The Lucky Farm Girl

Chapter 8 - 8 A Well-Intentioned Lie_1

Chapter 8: Chapter 8 A Well-Intentioned Lie_1

Yang Chengbin, who had long been drooling with anticipation, ran to Old Master Yang and said, "Grandpa, at noon Jiujiu personally cooked the fish, and it smelled so delicious."

Madam Yang Zhou smiled and joined in, "Jiujiu and the others also caught a few wild hares and hare kits, saying we're going to cook the hares for dinner tonight and keep the kits to raise."

"Oh?" A flicker of surprise crossed Old Master Yang's eyes, "It seems we're in for a treat today."

Yang Chaowu and the others also agreed with gleeful laughter.

"Grandpa, Great-aunt, Second Uncle, Mom and Dad, all three brothers, you've come back just in time, dinner is ready, you can start eating after washing up," Yang Mengchen said, carrying a basin of warm water out from the kitchen.

Yang Chengrong hurriedly stepped forward to take the wooden basin, "Jiujiu, you've just recovered, let the brothers handle these tasks." Then he placed the basin on a stone stool in the courtyard and wrung out a cloth for Grandpa.

Yang Mengchen smiled, turned back to the kitchen, and brought out two large bowls filled with fish meat to deliver to the neighbors in the houses next door; she served another bowl for Great-uncle. Yang Chengyou and Yang Chengyu had also returned, helping carry the dishes into the main room, where the family split into two tables.

Yang Mengchen placed two large pieces of fish into the elders' bowls, "Grandpa and Grandma, taste and see how Jiujiu's cooking skills are."

"Very good, very good!" Even before tasting, Old Master Yang and Madam Yang Zhou were already smiling from ear to ear. The quality of the meal aside, just seeing their granddaughter's filial piety made them very happy. They both picked up a piece of fish for her as well, "Jiujiu, you eat more too."

After tasting a piece of fish, Yang Chaowu praised endlessly, "No matter how it was cooked before, the fish always had a trace of fishiness, but the fish Jiujiu has made is fragrant, smooth, fresh, and tender, with a clear broth and rich flavor. It's really delicious!"

"I've never had fish this delicious before," Yang Chaoyi said after tasting his daughter's cooking for the first time, feeling a delightful bubbling joy.

Wu Xuehua said with a beaming smile, "Our Jiujiu is clever and capable, of course, the food she makes is delicious."

The others nodded their heads in agreement.

Yang Mengchen smiled, "I'll cook for you every day from now on."

From her childhood until the moment of her death, she had always cooked for herself. Later, she even learned to make famous dishes from around the world from the chefs at her owned restaurants, and whenever she traveled somewhere new, she would also learn to cook the local specialty dishes. Once the family's circumstances improved, she would make them for her family, one by one.

"Cooking is fine, but don't wear yourself out, Grandma cares about you," Madam Yang Zhou cautioned.

Yang Mengchen felt infinitely touched, "Don't worry, Grandma, I won't tire myself out." She was willing to do anything for her beloved family.

"Jiujiu." Yang Mengchen wanted to say more when Madam Yang Zhou suddenly spoke up, "Chunling and her brother have good intentions, you should accept it."

Seeing the meaningful look in Madam Yang Zhou's eyes and the guilt-ridden insistence of Chunling and her brother, Yang Mengchen nodded.

Relieved to see Yang Mengchen accept, Yang Chunling let out a breath, "The fish at lunch was really delicious, how did you make it? Can you teach me?"

"I just added some seasonings." Yang Mengchen taught her the method.

The uninterested Yang Tiezhu, limping on his foot, went over to Yang Chengyou and the others, and upon seeing what they were arranging, he couldn't help but express doubt, "You didn't just gather these herbs from the mountains, did you? They can't be eaten."

"They're not just herbs, these are medicinal plants, and we..."

"We're doing this to save money." Interrupting Yang Chengbin promptly, Yang Mengchen explained, "Doctor Luo said I need to recuperate well due to my weak constitution, but as you know, purchasing medicine costs a lot of money. Seeing our family's difficulty, Doctor Luo taught us to forage for medicinal herbs from the mountain listed in prescriptions, and to buy what we can't find at an apothecary. This way, we can save quite a bit of money. However, we don't really understand much and are just trying to see how it goes."

The Yang family members nodded unanimously.

Not suspecting a thing, Yang Chunling and her brother said, "Indeed, that's a good way to save money. Doctor Luo is truly a good person." Then they even helped arrange the medicinal plants.

As soon as Yang Chunling and her brother left, Yang Chengbin couldn't help saying, "Jiujiu, why did you deceive them?"

"I didn't deceive them, this is just a white lie." Yang Mengchen said earnestly, "Firstly, we can't be sure if we can make money from these herbs. The apothecaries are strict when buying, and if we tell them we couldn't sell the herbs, what then? Secondly, the mountains have many wild beasts, what if they get into trouble? Thirdly, no matter how many herbs there are, there will come a day when they are all picked, then what?"

After pondering for a moment, Yang Chengyou spoke up, "Jiujiu is right, we need to think things through thoroughly in case our good intentions lead to disastrous results."

"Jiujiu, I'm sorry, I was wrong to blame you," Yang Chengbin apologized sincerely.

Yang Mengchen dismissively waved off the apology.

In the evening, Yang Mengchen prepared four stewed rabbits with radishes, egg pancakes, and stir-fried wild greens, providing the whole family with a full meal.

At the dinner table, Yang Mengchen asked her eldest brother to join them on the mountain the next day.

Old Master Yang agreed without a second thought, as they already knew Jiujiu was teaching medical knowledge to the brothers. Besides, there wasn't much work in the fields, so it wouldn't matter if Chengrong didn't go.