Chapter 14: Does the Refrigerator Grow Larger Because of Treating Them Well?
Wen Nuan Nuan waited for a long while.
No prompt sound came.
Alright, she would have to rely on her own guesses.
Hmm, why did it grow to three layers?
Does the number three correspond to Leng Tian, Leng Chen, and Leng Yun?
Yesterday, she cooked for them and planned to get them quilts and clothes—all of it was about treating them well.
Could it be that the better she treats them, the higher their favorability toward her, and the larger the refrigerator becomes?
What about Leng Xiao?
He is the unique male lead in this story, an irreplaceable existence. Does his influence carry more weight?
Never mind, she would just try it out first.
After all, she had already prepared herself mentally to cling to their coattails from the start.
This wasn’t a society governed by the rule of law—life and property could be decided by the powerful with a single word, and personal safety was far from guaranteed.
In her original world, figures of their future stature were absolutely beyond her reach—forget four of them, even one would have been impossible to meet!
Now, not only could she meet them, but she could also establish connections with them and even make the refrigerator grow larger. Of course, she needed to work hard to build closer relationships and earn more favor!
Wen Nuan Nuan secretly gave herself a cheering gesture.
“Eldest Brother, come in and get the wontons.”
She placed a small handful of dried shrimp and shredded seaweed into a soup bowl, added a spoonful of prepared scallion oil, and ladled boiling water from the wonton pot to mix it all together. In no time, a flavorful wonton soup base was ready.
This was a little lazy trick Wen Nuan Nuan had figured out.
When making scallion oil, the ingredients included oil, salt, sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and scallions. While preparing the wonton soup base, she thought, aren’t these two essentially the same? Why not just use scallion oil instead?
It was both quick and delicious.
After trying it once, she found that scallion oil tasted even better than adding the seasonings separately. This was because the scallion oil had been simmered with the soy sauces, removing the raw, astringent taste of the soy sauce and resulting in a better flavor.
Ah, she truly was an unassuming little genius in the kitchen—though, in reality, it was laziness that drove her ingenuity.
“Sister-in-law.” Leng Tian came in and saw the fragrant little wontons in the soup bowl. His dark eyes practically sparkled with excitement.
“Use a tray to carry them, and be careful not to burn yourself,” Wen Nuan Nuan reminded without even turning her head.
Her small hands quickly picked up the steamed buns and shaomai from another large iron pot and placed them into a wooden basin.
The braised pork steamed buns she made might not be as thick as those from the north, but they had thin wrappers, generous fillings, and a rich, savory aroma. With one bite, the juices would flow all over your hands—and she wasn’t exaggerating, they were absolutely delicious.
She could eat three in one go!
The shaomai filling was made with minced mushrooms, peas, carrots, corn, and cured sausage, mixed with seasonings and glutinous rice. The homemade filling was rich, savory, soft, and sticky—even better than the ones sold in shops.
When Leng Tian saw the two wooden basins piled high with steamed buns and shaomai, he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.
“Sister-in-law, are all these for breakfast?”
“Yes, there are only six braised pork steamed buns a day, so I steamed today’s and yesterday’s together! There are over twenty shaomai from the past two days, plus four bowls of fresh meat wontons. We definitely won’t be able to finish them all, so you can take some with you when you go to exchange for cotton,” Wen Nuan Nuan replied matter-of-factly.
These cooked foods wouldn’t last long in the current weather, so of course, they should be steamed and eaten as soon as possible.
She had initially wondered whether to set aside some steamed buns and shaomai for Eldest Brother to take with him. Later, she thought, since they wouldn’t finish them anyway, she could just pack some up once they cooled down.
“Eldest Brother, Little Brother, hurry and wash your hands, come eat breakfast.” Wen Nuan Nuan called out to the two working in the yard as she carried the Steamed Buns and shaomai to the main hall.
Leng Yun put down the firewood he was organizing and hopped over to the well to fetch water and wash his hands. Leng Chen also set aside the wooden basin he was polishing and stood up.
When the two saw the ample food on the wooden table, their expressions mirrored Leng Tian’s from earlier!
Astonishment mixed with disbelief.
This was breakfast?!
They felt their sister-in-law was constantly overturning their understanding of things.
White flour, fine rice…
Could breakfast really be this abundant, this good?
“Hurry and eat, what are you waiting for?” Wen Nuan Nuan urged.
The three sat down in a daze. Their freshly washed hands unconsciously wiped on their clothes again before they hesitantly reached for the snow-white, soft, and fluffy white-flour buns.
Even holding them in their hands, it still felt unreal.
Taking a small bite, the rich, savory flavor of the meat filling was so delicious they could hardly resist swallowing it whole!
