Chapter 85: Promise

Wen Nuannuan wanted to say that this wasn’t something she could control.

If she really had to go back one day, she would still be extremely happy and grateful!

She had been living just fine before, then suddenly ended up in this place. Fortunately, she was given a cheat-like refrigerator, and being broad-minded, she treated it as just changing workplaces—that was how she managed to live without fear.

But there was no denying that there were no guarantees here!

During natural disasters or man-made calamities, neither the imperial court nor local officials could be relied upon. In front of the powerful and noble, there was no point talking about human rights, democracy, or equality. Being able to eat one’s fill every day was the most important thing.

Luckily, she was with the Leng Family. If she were in another household, she would have to serve her in-laws above and attend to her husband below. If she gave birth to a daughter, she might even be called a “money-losing burden”—though such things might exist in her original world too, at least women could work there, and divorce was normal. If she really encountered such a family, she could cut her losses in time, separate, and still live her life.

The external environment of this dynasty was practically set to hard mode!

Not to mention her modern two-bedroom apartment, takeout, air conditioning, mobile phone, computer, electric lights, flush toilets… If she really had the chance to go back, how could she not want to?

Wen Nuannuan almost blurted out these words but stopped herself in time when she saw Leng Yun’s expression, which looked like he was about to cry.

Forget it, Little Brother didn’t know where she came from. He was just momentarily touched and afraid. Why should she, an adult, take these things so seriously with a child? It would only add unnecessary worries and anxiety.

Wen Nuannuan changed her tone and said softly, “It’s alright. Since your sister-in-law is here, she definitely won’t leave. No matter what, she won’t leave you all.”

After all, you are all my strongest support. Where else could she go without you?

Besides, in this dynasty, she had no intention of getting married from the start.

Just thinking about having to serve in-laws and attend to a husband in another household, or worse, encountering troublesome sisters-in-law or petty family conflicts—no, thank you. Wouldn’t it be better for her to live beautifully on her own?

With money, leisure, a career, and support, why would she want to complicate her life?

Thinking this way, Wen Nuannuan confidently and firmly promised Little Brother.

Leng Yun’s eyes shone like stars as he looked at her, almost jumping with joy and excitement: “Sister-in-law, you promised! No matter what, you won’t leave!”

Wen Nuannuan nodded casually and indifferently.

After all, here, she had nowhere else to go anyway. It wasn’t really deceiving the child, was it?

~

Not long after noon, while Leng Yun was doing arithmetic in his room, Wen Nuannuan went to the well to collect ice.

Wen Nuannuan had a strong sense of preparedness—even in the cold winter, she was already thinking about the scorching heat of the coming year.

She picked five similarly sized small water jars that Eldest Brother had brought back earlier and placed them in the courtyard. After filling them with well water, a few hours later, she harvested five solid ice blocks.

Collecting them three times a day—morning, noon, and evening—she could gather fifteen solid ice blocks daily, storing them all in the first area of the storage room along with the hay.

During their time at home, they had already roasted and shelled the pine nuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, and other items stored in the first area, placing them in the upper space. The same was done for wild vegetables and fruits—all moved to the upper area.

Since only areas one to three were large, the second area stored water, the third area would later hold quilts, clothes, wooden chests, tables, chairs, silver, and other belongings, the fourth area stored charcoal, and the fifth area held water jars and basins.

Hay and ice blocks took up a lot of space, so they could only be placed together in the first area.

Just as Wen Nuannuan finished collecting the ice blocks, she heard the sound of galloping hooves approaching from afar.

It was Leng Xiao returning!

“Sister-in-law, I’ll get the door!”

A small figure darted out from inside the house, swiftly opening the courtyard gate to let the carriage in.

Wen Nuan Nuan stood up and went to greet him.

“What did you buy today?”

Leng Xiao had brought back a carriage full of goods.

Wen Nuan Nuan was already accustomed to this. Since they lived far from the city and only went out every few days, it would be wasteful to return with an empty carriage.

Previously, whenever Leng Tian returned, he would bring water vats, full loads of corn, and various other items.

So now they had five large water vats and over a dozen smaller ones of varying sizes.

Aside from the large one needed in the kitchen, three of the remaining four were filled with cool boiled water, and one was filled with mung bean soup, all placed in the fifth section of the storage room.

The other eight or nine smaller water vats of varying sizes contained chicken soup, spare ribs soup, red bean, peanut, and red date porridge, century egg and lean meat porridge, wild chrysanthemum tea, ginger water, and more.

Leng Xiao effortlessly lifted bamboo baskets out of the carriage. Hearing the question, he paused and replied, “We have enough corn, so I didn’t buy any this time. I came across a large lake by the roadside where they were harvesting fish for the New Year. They were very fresh, so I bought two large baskets. The seller saw I bought a lot and even gave me a wooden barrel of small fish and shrimp.”

Wen Nuan Nuan thought, if the baskets were filled with fish, wouldn’t the carriage be full of water?

But when she peeked inside, she saw large fish, each frozen solid. Considering the current freezing temperatures where water turned to ice instantly, what wouldn’t freeze?

She really wanted to ask Leng Xiao if the lake surface had also frozen over, and if they had manually chiseled a hole, used horses or mules to lower a huge net, and hauled up the fish from beneath the ice layer.

But when she met Leng Xiao’s probing phoenix eyes, all her curiosity vanished without a trace.

She silently reminded herself: roe deer die from foolishness, but she couldn’t die from talking too much!

Setting aside her random thoughts, Wen Nuan Nuan put on a sweet smile. “What kind of fish is this? They’re so big.”

Whoever said that girls who smile often have good luck was right. Whenever she faced Leng Xiao’s probing gaze, she would smile as sweetly as possible, and Leng Xiao would always look away. It worked every time, without fail.

Sure enough, Leng Xiao turned his gaze away again. From an angle Wen Nuan Nuan couldn’t see, the tips of his ears turned slightly red.

Seeing Wen Nuan Nuan ask and his elder brother taking so long to answer, Leng Yun hurriedly replied, “Sister-in-law, this kind of fish has an especially big head and not much meat. We call it bighead carp here.”

Wen Nuan Nuan looked at the basket full of large fish that Leng Xiao had placed in front of her, her small face filled with admiration. “It really lives up to its name.”

Then, looking at the large, solidly frozen fish, her mind automatically conjured images of chopped chili fish head, braised fish chunks, salted pepper fish bones, and Fish with Pickled Vegetables.

No, she hadn’t eaten fish in a long time. She was craving it.

“Shall I clean the fish and we’ll have it for dinner?” Leng Xiao asked, his deep eyes smiling as he looked at Wen Nuan Nuan.

Wen Nuan Nuan nodded eagerly, her mind already filled with over a dozen ways to cook it. She didn’t forget to ask her two family members for their opinions: “What kind would you like? Clear broth or red broth? Spicy or sour soup?”

Leng Yun didn’t understand the differences between these cooking methods. He only knew that whatever his sister-in-law made was incredibly delicious. He looked at Wen Nuan Nuan with admiration and said, “We’ll listen to Sister-in-law!”

Leng Xiao’s lips curved into a faint smile, his voice low and steady. “Yes, we’ll listen to you.”

Wen Nuan Nuan gazed at the young man before her, flawless from every angle, and thought with amazement:

“Standing tall like an orchid and jade tree, smiling like the bright moon entering one’s heart”—that was exactly how Leng Xiao looked at this moment!