned to gather wood from the mountain myself to fix the walls and to thatch the roof with straw. But with my leg like this…” He trailed off with a sigh.

    Father Lu’s sigh pained Zhao Ying deeply. If it hadn’t been for Zhao Yingying’s tantrum over some missing food she’d hidden, forcing him to rush down the mountain, he wouldn’t have fallen and injured himself like this. Zhao Ying lowered her head in shame. Though she hadn’t caused the injury, she now lived in the body of the person responsible. Despite having been an assassin and a spy, she still had a conscience.

    “Father, if we were to hire a carpenter or local villagers to help with repairs and buy tiles for the roof, how much do you think it would cost?”

    “To fix the walls, windows, and roof, it’d cost at least ten to twenty taels of silver. This house has been left in disrepair for too long,” Father Lu replied with a somber expression. They didn’t even have a single copper coin to their name right now.

    Zhao Ying took out all the money Zhao Yingying had hidden away, laying it out for everyone to see—a bit over forty taels of silver, a considerable amount for a poor family like theirs.

    Why did Zhao Yingying have so much? It was because her mother had adored her and, despite everyone’s objections, had indulged her wish to marry Lu Wenyao, the poor scholar she’d fallen hopelessly in love with. Fearing her daughter would suffer from poverty, her mother had regularly sent her money, along with a dowry of jewelry and clothes still stored in a wooden chest. But just over a month ago, Zhao Yingying’s mother had passed away from a long illness, leaving this as her last gift.

    “This is all the money I have. Please take it and use it as you see fit,” Zhao Ying said, pushing the silver toward her in-laws.

    Father Lu opened his mouth to refuse, and both of them moved to push the money back, but Zhao Ying was insistent. She finally used Xiao Bao as her reason.

    “I’m doing this for Xiao Bao. I want him to have a better life. As his mother, it’s my duty to do whatever I can for him. Besides, how could my husband focus on his studies knowing we’re struggling like this? Wouldn’t he be discouraged?”

    Taking a deep breath, Zhao Ying added, “Money can be earned back, but if our health suffers, none of us will be able to earn anything. So please, I ask you to accept it.”

    Lu Santing and Madam Zhang exchanged glances and, seeing her sincerity, reluctantly accepted the money. They discussed the house repairs for a bit, with Zhao Ying leaving the planning to them.

    If she were to go around speaking to the villagers, it would only end in arguments; Zhao Yingying had made quite a few enemies in the village. Hmph... enemies everywhere, she thought wryly.