Chapter 201: Daily Life in the Family Courtyard
Sheng Wanze’s family also had access to a private agricultural plot, but since they had only recently planted their crops, they wouldn’t be ready to harvest until early October, just in time to stockpile for the winter.
“Yes, yes, I’ll go pick the vegetables for you right now,” Grandma Sheng offered brightly. “You head over to your private plot and gather the Chinese cabbage.”
The moment she finished speaking, Grandma Sheng bustled over toward the Gu household, and Wanyan followed closely to unlock the courtyard door for her.
“Wanyan, just leave the heavy baskets there when you’re done. I’ll haul them later,” Gu Tingxiao instructed, not wanting her to strain herself with the heavy lifting.
Wanyan nodded. In her own backyard, she had cultivated a rich patch of tomatoes, cabbages, chili peppers, radishes, pumpkins, and cucumbers. The larger crop of Chinese cabbage, however, was planted out in their assigned private plot.
Grabbing a woven bamboo basket, Wanyan headed out to the fields.
When she arrived, she found Captain Wang’s wife, Yang Wanshu, and Captain Fang’s wife, Xu Guihua, already there. Because it was Sunday, all their children were off from school and had tagged along to help.
“Auntie~” little An’an called out, looking slightly shy as he spotted her.
Ever since they had started mixing fine grains into his diet, An’an had gained a healthy amount of weight and had even shot up in height. Seeing his progress, Captain Wang and Yang Wanshu finally felt a profound sense of relief.
Still, Yang Wanshu often muttered complaints that the child was an absolute bottomless pit—every last grain of expensive, refined food in the house seemed to vanish straight into his stomach. However, she was deeply mindful of their older son, Pingping. Pingping was growing up and had a mind of his own; if he noticed An’an getting special treatment, resentment might build.
Therefore, Captain Wang made sure to quietly supplement Pingping’s meals with fine foods as well. They were determined to ensure there was no friction between the two brothers, even if it meant draining their family savings down to the very last penny. At worst, they reasoned, they could just tighten their belts, work a little harder, and save up again over the next year or two.
“Captain Gu’s wife, are you here to bring in your harvest as well?” Xu Guihua called out, waving a greeting.
Wanyan nodded, glancing over at the overflowing baskets near the other women. Captain Fang’s family had planted a massive crop of radishes, while Captain Wang’s plot was filled with crisp cabbages.
“Have you both finished collecting?” Wanyan asked.
“Just about,” Yang Wanshu replied. “If we harvest the plot now, we have just enough time to plant a second round of cold-weather crops for the winter.”
Wanyan realized she was absolutely right. As soon as she finished pulling up her cabbages, she needed to immediately prepare the soil and sow a fresh batch of seeds.
“Auntie, let us help you collect your vegetables!” Pingping offered enthusiastically, grabbing An’an’s hand and pulling him over. The three children from Captain Fang’s family immediately followed suit.
Captain Fang had three children: a ten-year-old eldest son, a seven-year-old middle daughter, and a five-year-old youngest son. They were at an age where they loved to run wild and cause mischief, but they also functioned as a highly effective half-sized labor force for the family.
“Alright, then you kids stay here and help Aunt Gu,” Xu Guihua instructed, turning to Yang Wanshu with an amused look. Letting the children burn off their excess energy helping Wanyan was a far better alternative than letting them run wild around the compound. If they didn’t wear them out now, the little terrors would never settle down to sleep that night, and they’d likely be nowhere to be found when dinner was ready.
“Okay! My brother, my big brother, my big sister, and I will stay and help!” Pingping cheered. “You guys hurry up and go home!”
Pingping was absolutely thrilled to stay by Sheng Wanyan’s side. Hearing the kids volunteer so eagerly, Wanyan was touched by how well-behaved they were.
“Oh, listen to this little brat! He’s already trying to shoo us away,” Xu Guihua laughed, reaching out to playfully grab Pingping by the ear.
Seeing her move, Pingping shrieked with laughter and immediately darted out of reach.
“You shameless little scamp! The second you see a pretty auntie, your legs forget how to walk back to your own mother,” Xu Guihua teased.
Pingping wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. Instead, he puffed out his chest and fired back, “Hehe! Aunt Gu is gentle, kind, and super pretty! I want to marry her when I grow up!” He added proudly, “My dad says real men are supposed to be good to their wives.”
The bold declaration sent all three women into a fit of laughter. The little rascal was already trying to secure a beautiful wife at his age!
Hearing her son’s brazen words, Yang Wanshu quickly stepped forward and clapped a hand over Pingping’s mouth, her face flushed with secondhand embarrassment. Why does this boy have no filter in public?
“If your Uncle Gu hears that you’re trying to steal his wife, he’s going to drag you up into the mountains for some ‘special combat training,'” Yang Wanshu warned him playfully.
