Chapter 44: Guaranteed

Even Mother Song, out in the courtyard, caught the enticing aroma. She paused for a moment, muttering to herself, "What kind of fish is Huanya cooking? How can it smell this good?"

She didn't remember her own cooking ever smelling quite like this. Goodness, this scent was irresistible—she had to go inside and take a look!

Mother Song simply tossed her corn aside, dusted off her hands, and strode over to the kitchen doorway.

"Huanya, what are you making?"

"Fish soup," Huanya replied. With a flick of her spatula, one side of the fish was already fried to a golden perfection that made one's mouth water just to look at it.

Mother Song abandoned any thought of going back outside and simply stood by the door, watching.

Once both sides of the fish were thoroughly fried, Huanya scooped up boiling water from a nearby pot using a gourd ladle and poured it directly over the freshly seared fish.

She held the ladle high, and the moment the boiling water poured in, it kicked up tiny droplets of spray, yet not a single drop spilled outside the pot.

As the boiling water rose just above the fish, the broth gradually transformed into a milky white.

"My word! That soup has such a lovely color!" Mother Song couldn't help exclaiming.

Huanya smiled faintly and said, "Auntie, could you help me slice the tofu?"

"Certainly!"

Mother Song swiftly sliced the tofu, while Huanya tossed some smashed ginger and scallions into the pot and began feeding firewood into the stove.

Mother Song glanced at the hearth and asked, "Isn't the fire already burning quite fiercely?"

"It needs to be a bit bigger so the soup boils down rich and thick," Huanya said, casting a glance at the stack of firewood piled behind her. There wasn't much left.

She stirred the fish in the pot and asked, "Auntie, do people go to the back mountain to gather firewood, too?"

"Yes, they do." Mother Song placed the sliced tofu onto a plate, wiped her hands, and looking at the meager pile of wood, added, "Still, there's quite a bit here—it should at least last us until late autumn."

Huanya thought for a moment and said, "Auntie, I'd like to go up the mountain tomorrow and chop some more firewood to pile up."

Hearing this, Mother Song grew worried that the girl intended to venture deep into the mountains again. "No need to rush," she said. "Going in a few days will be fine."

"Don't you worry, I'll definitely stay near the edge, grab some firewood, and come straight back." Keeping her own plans in mind, Huanya didn't spell things out; if she told the truth, Auntie certainly wouldn't agree.

The Mid-Autumn Festival had passed not long ago, and the branches on the mountain trees were beginning to grow brittle, with plenty already fallen upon the ground. Just going to collect those wouldn't pose much of a problem.

"Well, you mustn't go deep into the mountains."

Huanya nodded. "Of course! Don't worry, Auntie, I absolutely won't!"

What she needed to do didn't require going deep into the mountains anyway; it would all depend on whether she had good luck.

Seeing Huanya's joyful expression, Mother Song felt a twinge of lingering worry. "I'd better go with you," she decided. "There's only a little corn left in the courtyard anyway, and Chengzi can keep an eye on it."

"No, no, that won't do." Huanya shook her head decisively. "Auntie, it's not right for Brother Tiancheng to be home all by himself. Besides, didn't you bring me back to work? How can I let you do everything?"

"You just focus on rubbing the corn kernels off the cobs at home. We'll finish those up soon, and tomorrow afternoon, while they're taking a nap, we can go grind the cornmeal!"

Fearing Mother Song would still refuse, Huanya pressed on, "I promise I'll be back within two hours! If I'm not back by then, I won't go again next time!"

Of course, she would simply find another excuse to go up next time.

As Huanya thought this, she didn't even realize that within the span of two or three days, she was no longer as reserved around Mother Song as she had been at first, and was even beginning to scheme a little.

Mother Song hesitated for a moment, but seeing the sincere look in the girl's eyes, she finally agreed.

Even so, she emphasized, "Remember what you said—two hours. If you aren't back in two hours, I'm coming up the mountain after you."

Huanya nodded emphatically. "I promise!"