FBRIAT Chapter 2

 

Chapter 2: A Heart-Warming Bowl of Egg Noodles

 

Looking at the ingredients she had on hand and thinking about the system task, Yu Landong felt troubled. Even the cleverest cook couldn’t make a meal without rice.

No matter how skilled she had been in her previous life, with all her culinary knowledge and experience, it was useless when there was simply nothing at home.

What should she make?

Thinking of her gravely ill mother, Yu Landong suddenly had an idea.

Egg noodle soup.

Noodles were easy to digest and nutritious, which is perfect for a weak and sick body like her mother’s.

Yu Landong rolled up her sleeves, poured flour into a bowl, added water, and kneaded the dough. After letting it rest for over ten minutes, she heated oil in a pan, cracked in the eggs, and fried them until both sides turned golden before setting them aside.

By then, the dough had rested enough. She stoked the fire and boiled water, then placed the dough on a board, kneaded out the air, rolled it into a thin sheet with a rolling pin, and quickly sliced it into fine strands.

She prepared another bowl, scraping out the last thumb-sized bit of pork lard from the oil jar tucked in the corner of the stove and adding salt to the bowl.

When the water came to a boil, she dropped in the noodles. The thin noodles cooked quickly. Using the broth, she poured the noodles into the bowl, added the eggs, and let the pork lard melt into the hot soup.

The clear egg noodle soup was finished.

Milky white broth paired with a golden egg, and the fragrance instantly drifted into the main room.

Gulp—

The two younger children swallowed unconsciously when they caught the scent.

“Elder sister, what is that? It smells so good!” Yu Lansui stared eagerly at the bowl in Yu Landong’s hands.

Yu Landong reached out and wiped the drool from Yu Lansui’s mouth. “This is egg noodles for Mother. In the future, both Suisui and Niannian will have some too. Elder sister will make sure you live good lives.”

A mechanical voice sounded:[Host has completed a dish. Rating: S+. Rewards obtained: one piece of honey, one piece of pork, one portion of winter bamboo shoots, and one portion of spices.]

The items weren’t many, but for the current Yu family, they were nothing short of lifesaving aid.

Yu Landong had just let out a sigh of relief, and just then she heard a loud bang—

A young, burly man kicked the door open and strode in aggressively.

Before Yu Landong could say anything, he roared in a coarse voice, “I’ve already claimed you, yet you still dare fool around outside! If it weren’t for Granny Wang tipping me off, I wouldn’t have known you secretly accepted a wild man’s jade pendant!”

Spit flew as he shouted, and the heavy stench of alcohol rolled off him. Yu Landong frowned in discomfort.

Since Granny Wang knew the origin of that jade pendant, why would she spread rumors and twist the truth?

With a bit of thought, Yu Landong understood that it was likely a deliberate smear, meant to pressure her into marriage.

So one jade pendant wasn’t enough, and they even had their eyes on the bride price.

Seeing Li Gennian, the man who had forced the original owner of this body into marriage, Yu Landong felt only that the original girl’s fate had been especially bitter.

This man was a notorious local bully from the western part of the city. With his family’s wealth backing him, he had always acted lawlessly, often forcibly taking women.

Granny Wang had meddled from the shadows, pushing Li Gennian to insist on marrying Yu Landong.

Originally, even though the Yu family had fallen on hard times, they would never have agreed to marry their eldest daughter to such a person.

But Granny Wang’s silver tongue deceived the original girl.

Coupled with Mother Yu’s serious illness and the urgent need for money, the original girl had borrowed funds from Granny Wang and agreed to repay the debt with the bride price from this marriage.

Of course, that agreement was made by the original owner of this body and not by the present Yu Landong. For her to submit and accept it? Not a chance.

Still, the disparity in strength was obvious. A head-on confrontation would only lead to losses.

Knowing when to yield, Yu Landong suppressed her disgust and glanced at the snakeskin wine pouch hanging from his waist. An idea formed.

