As soon as Zhen Xiaoyu arrived at the backyard, she saw a young pregnant woman coming out of a room.
The woman wasn't surprised to see her. Instead, she gave Zhen Xiaoyu a gentle smile.
"You must be the second daughter of the Zhen family," the woman said amicably.
"Hello, sister-in-law," Zhen Xiaoyu greeted politely. She didn't even need to ask to know that this must be Dr. Lin's wife.
The smile on Mrs. Lin's face grew wider, and her eyes became even softer as she looked at Zhen Xiaoyu.
"Sister-in-law, I'd like to borrow your kitchen to make some food," Zhen Xiaoyu said, looking at the simple stove beside the wall.
"How can I let you do it? You go and rest. Just tell me what you'd like to eat," Mrs. Lin said with a smile.
Zhen Xiaoyu looked embarrassed. "My husband only wants to eat what I cook."
Mrs. Lin was taken aback for a moment and then laughed. She was a bit curious about what kind of man could make the precious daughter of the Zhen family care so much.
"Then I'll help you," Mrs. Lin said, holding her waist and walking towards the stove.
"Sister-in-law, let me show my skills for this first meal. You sit aside and just tell me where the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar are," Zhen Xiaoyu said, rolling up her sleeves.
Seeing her determined look, Mrs. Lin readily agreed. "Sure, sure. I'll leave it all to you."
Zhen Xiaoyu rummaged around in the simple open-air kitchen. All she could find were eggs, flour, and some beans. There weren't even any potatoes.
Even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice!
No matter how creative she wanted to be, it was just a fantasy without the right ingredients.
She had no choice but to make breakfast with the ingredients she had.
She soaked the soybeans in water first. Then she found a large bowl and mixed the flour and egg liquid together. She added water, salt, and a spoonful of white lard, stirring quickly with chopsticks.
Mrs. Lin sat beside her, and the surprise on her face grew. Originally, she thought Zhen Xiaoyu would be all thumbs, but she didn't expect that Zhen Xiaoyu really knew how to cook.
Those deft movements showed that she must have cooked a lot.
But just as this thought crossed her mind, Zhen Xiaoyu was stumped by the stove.
Zhen Xiaoyu's face was blackened by the smoke, but she still couldn't get the fire going in the stove.
"Sister-in-law, could you... give me a hand?" Zhen Xiaoyu said timidly, looking at Mrs. Lin.
Mrs. Lin pursed her lips and smiled. She got up, holding her waist, and helped Zhen Xiaoyu start the fire. As soon as the wood caught fire, Zhen Xiaoyu quickly helped her sit down.
"Sister-in-law, sit down quickly. It's my fault. I can't even start a fire."
"You usually cook at home. Someone must help you start the fire. It's natural that you don't know how," Mrs. Lin said with a smile, trying to comfort her.
Zhen Xiaoyu felt a bit embarrassed and scratched her nose. "Sister-in-law, you're so gentle and beautiful. Dr. Lin must have saved the whole world in his previous life to marry you."
Mrs. Lin covered her mouth and laughed heartily. This second daughter of the Zhen family was really an interesting person. Her words were so amusing.
The fire in the stove was going, and it was time to make the egg pancakes.
But Zhen Xiaoyu had never used such a large iron pan to make pancakes before. The first few were either too thick or burnt. It wasn't until she gradually got the hang of the right amount of ingredients and the timing that she managed to make thin, golden, and soft egg pancakes.
She picked out the bad ones and put them in a bowl. Then she placed the plate with the other egg pancakes beside Mrs. Lin and told her to eat first.
Mrs. Lin tore off a small piece and tasted it. Then she gave a positive review. "It's delicious. It's more fragrant than the ones sold outside."
"Sister-in-law, you eat first. I'll go and grind the soybean milk," Zhen Xiaoyu said, picking up the basin of soaked soybeans and walking towards the stone mill in the yard.
Dr. Lin walked in with a paper package in his arms and happened to see Zhen Xiaoyu pushing the stone mill around.
"What are you doing...?" Dr. Lin was completely confused.
"The second daughter is grinding soybean milk," Mrs. Lin walked over. Her eyes fell on the paper package in her husband's arms. "Did you buy breakfast, husband?"
