I’ll Butcher Pigs to Support You! 11

Chapter 11

Dinner was stir-fried cabbage with pork. The dish was cooked with lard rendered from the fatty part of the meat, and the smell alone was fragrant.

Though it had only been a few days, Song Yugui felt as if she hadn’t eaten meat in months, and she was overcome with craving.

The cabbage had been borrowed from Auntie Li. The fresh, crisp cabbage, mixed with lard and a little pork, was enough to make one’s mouth water just from the smell.

The meal wasn’t even ready yet, and Song Yugui was already staring at it eagerly.

Shen Xizhi, brandishing the spatula, quickly said, “It’ll be ready soon. Why don’t you sit for a while, Wife?”

But she shook her head like a rattle-drum. “No, no. Xizhi, what do you think? When I get paid, we can buy some cabbage seeds and plant a few of our own.”

Cabbage grew quickly and was delicious, much better than wild vegetables!

Shen Xizhi’s eyes lit up. The thought that she had really found a job in town and was willing to use her earnings for the household finally made her look at her.

“I can clear a space in the courtyard to plant cabbage.”

There were only the two of them, so they wouldn’t eat much. There was a perfect spot in the courtyard that had once been used for growing vegetables, but it had been left to go wild for a long time. If they were going to plant cabbage, she could clear it again.

Song Yugui didn’t know much about farming, so she deferred to Shen Xizhi. She nodded at her words. “Oh, then I’ll buy the seeds. Are the other fields far from home?”

The original Song Yugui’s family had been somewhat well-off, and their fields were all close to home, so they didn’t have to travel far during the busy farming season. Shen Xizhi knew where they were.

“No, not far.”

“Then let’s plant some rice next year.”

“Okay.”

As long as it was for a proper purpose, she would listen to her wife.

The pork and cabbage stir-fry was quickly ready, its fragrant, lardy aroma carried out to the table.

Song Yugui took out their last two bowls and filled them with rice for both of them.

Shen Xizhi had just set down the dish when a steaming bowl was pressed into her hands. The white rice inside was packed down neatly.

She was stunned and instinctively looked up. “Wife…”

Outside, the autumn wind rustled the leaves. Inside, her wife’s unconscious, gentle smile made her lose her senses.

Song Yugui had already lifted her skirt and sat down gracefully, picking up her chopsticks, ready to eat. Hearing her, she looked up as well. “What’s wrong?”

The young woman held the bowl with both hands. The redness and swelling had faded, leaving only the snowy white of her skin. Compared to the rice, it was hard to tell which was whiter. Her thick lashes trembled, and she looked over timidly, pressing her rosy lips together. “I… I can’t eat this much. You eat it, Wife.”

Wife had worked so hard to find a job today. She had deliberately cooked more rice, afraid she wouldn’t have enough energy, but now it was all in her own bowl?

And looking at her wife’s bowl… it was about the same as hers.

She… she only needed to eat a little. Why did she need so much?

Having grown up in the male-centric Shen family, her first reaction was that she was unworthy.

She was not worthy of eating more rice than her wife.

She had been bought by her wife for a lot of money; she should be her wife’s appendage.

How could she receive the same treatment?

This made her terrified.

When she was treated badly, she felt resentment. But when she was treated well, she couldn’t help but wonder, Why? Why is she suddenly being nice to me? Why did she stop hitting me?

But Song Yugui just looked her up and down. She had only one reaction: thin, so thin. How could she not eat when she was this thin? How could she get fat if she didn’t eat?

Eat! You will eat it all!

Song Yugui snorted lightly and rejected Shen Xizhi’s suggestion with a cold face. “I told you to eat, so eat. Stop talking so much.”

Glancing down, she saw that the other was still hesitating, not daring to start. She deliberately raised her voice. “Why aren’t you eating? Are you being disobedient?”

The word “disobedient” was like a hammer, striking her heart heavily. In the past, those words were usually followed by a severe beating. Shen Xizhi was almost instantly terrified. Her pale, slender fingers gripped her chopsticks, and she quickly fed herself a mouthful of rice, chewing with her cheeks puffed out, her large, moist eyes blinking as she looked at her.

The stars were not as bright as her eyes.

Song Yugui’s heart softened, but she didn’t show it. In this family, there were only the two of them. She hoped that for the duration of their marriage, she could be Shen Xizhi’s support.

And a support couldn’t appear too soft, or it wouldn’t seem reliable.

So she just nodded slightly. “Eat. You have to eat this much from now on.”

“Oh.”

If one could avoid being hungry, who would want to be?

Shen Xizhi obediently agreed and buried her head in her food like a little squirrel, her cheeks constantly puffed out.

Seeing her eating only plain rice and not touching the vegetables, Song Yugui frowned. This wouldn’t do.

“Look up.”

Hearing her words was like hearing a command. The young woman, who had just been diligently eating, instantly looked up, her large, round eyes looking at her obediently again.

It made one’s heart soften.

Seeing that her small face was no longer blocking the entire bowl, Song Yugui picked up a piece of oily meat with her chopsticks and placed it in the small hollow she had eaten out of her rice.

Shen Xizhi was stunned, her eyes filled with confusion, as if she didn’t understand the meaning of this gesture.

Song Yugui was dumbfounded.

Isn’t it obvious?

“Does plain rice have any flavor? Eat some vegetables.”

She had figured it out. If she was serious and demanding, Shen Xizhi would listen to her directly. If she was gentle and easygoing, Shen Xizhi would hesitate and try to refuse. Not obedient.

“Oh.”

Shen Xizhi replied again and lowered her head to eat the meal, which was fragrant with lard and actually had meat in it.

Not just in the Song family, but even in the Shen family, she had very rarely eaten meat.

She barely knew what meat tasted like…

Such good things were always to be left for her younger brother, just as she had to sacrifice her shame and the happiness of the rest of her life to marry a woman, all to get money for her brother’s education.

The woman gripped her chopsticks tightly, her knuckles turning white. A thin layer of mist gradually filled her eyes. So this is what meat tastes like. So meat is this delicious.

Her head was bowed, so Song Yugui didn’t know that her little wife was on the verge of tears. She just felt that the air was unusually silent, but that was normal. The villain in the novel didn’t talk much; she was a very quiet girl.

“Eat more. Look how thin you are. It’s not even comfortable to hold you.”

Every night when she held her, she felt a little bony.

As she spoke, she put a piece of crisp cabbage in her bowl.

Shen Xizhi was a good cook. The cabbage, stir-fried with pork belly, was crisp and refreshing, with the fragrance of fat.

Song Yugui wished she could eat this dish every day!

Hmph, once they had fresh cabbage growing in their yard, she would definitely eat it every day!

Another piece of vegetable was placed in front of Shen Xizhi. The heat in her eyes intensified. From then on, every time the other took a piece for herself, she would also give her a piece. She could barely keep up. She had already eaten a lot of vegetables today. They could save the leftovers for tomorrow.

The young woman finally managed to compose herself and mumbled, trying to stop her, “Wife, no more. I’ve had enough.”

But her voice betrayed her.

Song Yugui’s brow furrowed. She couldn’t believe it, and she was bewildered. “Are you crying???”

Wait, why?!