The Farm Girl and the Executioner (Rebirth) 6

Chapter 6: The First Meal

The chicken was quite plump. They would eat half tonight, and the other half would be salted and saved for tomorrow.

Lin Shuang quickly prepared the chicken pieces.

“I’m going to check the vegetable garden.”

Jiang Huaizhen stood up. “I’ll take you.”

When Jiang Gui was alive and away on duty, the grandmother and granddaughter would not only tend to the fields but also grow vegetables in the valley. However, Old Madam Jiang’s health was poor, and Jiang Gui, relying on the one tael of silver he earned for each beheading, refused to let them cultivate more land.

A vegetable garden and two mu of reclaimed wasteland were all the land the Jiang family owned. T/N: Mu: Chinese unit of land measurement that varies with location but is commonly 806.65 square yards (0.165 acre, or 666.5 square metres)

But after Jiang Gui passed away, the family lost its source of income. Jiang Huaizhen had originally planned to reclaim more land for farming, but her grandmother’s health had deteriorated rapidly. Besides caring for her, she had to find ways to hunt in the mountains for money, so the land reclamation had only progressed in bits and pieces.

Now that she had taken on the job at the yamen, she had even less time for the fields.

There were still some vegetables growing in the garden, but with winter approaching, some of the leaves were beginning to turn yellow.

There were no cattle or sheep in the valley, so there was no need for a fence. Lin Shuang saw the vegetable garden as soon as she stepped out the back door.

Cabbage didn’t go well with chicken soup. It would be great if they had some mushrooms.

It had been raining for the past two days, and being so close to the forest, mushrooms were likely to grow.

She glanced around and, seeing that Jiang Huaizhen wasn’t paying attention, squatted down and pressed her palm to the ground.

Her palm touched the cool, damp earth, and the energy of the land flowed up through her meridians.

Images of dense vegetation flooded her mind. She slowly extended her consciousness toward the mountain.

But she could only probe for about a mu before she could go no further. She didn’t force it and searched carefully nearby. She truly found something good—a cluster of three-pagoda mushrooms growing behind a rock near the foot of the mountain.

She withdrew her hand and turned to look at Jiang Huaizhen, who was squatting in the garden, peeling yellowed vegetable leaves.

“Huaizhen, I’m going to look around for some mushrooms.”

Jiang Huaizhen seemed to want to say something but held back, finally replying with an “Alright.”

Lin Shuang got up and headed toward her destination.

Sure enough, in a pile of rotting wood behind a large boulder, there was a cluster of three-pagoda mushrooms with their little umbrellas.

Suppressing her excitement, she walked around the area a bit before squatting down.

The soil was soft, and the mushroom stem came loose with a gentle twist.

There were also a few clusters of short-stemmed mushrooms hidden among the dead leaves and branches. Lin Shuang left a few small ones and picked the rest.

Then, she hurried back to the vegetable garden.

Hearing her footsteps, Jiang Huaizhen looked up and was clearly surprised to see what she was holding. “There really are some.”

She had never come across mushrooms herself.

“Chicken and mushroom soup is delicious. We can just boil some vegetables to go with it.”

“What kind of vegetables should we cook?” Jiang Huaizhen asked. She was not a good cook; being able to cook things through without burning them was her limit. Old Madam Jiang especially disliked her cooking.

There were only three or four types of vegetables in the garden. Lin Shuang said, “Let’s have cabbage.”

She had just checked the oil jar, and it was almost empty. So, instead of stir-frying, she would ladle out some chicken soup to boil the cabbage, which would also be delicious.

Seeing that she had her own ideas, Jiang Huaizhen said no more. She silently pulled up a large cabbage, and carrying the yellowed leaves, the two of them walked back to the house, one in front of the other.

Once in the kitchen, Lin Shuang was like a fish in water.

She washed the two types of mushrooms and threw them into the pot with ginger to simmer with the chicken soup. The cabbage was also washed and set aside.

Before long, the clay pot on the stove began to bubble with golden droplets of oil. The chopped pieces of fatty chicken tumbled up and down in the boiling water, the spicy aroma of old ginger wafting straight to their noses.

The firewood crackled in the stove, casting flickering light on Jiang Huaizhen’s profile.

She squatted by the stove, chopping the yellowed vegetable leaves she had picked and mixing them with rice bran to feed the chickens.

They used to have over a dozen chickens, but with her grandmother’s illness these past two years, they had kept a few for her nourishment and sold most of the rest. Now, apart from an old laying hen and two slightly larger ones, the rest were fist-sized chicks.

After feeding the chickens, she moved the firewood from behind the house to the back of the kitchen. After just two trips, she heard someone calling her name from the valley entrance. Looking up, she saw it was the village chief.

When villagers had business in the West Mountain Valley, they would usually stand at the entrance and call out. She was used to it. She quickly put down the firewood and walked out.

As she got closer, the village chief waved at her. “Jiang girl, you said you wanted to register Lin girl under your household. Is that true?”

Jiang Huaizhen nodded. “It’s true.”

Regardless of whether Lin Shuang would stay in the future, as long as she remained with the Lin family, Lin Mancang, as the head of the household, could sell her again. Even if they went to the authorities, they wouldn’t win.

In these times, for a woman to establish her own household without a male in the family was simply impossible. Only in cases like the Jiang family, where the original head of the household had died, was a woman allowed to do so.

By transferring her household registration, she could do as she pleased.

Seeing her nod, the village chief said, “Alright, since you’ve decided, and the Lin family has taken the money, I’ll go to the yamen tomorrow and get it done. Go get your family’s documents for me.”

