Chapter 414: Unable to Think of a Chapter Title (2)
Chapter 414: Unable to Think of a Chapter Title (2)
After Mo Qingze took his seat, the others followed suit according to their usual seating order. Mo Yan picked up her bowl ready to eat when she noticed Tang Xin nervously twisting her fingers standing aside without sitting down. She pointed to a few empty chairs against the wall and said, "Tang Xin, there are no outsiders here. Bring a chair over and eat with us!"
Tang Xin hesitated for a moment, then waved her hands in a flustered manner, "N-No, I'll eat later."
She understood her current status; once her household registration was transferred to the government office, she would become a servant of the Mo family. Although she didn't know the exact rules servants were supposed to follow, she was aware that they couldn't dine at the same table as the masters.
Mo Yan understood her thoughts well. Just as she was about to speak, Xin'er preemptively stood up, not allowing any refusal, and pushed Tang Xin into her seat, handing her a bowl and chopsticks, "The food will get cold if we wait. We don't have so many rules in our house. Just eat peacefully!"
Tang Xin sat as stiff as a needle, almost unable to hold the chopsticks steady. It was Mo Qingze's gentle persuasion that finally made her cautiously pick up the bowl.
However, even with a bowl full of snow-white rice in front of her, she couldn't bring herself to eat.
Whether before fleeing or after fleeing, life in the Tang household had always been difficult. Only during festivals would white rice appear on the table. Since her birth mother died and Yu shi entered the Tang family, Tang Xin hadn't tasted a single grain. Now, she only knew that rice was fragrant and soft, but she had forgotten exactly how it tasted.
"What are you thinking? Eat quickly, or it won't taste good when it gets cold!" Seeing Tang Xin lost in thought, Xin'er nudged her with her arm and shoved a large bite of garlic shoots stir-fried pork into her bowl, urging her to eat quickly.
The aromatic stir-fried pork was incredibly tempting, and Tang Xin couldn't help but swallow involuntarily. She smiled slightly, replied softly, and took a mouthful of rice.
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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
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As the rice entered her mouth, it was even more fragrant and soft than she had imagined. She couldn't wait to take a second and third bite... Gradually, she let go of her previous restraint, devouring Xin'er's piled-up dishes like a small mountain. This meal was the most delicious and satisfying she had ever eaten in her memory.
After the meal, Tang Xin eagerly cleaned up her bowl and chopsticks. No one contested her actions, as they noticed the dark clouds covering the sky had dissipated somewhat, making the day brighter. They all picked up shovels and brooms to clear the snow from the courtyard.
After washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen spotlessly, Tang Xin joined in with tools in hand. Despite being around the same age as Xin'er and Li Yan, under Yu shi's demands, she was unusually skilled and quick at shoveling snow, motivating several younger children to compete with her, making them much faster than in the morning.
With everyone's efforts, by evening, the snow in the front yard had been completely cleared. What delighted them even more was the appearance of a fiery red sunset in the western sky, illuminating the blue sky with a colorful evening glow. Apparently, after intermittent snowfall for half a month, it had finally stopped, and tomorrow promised to be a clear day!
In the evening, Mo Yan cooked using pork bone broth as a soup base, boiled a large pot of hand-pulled noodles with a rich meaty fragrance, sprinkled with vegetables and green onions, and paired with various appetizers, both delicious and nutritious, warming everyone's stomachs and bodies.
Just as the noodles were freshly cooked and placed on the table, the three beasts stealthily slipped in through the side door, taking advantage of the night's cover, unexpectedly encountering Tang Xin who was going out to the outhouse. The fierce beasts had a strong territorial awareness; now with a stranger suddenly appearing in their territory, their first reaction was to attack.
Tang Xin only knew that the Mo family had a very personable dog and had no idea that this dog was a majestic snow wolf. At this moment, the three large beasts, their eyes glowing green, roared angrily at her. Tang Xin was completely stunned, trying to shout a warning to others about the beasts, but her throat was unable to make any sound.
In the end, it was the strange howling of the three beasts that alerted the people in the house, preventing what could have been a tragic incident!
Although Xin'er patiently explained to her how intelligent and well-behaved the three beasts were, and although the three beasts were as gentle as kittens in front of Mo Yan, Tang Xin was still very afraid. She ate her meal nervously, fearing that any inadvertent action might provoke the beasts to attack.
After dinner, Tang Xin hurriedly took her bowl and chopsticks into the kitchen, temporarily avoiding the intentional or unintentional stares of the three beasts. Seeing her directly scoop water from the water tank into the pot to wash the dishes, Xin'er hurriedly stopped her, "This water is ice-cold. We always heat it up before washing, which makes it easier to clean."
As she spoke, she threw some pine needles into the still-burning stove and picked up a fan nearby to fan the flames. In no time, the pine needles caught fire, blazing brightly. She threw in a few dry branches, crackling and burning hotly.
Tang Xin stood by dumbfoundedly until the water in the pot was heated. Only when Xin'er rolled up her sleeves to wash the dishes did Tang Xin snap out of her daze and quickly step forward to help. The warm hot water made her originally cold hands warm, and she couldn't help but cherish this warmth.
Back home, regardless of how cold the weather was, whether washing dishes or clothes, Yu shi never allowed Tang Xin to waste firewood heating water. Over the years, even in the hot summer, her hands and feet still felt a bit chilly, and winters were even harder to endure.
Although she hadn't been in the Mo family for less than a day, everything about the Mo family made her feel an unprecedented warmth. Suddenly, she no longer felt the confusion and unease about the future.
While the two washed the dishes, Mo Yan and Li Xiu's niece came to the front yard. After tidying up an empty room and taking a set of furniture from the storage room, they carried a bed, table, and wardrobe into the room prepared for Tang Xin. The room was next to where Li Yan slept, although not large in size, it was definitely spacious for one person.
Sitting on the soft bed, touching the brand new bedding, no one knew how unsettled Tang Xin's heart was!
The woman had always dreamed of living in a spacious and sturdy house, repeatedly expressing her envy and jealousy of the Mo family's beautiful large courtyard to her weak father. She even fantasized about one day living in a courtyard like the Mo family, hiring a few workers, planting vegetables in the east courtyard, raising pigs in the south courtyard, chickens in the west courtyard, and cattle in the north courtyard, and becoming a wealthy landlady!
However, no matter how much she longed for it, she still had to stay in a thatched hut with drafts leaking in, sleeping on cold, hard, moldy blankets, counting the grains of rice each day and feeling heartbroken for wasting even half a grain... Thinking of this, the deep-seated resentment that had been accumulating in Tang Xin's heart for many years suddenly subsided!
Looking at the flickering lights, a smile appeared on her face! That woman could no longer control her fate. As long as she didn't come to her for trouble, she wouldn't actively seek revenge for a person who wasn't worth the effort, and she would do her best for the Mo family in the future.
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