Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Daily Life, Pickling Vegetables

The second time she visited the Fang family, it was the same three rounds of Gobang, and she was utterly defeated by Fang Zhengping—she lost quickly and completely. This man had quite a competitive streak; after winning three games in a row, he immediately broke into a satisfied smile.

It seemed that losing to her three times before had really bothered him. Good—she was only worried he might not care at all.

Ou Sumei confided to her in secret: these past few days, Fang Zhengping had been studying Gobang strategies nonstop, often dragging her and Fang Zhihai into games with him.

He was practically obsessed, playing day and night as if possessed. She was even worried that, having just recovered from one illness, he might catch another.

But the good thing was, as he immersed himself in Gobang, his mood had become much more stable. He hadn’t had any more outbursts—throwing things or smashing walls—these past few days.

That was a promising sign.

And now, every morning when Fang Zhihai went for a run, he’d call Fang Zhengping to join him. From being reluctant on the first day, Fang Zhengping had now started getting up for morning exercise on his own.

The Fang couple felt as if they were finally seeing a ray of hope.

After beating her three times, Fang Zhengping’s curiosity about Gobang was finally satisfied.

He invited Gu Qinghuan to play Go with him instead. Compared to Gobang, he still preferred Go.

Gu Qinghuan knew a little Go, but her skills were embarrassingly poor. Of course, she couldn’t admit that—otherwise, where would she put her face as a “doctor” and Gobang teacher?

Her mind raced, and she quickly came up with an idea.

“I’ve been a bit busy lately. How about this—if you want to play, my younger brother can keep you company. He studied Go with my grandfather for years and plays quite well.”

That was actually true. Gu Lanting had always been able to sit still and focus since he was young, and Zhong Weiqian had taught him Go since he was five.

Ou Sumei was all in favor of her son getting out of the house more. These days, following Gu Qinghuan’s advice, she’d often direct Fang Zhengping to help with chores around the house, play chess with him when she had time, or take him out for walks.

Fang Zhengping was doing much better than before. Though he was still lost in his own world and didn’t like talking to people, at least he wasn’t losing his temper at the drop of a hat anymore.

So, mother and son became regular visitors at Gu Qinghuan’s home.

Gu Lanting knew this “big brother” was his sister’s benefactor, so he was happy to help by playing chess with him.

Although Fang Zhengping was much older than Gu Lanting, when it came to chess, they actually found themselves well-matched—worthy opponents who respected each other’s skills.

Whenever he had free time, Fang Zhengping would head straight to the Gu house, even remembering to have his mother bring gifts along. Sometimes, the two of them would stay all day, even joining the family for meals.

Ou Sumei finally got to taste Gu Qinghuan’s cooking.

She’d thought Xu Huai’an’s praise of his wife’s cooking was just love talking, seeing everything through rose-colored glasses.

But to her surprise, Xu Huai’an had been telling the truth. This young woman, Gu Qinghuan, was a culinary genius—she could whip up dishes from all kinds of cuisines with ease.

Not just sweet and sour pork, but Northeastern dishes, Beijing cuisine—nothing stumped her.

Ou Sumei couldn’t help but feel it was a pity: Gu Qinghuan looked like an ethereal fairy, was capable, handled everything inside and outside the home with grace—truly a remarkable person.

If only she weren’t already married!

She’d have definitely tried to match her up with her own son.

Even though the Gu and Zhong families had gone through all that trouble, it didn’t overshadow Gu Qinghuan’s own excellence. For families like theirs, they didn’t need any more embellishments.

What a shame!

Old Fang had said Gu Qinghuan’s husband was from the countryside—what a waste.

It wasn’t just Ou Sumei who felt this way; Xiao Fengying, who lived nearby, also sighed over it.

Why did Gu Qinghuan have to get married so young?

Lately, she’d often come over too. Her son and Qu Hanwen were at work, and she had no one to keep her company, so she spent her days alone at home.

Spending time with the other society ladies was either endless gossip or shopping and mahjong—none of it interested her.

The Gu house, with its young people and children, was always full of laughter and warmth. She loved the atmosphere—maybe as people get older, they just crave a lively home.

Gu Qinghuan never treated her as an outsider. Including Ming Ruxue and Zhong Luoning, the group worked together to make winter pickles.

Aunt Wu’s fields produced the most radishes and cabbages—both staples for winter.

Cabbage could be pickled into sauerkraut or made into spicy kimchi.

Radishes could be soaked in brine, pickled into slices, or sun-dried and eaten as radish strips.

The wisdom of the working people was truly endless.

Gu Qinghuan’s sudden mastery of these skills didn’t raise any eyebrows with Zhong Luoning or Gu Lanting. After all, she’d spent a year in the countryside—necessity is the mother of invention.