At the mention of Gu Tingxiao, Pingping’s eyes widened in sheer terror. He immediately slapped both his own hands over his mouth to keep it shut tight. “Mom, please don’t tell Uncle Gu!” he mumbled through his fingers. “What if he beats me up?”
Sheng Wanyan laughed, truly at a loss for words. Still, it was undeniably flattering to be so fiercely adored by a child.
“We’ll leave you to it, then. Come over and visit us whenever you have some free time, Captain Gu’s wife,” Xu Guihua said, hoisting her heavy basket.
Yang Wanshu finally released her son. “Yes, do come over. We’ll be waiting for you.”
Wanyan smiled and nodded. These two sisters-in-law were genuinely pleasant company. While Xu Guihua carried an air of slight arrogance, she was straightforward and never tried to take advantage of anyone. Her pride was simply a byproduct of her privileged family background—she had the capital to be a bit haughty.
“I will,” Wanyan promised. “I’ll definitely stop by when I have a free afternoon.”
Xu Guihua slung her basket of radishes over her shoulder and began the walk back to the quarters, perfectly timing her return with the end of the workday. As if on cue, Captain Fang appeared down the path, heading toward the plots. Seeing his wife struggling with the heavy load, he immediately stepped forward to take the basket from her.
Back at the plot, the five children eagerly threw themselves into helping Wanyan harvest the cabbage. Wanyan didn’t try to stop them, letting them work off their energy. When the job was finally done and it was time for them to leave, she crouched down and pulled twenty-five individually wrapped candies from her pocket, distributing five to each child.
“Aunt Gu, we can’t take these,” Pingping said, trying to sound responsible. Yet, despite his words, not a single child could tear their eyes away from the brightly colored wrappers.
“You’re not just taking them,” Wanyan smiled warmly. “Thank you for helping me with all this hard work. This is your reward. You earned this fair and square; it isn’t a handout.”
Hearing that it was an earned reward, the children’s hesitation vanished, and they happily accepted the sweets. It turned out that hard work really did pay off!
“Thank you, Aunt Gu!” “Thank you, Auntie~”
Little An’an looked up at her, his big eyes shining with adoration. Wanyan reached out and gently ruffled his hair.
“Alright, run along now and go have dinner.”
“Goodbye, Auntie~” “Goodbye!”
Wanyan watched the small pack of children race off toward the compound before turning to gather her own baskets and head home.
By the time she walked through her gate, Grandma Sheng had already completely harvested the backyard garden and neatly piled the produce near the back door. Wanyan quickly took inventory: she had thirty heads of cabbage, thirty large radishes, and an entire washbasin brimming with vibrant chili peppers. There were forty crisp cucumbers, twenty plump pumpkins, and a staggering fifty massive, juicy tomatoes.
“Grandma, take a batch of these radishes and tomatoes back with you. You can make a nice, rich soup for Sister-in-law,” Wanyan offered. “It’s highly nutritious.”
“Alright, I won’t stand on ceremony with you,” Grandma Sheng agreed, selecting five pristine radishes and five of the ripest tomatoes.
As she picked them up, Grandma Sheng marveled at the sheer quality of her granddaughter’s harvest. Every single vegetable in Wanyan’s garden had grown to spectacular proportions. The radishes were significantly thicker than anything available in the market, and the tomatoes were a brilliant, flawless crimson. It was obvious Wanyan had poured immense care into tending the soil. Seeing such abundance gave Grandma Sheng a deep sense of peace—as long as her granddaughter was thriving, nothing else mattered.
What Grandma Sheng didn’t know was that Wanyan regularly infused her backyard soil with water from her spiritual spring, practically guaranteeing a superhuman yield. However, to maintain appearances and avoid drawing unwanted attention to her public plot, she only used the spiritual water on the vegetables grown safely within the walls of her own home.
Wanyan looked over the massive pile. Tomatoes had a notoriously short shelf life; if she didn’t process them quickly, they would spoil. She selected fifteen of the firmest to keep in the kitchen for immediate cooking and decided to process the remaining thirty-five into a large batch of homemade ketchup. It would make the perfect condiment for a platter of crispy French fries later on.
She set the project aside for the evening, focusing on cooking a simple dinner first.
The next day, she spent the afternoon meticulously researching and refining her ketchup recipe. While she wasn’t a master chef by any means, she frequently consulted various cookbooks she had stored in her space. And frankly, regardless of her actual culinary technique, cooking with spiritual spring water virtually guaranteed that any dish she produced would be mouthwateringly delicious.
As soon as the rich, tangy ketchup was finished simmering, Wanyan immediately peeled and fried a fresh batch of potato strips.
Carrying the platter out into the courtyard, she sat down with Gu Tingxiao to enjoy the snack. Gu Tingxiao dipped a fry into the bright red sauce, took a bite, and immediately reached for another. The tangy, sweet flavor suited his palate perfectly.
“Wanyan, you are truly a master in the kitchen,” he praised earnestly.
“Woof~” Maodou barked from the sidelines, thumping his tail eagerly as if demanding his own share.
