Jealousy was inevitable.

Looking at her serious little expression, Chu Chengjin thought she looked simply adorable—so cute that it made him want to squish her up and tuck her into his pocket.

"Even if the embroidery turns out the ugliest possible, I will still wear it on me. So don't worry, as long as it's something made by you, I will definitely treasure it."

Gu Xiaoyao pursed her lips, and when she looked up at him, her eyes seemed suddenly moistened with water.

"Well, I know. But if I embroider something and you refuse to wear it, then you might just have to taste my fist."

Hearing these 'tender and affectionate' words, Chu Chengjin suddenly burst out laughing, reaching out to pull her into a circle against his chest.

How could she possibly be this cute? So cute that it made someone want to devour her.

Outside the house, finding herself with nothing to do, Aunt Hong went into the kitchen to help Gu Xiaoshu.

"Let me help you tend the fire. You don't need to feel shy; I just feel like I have nothing to do and my mind isn't at ease."

She was used to doing chores at home. Although she had three older brothers above her, she still had to share the household chores.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Sister Hong. Whatever dish you'd like to eat, you can just name it from what we have in this kitchen."

Gu Xiaoshu pointed at the various chunks of meat hanging from the kitchen beams, puffing out his small chest with immense pride as he asked Aunt Hong.

"Are all of these hunted by you guys in the mountains? You are truly amazing! My brothers go up the mountains too, but they just can't catch anything."

Looking at the meat hanging from the ceiling, Aunt Hong was consumed with envy. Some people said that people living by the mountains ate more meat than those living below, and while she hadn't believed it before, she believed it now.

Seeing her gaze linger on the wild boar meat for a moment, Gu Xiaoshu immediately grabbed a knife, stepped on a stool, and sliced off a chunk of wild boar meat.

"All of these were hunted by my sister from the mountain. She is the most formidable one in the mountains; every time she goes in there, she manages to hunt something back to eat."

Eating well here every day lately, his face had become much more rounded, and his mother even said he had grown a lot taller!

"Your sister is truly amazing. Today when she was at my house, she even caught a three-pound rat snake. Stir-fried, that snake must be so fragrant and delicious."

As soon as Gu Xiaoyao was mentioned, the two of them found a common topic, gathering together like devoted fans to praise her virtues.

Aunt Hong's three brothers hadn't been idle either. The three of them were helping Gu Xiaoshu cut all the wooden boards to the required sizes.

"Say, where do you guys usually work? With physiques as strong as yours, you must be able to make quite a bit of money in the city!"

Chu Qingsong rolled his eyes, leaned over, and asked the three brothers with a cheeky grin, wondering if it was true that money was easy to make in the city.

"Brother, you jest. Where is money ever easy to make? What the three of us do most often is carry burlap sacks, and we get paid on a daily basis."

Hearing Chu Qingsong's question, the three brothers revealed their livelihood, which essentially relied on backbreaking brute strength.

Chu Qingsong, who had still been harboring some impractical schemes in his heart, instantly deflated upon hearing that they made their living by carrying heavy sacks.

"Carrying sacks? That requires risking your life with hard labor. I could never do that..."

He might as well honestly stay home and make money instead. A single pound of mung bean sprouts sold for fifteen cash, which was even more expensive than meat.

As wisps of cooking smoke rose over Lotus Flower Village, Gu Xiaoshu had already finished preparing the meals in the kitchen, while Gu Xiaoyao supervised him in making meat patties.

At dinnertime, Gu Xiaoyao invited everyone to eat, telling them not to stand on ceremony. Once she had settled everyone, she picked up a piece of meat patty and placed it into Chu Chengjin's bowl.