Chapter 30
After finally seeing off those two little terrors, Feng Aoshuang felt far more exhausted than she ever did from fighting and killing.
Before she could rest, Yang Lulong emerged from the kitchen.
“Come help chop firewood.”
“Why should I?!” Feng Aoshuang glared at her irritably.
“If you don’t chop any, you don’t get to eat.” Yang Lulong showed her no courtesy either.
“Tch…” Feng Aoshuang snatched the ax from her hand. “How do I do it?”
“How else? You swing the ax at the wood.”
Yang Lulong folded her arms and stood to one side, looking exactly like a foreman supervising a laborer.
Feng Aoshuang casually picked up a length of wood and laid it horizontally on the ground. Then she swung the ax as hard as she could at its middle.
Instead of splitting the log, the ax became deeply embedded in it. Feng Aoshuang had to exert considerable effort just to wrench it free.
As she raised the ax for another strike, Yang Lulong could no longer bear to watch and hurriedly stopped her.
“Are you doing this deliberately? You seriously don’t know how to chop wood?”
She took back the ax.
“Watch how I do it.”
Feng Aoshuang stood aside with a sour expression.
Yang Lulong placed the log upright, then brought the ax down through its center.
Crack!
The wood immediately split in half. Yang Lulong picked up the pieces and struck them several more times, swiftly turning the thick log into firewood suitable for burning.
“What’s so difficult about that? It’s simple. I understood after watching you once…”
Feng Aoshuang took the ax and imitated Yang Lulong, swinging it down at an upright log.
Contrary to her expectations, the log did not split neatly in half. The ax became lodged in the wood yet again.
Yang Lulong gave her a mocking look. “Simple, was it?”
Being caught failing made Feng Aoshuang extremely unhappy. She swung the ax several more times, growing angrier with every strike. The pieces she produced were uneven, thick at one end and thin at the other.
“I told you, there’s a trick to it. Watch…”
Yang Lulong snatched the ax back and demonstrated the proper way to split firewood.
Although Feng Aoshuang remained displeased, she patiently watched the demonstration. One taught while the other observed, and they carried on like this for quite some time.
Despite Wanniang’s repeated refusals, Ren Xuemeng insisted on helping her in the kitchen. While Wanniang stir-fried the food beside the stove, Ren Xuemeng washed and cut the vegetables for her.
“That smells wonderful…” Ren Xuemeng leaned closer to the steaming wok and breathed in its fragrance, showering Wanniang’s cooking with praise.
“Would you like to taste it?” Wanniang picked up a small portion with her chopsticks and offered it to her.
“The seasoning is perfect. It’s delicious.” Ren Xuemeng praised her again. “How did you make it taste so good?”
“The trick is to marinate it beforehand. You let the flavors soak in before stir-frying it…”
Wanniang patiently explained her cooking methods and taught her the necessary techniques.
Ren Xuemeng carefully watched and learned. She had never cooked before. As the daughter of a wealthy family, she had always been interested in cooking, but the servants never permitted her to enter the kitchen because they feared she might injure herself.
It became even more impossible after she married Feng Aoshuang. How could the great general’s daughter-in-law possibly cook for herself? The servants feared the general would punish them and refused to let her anywhere near the kitchen.
Now, she finally had an opportunity to learn.
The two women worked together harmoniously and soon prepared a table full of delicious dishes. They carried the food outside.
“Stop chopping! It’s time to eat!” Wanniang called to the two women still working at the firewood pile.
Yang Lulong immediately ran over as though she had been granted salvation.
Teaching Feng Aoshuang had been torment. No matter how Yang Lulong explained it, she simply could not learn. Yang Lulong had nearly resorted to holding her hands and guiding every swing.
Worse still, Feng Aoshuang would not let her rest despite repeatedly failing. She insisted that Yang Lulong demonstrate the technique over and over. They had already chopped through more than half of the wood meant to last the entire year.
The dishes were placed on the table, and three of them sat down. Feng Aoshuang, however, continued practicing by herself.
“Come and eat!” Yang Lulong shouted.
Feng Aoshuang did not respond at all.
“Judging by her behavior, I suppose she isn’t planning to eat…” Yang Lulong shook her head helplessly.
Whether Feng Aoshuang ate or not, Yang Lulong was starving. She hurriedly served rice to herself and the other two women, then began wolfing it down.
“Slow down, or you’ll choke,” Wanniang admonished her.
Ren Xuemeng held her bowl without taking a single bite. She watched Feng Aoshuang continue chopping wood and frowned.
