A Cannon Fodder Who Became The Future Queen - Chapter 11

Forcing herself to stop thinking about Shen Zhiyu, Ji Ping’an turned her attention to what else they needed around the courtyard.

Yesterday, she had been thrilled to sell the venomous snake for a tael of silver. For a family in the county, that was a significant sum. But now, she felt the money wasn’t enough. She needed to earn more.

Not only did all three of them need new clothes, but the kitchenware they had was chipped and worn, so easy to cut a lip on. They needed to be replaced as soon as possible. The cooking salt was also almost gone, with barely enough for two or three more days. Salt was a precious commodity; a small jar could cost over a hundred coppers, making it more expensive than meat.

And with the weather getting warmer, they would need to bathe more often. She also wanted to find a carpenter to build a proper tub for easier washing. The courtyard fence, at least, wouldn’t cost money. She could just go cut some wood from behind the house and fix the broken parts herself.

Calculating everything, she realized she needed a lot more money.

Ji Ping’an mentally listed the most urgent items, then went to Yun Niang’s to borrow the woodcutting axe. Unlike when she had borrowed a knife, Yun Niang didn’t hesitate this time.

But as she handed over the axe, she asked, “Ah Jiu… she’s okay, isn’t she?”

Yun Niang usually went to her fields before breakfast, so she hadn’t seen the confrontation with Gong Rong herself. She had only heard after she got back that someone had come to the Ji family home to cause trouble, harassing the kunze, and Ji Ping’an had taught them a good lesson.

Ji Ping’an understood what she meant in an instant. She answered casually, “She’s fine. I won’t let anyone bully her.” She took the axe. “If I hunt something next time, I’ll share some with you.”

Yun Niang wanted to say no, that if Ji Ping’an was doing something decent, she didn’t need anything in return. But before she could speak, she had already turned and walked toward her own house.

Yun Niang watched her go, thinking of what the villagers were saying, and felt her guess was becoming more certain. If she could truly settle down with Ah Jiu, Ji Ping’an might not be the same as before.

After getting the axe, Ji Ping’an went behind the courtyard and chopped some wood to patch the fence. She also used the axe to split some thin, hard branches, sharpening the ends and cutting them to a suitable length to use as makeshift arrows. They weren’t as good as the ones the original owner’s mother used to make, but with her targeting auxiliary scope, she could still use them just fine.

Ji Ping’an made over thirty arrows at once, and by the time she was done, it was already noon. She stood up, patted the dust from her clothes, and went into the kitchen. Sui Sui and Shen Zhiyu had come over as well. “Big Sister, are you making lunch?”

“That’s right. Did you like the wild herb cakes I made this morning?” Ji Ping’an asked her.

Sui Sui immediately nodded. “They were delicious.”

“Ah Jiu thought they were delicious, too,” she said, deliberately drawing out her words with a hint of a smile. “She said she wanted me to cook more often.”

Shen Zhiyu’s eyes twitched as she met Ji Ping’an’s gaze. What she had said that morning was a sarcastic jab: If you think your cooking is so good, why don’t you do all the cooking from now on? But now, with a few words changed, Ji Ping’an had twisted it into something completely different, as if she truly loved her food and would be sad without it.

Hearing this, Sui Sui looked up at Shen Zhiyu before turning back to Ji Ping’an. “Ah Jiu and I will help Big Sister cook too!”

Ji Ping’an acted as if she took the offer completely seriously, looking at Shen Zhiyu for confirmation. “Is that so?”

Shen Zhiyu: “…”

She hadn’t realized that not only had she remembered what she said, but she was getting her revenge today. In front of Sui Sui, she kept her voice even. “Of course.” But to Ji Ping’an, the word had a certain gritting-of-teeth quality to it.

She couldn’t help but smile. “Then I’ll trouble you and Sui Sui to go get the pork I bought yesterday from my room. We’re going to render some lard today.”

Once they brought the pork, Ji Ping’an added some water to the clay pot they used for cooking. The butcher had chopped the meat for her, so even though the pieces were a bit large, they would still work for rendering lard. Ji Ping’an was too lazy to go borrow a knife again, so she just threw the pork into the pot.

After a while, the water in the pot began to boil, and as the temperature rose, the fat slowly seeped out. A rich, savory aroma filled the air. By the stove, Sui Sui couldn’t help but swallow. Even though she had eaten roasted rabbit last night, the smell was making her stomach rumble with hunger all over again.

Ji Ping’an heard the sound and smiled. “Sui Sui, step back a little. The oil is going to start splashing soon.”

Shen Zhiyu pulled the little girl back by the hand, but the child’s eyes never left the clay pot. The first thing she thought of when she heard the oil would splash was not getting burned, but that precious oil might splash onto the stove. It was rendered from pork! Thinking this, Sui Sui couldn’t hold back. “Big Sister, maybe you should put the lid on?”

Ji Ping’an didn’t dismiss her just because she was a child. She answered her in all seriousness. “I have to watch the oil and adjust the heat from time to time. If I put the lid on, it’ll burn.”

Rendering lard was a skill. If the heat was too low, the oil wouldn’t fully release. If it was too high, it would burn, and the cracklings would be ruined. It was a good thing that her previous short-form video style had involved country life and trying everything. If the Ji Ping’an who was a working professional had transmigrated, just getting a meal would have been a challenge.

After rendering for about twenty minutes, the pork cracklings turned a crispy golden brown. Ji Ping’an used a ladle to break up the large pieces before scooping them into a jar.

