Zhulan's medicine was ready, and she poured it out before scooping up a bowl of rice porridge. After washing the only spoon in the house, a suspicion crept into her mind as she carried the medicine and porridge back to the main room.
Upon entering, Zhulan noticed shoes on the ground, an indication that someone had gotten up, likely to use the bathroom. The thought of the bathroom made her feel nauseous; she had never used a rural outhouse before. Public restrooms were a rarity for her, and in ancient times, feces were collected. With a pit next to the outhouses and having just endured summer, the smell was pungent and overwhelming. She tried to stop thinking about it, as it only made her feel worse.
"Awake?"
Unfortunately, there was no answer; the person on the kang bed still had their eyes closed.
Zhulan didn't take it to heart. Instead, her suspicions continued to grow as she slowly blew on the cooling rice porridge. Finally, she spoke up, "You haven't eaten in nearly a day. Get up and eat something to pad your stomach before you drink the medicine."
The eyes of the person on the kang fluttered but they remained silent, not opening their eyes, though the grumbling of their stomach was particularly loud.
Zhulan, seeing her husband's ears turn red and with a curling smile, brought the spoon to his lips, "It's cooled down, drink!"
The person on the kang could no longer feign sleep and opened their eyes, pursing their lips and staring at the spoon, then at the bowl. Zhulan said indifferently, "It's been washed with hot water."
Zhou Shuren's eyes flickered as he hummed an acknowledgment and drank the porridge from the spoon. Then he said, "I can drink by myself."
Zhulan was relieved she didn't have to attend to someone else, so she passed the bowl to him.
Her mood was genuinely good right now; she suspected that the man with her had also transmigrated. As for who it might be, it had to be the man who had played her. She guessed that he'd realized she wasn't the original owner of the body, probably because she let her guard down while humming happily. She felt more at ease now and even had the mood to watch him eat porridge.
Lady Li called out from outside, "Mother, the lard is rendered. What should we cook for dinner?"
After thinking for a moment, Zhulan remembered that since this was a novel and it was set in a fictional dynasty, vegetables were plentiful, even chili peppers which were only introduced in the late Ming dynasty were available. Thankfully it was fictional, because she had a strong preference for spicy food, which she couldn't indulge in right now as she needed to nourish her body, "Let's stew some cabbage, add plenty of oil to replenish our needs, and put some cracklings in tonight's pancakes."
Lady Li replied cheerfully, "Got it, mother."
Zhulan thought that she, like her mother-in-law, also wanted to be a good mother-in-law. She'd never made life difficult for her daughter-in-law. Although she managed the household expenses, she wasn't miserly and didn't watch their every move. Thinking of her own mother-in-law, Zhulan's gaze flickered.
The raspy voice became a bit smoother, "Is there any more?"
Zhulan looked at the nearly empty bowl, "Yes, just wait."
As she went to get more porridge, Zhulan glanced at the oil jar and the cracklings, nodding in satisfaction. Lady Li was good with measurements. When she returned to the bedroom, the bowl of medicine was empty.
Zhulan raised her eyebrows and handed him the bowl, "There's more porridge in the clay jar, enough for you to eat."
"Mm."
Zhulan watched the man with his head down eating porridge and let out a light chuckle, "You're not scared that I might have poisoned the medicine, yet you drink so readily."
Zhou Shuren stiffened. He hadn't considered that possibility. From the moment she had left and come back in, he knew he couldn't hide anything—the truth must have slipped out. He hadn't figured out how to broach the topic and hadn't thought that a secret known by one is a secret but a secret known by two is not. He wondered if she would really poison him.
But then he felt reassured and continued to eat his porridge. After finishing and feeling something in his stomach, he felt stronger and looked up, "You wouldn't."
Zhulan arched an eyebrow. She had been deliberate with her words. A stranger had come into her home, and it was only natural to probe and prepare herself, knowing what kind of person she was dealing with. The fact that he hadn't reacted angrily gave her some confidence in trusting him, "Now, can we talk about the life you owe me?"