The Youngest Daughter, Chang Le

Zhu Changle followed her to the kitchen. Granny Liang wanted to stop her but couldn't.

In common folks' homes, the kitchen served more than just its primary purpose - it was more like a storage room with items piled up everywhere.

Granny Liang felt awkward, but Zhu Changle acted as if she were in her own home, sitting by the stove and expertly finding the flint.

Seeing Granny Liang still standing, she suddenly remembered this wasn't her house. She quickly put things back and said with a bright smile, "Granny Liang, let me help you with the fire."

Timid as she was, Granny Liang couldn't help but ask curiously, "Miss Zhu, you know how to... how to make a fire?"

"Yes, yes, I learned from Village Head Grandpa."

This made Granny Liang even more curious, as Miss Zhu's background seemed completely unrelated to the village head. However, she dared not ask more and busily prepared the vegetables and washed them clean.

"Granny, I'm lighting the fire now!"

"Alright, alright."

Watching Zhu Changle strike the flint, Granny Liang could see she was indeed skilled. She secretly felt relieved, no longer worried that this young lady might set her house on fire.

"I couldn't make a fire at first either. I filled the whole room with smoke without getting the fire started. Scared Village Head Grandpa half to death - he thought I was burning down my own house," Zhu Changle said while adding kindling to the stove. Watching the fire slowly grow, she clapped her hands in satisfaction. Not bad, she hadn't forgotten this skill.

"It's been so long since I visited New Village. I wonder if they miss me."

Granny Liang looked up at her curiously after cleaning the wok.

"New Village is just what it sounds like - a new village," Zhu Changle explained.

Well, that was quite straightforward indeed, Granny Liang thought to herself.

"I even built my own house there," Zhu Changle looked around. "Though it's not as nice as your home - my craftsmanship was terrible, and it came out a bit crooked."

"You built it yourself?"

Finally getting a response, Zhu Changle nodded cheerfully. "Yes, I built it myself. Everyone was busy building their own houses then and couldn't help me much. So I learned by helping others here and there, and when I knew enough, I built my own. Though the uncles did come to help me in the end."

"That's impressive," Granny Liang praised, amazed that she even knew how to build houses.

"Indeed! Village Head Grandpa said I was amazing too." Of course, Zhu Changle would never tell Granny Liang that the Village Head later suggested, 'This could be used for storage, we could build another room beside it.'

Granny Liang had bought some meat before and saved a tiny bit of oil she'd been reluctant to use. She dabbed some on the wok with a cloth, and thinking of her guest's status, she bit her lip and added a second coating. The aroma made her swallow unconsciously.

She stir-fried the broom grass vegetable and sprinkled some salt - Zhu Changle immediately recognized it as the local homemade coarse salt.

While watching the fire, she kept making witty remarks to keep Granny Liang at ease. She held her tongue about the cooking methods, even when comments were on the tip of her tongue.

Soon, five dishes were ready.

There was broom grass vegetable, a fish dish, some clams, a plate of shrimp, some steamed crabs, and two bowls of beans, filling the small table completely.

The table was slightly uneven. Zhu Changle tried several positions but couldn't stabilize it until she found a small stone from the courtyard to prop up one leg.

After this time, Granny Liang had become less nervous. She wiped her hands on her apron and said shyly, "This is all we have, please don't mind."

"Not at all! There are dishes here I've never tried! The shrimp and crabs are so big!" Zhu Changle swallowed. "I'm hungry - may I start eating, Granny?"

"Yes, yes, of course."

Zhu Changle sat down, picked up her chopsticks, then remembered something. "What about your son? Does he have any dietary restrictions? He can't eat seafood, right?"

"Right, he can't eat anything from the sea. There's still some broom grass vegetable - I'll stir-fry another portion for him later."

Zhu Changle didn't pursue the topic and went straight for the broom grass vegetable, taking a bite.

Granny Liang expected her to spit it out, since the vegetable was bitter and Miss Zhu was probably just curious. She thought she wouldn't be able to eat it, which was why she had prepared so much seafood - things she had spent money on, assuming those would be more to her taste.

Though Zhu Changle's face wrinkled up, she still swallowed it and honestly commented, "It's a bit bitter."

"Yes, it is bitter. It takes time to get used to it." Granny Liang quickly pushed the water closer to her.

But Zhu Changle took another bite, still grimacing, yet swallowing it down.

"Still a bit bitter."

"..." Granny Liang was at a loss for words as she watched her guest reach for more despite her comments.

"But the bitterness doesn't linger in your mouth. There's a slight fragrance after you swallow it. It's acceptable."

Granny Liang looked puzzled at the dish she ate regularly. She was so used to it she barely noticed the taste anymore, but fragrance? Was that really a characteristic of this vegetable?

Somewhat skeptically, she took a bite herself. Whether it was psychological or not, she actually detected the fragrance too.

Zhu Changle's table manners as a guest were impeccable. She tried several bites of each dish, showing no preference for any particular dish, and even finished an entire bowl of beans.

"I'm full."

Zhu Changle finally put down her chopsticks, patting her belly to show satisfaction.

Granny Liang also put down her chopsticks. "Let me pour you some tea."

After drinking the post-meal tea and chatting for a while, Zhu Changle took her leave. Instead of going home, she headed straight for the Chengde Medical Clinic.

At that time, only Tang Ming was there, lost in thought. Seeing her, he quickly stood up, thinking she had some business, but she rushed toward the back courtyard like a gust of wind, leaving only a few words in the air: "Borrowing the privy."

Tang Ming was stunned for a moment but sat back down with an unchanged expression. Nothing Miss Zhu did could really surprise him anymore.

Before long, Zhu Changle came out and placed her wet hands in front of Tang Ming. "Check my pulse."

Tang Ming didn't ask questions and seriously took her pulse, looking with surprise at her scrunched-up face. There really was something wrong.

"Did you eat something bad?"

"It wasn't bad, just unfamiliar I guess," Zhu Changle said, holding her churning stomach with her other hand. "I just had a meal at Granny Liang's."

"How did you..."

Zhu Changle leaned on the table. "I didn't expect they'd just boil the seafood in water and eat it like that. Do they always eat it that way?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"Can't they smell how fishy it is? It's not just fishy, it's almost rotten!"

"That's why they usually only eat seafood when they have nothing else to eat, because of the fishiness, plus the bitterness of the salt - it's indeed hard to stomach."

She hadn't noticed the salt's bitterness, probably because the broom grass vegetable's bitterness had overshadowed it. Zhu Changle pouted, "My stomach hurts, please give me some medicine."

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