Jiang Huaizhen agreed. After taking two steps back, she suddenly stopped and turned around. “Seventh Uncle, that eight taels of silver wasn’t my money… The two taels I owe you, I’ll pay you back as soon as possible.”

The village chief waved his hand. “Don’t I know that wasn’t your silver? Go on now. Give it to me when you have it. I’m not in a hurry.”

Jiang Huaizhen lowered her head, swallowing the words she was about to say, and turned to go home to get the household registration documents.

The village chief watched her retreating figure and couldn’t help but sigh.

Jiang Gui’s grandfather was, by lineage, from his own clan. But because his family was poor, he had gone out to transport goods and was framed for stealing. The owner demanded compensation, and in a fit of anger, he had struck the owner and accidentally killed him.

Later, the authorities found out that the caravan leader had colluded with bandits to take the goods, and he was innocent. But he had still taken a life, and in the end, it was a life for a life.

Jiang Gui’s father had also died young. Later, when Jiang Gui became an executioner, the villagers had distanced themselves from the family.

Now, only this lonely grandmother and granddaughter were left. He couldn’t bear to just ignore them. A few days ago, when Jiang Huaizhen had come to borrow money for her grandmother’s treatment, he had given her two taels of silver, despite his wife’s objections.

Just as he was thinking, Jiang Huaizhen came out with the household registration.

“Thank you for your trouble.”

“Alright, go back. I’m leaving.”

When Jiang Huaizhen returned, the aroma of rice and chicken soup had already filled the entire kitchen.

Seeing her enter, Lin Shuang said, “The food is ready. You can take it to Great-grandmother first.”

Jiang Huaizhen agreed and went to ladle out the food.

Half a bowl of thick porridge, a bowl of chicken soup, and a bowl of vegetables.

When she had left in the morning, her grandmother had been forced to drink a bowl of porridge, but she hadn’t touched the lunch she had left for her. She hated being unable to move and becoming a burden, and she truly had some thoughts of dying. But in the end, she was only human. She would get hungry, cold, and crave warmth and food.

When Jiang Huaizhen brought the fragrant food into the room, the aroma entered her nose, and her appetite was piqued. She couldn’t help but swallow.

“Grandma, it’s time to eat.”

Jiang Huaizhen placed the tray on the table, then helped her grandmother sit up, leaning against the head of the bed.

Seeing her bring the bowl over to feed her, the old woman scolded, “My hands aren’t useless. I don’t need you to feed me.”

Jiang Huaizhen said, “The bowl is a bit hot. I’ll hold it for you first.”

Just then, Lin Shuang came in from outside, holding a small stool. She placed it in front of the old woman and said, “I’ve wiped the stool clean. It’ll be more convenient to put the bowl on it.”

The two of them stopped arguing.

In her past life, when her legs were broken and she was bedridden, she had been unwilling to be a burden and rely on Jiang Huaizhen for everything. She had insisted on eating by herself. In the end, Jiang Huaizhen had learned from somewhere to build a frame that could be placed over the bed during meals, which was very convenient.

Past and present, it seemed one thing had come full circle.

The old woman waved her hand, shooing them away to eat.

Lin Shuang smiled. “The stool is small, it might get knocked over easily. I’ll bring our food here and we can eat together.”

“This room is full of sickness. Why do you have to eat in here?” the old woman said.

Lin Shuang replied, “The window is open, so any sickness has already gone out. Besides, Sister Jiang is always in your room. If there was any sickness to be spread, it would have happened long ago, not today.”

Old Madam Jiang grumbled, “I can’t win an argument with you. Eat wherever you want.”

Hearing her tone, Jiang Huaizhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got up to move the table.

Soon, two dishes and a pot of rice were brought in, and the two of them sat down to eat.

The old woman took a few sips of the soup. The warm, sweet chicken soup flowed down her throat, warming her body, and her two sharp, thin eyebrows unknowingly relaxed.

It had been two years, but she had finally eaten a proper meal.

She glanced at Jiang Huaizhen. Some people were blessed with good looks but couldn’t cook a decent meal. Even if she didn’t become an executioner, with her cold personality, she wouldn’t make a good wife.

“Where did these mushrooms come from?”

Lin Shuang looked up at the old woman. “I picked the mushrooms from behind the vegetable garden.”

Having gotten her answer, Old Madam Jiang snorted again. “At least I don’t have to eat pig slop today.”

Hearing this, Jiang Huaizhen’s face flushed with embarrassment. She knew she was a terrible cook. Perhaps part of the reason her grandmother was on a hunger strike was because of this.

She lowered her head and took a sip of the chicken soup. It was indeed delicious.

The chicken was also stewed to perfection. With a gentle bite, the tender and springy meat fell into her mouth. After a few chews, the fat mixed with the meaty aroma filled her mouth. It was truly delicious.

Even the usually bland cabbage, soaked in the chicken soup, had a sweet and savory taste.

Lin Shuang looked at the young woman, whose face was red from her grandmother’s teasing, and her eyebrows curved into a smile. “If Grandma likes it, I’ll cook for you every day from now on.”

Old Madam Jiang glanced sideways at Jiang Huaizhen, hummed a couple of times, and said nothing.

Now that her granddaughter had chosen such a profession, she didn’t dare to hope that she would get married. But if there was someone to talk to this block of wood, to show her some warmth and care, then even if she died and went to the underworld, she would have something to report to her son.

Lin Shuang didn’t speak, but quickly added, “Grandma, please don’t drive me away.”

Old Madam Jiang mumbled, “When did I say I was going to drive you away? You can stay as long as you want.”

Jiang Huaizhen buried her head in her bowl and ate happily.