She put on a gentle smile and said ingratiatingly, “Brother Li, you mustn’t be misled. That pendant is a Yu family heirloom.” As she spoke, she pulled out a small piece of honey wrapped in a handkerchief from her sleeve.

Li Gennian burped. Already not very sober, he was further dazed by her delicate expression. “Is that true?”

“Of course.” Yu Landong opened the handkerchief with slender fingers, revealing the honey inside.

Her heart ached; she hadn’t even had a chance to taste the honey the system rewarded her with, but she comforted herself that you had to risk something to gain something.

In a subdued tone, she said, “I went through great trouble to trade for this small piece. I’ve heard honey is very good for people.”

Before she finished speaking, the honey was snatched away. Li Gennian ate it eagerly. Honey was hard to come by, especially in the dead of winter, and even a small piece cost a tael of silver.

The moment it entered his mouth, the smooth, sweet taste made his eyes narrow in pleasure. He swallowed it in just a few bites, still wanting more.

Using the excuse of pouring hot tea to cleanse the palate, Yu Landong took the two younger children into the kitchen and told them not to come out.

Just as she expected, when she returned, Li Gennian was clutching his chest and had collapsed onto the ground. Calm understanding crossed her face. She turned, tilted her head back, drained the cup of water, and slammed it down on the table.

The imbalance between them lay in strength and not in intelligence. Against a brute with more brawn than brains, it wasn’t yet clear who would win.

Seeing how fresh the snakeskin wine pouch at his waist looked, he must have eaten snake meat with alcohol for lunch.

Lacking knowledge of food incompatibilities, he naturally wouldn’t know that snake meat should never be eaten with honey; otherwise, chest tightness, weakness, and breathing difficulties would quickly follow.

Yu Landong took a deep breath, her expression turning cold. “Li Gennian, this so-called marriage is a purchase, not an engagement. I only agreed before because I owed Granny Wang money. Now our debts are settled. I’ve received no betrothal gifts, and there’s no written contract. This whole thing counts as a misunderstanding.”

Even a fool could understand the situation by now.

Li Gennian’s face turned livid. He tried to stand and strike her, but his limbs wouldn’t cooperate. He could only curse angrily, “Bitch! You dared poison me!”

Poison?

Temporary food poisoning…

Fine, she’d let it count as poison.

Her original intention had been to knock him down first and then negotiate, but with that reminder, she now had a way to resolve this forced marriage completely.

She boldly stepped closer, into the stench of alcohol, her brows lowered. “Yes. Who told you to be so greedy? That was the Yu family’s ancestral gu poison!”

How had this woman suddenly become so hard to deal with?

Li Gennian’s lips began to turn pale. He licked them with difficulty and asked in a trembling voice, “W-what… what gu poison?”

Yu Landong improvised on the spot. “This poison is called the Gut-Severing Soul-Devouring Gu. Once it takes effect, a person might…”

Seeing Li Gennian’s face grow even paler, she deliberately frightened him further. “You might bleed from all seven orifices, suffer unbearable pain, and turn into a pile of rotting flesh.”

“Stop…stop talking!” Li Gennian trembled all over, cold sweat pouring down his face. In a quavering voice, he cried, “Y-you… are you trying to kill me?”

So he really was the kind who feared death above all else.

Disdain flashed through Yu Landong’s heart. With a mocking expression, she said coldly, “Kill you? You’re not worth it.”

Li Gennian panicked completely. “Miss Yu! Lady Yu! Great Aunt Yu! I beg you… have mercy and give me the antidote! I’ll agree to anything!”

“Then swear an oath. This marriage is canceled from now on. You are not to come harass the Yu family again, nor are you to bully innocent women,” Yu Landong said with grave seriousness.
“The timing of this gu’s attack is uncertain; it depends on my mood. And the antidote exists only in my hands. If you obey what I say, I’ll give you the antidote in half a year. But if you harbor any wicked thoughts…”

Li Gennian hurriedly swore, “I swear! I swear right now! If I break this oath, my Li family…”

He hesitated at this point, a flicker of reluctance flashing through his eyes. Seeing this, Yu Landong immediately added, “If you break it, your Li family will be plagued by misfortune and endless disasters.”

