Chapter 15: Does This Count as Being Good to Leng Xiao?

Leng Tian thought to himself, Sister-in-law truly loves Eldest Brother deeply, willing to endure the pain of longing with tolerance and patience.

Instantly, his respect for Wen Nuan Nuan grew even more.

Wen Nuan Nuan had no idea that she had already established an image of deep affection and endurance in Leng Tian’s mind. She was eagerly preparing food for Leng Tian to take on his journey.

She stir-fried sliced braised beef with green peppers and two spoonfuls of bean paste, making a spicy beef dish. After cooking, she placed it in a large wooden basin. Next to it, she arranged four hot Steamed Buns and a pair of chopsticks. She placed a square cotton cloth under the wooden basin, tying the four corners together to secure it.

Then, she placed it at the top of the bamboo basket.

The daytime temperature now was around ten to twenty degrees, so even if these dishes cooled down, they would still taste good.

“But there’s no cup, so it’s hard to bring water. What if you get thirsty?” Wen Nuan Nuan asked worriedly.

She had glass jars from canned goods in her refrigerator, but glass was fragile. If it broke, such food would never appear again.

Besides, glass was likely called “liuli” in ancient times, right? It was considered a luxury item. Would it be dangerous if Eldest Brother was seen carrying it outside?

It seemed a bit risky and not worth it.

“It’s fine. There’s water by rivers and streams. You can just squat down and drink it with your hands,” Leng Tian said, not particularly concerned about drinking water. It was hard to find food to fill your stomach, but water was everywhere, wasn’t it?

As a modern person, Wen Nuan Nuan understood why people in Huaguo were so fond of hot water. Aside from cleanliness, boiled water was safer, especially in ancient times when medicine was scarce, as it helped prevent or reduce illnesses.

Otherwise, even a simple stomach ailment could be troublesome, let alone diseases like schistosomiasis.

She thought for a moment, then secretly took out two boxes of fresh milk and whispered, “Eldest Brother, drink this when no one is around. Be careful not to let anyone see.”

The writing on the boxes didn’t belong to this era. She was afraid that if it were discovered, it might cause trouble. Last night, she had poured the milk into bamboo cups for them to drink.

Boys growing up needed milk for calcium to grow taller.

Eldest Brother just needed to be careful not to let anyone see. After drinking, he could put the boxes back in the bamboo basket and bring them home.

Leng Tian looked slightly flustered but firmly refused, “No need. If Sister-in-law is worried about me drinking river water, I can ask for a bowl of water at the cotton-fluffing shop. Sister-in-law should keep these foods safe and not let outsiders know about them easily!”

He knew Sister-in-law cared for him, but he absolutely couldn’t take the risk!

Their entire family relied on Sister-in-law this winter. This year’s harvest was poor due to less rain. Eldest Brother said that after a dry year with little rain, the next year would likely bring heavy rain and floods. Next year would only be harder than this one.

People in the village, young and old, were already out in full force, digging for wild vegetables and picking wild fruits all over the mountains. Other villages were surely doing the same. How could he risk exposing Sister-in-law to danger?!

“Sister-in-law, maybe where you come from is peaceful and stable, so you don’t think the risk is that great.

But it’s not like that here. People will rob without regard for morality or shame just for food. I know you care about me and worry that I’ll go hungry or thirsty. But I’ll be fine. Just having meat and vegetables is something we couldn’t even dream of in all these years, let alone white flour Steamed Buns. So, this is really more than enough.” It was enough. What Sister-in-law gave was more than sufficient, and he was very grateful.

Besides, thinking about his two younger brothers at home being able to eat their fill and eat well, he was willing to go without food outside.

Moreover, right now it’s just drinking water—even if he endured without it, he would be fine.

His only concern was Eldest Brother. Not just him, but his two younger brothers too. Last night before bed, they talked about how they were being cared for by their sister-in-law, eating their fill and eating well, and in a few days they would have fluffy, soft new cotton quilts and cotton-padded clothes.

But what about Eldest Brother? How was he doing all alone at Tianhong Academy?

He had given all his silver to Mother for her medical treatment before, so without money, what was Eldest Brother eating?