The sight reminded her of how seriously Feng Aoshuang practiced her swordsmanship. She truly worked hard, but for some reason, she could never master it. After every examination with her father-in-law, she would disappear.
In truth, Ren Xuemeng had secretly followed her each time. Feng Aoshuang would sit beside the river near their home, silently staring at the water until darkness fell. Only then would she return.
Seeing that Ren Xuemeng was holding her bowl without eating, Wanniang gave Yang Lulong a meaningful look before glancing toward Feng Aoshuang.
Yang Lulong sighed helplessly, set down her bowl and chopsticks, and strode over. She grabbed Feng Aoshuang by the arm.
“Stop chopping! Come and eat!”
“Let go!” Feng Aoshuang glared fiercely at her.
“Eat.” Yang Lulong was not intimidated and glared straight back.
When Feng Aoshuang remained as stubborn as a mule, Yang Lulong lowered her voice.
“For the sake of your wife and child, go and eat. If you refuse to eat, she won’t eat either, and she’ll be the one whose health suffers.”
Hearing this, Feng Aoshuang looked toward Ren Xuemeng and found her watching. The moment Ren Xuemeng realized their eyes had met, she hurriedly lowered her head.
To Yang Lulong’s surprise, the method truly worked.
Feng Aoshuang pulled her arm free, straightened her clothes, and walked toward the table with a sullen expression.
Only after Feng Aoshuang sat down did Ren Xuemeng smile again and happily serve her a bowl of rice.
As they ate, Yang Lulong nudged Feng Aoshuang with her elbow and gave her a pointed look.
Though visibly annoyed, Feng Aoshuang followed her suggestion and placed a piece of meat in Ren Xuemeng’s bowl.
“Thank you…” Ren Xuemeng gazed happily at the meat.
“Mm…” Feng Aoshuang responded quietly, then resumed eating as though nothing had happened.
Proud that Feng Aoshuang had listened to her, Yang Lulong raised her eyebrows at Wanniang, showing off her “achievement.”
Smiling, Wanniang merely tilted the bowl in her hand.
Yang Lulong immediately picked up two pieces of meat and dropped them into it.
The rest of the meal passed peacefully.
After they finished eating, Wanniang took Ren Xuemeng to a room to examine her condition. Yang Lulong and Feng Aoshuang remained behind to clear the table.
“Wash these.” Yang Lulong handed Feng Aoshuang the dirty bowls.
“What?” Feng Aoshuang scowled. “I have to wash all of them?”
“You wash them, and I’ll draw water for you.”
“Why?” Feng Aoshuang shoved the bowls back at her. “You wash them. I’ll draw the water.”
“You’re washing them. Otherwise, I won’t teach you how to chop firewood anymore.”
Yang Lulong’s tone was unyielding.
“…”
That threat happened to work perfectly on Feng Aoshuang. Dejectedly, she accepted the dishes and carried them to the well.
Yang Lulong drew up a single bucket of water, then promptly returned to her room.
Staring at the bucket, which was not even half full, Feng Aoshuang angrily shouted after her, “Would it kill you to draw a little more?!”
Wanniang prepared the room where Yang Lulong had previously slept for Ren Xuemeng and Feng Aoshuang. Once the pair had settled in, she and Yang Lulong returned to their own room.
Wanniang sat beside the table, sewing a fur cloak for the coming winter. After changing into her sleeping clothes, Yang Lulong sat beside her.
“How did you make her listen to you?” Wanniang asked without looking up from her needlework.
“I discovered something…”
“What?”
“She’s the kind of person who bullies the weak but backs down before the strong. The kinder you are to her, the worse she behaves.”
Yang Lulong picked up a pear from the table and began peeling it.
“As long as I’m forceful with her, she’ll listen.”
She suddenly remembered their little dog. It always behaved fiercely toward her, but whenever she acted fierce in return, it immediately tried to please her by wagging its tail.
The comparison made her laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” Wanniang asked.
“Don’t you think she resembles our little dog?”
Wanniang considered it.
Their dog always looked ferocious, but it was mostly an act. The moment it encountered someone it could not bully, it became a coward.
It was especially afraid of Xiaohua and Erni. Whenever the two children arrived, it would immediately hide. Yet they always found it and scooped it into their arms. Once captured, it would not dare make a sound and simply allowed them to handle it however they pleased.
When Wanniang compared that image with Feng Aoshuang’s behavior earlier that day, she could not help laughing as well.
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