“T-this is too vicious!” Li Gennian showed displeasure and was about to resist, but a sudden pain shot through his body. He instantly gave in. “Fine! I swear!”

However, as he left, a vicious glint flashed through his eyes, one that Yu Landong caught clearly.

Seeing the local bully driven away so cleverly by their elder sister, the two younger children couldn’t help but feel a slightly blind sense of admiration.

“Elder sister is amazing!”

“The bad guy got chased away!”

Yu Landong, however, remained uneasy. Li Gennian would definitely not let this go so easily, nor would Granny Wang…

“Dong… Dong’er… cough, cough…”

A series of coughs interrupted her thoughts.

“Mother!”

Mother Yu lay crookedly on the bed, her face ashen. Though she was only thirty-five, her hair was already dry and white, scattered messily over her shoulders. Her eyes were sunken, filled with exhaustion and worry.

At an age that would be considered prime in modern society, she was now so haggard. A wave of bitterness rose in Yu Landong’s heart.

“Cough… Dong’er, you must never marry into the Li family. Mother knows you did it all for our family, but the Li family is not one to deal with. My illness isn’t important, so don’t wrong yourself because of me. Mother can’t drag you down, my child…” she said between coughs.

Mother Yu held Yu Landong’s hand tightly, speaking earnestly. “The Li family is no good. They’ll come back looking for trouble. You must leave…Go far away, to somewhere they can’t find you. As long as you’re safe and well, even if Mother never sees you again in this lifetime, I’ll be at peace.”

Another coughing fit followed.

Even in such hardship, her mother still thought only of her children. That deep maternal love flowed like a warm current into Yu Landong’s heart.

The moment she truly felt maternal love for the first time, it was as if something tightly clenched her heart. Sourness and swelling spread through her chest, a feeling impossible to put into words, as though the softest part of her heart had been gently touched.

“Mother, have some water,” her younger brother Yu Lannian said, handing over an enamel bowl. He carefully turned the chipped edge outward, presenting the smooth side to her.

“Children… Mother has failed you,” Mother Yu said with a pained expression, her eyes red from crying. With trembling hands, she pulled out a piece of silver from beneath the bedboard and handed it to Yu Landong.

“Dong’er, take Niannian and Suisui and go… quickly…”

Seeing her mother speaking as though arranging her final affairs, Yu Landong felt both heartache and gratitude.

She bent down and wrapped her arms around her mother, comforting her softly. “It’s alright, Mother. I’m not afraid. As long as we’re together, I’m not afraid of anything.”

Yu Lansui said, “We’re not afraid!”

Yu Lannian said, “Mother, I’ll protect our Yu family.”

Seeing how sensible the three children were, Mother Yu burst into tears again. “Good children. As long as Mother still has breath left, I won’t let anyone bully you.”

“Mother, eat the noodles,” Yu Lansui said, bringing over the bowl of egg noodles. Smelling the fragrance, Mother Yu stopped talking and began to eat.

“Mother, I want to take Niannian and Suisui to the market to see what we can buy,” Yu Landong said, thinking about their future. Since she had decided to stay and live properly, their current home…bare as it was, posed a real problem. There was no furniture to speak of, and even food was an issue.

Moreover, the clothes Yu Lannian and Yu Lansui wore were dirty. They needed a change.

She also wanted to take a look at the market situation; perhaps there would be opportunities for her later on.

Just before they closed the door, Mother Yu caught up and said, “See if the market has needles and thread. I’ll mend your clothes.”

Tl’s Notes:-

Egg noodles recipe:- https://msshiandmrhe.com/chinese-noodle-soup/

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