She took a piece for herself first, and once she was sure it wouldn’t burn anyone, she brought the jar over to them. “Here, try some.”

Sui Sui swallowed hard but didn’t reach out. “Big Sister, I’ll go wash my hands first!”

“It’s fine, Big Sister will get a piece for you.”

Ji Ping’an took a large piece of crackling from the jar and held it out to Sui Sui’s mouth. The strange, delicious smell filled her nose. She sniffled, as if she didn’t want to miss a single wisp of the aroma. But when she put it in her mouth, she only took a tiny bite, as if this was the last piece she would ever eat. She cherished it.

Ji Ping’an laughed. “You can take a bigger bite. You can have as much as you want from this jar.”

She then looked at Shen Zhiyu, holding the jar out to her. “You try a piece, too.”

Shen Zhiyu reached for a piece, but before she could put it in her mouth, she heard Ji Ping’an ask, “Oh, right, you washed your hands, right? Because if you didn’t…”

Her eyes went cold, and she shot a glance at the smiling woman. She turned away from her and put the crackling in her mouth. The little bit of guilt she had felt for misjudging her a moment ago vanished completely.

She was, as expected, still that infuriating qian yuan.

Ji Ping’an, having been ignored, just smiled happily. She had to admit, Shen Zhiyu was a little easier to understand than she had first thought. Even when she teased her, her favorability didn’t drop. She’d just give her a cold glare.

The pork cracklings were delicious, but they couldn’t eat too many at once. So after they had each eaten two pieces, Ji Ping’an put the lid back on the jar.

She placed the jar of cracklings into Sui Sui’s hands. “Sui Sui, you can be in charge of this.”

Sui Sui stared at the jar, almost certain she had misheard. This was pork cracklings! How could such a precious thing be entrusted to her?

“Big Sister, I… I can’t…” Her eyelashes fluttered downward as she spoke.

Ji Ping’an crouched down and raised her hand to pat her head. “Why can’t you? Big Sister thinks this jar is perfect for you to look after. Ah Jiu thinks so, too. You can ask her if you don’t believe me.”

Hearing this, Sui Sui looked up at Shen Zhiyu, who was standing beside her. She asked in a small voice, “Ah Jiu, do you think I can look after it, too?”

Shen Zhiyu stroked her hair. “Sui Sui can do it.”

Ji Ping’an continued, “Big Sister has to look after the rice, flour, and the oil jar. AhJiu is helping look after the wild vegetables in the kitchen. So this jar is all for our Sui Sui, okay?”

The original owner hadn’t just been violent. She’d also said whatever she wanted in front of the child, even blaming their mother’s death on Sui Sui. Even though Sui Sui was a little more cheerful now, her fear and trepidation wouldn’t be fixed overnight. Ji Ping’an needed to use these small opportunities to slowly build her confidence and happiness.

Hearing her words, Sui Sui hugged the jar tightly. “I’ll look after it really well!” She would put it in her room so no thieves from the village could steal it.

Seeing Sui Sui agree, Ji Ping’an felt relieved. She reminded her, “Don’t just keep it and not eat it, it’ll go bad. You can even share it with Manman if you want; you don’t have to ask me.”

Sui Sui nodded, then whispered to them, “I won’t give Manman too much. I’ll save some for Big Sister and Ah Jiu first.” Even with a whole pound of pork, the cracklings only filled half a jar after rendering. She knew she had to prioritize her family.

Ji Ping’an’s heart was warmed by her words. She glanced over, almost without thinking, and saw a faint smile flash in Shen Zhiyu’s eyes. It was gone in an instant, so fast she couldn’t tell if it had been an illusion.

With the new oil, lunch was much easier to make. Ji Ping’an steamed some rice and stir-fried some wild vegetables with the oil for a simple meal. While the vegetables were usually bland, the generous use of oil suppressed their bitterness, leaving only the fresh, tender flavor of a new harvest. Paired with the steaming rice, the three of them couldn’t help but eat a little more than usual.

That night, Ji Ping’an lay in bed and opened the system interface. She stared at the large, incredibly tempting Draw button on the transparent screen, incredibly conflicted. She had 15 draw opportunities, and she wondered if she should use them all at once or save some just in case.

After a moment’s thought, Ji Ping’an decided to use all of them. For one, she was desperate for money, and the house needed too many improvements. It was worth a shot to see if she could get a second Excellent-grade item. Second, she figured that as long as she didn’t mess up like the original owner, Shen Zhiyu’s favorability would slowly rise, and she’d get more opportunities.

Ji Ping’an couldn’t help but sit up in bed, deciding to use one opportunity to “test the waters.”

[Host, confirm using one draw opportunity?]

“Confirm.”

This time, the system interface didn’t change color like it did last time, it just rippled slightly.

[Congratulations on obtaining a Common-grade item: [Fine-Grade Radish]. Valid for [Indefinite Use].]

[Item Description: A crisp, sweet, and incredibly delicious radish, a true delicacy grown in spirit spring water and fertile soil.]

As soon as Ji Ping’an finished reading the description, she felt a “bonk” on her head. A radish dropped onto the bed next to her.

“???”

The way you deliver things is so unique, system.

Still, Ji Ping’an wasn’t too disappointed. The beginner’s guide had said that Excellent-grade items were the rarest, so she couldn’t expect one every time.

She put the radish aside, took a deep breath, and continued with the next draw.

[Host, confirm using fourteen draw opportunities?]

“Confirm.”

As Ji Ping’an’s voice fell, the calm system interface began to change.