The weather was gradually turning cold—what was Eldest Brother wearing and covering himself with?

Originally, the food, clothes, and quilts they were enjoying belonged to Eldest Brother, and their sister-in-law’s care and concern were also meant for Eldest Brother. Yet now, they were benefiting from Eldest Brother’s fortune, while Eldest Brother alone was still suffering…

After hearing Leng Tian’s words, Wen Nuan Nuan was stunned. She hadn’t expected a twelve-year-old child to see human nature and worldly affairs so clearly.

Eldest Brother was absolutely right. She had only been here for two days and hadn’t fully shifted her mindset yet. She had only thought it was a bit risky but hadn’t realized how heavy the price of taking that risk could be.

After his words, Wen Nuan Nuan fully understood: she must firmly ensure that no items with identifiable markings from the refrigerator were leaked or made known to outsiders!

On second thought, if all the containers in the refrigerator that held food were gone, the food inside would never reappear. Wasn’t that a restriction on leaking identifiable items?

“Eldest Brother, you see human nature so clearly. I can’t even compare to a twelve-year-old like you. You’re amazing,” Wen Nuan Nuan praised generously with a bright smile.

Leng Tian felt quite embarrassed by Wen Nuan Nuan’s earnest praise, and he didn’t think he was the amazing one. Scratching his head, he said somewhat shyly, “I’m not… I’m not that amazing. It’s Eldest Brother. Every time he comes back, he teaches me about human relationships and how to conduct myself.”

Oh? That future Chief Grand Secretary who would hold power over the world—truly a master at manipulating people’s hearts!

Even in his youth, he was already so skilled at teaching his younger brothers.

Wen Nuan Nuan suddenly remembered she wanted to test whether the refrigerator could expand. She asked, “By the way, I noticed you weren’t too surprised about the beef. Can cattle be bought and eaten?”

“Yes, there are specially raised beef cattle in the suburbs, as well as slaughterhouses. Old or weak cattle that families can’t bear to eat themselves can be sold there for silver. Ordinary families with money can also buy and eat beef—there are no restrictions.”

That’s good, Wen Nuan Nuan breathed a sigh of relief and immediately became lively. She poured out her thoughts: “Tomorrow, the debt collectors will come. After we repay the debt, let’s go into the city! And… bring some food for your Eldest Brother, and buy some daily necessities while we’re at it.”

Wen Nuan Nuan startled and quickly corrected herself—she had almost said “and incidentally see Leng Xiao”!

That would have been too inconsistent with the persona she had previously established with Eldest Brother, claiming she came for Leng Xiao.

Thankfully, thankfully she hadn’t exposed herself.

She would have to be even more careful in the future.

“I’ve thought about it. Cooked food won’t last long in this weather, so I’ll make some beef bean paste, beef chili sauce, and steamed buns and flatbreads that keep well. We can also bring some cooked food to eat that day. From then on, you can bring him food every few days. I think that’s still better than what he eats at the academy, right? Once the cotton quilts and clothes are ready, we’ll send them to him too.” Would this count as being good to Leng Xiao?

By sending things, she could find out whether the refrigerator’s expansion was related to Leng Xiao.

Was it possible that being good to them would make it expand?

She had just realized that expanding the refrigerator would bring so many benefits!

For starters, drinking water alone was a problem. Boys like Leng Tian could go out and ask people for water, but she couldn’t.

This era imposed quite a few restrictions on girls.

In the northern winters, temperatures could drop to twenty or thirty degrees below zero outdoors, and without insulated cups, any other container would turn water into a solid block of ice, wouldn’t it?

But the refrigerator’s space wouldn’t have that issue. Even water in the chilled section was far better than a block of ice!

If the refrigerator were expanded, she could store some cool boiled water inside and have it wherever she went.

She further thought that she could exchange banknotes for gold and silver ingots and store them in the expanded refrigerator space. That way, she could carry them wherever she went, without worrying about theft or robbery.

Ah, the more she thought about it, the more urgent expanding the refrigerator seemed!

Mulling over her little plans, Wen Nuan Nuan happily looked up at Leng Tian and was instantly startled.

This child, why was he kneeling?