Gu Qinghuan led the kids in pulling up radishes while singing.

“Pulling up radishes, pulling up radishes, heave-ho, heave-ho, pulling up radishes, heave-ho, heave-ho, can’t pull it out…” After two rounds, Dabao and Beibei could sing along.

Youran didn’t know the song, but she was the most enthusiastic about pulling radishes, getting mud all over her face and hands.

Ou Sumei and Xiao Fengying helped chop cabbages and remove the rotten leaves.

For these two ladies, who’d never done manual labor before, it was a first—but they found it quite fun.

Though they hadn’t known each other before, through chatting, they discovered they got along well and enjoyed each other’s company.

Ming Ruxue and Zhong Luoning mixed a big basin of warm water and sat in the courtyard, washing the freshly harvested vegetables.

From the bright windows of the study on the first floor, the two playing chess could see the lively scene outside and couldn’t help but smile.

Gu Qinghuan calmly assigned tasks based on everyone’s strengths, directing the group efficiently.

Soon, the pickled cabbage and radish slices were ready.

These could be eaten right away, though the flavor would improve after a few days.

Everyone grabbed chopsticks to sample the fruits of their morning’s labor.

“Mmm, delicious!”

“These pickled radishes are amazing—they’ve lost all their bitterness and have a unique sweetness. With the seasoning, they’re even better,” Xiao Fengying commented sincerely.

“Sis, you’re so talented—everything you make is delicious! How would I survive without you?” Such enthusiastic praise could only come from Ming Ruxue.

Dabao, Beibei, and Youran stared eagerly at the bowls of radishes and spicy cabbage.

For lunch, Gu Qinghuan decided to host a “pickles party.”

She cooked a big pot of rice, served it with the freshly made pickles, and brought out her homemade chili sauce. It was the perfect meal—better than meat, refreshing and not greasy.

After lunch, Gu Lanting and Fang Zhengping joined in to help instead of playing chess.

Gu Qinghuan had prepared several medium-sized crocks for pickling sauerkraut and storing spicy cabbage.

There were also some small glass jars for pickling dried radish, though the radishes still needed to be sun-dried.

Pickling sauerkraut was hard work, but with two men helping, it was done quickly.

The radishes had to be cut into strips and dried until half-dehydrated before they could be made into dried radish.

With so many radishes, cutting and drying them was a lot of work, but with many hands, the job was soon finished.

When they left that evening, Gu Qinghuan gave Xiao Fengying and Ou Sumei each two jars of pickles—one of pickled radish slices, one of spicy cabbage, both ready to eat soon. The brined radishes, sauerkraut, and dried radish would take longer.

Neither woman minded; after all, these were the fruits of their own labor, and they loved them all the more.

Xiao Fengying waited for Xiao Zhuo to pick her up, then had him carry the pickles home.

Ou Sumei also had Fang Zhengping help carry a jar, while she took one herself, happily heading home.

What a fulfilling day!

Honestly, this kind of socializing suited her far better than her previous “ladies’ gatherings.” It was genuine, not pretentious. Even though she was tired, she was happy, slept better after working, and even her recent insomnia was cured.

Fang Zhengping was the same. With more activity, he no longer stayed up all night, making trouble for everyone.

As Gu Qinghuan worked, she couldn’t help but think about Xujia Village. She wondered if anyone was helping to harvest the vegetables at home, hoping they hadn’t been ruined by people or animals—Xu Huaian had worked so hard to grow them.

Xu Lei’s wife, Xia Lian, arrived pushing a bicycle, personally delivering over a hundred jin of pastries.

She’d been nervous about coming—after all, Gu Qinghuan had once done a great favor for Xu Lei, and such a huge debt of gratitude couldn’t be repaid easily.

So she felt it was only right to thank her with some pastries, and in principle, she shouldn’t accept payment.

But making all those pastries had used up a lot of her best ingredients and grain—it wasn’t a small amount.

So she was torn, not sure whether to accept payment or not, even though Xu Lei said Gu Qinghuan certainly wouldn’t mind.

When she finally met Gu Qinghuan in person, Xia Lian understood what Xu Lei meant.

This young woman was truly beautiful and kind, her words and manners warm and gentle.

Xia Lian decided in her heart not to accept any more money—the deposit she’d already received was enough to cover her costs. With her mind made up, she felt much lighter.

Gu Qinghuan invited her in for tea, serving her homemade honey pomelo tea to warm her up, and handed her a small hand warmer.

“Auntie, it’s so cold out—you must be tired from pushing the bike all this way. Come in and rest.”

Such thoughtful words made even exhaustion feel worthwhile. Xia Lian smiled gently, took a sip of the warm tea, and felt warmth spread through her heart."