Liu Hongjuan didn't say anything more about borrowing money.
She wasn't stupid—no way she'd walk into danger.
She quickly slipped away, saying in a panicked tone, "I can't lend you anything… something came up at home, I have to go."
Julie watched her leave with little interest.
She had thought Liu Hongjuan would stand her ground and argue.
She had even made up her mind to take that woman's rooster—already thinking about whether to stew it or make a braised dish.
But… that was it?
So cowardly. Boring.
Julie turned away and kept walking.
She walked around the whole village. Along the way, she saw a few villagers picking firewood or just stepping out for fresh air. When they saw Julie, they greeted her warmly, and she nodded in return.
After walking the whole village, she thought it was actually better than she expected.
At least the houses didn't look like they were about to fall apart.
Thinking about it now, the thatched hut she first stayed in was probably the worst of them all.
…
After walking around, her face was a bit chapped from the cold wind.
When Julie returned home and stepped into the main room, several men came over to check on her warmly.
Bailee got up and left for a moment, then came back holding a bowl of ginger soup. "Wife, drink this. It'll warm your stomach and drive out the cold," he said, his voice gentle like warm sunshine on a winter day.
Julie took the bowl and drank it all in one go. It was a little hot at first, with a mix of spiciness and a hint of sweetness.
Bailee had added some sugar cane to soften the spicy taste for her.
By the end, her mouth was kind of numb, but it wasn't bad. She could accept it.
She didn't quite know how to feel about ginger soup.
But after drinking it, her stomach felt warm and her body felt hot—better than using a heat pack.
Julie felt something was off, but couldn't put her finger on it.
She handed the bowl back to Bailee. "Thanks, that was thoughtful. I'll just…" Before she could finish, Haven came over.
He had just come from the room with some glycerin. He put a bit on his hands and gently rubbed it on Julie's face. She looked at him calmly, her face unchanged, but he was actually nervous inside. He was a little surprised that her face felt so soft—he kind of wanted to squeeze it.
"Wife, your face is a bit chapped. This glycerin works well, it should be better in a few days," he said steadily. His hands didn't shake, but his ears quietly turned red. He didn't notice it, but Julie, being so close, did.
When he finished, she glanced at him, thanked him, and went back to her room.
She felt like Haven had been acting strange—why was he trembling just from applying glycerin?
She was standing right there. No way she imagined it.
What's wrong with him?
That night, they had rice, venison stew with potatoes, pork fat fried with green vegetables, stir-fried cucumber slices, and a bone broth with radish.
It was a pretty rich meal. Julie ate a lot—she finished a big bowl of rice and gnawed on a few bones. Though the meat had been mostly picked clean, she could still suck out the bone marrow, which tasted pretty good.
Some people think it's gross, but she didn't mind.
She drank two more bowls of soup before putting her chopsticks down.
Lorrie saw her sucking on the bones and looked… hard to describe.
Haven glared at Lorrie.
Then followed Julie's example and started sucking out the bone marrow too. It had been cooked for a long time and was completely done, so what was there to be afraid of?
He didn't expect it to taste better than he thought—soft and not greasy like fat. He ended up eating several pieces.
Lorrie saw his second brother eating several pieces in a row and felt confused—was it really that tasty?
Curious, he carefully sucked out the marrow from one of the bones, and then the "it's actually delicious" moment hit him.
He ended up eating three pieces before stopping, licking his lips, still wanting more.
Haven and Bailee exchanged helpless looks and continued eating their rice.
That night, Julie went into Haven's room.
Haven was dressed in a light pink robe, looking soft and gentle as he sat on the bed. When he saw his wife come in, his eyes lit up slightly. In a sweet but not annoying voice, he said, "Wife, you're here. Haven has been waiting for you."
Julie raised an eyebrow, walked over, and sat down by the bed.
When she saw him reaching out his hand, she didn't refuse and pulled him into her arms.
