Honey, you didn't really drugged me, did you?

"Sis, sis~"

"Ah?"

Su Yunjin was feeling her cheeks getting hot when she saw Little Douding tugging at her clothes.

"Sis, what does pork lard taste like? Is it tasty?"

Little Douding stared at her with his big watery eyes, full of expectation. It would have been better if his mouth hadn't been so greasy.

"Didn't you just eat some?"

"Ate it too quickly, didn't catch the taste."

Hearing this, Chen Jie laughed, it had become a tradition. It was the same last time with the fish soup.

Chen Jie chuckled, "Alright, Yunjin, go scoop some sorghum rice out and make a sorghum rice meal. Today, let's eat sorghum rice mixed with pork lard, sound good, my little glutton?"

While speaking, Chen Jie gently pinched Little Douding's cheek.

Little Douding nodded vigorously, "Mmm."

Su Yunjin didn't say anything and went to scoop the rice, while Chen Jie told her, "Oh, also, Yunjin, scoop out ten catties of sorghum rice separately. I'll take it over to Uncle Erba later. Uncle Erba gave our family five catties of rice last time. Now that we have food, we need to pay it back."

"Sure, that's only right."

Su Yunjin went into the house to scoop the rice.

Chen Jie continued making oil, and soon the rice was packed.

Carrying the bag of rice and also taking two catties of pork belly.

"Yunjin, I'm heading over to Uncle Erba's house. Keep an eye on the oil in the pot."

"Okay, got it."

Saying this, Chen Jie left the house and passed the big locust tree where villagers rested in the shade. They all greeted Chen Jie. Seeing him carrying both rice and meat, someone immediately joked, "Jiu Si, carrying both rice and meat, where are you off to?"

"Ah, just bought some rice and meat to take to Uncle Erba."

That person instantly laughed, "Haha, Jiu Si, you always take good care of the uncles."

Chen Jie detected the insinuation in his words; uncles, as if he didn't have more than just Uncle Erba. Wasn't there an Uncle San Liu sitting right there?

If it had been the old Chen Jie, this might have put him in a tight spot, but the current Chen Jie was not to be trifled with.

You simply saw Chen Jie laugh lightly and say, "Haha, yes, but when I was down and out, only Uncle Erba reached out to help. Not all uncles are the same, right?"

After finishing, Chen Jie said, "Alright, I need to go now, my family is waiting for me to have dinner."

Chen Jie walked towards Uncle Erba's house. Watching Chen Jie's retreating figure, Chen Sanliu's face turned green with annoyance. Who was he slapping in the face, anyway?

What does it mean that not all uncles are the same?

This Chen Jiu Si really was a petty man triumphing. It's just some pork, who cares?

Also, that Chen Erba, what a schemer. He's trying to show off, deserved to be a cripple, born bad.

The more Chen Sanliu thought about it, the angrier he got. He stood up and walked home, while those who were chilling in the breeze remarked, "Old Chen, not sitting for a while longer?"

"Not sitting anymore; I'm hungry, going home to eat."

"Hey, didn't you say you weren't cooking this afternoon?"

"Can't I change my mind? This afternoon, I'm not just going to eat; I'm going to eat well. I'm going home to eat salted meat stir-fried with wild vegetables."

...

Watching Chen Sanliu's retreating back, a few old pals glanced at each other and smiled. Pointing at Chen Sanliu, they said,

"That guy is full of schemes. When Jiu Si was down on his luck, he wished he could hide at the ends of the earth. Now that Jiu Si is doing well, he wants to come back and share the benefits, oh my~"

Everyone shook their heads as they spoke, their faces full of mockery. In fact, who among them didn't have their own schemes? Yet such shamelessness was rare to see.

Chen Jie arrived at Uncle Erba's house and pushed open the courtyard door, calling out, "Hu Zi, Uncle Erba, are you home?"

Hu Zi and Uncle Erba were making baskets when they heard the voice and came out. Chen Jie lifted up the rice and meat in his hands.

"Uncle Erba, I've come to return the rice."

Uncle Erba and Hu Zi were startled, and Aunt Erba, hearing the voice from inside, also came out and was surprised to see Chen Jie with both rice and meat.

Chen Jie repeated his purpose, and Uncle Erba, leaning on his cane, said, "Jiu Si, your family is in difficulty, just eat it first, no need to return it so soon."

Chen Jie replied, "No need, I've found a way to earn a living. Today I bought quite a few things, and I still need to return the rice, Auntie."

Chen Jie stuffed the rice into Aunt Erba's hands.

"Oh my, Jiu Si, this must be ten jins; it's too much, too much."

Aunt Erba knew the amount of rice and flour just by lifting the bag and said so. Chen Jie replied, "It's not too much, not too much. Just keep it. These days, you've taken good care of us. And keep this meat too; Hu Zi is growing, it will be good for him."

"Ah, Jiu Si…"

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. I'm off, no need to see me out. Hu Zi, go back, go back. We're family, no need for formalities. I'm leaving…"

Chen Jie left soon thereafter.

Aunt Erba, holding the rice and meat, felt a deep sense of shame.

"Head of the household, this?"

Chen Erba hesitated slightly but then nodded, "Jiu Si means well, let's accept it."

"This, this feels so wrong... I used to, oh my…"

Aunt Erba regretted her former disdainful attitude toward Chen Jiu Si.

She was a typical rural woman who felt obliged to repay any small benefit from others, yet also felt uneasy having received favors, as if she owed them something.

After thinking it over, she went into the house and soon picked a bowl of big yellow apricots.

"Hu Zi, take these apricots to Jiu Si. Tell him to wrap them up before eating; they're a bit sour."

Hu Zi replied, "Alright."

After saying this, he chased after Chen Jie.

He quickly caught up to Chen Jie and explained the purpose. Chen Jie did not refuse and, touching the somewhat hard apricots, said, "Alright, thank my Aunt Erba for me, go back."

Waving his hand in farewell, Hu Zi soon passed by the house of Chen Sanliu.

Just at the doorstep, he saw Aunt San Liu, who used to avoid Chen Jie like the plague, but today she was unusually warm toward him.

"Yo, Jiu Si, busy, are you? Come over to our place sometime, your Uncle San Liu was just mentioning you yesterday, said he missed you."

Chen Jie casually nodded, passing the remark off, thinking to himself, "Miss me? More like envious of the meat I brought to Uncle Erba's house."

Chen Jie couldn't be bothered with her.

As Chen Jiu Si walked away, Aunt San Liu went back home and saw Chen Sanliu sulking. She said, "I just saw Chen Jiu Si; seems he just left from Erba's house."

Chen Sanliu sneered, "Just the affection between uncle and nephew."

"Hey, that's not right, isn't he your nephew too? Why would he bring meat only to Erba's house and not ours? What kind of nephew does that?"

Aunt San Liu complained angrily.

"Hmph, even back in Chen Yongwang's days, he favored Chen Erba, teaching him crafts but never teaching me medicine. If he had taught me, I'd be a doctor now, enjoying the good life instead of tilling the soil every day."

As Chen Sanliu vented, he even mentioned his cousin's name, failing to recognize that most of his family's wealth was actually given by Chen Yongwang. Chen Erba's family only learned the basket-making trade. It was clear who was really favored back then.

Now he felt wronged, but such is the insatiable human heart, always wanting more like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.