Chapter 221

When we returned, it was already growing dark. Still, acting as the head of the household, I invited them over for a simple meal at my place, insisting that if they refused, it would mean they looked down upon me. At first, they felt too embarrassed, but with me putting it that way, they had no choice and half-heartedly came along. They knew how much I had spent on those supplies—truly precious things they had never tasted before. Of all the two hundred-plus silver taels I had earned, I spent nearly everything, leaving only a little over ten taels in hand. After buying plenty of firewood, rice, oil, and salt, we returned, and I immediately told my eldest sister-in-law to start a fire and cook. Now, my eldest sister-in-law was sharp; she actually called my little wife in to tend the fire. A child of four or five could easily handle stoking a fire, and my mother-in-law joined in to help with the cooking. The eldest sister knew I would certainly teach her how to cook the dishes, and she had no wish for outsiders to learn.