CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 71: MADNESS

Guihua was more than willing to take on such a job. Raising chickens wasn’t much trouble—just toss them some wild vegetables or dig up some bugs for them to eat.

Buying meat just meant a trip to town, which was only a few miles away.

With that, she could earn ten coins a day, which couldn’t be better.

Yun Jiao put down the meat and vegetables, caught the carp from the basin, and placed it in Guihua’s basket, "I caught it myself, take it back for Yingzi to eat."

"Oh, I have some ginger here. Take a piece to cook the fish."

She broke off a piece of ginger and put it in the basket.

Guihua looked embarrassed, "This—"

Yun Jiao smiled, "Sister-in-law, remember what I said, try to eat more meat and eggs."

She pointed at the fish in Guihua’s basket, "Fish too, even shrimp, eel, or loach will do. The less meat you eat, the worse your health will get, and when you get sick, it’s going to cost more than just a bit."

Guihua nodded vigorously. These past few days, after eating a bit of meat, she always felt that Yingzi’s little face seemed rounder, and she herself seemed to have more energy walking.

Yesterday, she had steeled herself to buy a hen laying eggs and some chicks, planning to eat an egg every day.

Guihua pulled up a small stool and sat down, skillfully helping Yun Jiao pick vegetables, then jokingly said, "Doctor Gu, do you know Ah Tie?"

"I was just on my way to your house when I heard Aunt Li scolding at her door, saying that kid went crazy, went into her pigsty, and took a basin of pig poop."

"Aunt Li said he was so hungry he took it home to eat."

"Oh, these poor kids without mothers."

Yun Jiao smiled, Ah Tie really had some impressive survival skills.

Guihua continued to shake her head, "When his mother was still alive and he hadn’t developed sores, he was quite a pretty child, but look at him now."

Yun Jiao took the opportunity to say, "That’s why I tell you to eat well. If something happens to you, Yingzi will be worse off than him."

Guihua shivered, "I, I’ve been listening to you recently, I’m not as stingy with food and drink as before."

After picking vegetables, Guihua thanked her again and then left with her basket.

Yun Jiao decided to make fish ball soup for lunch, stir-fry some shredded carrots, and also stir-fry eel.

But when she saw the eel, she was troubled. It was so slippery she couldn’t even hold it. How would she cook it?

Remembering how Liu Lang caught eel with precision, she ran to the door and called out, "Liu Lang—"

Liu Lang quickly came running, "Sister-in-law, what’s up?"

Yun Jiao pouted, "What to do with the eel? I can’t even hold it, let alone cut it open. You’ll have to help me hold it, and then I’ll figure out how to cut it."

Liu Lang came over, "I can cut it open, Sister-in-law, just watch."

"But I need to find something first."

After saying that, Liu Lang ran out again.

After a while, he came back in, placing a wooden board on the stove with an iron nail in his hand.

Yun Jiao watched curiously as Liu Lang picked up an eel and then nailed its head to the wooden board with the iron nail.

Then he made a cut from the eel’s head down to its tail, and the eel was split open.

Liu Lang then pulled out the eel’s guts and also removed its spine with a knife.

Yun Jiao watched in astonishment from the side.

Although Liu Lang’s movements weren’t very practiced, his handling was impressive.

She sincerely clapped her hands on the side, "Liu Lang, you’re so clever, this method is great."

Liu Lang was a bit happy, but then he quickly became dejected, "I used to watch my elder brother doing it like this."