"Yes. I went to the market and bought some steamed buns. Hurry up and eat them while they're hot."
"I just ate the egg pancakes made by the second daughter. I'm not hungry," Mrs. Lin said with a smile.
The second daughter can make pancakes? Dr. Lin was surprised. He knew very well how delicate this second daughter was at home. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was waited on hand and foot. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so fat.
"Dr. Lin, you should also try the egg pancakes I made. Sister-in-law just praised me and said they're better than the ones sold outside," Zhen Xiaoyu said while pushing the mill.
Hearing this, Dr. Lin walked over to the stove out of curiosity. He saw the burnt pancakes in the bowl beside the stove and then noticed that there were only two eggs left in the bamboo basket. His face instantly turned darker than the pancakes.
With the pancakes looking like this and using so many eggs that were meant for his wife's nourishment, how could he be in a good mood?
"The egg pancakes are kept warm in the pot. Have you tasted them?" Mrs. Lin asked when she saw him standing in front of the stove with his back to them.
"Yeah, they're good," Dr. Lin said without even lifting the lid of the pot. He just turned around and praised them against his conscience.
After saying that, he looked at his wife with a look of apology in his eyes. He felt that he had made her suffer. He gently reminded her, "Huiniang, you're pregnant. You should eat more. Have two more steamed buns. Don't let the baby in your belly go hungry."
Mrs. Lin gave Dr. Lin a coquettish look. "Don't worry. I won't let your baby go hungry."
Dr. Lin nodded. He couldn't help but look at the bamboo basket of eggs again. The half-full basket was now empty. He covered his heart, feeling that he would have a heart attack if he looked at it one more time. So he quickly walked to the front hall where he saw patients and found some paper and a pen to start keeping accounts.
He had to write down all of Zhen Xiaoyu's expenses at his house one by one. He mustn't miss anything, including how many eggs meant for his wife's nourishment she had used!
After Zhen Xiaoyu finished grinding the soybean milk, she started the fire again. She washed the pot and poured the soybean milk into it to boil.
"Sister-in-law, where's the sugar?" she asked casually.
"Wait a minute. I'll get it for you," Mrs. Lin said and went into the room. She came out with a sugar jar a short while later.
Zhen Xiaoyu held the sugar jar and poured some sugar into the pot. After stirring the soybean milk, she found it wasn't sweet enough. So she poured some more sugar into it.
Mrs. Lin wanted to say something but stopped herself.
Zhen Xiaoyu, who was concentrating on boiling the soybean milk, didn't notice Mrs. Lin's expression. After tasting the soybean milk and finding it sweet enough, she just put the sugar jar aside.
Since she had only been in this world for a short time and had lived in the wealthy Zhen family, she didn't know how precious sugar was here. Ordinary families wouldn't dare to add so much sugar to soybean milk.
After boiling the soybean milk, she filled two bowls. She gave one to Mrs. Lin.
"Sister-in-law, try my freshly ground soybean milk and see if it's good," Zhen Xiaoyu said, looking at Mrs. Lin expectantly.
Mrs. Lin glanced at the nearly empty sugar jar. She took a sip of the hot soybean milk. The strong bean aroma, smooth texture, and sweet taste made it really delicious.
The soybean milk sold outside was stingy with the ingredients and couldn't compare to what Zhen Xiaoyu had made.
"It's really delicious! This is the best soybean milk I've ever had," Mrs. Lin said with a smile, praising it.
"That's good. I have to go and take some food to my A Man. This bowl is for Dr. Lin. Sister-in-law, remember to tell him to come and drink it," Zhen Xiaoyu said and left with the breakfast for herself and A Man.
As soon as she left, Dr. Lin walked into the yard.
"Come on, husband. I've saved a bowl of freshly boiled soybean milk for you," Mrs. Lin said.
Dr. Lin had just done some mental self - consolation while keeping accounts, and his mood had finally improved a bit. He walked over and was about to pick up the bowl of soybean milk when he suddenly caught a glimpse of the sugar jar out of the corner of his eye.
He felt as if the world had gone dark in front of his eyes.
The sugar jar that his wife had always been reluctant to use and that had always been full...
Was, empty!!!