The Family Had Split, Why Should I Care if They Go Broke? - Chapter 5

The boy obediently went.

Once he was gone, Xu Zhichun hurried to the fresh-food warehouse, pulled out a plump chicken, rinsed it clean, and began chopping.

Halfway through, she realized she’d grabbed a three-yellow chicken—its skin color far too different from the original bird.

She froze. 

Then, quickly, she swapped it for a small wild rooster she’d caught in the hills. Perfect—good enough to pass for the original. And “small” was just a figure of speech; the meat was plentiful and firm.

She discarded the claws, wings, and neck, then chopped the meat and drumsticks into pieces, mixing them into the pot with the original chicken.

After a moment’s thought, she fetched some dried shiitake mushrooms from the warehouse, gave them a quick soak in hot water, and tossed them in. She could always say she’d stumbled across them in the mountains and dried them for later—after all, the boy was at school every day and wouldn’t know.

She even added a pinch of goji berries, a handful of lily bulb slices, and a few thin slices of genuine Huai yam.

If anyone asked, well—she’d just say it all came from the hills.

Prefect. This will definitely have that pure, original aroma.

Before long, Liang Mingxuan came back, and Xu Zhichun sliced a fresh, juicy white radish into chunks and dropped it into the pot. 

Tender bamboo shoots would’ve been even better, but the house didn’t have any at the moment.

The fire roared, and soon the broth deepened in color, sending up mouthwatering steam. The bubbling pot filled the room with an irresistible aroma.

Both brother and sister-in-law were already starting to get hungry.

Xu Zhichun quickly cooked rice.

By the time the rice was ready, the chicken had reached peak flavor.

She ladled out a fragrant bowl of chicken soup for each of them. “Come on, let’s drink the soup first—it’s the most nourishing. Soup first, then rice and meat.”

“Mhm.”

Then she served a bowl of chicken meat to take next door to Aunt Zhu’er. 

Aunt Zhu’er was startled. “This—there’s not much meat on one chicken. You and Mingxuan should both be making up your strength. Why are you giving me so much? No, no, I can’t take it.”

The two households lived at the far east end of the village, apart from the others, and had a good relationship. Xu Zhichun wouldn’t take it back.

“This chicken was huge—plenty of meat. Really, Auntie, eat it while it’s hot, don’t stand on ceremony. You’ve helped me so much.”

With that said, Aunt Zhu’er couldn’t refuse anymore and smiled. “Then thank you! Between our two families, there’s no need for such politeness.”

It was good to have this give-and-take relationship. 

“Exactly. That’s how it should be. I’d better get back to my meal!”

“Go on. And don’t forget to boil your medicine. Rest at home for a couple of days—the fieldwork can wait.”

“Got it.”

When Xu Zhichun returned, the old, worn square table still had the big bowl of chicken, two smaller bowls of soup neatly set in place, and Liang Mingxuan sitting there waiting. 

Surprised, she asked, “Why haven’t you started drinking the soup?”

“I was waiting for you, Sister-in-law.”

She felt a little touched. In a farming household, you might not eat meat more than a few times a year—let alone something as fragrant as this chicken soup. For him to sit there with the steaming soup in front of him and still hold back… no wonder you could tell at a glance he was someone destined to accomplish great things.

Honestly, if it were her, she would’ve already caved.

“Now that Sister-in-law’s back, let’s drink.”

“Mhm, you too.”

Only when she picked up her bowl did Liang Mingxuan finally start.

The chicken soup was every bit as delicious as she’d hoped—so fresh and rich it made you want to swallow your own tongue. It slid down warm and soothing.

Happily drinking the soup, they each had another serving of rice. Rice soaked in chicken broth, big bites of meat, plus radish and shiitake steeped in savory flavor—every bite was divine.

It looked like they wouldn’t finish it all at lunch. They could have it again at dinner, and maybe even the next morning.

Liang Mingxuan was both happy and a little surprised. “Who would’ve thought one chicken would have so much meat?”

Her heart gave a little jolt—what a sharp sense this boy had. Most children his age wouldn’t notice; they’d be too busy eating. Her boy really was exceptional!

Smiling, she replied, “It was a big bird, so of course, there’s a lot of meat. And we added plenty of radish and mushrooms—it just looks like more.”

“That’s true,” he agreed.

They were halfway through their meal when an unexpected voice called out, “Is Sister Zhichun home?”

Xu Zhichun told Liang Mingxuan to keep eating and went out to greet the visitor. “Xiaoyan! Come in and sit.”

Zeng Xiaoyan was the wife of Liang Mingliang, Li Zheng’s youngest son. Her background wasn’t simple—she was the illegitimate daughter of the wealthy Zeng family in Qingshan County.

Because Li Zheng’s father had once saved the life of Zeng Xiaoyan’s grandfather, the two families arranged the marriage. Being an illegitimate daughter with a bad temper and unloved by her stepmother, she was married off to the countryside.

Zeng Xiaoyan hadn’t been happy about it and caused no small amount of trouble when she first arrived.

These days, she’d settled down—but she still lazed around all day without lifting a finger, and no one in the family said a word.

After all, her dowry was generous. To the Zeng family, it was nothing, but to a farming household, it was like pulling a single hair and finding it thicker than your waist. She never handed over anything else from her dowry, but the six acres of fertile land she’d brought in were enough to keep her unbothered.

With that alone, she could sit back without doing chores, and anyone with an opinion had to swallow it.

Xu Zhichun was a little puzzled. As far as she knew, the original owner of this body had no dealings with Zeng Xiaoyan. Why had she suddenly shown up here?

Zeng Xiaoyan smiled. “My mother-in-law sent me to see if you’re feeling better—oh, are you just having lunch?”

Zeng Xiaoyan’s second sister-in-law was acting up again, making snide remarks about her laziness. Would she just let that slide? Not in her life. 

She’d quarreled with her stepmother more than once, even in front of her father, and hadn’t feared any retaliation afterward. Why would she be afraid of a sister-in-law? She snapped right back.

Perhaps her mother-in-law was at her wits’ end and, with just a few words, sent Zeng Xiaoyan out to “check” on Xu Zhichun.

It suited her fine—she was in no mood to bicker with Lady Zhao, that petty, small-minded woman who insisted on competing with her despite always losing. So she came over instead.

She hadn’t expected to find them just sitting down to lunch—a big bowl of chicken soup with meat, shiitake mushrooms, and radish, giving off such an irresistible aroma

Now that she thought about it, it had been ages since she’d last eaten chicken.

Her craving grew.

She knew it wasn’t polite, but her eyes had ideas of their own, locking straight onto that steaming soup.

For the sake of Li Zheng and his wife, Xu Zhichun didn’t want to leave her just staring. Smiling, she asked, “This chicken soup’s just been made—want to try some?”

Zeng Xiaoyan’s eyes lit up instantly, a smile blooming on her oval face. “That… wouldn’t be proper, would it?”

“What’s improper about it? Sit down.”

​​Xu Zhichun fetched an extra bowl and chopsticks, filled it with soup and a few chunks of chicken, and asked, “Want some mushroom and radish too?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then.”

She added a few pieces of each.

“Quick, have it while it’s hot.”

Zeng Xiaoyan thanked her and eagerly took a sip. Her eyes lit up again. “This is so good! Sister Zhichun, you’re amazing—you’re such a good person!”

Xu Zhichun almost choked on her own soup. That compliment was so heartfelt it was almost funny.

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