Haven blushed lightly and looked a little shy, but his hands moved up on their own.
Everything happened naturally.
Haven was still as enthusiastic and active as ever.
At the most intense moment, Haven wrapped his arms around Julie's neck, kissing her earlobe and whispering softly, "Wife, can I call you Julie My Wife in bed?" His voice was gentle and playful.
Julie didn't mind. Even though no one had asked her that before, it wasn't a big deal.
"As you like."
And then she kissed him.
Afterward, Haven looked a bit seductive and tired.
Julie had already closed her eyes and was lying on the bed.
Haven glanced down at his belly, thinking… after so many times, why is there still no sign?
His eyelids grew heavy. He turned his head slightly to watch Julie's face until he couldn't fight the sleep any longer.
The next day
When Haven woke up, Julie was already gone.
Tomorrow was the monthly meeting day.
She spent the whole day in her room, writing notices to post on the shop doors.
The content was short and clear, without listing the rent amounts, since the rents for the three types of shops were different.
After finishing, she stored everything in her space.
Lunch was noodles with napa cabbage, sesame oil, chopped green onions, and a poached egg on top.
There was also a plate of stir-fried venison with chili and a plate of steamed eggplant. The eggplant was plain, topped with garlic paste, salt, and drizzled with soy oil.
Julie tried a few bites of the eggplant but didn't continue—she wasn't used to the taste.
She ate a big bowl of noodles and picked up a few pieces of venison, then stopped.
In the afternoon, Bailee fried two pounds of dace fish.
He served a bowl to Julie, saved some for Mr. Leng, and split the rest among the three brothers.
Of course, Lorrie ate the most.
Bailee normally wouldn't bother frying fish—it uses too much oil.
But lately, because it was cold, Lorrie hadn't been going out much.
Aside from collecting eggs from the chicken coop in the early morning, he spent the rest of the day lounging in the main hall, thinking about food and drink.
Yesterday he had boiled chestnuts, the day before a bowl of brown sugar eggs.
Today, he had his sights on the dace fish.
There was just over a pound left.
At first, Bailee refused, thinking it was wasteful and used too much oil.
But Lorrie wouldn't give up. He clung to Bailee's sleeve, pouting and acting cute, flattering his big brother non-stop.
Eventually, Bailee gave in.
Haven didn't get involved at all.
At home, Lorrie feared Julie the most, and second was Haven.
He usually didn't go to Haven for anything—he knew he'd be rejected.
Haven was too hard to sway.
Bailee wasn't only doing it for Lorrie. He remembered Julie liked it during a recent meal, and it made a good snack, so he went to the kitchen.
He topped the fish with sesame seeds and cilantro. Best eaten hot, the fish was crispy and fragrant.
Julie opened the door, thanked him, closed the door, and started eating one piece at a time.
She didn't like sweets much, but this salty, crispy flavor was just right for her.
In less than the time it takes to burn one incense stick, she finished the whole bowl.
She licked her lips, feeling satisfied, and sat cross-legged to continue her training.
She wouldn't ask for special dishes, but if good food was brought to her, she wouldn't say no.
After dinner, Julie rested in her room.
The next morning, Bailee got up early to start cooking.
He knew Julie had a meeting today.
Worried she'd be hungry or have a hard time finding food at noon, he made her a bowl of noodles—filling and quick.
It was tomato and egg noodles, sprinkled with green onions and drizzled with sesame oil. Julie enjoyed it; it was refreshing.
She really liked Lorrie's noodles, and although most hand-pulled noodles were similar, Bailee's had something special.
His noodles were firm and didn't break easily. The texture was just right, and they never clumped together.
Julie appreciated it and ate a big bowl. She even said something rare: "Thank you, it was really good. The weather's cold now, no need to wake up so early. Go rest a bit more if you're tired."
Seeing how obedient and cute he looked, she couldn't help pinching his cheek before heading out.