After devouring three buns in a row, they finally took a hurried sip of the wonton soup at their sister-in-law’s reminder. The fresh, savory taste once again redefined their understanding of delicious food!
“Sister-in-law, this food is so delicious!”
“Sister-in-law, everything is so tasty!”
“Eat slowly, don’t rush. Take a sip of soup to settle it, don’t choke!”
Watching the three wolf down their food, Wen Nuan Nuan anxiously reminded one, then cautioned another.
Personally, she thought her cooking was quite good, but were her brothers-in-law just being overly enthusiastic?
So enthusiastic that she began to doubt: Was her cooking really that delicious?
Yet, seeing them eat with such relish, her own appetite improved as well, and she found she could keep eating!
In the end, Wen Nuan Nuan ate a small bowl of wontons, one bun, and three shaomai, while the remaining wontons, buns, and shaomai were completely finished off by the three brothers.
Wen Nuan Nuan, who had originally hoped to save some to pack for Leng Tian’s journey, sighed and resignedly got up to steam the Steamed Buns in the kitchen.
The appetites of growing boys were truly formidable.
She had been so sure they wouldn’t finish everything.
Next time, she wouldn’t make such bold claims.
“Eldest Brother, how long will it take you to go to town to exchange for cotton?” Wen Nuan Nuan asked while waiting for the Steamed Buns to steam.
“About an hour and a half. The round trip will take around three hours. Adding the time to go to the cotton batting workshop, the earliest I’ll be home is after noon. Sister-in-law, don’t wait for me for lunch.” Leng Tian carefully arranged the pork belly, pig’s trotters, and spare ribs into the bamboo backpack.
Wen Nuan Nuan converted the time to modern units: one shichen equals two hours, so the round trip alone would take three hours. Add the time to find someone to exchange cotton and go to the cotton batting workshop, and he definitely wouldn’t make it back for lunch. She’d need to pack more food for Eldest Brother—he had a good appetite and ate a lot.
Wait, if the round trip to town took three hours, how long would it take to get to the city?!
Wen Nuan Nuan was shocked!
She only knew that areas near mountains were considered very remote. After all, towns and cities were located in densely populated areas, which were usually flat, open plains—something taught in middle school geography.
But she hadn’t realized it was this far from where they lived!
She asked tremblingly, “If the round trip to town takes three hours, how long does it take to get to the city?”
Leng Tian laughed. “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. The city and the town are in opposite directions from our village—one to the north, one to the south. The travel time isn’t much different. It only takes two hours to get to the city.”
One hour! That’s all it takes?
Wen Nuan Nuan took a deep breath—that meant a round trip of four hours!
And that was at the pace of her Eldest Brother and others who were used to walking on mountain paths and dirt roads. If it were her, it would take over five hours.
No wonder her grandmother used to say that when she was young, going to the city without any vehicles meant walking the whole way, which took over an hour each time. Back then, Nuan Nuan found it unbelievable and terrifying—the countryside was just too far from the city.
Now, not only was she in the countryside, but she was also stuck in the middle of the mountains. Getting to the city felt like crossing mountains and valleys.
Bah, bah, bah! Better not think about crossing mountains and valleys. Even the rural dirt roads would do.
“Is it because the city is too far that you go to the town to trade instead? But won’t there be fewer people in the town willing to trade?” After all, the town’s consumption level definitely couldn’t compare to the city’s.
“Entering the city costs two copper coins per person, which isn’t worth it. Besides, people in the town are more accustomed to bartering—seeing and touching the goods directly.
Right now is the season for smoking Cured Meat, and pork belly is fatty and rich in oil, making it the easiest to trade. As for pig’s trotters and spare ribs, they have more bones, so they might not fetch as much cotton, but for us, it’s definitely enough.” Leng Tian knew that Wen Nuan Nuan was completely clueless about distances and prices, so he explained carefully and clearly.
“Oh, I see. By the way, your Eldest Brother attends the Academy in the city, right? Doesn’t it take him an hour to come back each time?” No wonder Leng Xiao didn’t return for months.
“Eldest Brother is even farther from us. We’re close to the north gate of the city, while Tianhong Academy is in the suburbs outside the south gate. Every time, Eldest Brother has to go around the city walls and the moat—a one-way trip takes at least an hour and a half! He rarely comes back, Sister-in-law, so please don’t blame him.”
Wen Nuan Nuan waved her hand. “I don’t blame him, not at all! I understand completely!”
How dare she blame the future Chief Grand Secretary, who was ruthless and wielded immense power!
She’d rather flatter him than offend him!
In fact, it was better that he didn’t come back. He was such a sharp person—she was afraid he’d see right through her.
If he thought she was some kind of demon or ghost, wouldn’t she be done for?