Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 120 - 119: Building a Stable

Qin Yao went out the back door and greeted Liu Bai and Liu Zhong, telling them to call her if they needed anything.

The brothers waved their hands, too busy to respond to her.

Qin Yao shrugged, smiled at Da Lang and Second Lang, and told them to call her if they needed anything. She then turned around and went back to the kitchen, asking Sanlang and Si Niang inside the house if they had eaten.

"Mother, we’ve all eaten. Big Brother said everything in the pot is yours," Sanlang replied obediently.

Si Niang had her eyes closed, lost in her recitations, her head nodding up and down. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Qin Yao motioned to Sanlang to watch her carefully so she wouldn’t fall off the chair.

Sanlang looked at his sister with annoyance, poked her evenly rising and falling small belly, and Si Niang immediately opened her eyes, instinctively sat upright, and recited loudly:

"Send me a wooden melon, return with jade, not to repay, but to always be good..."

Qin Yao took the whole pot along with last night’s leftover roast chicken, and listening to the children’s clear recitations, her eating seemed to follow a rhythm.

Once she finished eating, the recitations in the house stopped as well. With morning readings over, the Dragon and Phoenix Twins couldn’t wait to take the bamboo cage for grasshoppers and crickets to the back field to catch bugs for the family’s chickens, and by the way, checked on Old Huang to feed it some tender grass.

Because Qin Yao specially instructed not to get too close to the horse, fearing it might kick them, the Dragon and Phoenix Twins stayed far away, using a bamboo pole to pass the tender grass over.

Watching the horse munch, the siblings laughed with delight.

Qin Yao took a hoe and tidied up the weeds on the two plots of the vegetable garden behind the house, looking at the greens, peppers, eggplants, and loofahs she planted; since they weren’t tended to very well, the fruits were all strangely shaped.

But they were still edible, and the taste wouldn’t be affected.

Only the peppers were supposed to be long and slender straight strips, but whether Mrs. Zhang gave them the wrong seeds or not, they all grew bent.

Of course, the taste wasn’t affected; they were very spicy.

After Qin Yao finished hoeing the weeds, she picked some decent-looking eggplants and gourds back home to start preparing lunch.

Liu Bai and Liu Zhong had already put together the frame of the shed. In the afternoon, they would fetch some reeds from the riverside to weave a grass cover, and it would almost be finished.

Once winter came, Qin Yao could wrap it with a straw mat herself and it wouldn’t be a problem against the cold.

Of course, adding wooden boards would make it sturdier, but would cost more effort and Silver Coin, depending on Qin Yao herself.

Anyway, with the framework set up, it was easy to modify.

Qin Yao kept the two at home to eat, and Liu Bai and Liu Zhong thought it’s better to finish early and dine here to save time, so they agreed.

The sun was strong at noon, and with some time before the meal, Liu Zhong dragged a round log over one meter long to sit on the back doorstep and carved out a feeding trough.

Qin Yao came out to call them inside to eat and was a bit surprised to see such a large round log, "Why make a feeding trough with such good material?"

Liu Zhong said embarrassedly, "Dad instructed, anyway it wouldn’t be used at home, and better to carve it for the horse as a feeding trough, it’s the right size."

It was indeed the right size, but such a good piece of material could be worth some silver.

Qin Yao thought to repay them, but Liu Bai noticed her intention, feeling more embarrassed, quickly said:

"Sister-in-law, don’t think about paying us back with silver, with last night’s big bag of meat, who knows how many logs it could buy."

Qin Yao wasn’t pretentious either, accepted their kind gesture, and smiled lightly, "Alright, then I’ll use it."

Liu Bai and Liu Zhong nodded happily, "Okay!"

"Alright, wash up and eat lunch, my cooking is average, so be prepared," Qin Yao gave the two a heads-up, not to expect too much from her lunch.

Having been mentally prepared, Liu Bai and Liu Zhong were still startled at the sight of the mush-like dish on the table, with a mix of green and purple.

The brothers exchanged glances, hoping it wasn’t poisonous.

Qin Yao hurried Da Lang brothers and sisters into the house to sit, taking her seat last, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, first fetched a bite of the dish, and while eating said, "It’ll do, it has salt."

"Eat up, don’t be shy, I’ve cooked plenty, there’s enough, eat with assurance," Qin Yao welcomed.

Thinking since they were familiar, once she finished speaking, she began enjoying the meal, not caring about Liu Bai and his brother.

Da Lang brothers and sisters seemed used to this, Si Niang’s small mouth tasted the green-purple dish like it’s smeared with honey, "Wow!" she exclaimed looking at Qin Yao, "Mother, it’s eggplant."

While Qin Yao chewed her food, she nodded, passing the little girl a "smart girl" look, pleasing her so much her small feet swung back and forth under the table.

Second Lang closed his eyes swallowing the food made by his mother, internally scolding himself for being spoiled, he could even swallow rice bran balls before, and now he started missing those days when Dad was home.

Da Lang saw the two uncles not moving their chopsticks, specially explaining to them: "It’s all eggplant and gourd we grew ourselves."

So rest assured, it absolutely won’t poison you, he swore!

Indeed, Mother’s cooking definitely didn’t have the concept of perfect color, taste, and aroma, though she might, but struggled by limited ability.

But she would absolutely cook it through, saying high temperature can kill viruses.

Thus, the point that eating it wouldn’t lead to a stomach ache, Da Lang could swear to the two uncles confidently.

Seeing the big nephew’s firm assurance, Liu Bai and Liu Zhong hesitantly reached for their first bite.

Indeed, there’s salt.

Then there was nothing more.

Qin Yao ate three bowls of white rice to her fill, and without much physical activity today, with plenty of oil-water now provided, the staple food naturally felt less.

She put down her bowl and chopsticks, raising her head to see Liu Bai and Liu Zhong eat only white rice, a little embarrassed, asked:

"Is the dish not tasty?"

Both shook their heads, kindly taking a big bite each.

But when Qin Yao offered dinner later, the two politely refused, keeping away from further spending for her while escaping home.

Qin Yao raised an eyebrow with a "tsk," a bit helplessly looking back at the courtyard’s four sugar-coated haws.

They seriously told her, "We love the food Mother makes most."

Qin Yao laughed, waving her hand, "Come, let’s move Old Huang!"

The four children heard, cheerfully cried out and ran to the back of the house.

Second Lang and Sanlang hadn’t ridden the horse yesterday, today they were causing a ruckus to ride, Qin Yao granted their wish, lifting them onto the horse’s back, leading them from the back hill to the stable, and they felt still not satisfied.

However, it was a bit uncomfortable without a saddle, so they quickly agreed when Qin Yao took them off the horse.

Old Huang had already fed itself full on the back hill, the mother and four children gave it water, then led it to the riverbank to wash, cleanly moving into its new home.

Qin Yao fetched some medicine powder bought from the city veterinarian and applied it on Old Huang’s bald spots, done with its treatment, she clapped her hands, went indoors to wash her hands, and ready for the meal.

The noon’s stew was not finished, at night complemented with smoked meat and white rice porridge, carelessly settling the dinner.

Darkness fell late, and after dinner, the sky was still bright. Qin Yao pondered visiting Liu the carpenter’s house, preparing to install a water mill for a client tomorrow, and they needed to check the numbers and details in advance.

Asked the few of Da Lang if they wanted to play at the village well, the four immediately grabbed the new soccer ball and eagerly followed her out the door.