Just as he got back home, Chen Jie saw Daisy sitting at the door, watching a few children play with a pork hock.
It was a pig's kneecap bone, a toy greatly loved by children of this age.
In this era, having a pork hock like this was equivalent to a modern child having a set of Transformers, something that would be the envy of all their friends.
At that moment, Daisy was watching the other children, who were playing with the pork hocks with envy—these children were both boys and girls, the eldest around six or seven years old and the youngest about four.
They were squatting on the ground, engrossed in their game.
Daisy was the only one sitting lonely at the doorway, ignored by everyone, looking very pitiable.
Chen Jie walked over and asked Daisy, "What's the matter? Why aren't you playing with them?"
Daisy pouted, "I don't want to play with them."
Hearing this, a nearby child retorted, "We're the ones who won't play with you."
"You're talking nonsense; it's I who won't play with you..."
Daisy shouted back anxiously, but those children responded, "That's right, we won't play with you!"
Chen Jie, hearing this, asked the kids, "Why won't you guys play with Ruirui?"
The moment Chen Jie asked them, they fell silent and scurried away.
Chen Jie then turned to Daisy and asked, "Why won't they..."
"It's because I won't play with them."
Daisy argued, upon which Chen Jie touched her head, noting her stubbornness, and then squatting down, he asked, "Then why won't you play with them?"
"They say my sister is bad luck, and I'm little bad luck, and that playing with me will bring misfortune..."
Listening to Daisy's words, Chen Jie sighed. It wasn't the children who would think of such harsh words; surely it was taught by adults. This showed how much the Su sisters had suffered in the past.
Daisy said this while her eyes, however, never left the big yellow apricots in Chen Jie's hand.
"Brother-in-law, what's this?"
Chen Jie looked at her longing expression and couldn't help but laugh. Could she really not know these were apricots?
Asking so knowingly was obviously because she wanted to taste them.
"Apricots, but they're quite hard and very sour."
"Can I try some?"
Daisy smacked her lips together, looking at Chen Jie expectantly.
"If you don't mind the sourness, go ahead and eat."
Chen Jie handed an apricot to Daisy, who took one and bit into it, instantly her expression changed—it was sour.
Chen Jie thought she would give up, but after adjusting for a bit, she took another small bite, followed by a grimace, yet again she took another bite after a short pause.
And so, bite after bite, she ate it sour yet happily, managing to consume over half.
The kid really wasn't picky about her food.
Chen Jie thought about taking Daisy back home; dinner was already prepared. Today's lunch was rice mixed with pork lard granules.
The finished lard had been sealed in jars, making quite a large jar this time, enough to last two or three months if used sparingly. However, Chen Jie didn't want to eat too plainly, so the amount of lard would likely only last a month.
The pork lard granules were scooped out while still hot, chopped into pieces, then the freshly steamed sorghum rice was served, mixed with the granules, a bit of wild green onion was added, and a little soy sauce poured over it.
A bowl of rice mixed with pork lard granules was thus prepared.
"Dinner's ready."
Su Yunjin called out, then brought the meal to the table. Daisy had already been impatient, her eyes glued to the pork fat mixed with rice, drooling with anticipation.
Chen Jie served her a big bowl and then served Su Yunjin a big bowl, handing it over to Su Yunjin, he said, "You've worked hard, wife."
Su Yunjin paused, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
It was a curious feeling.
Chen Jie served himself a bowl and immediately turned to Su Yunjin again, "Wife, save a bowl of the pork fat for Ruirui this afternoon."
"Hm?"
Su Yunjin looked at Chen Jie, puzzled.
Chen Jie smiled and said, "Ruirui, this afternoon, take a small stool and eat the pork fat at the door. If there are kids who want to play with you, give them a piece, and in the future, they'll follow you around."
"Ah? Why give those annoying pests such good pork fat?" Daisy couldn't understand and looked at Chen Jie.
Chen Jie said with a smile, "Ruirui, remember a saying, it's important to have friends. With more friends, you'll have a better life. You don't want to play alone every day, right? Trust your brother-in-law, and I guarantee you'll have a bunch of kids following you soon."
"Really?" Daisy blinked and asked.
"Trust your brother-in-law, you won't go wrong."
Chen Jie continued, while Su Yunjin said, "Isn't this a little too... We're not that well-off."
Hearing this, Chen Jie laughed and said, "It'll be alright. With me here, our family won't lack food."
Then, touching something inside his chest, he said, "Oh, wife, I redeemed this for you."
Chen Jie said, as he pulled out an old hairpin.
When she saw the hairpin, Su Yunjin's body visibly shook, she stared at it, tears rolling down her face.
The hairpin was the only keepsake her mother had left her, unfortunately pawned at the pawnshop.
That day, she had been beaten again by Chen Jiusi, feeling hopeless with no future in sight, she took the hairpin to the pawnshop, and with the two hundred coins she got, she bought a bag of arsenic and two jin of fine rice.
She attempted to poison Chen Jiusi but, unexpectedly, he caught on...
She thought she would never see this hairpin again in her life, but today, it reappeared.
She held back her tears, crying so sorrowfully.
Clenching the hairpin against her chest, she wept uncontrollably.
Daisy looked puzzled at her sister, her hands still shoveling the pork-laden rice into her mouth. Why was her sister crying again? Was the pork fat rice so delicious that it made her cry?
Chen Jie watched Su Yunjin, feeling the woman's emotions, then he took her hands in his.
Su Yunjin felt her hands engulfed by a large pair, and her heart fluttered. The warmth she felt was something she had never experienced before.
Chen Jie whispered in her ear, "It's all in the past now, everything has passed. From now on, I will make sure you and Ruirui have the best life possible in this world."
Su Yunjin looked up into Chen Jie's eyes. In that moment, she melted under the tender gaze of the man. She had never imagined this man could be so gentle.
"Let's eat, eat."
Looking into Chen Jie's eyes, Su Yunjin suddenly became shy and lowered her head. From Chen Jie's angle, her ears reddened, tempting as a juicy peach, making him want to take a bite.
Smack!
Overcome by emotion, Chen Jie kissed her. Su Yunjin, surprised, covered her face, blushing and looking at Chen Jie incredulously. The child is still here, aren't you being a bit too bold?
Daisy seemed to hear something, lifting her head to glance at them, her mouth moving like a little chipmunk before she bent down to continue her meal, not bothering with these two strange adults!