Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s
Chapter 46 - 045 Date (3000 likes for additional updates)

Chapter 46: 045 Date (3000 likes for additional updates)

There are no walls in the world that don’t let wind through. The villagers probably already knew that Tian Sangsang was making money selling those crab soup dumplings. They also heard that crab could be steamed and eaten, so they all went to the mountain in the back to catch crabs. In just a day or two, the crabs from the mountain were nearly wiped out by them. They tried steaming the crabs and found that they did indeed have a unique flavor. They also made crab roe soup dumplings, but they tasted ordinary and lacked the deliciousness of Tian Sangsang’s version. In the end, they could only eat them at home, as they couldn’t guarantee anyone would buy them. They gave up on the idea.

What they didn’t know was that Tian Sangsang had been an office worker in her previous life. In her spare time, one of her hobbies was playing around with food. Of course, it wasn’t about eating anything particularly extravagant, but rather using ordinary ingredients and learning recipes online to make richly flavored dishes.

Tian Sangsang didn’t bother herself with outside matters. She didn’t even know, because she had been busy the past couple of days making braised food.

She exchanged some duck heads, duck feet, duck necks, duck hearts, pig trotters, and even caught and slaughtered one of her own chickens from the house. That chicken had been raised by Meng Shuyan for a few days and had gotten quite fat. It had already laid a few eggs, but it still found itself sent to the chopping block. However, the other chicken she had to keep to wait for it to lay eggs and then hatch chicks. These were pure, pollution-free 1980s green chickens, entirely different from those in later years.

Meng Shuyan was upset for a moment, but Tian Sangsang comforted him: "Son, this is their destined fate. We raise them, but isn’t the purpose to one day eat them?"

She asked him again, "Do you like eating chicken legs?"

The little guy immediately nodded vigorously. He’s just a child after all—one day he’d surely understand.

Braising food, while seemingly simple, isn’t entirely straightforward nor overly difficult. The most crucial part is the recipe. The braised food made in ordinary households would never quite match the flavors of those made with professional recipes. Otherwise, why would people buy items made outside, while those made at home could only be eaten at home?

Star anise, cinnamon, dried orange peel, cloves, galangal, pepper, fennel, bay leaves, cardamom, lengkuas, licorice, dried red chili peppers, scallion knots, ginger chunks, rock sugar, yellow rice wine, soy sauce, caramel color, refined salt, roasted peanut oil, monosodium glutamate, and bone broth—these ingredients were essential. This time, Tian Sangsang planned to make red braising sauce.

She exchanged these ingredients from her space, took out a glass jar, and began slowly and methodically creating the braising sauce.

...

Walking leisurely along the countryside path.

Chen Ying’s mind was replaying the movie she had just watched with Zhou Zheng in the town.

"That man was truly a scoundrel." Chen Ying lowered her gaze, speaking with a hint of sadness.

The movie was a costume drama that told the story of a scholar who, for the sake of power and status, flattered the Prime Minister’s daughter endlessly until he finally married her. Once he gained authority, he completely ignored her and brought over the woman he truly loved, even taking several concubines. Eventually, the daughter was abandoned by him on the grounds that she hadn’t birthed any children for seven years. She sought revenge, gathering evidence of his crimes and ensuring he and his entire family ended up in jail. But because she had been married once, the daughter felt she wasn’t worthy of the man who quietly supported her and turned down his proposal. She lived out her days in solitude, while the man remained unmarried for life.

Zhou Zheng hadn’t heard a word of Chen Ying’s lament. His face carried its usual gentle and scholarly smile, but his eyes betrayed a mix of anguish and stinginess.

Listening to Tian Tian talk earlier, Zhou Zheng had learned that Chen Ying liked to do romantic things like watching movies. So he had spent a pretty penny today. Taking advantage of the holiday, he brought her to the town to watch a film—buying the best tickets, no less. Afterward, he even treated her to a bowl of pork spare rib noodle soup. Although Chen Ying had said she would pay, how could he let her see him as lacking? He insisted on paying first.

Now, all Zhou Zheng could feel was pain in his heart. It felt like the meat had been cut from him alive—sharp and excruciating.

Still, sacrifices like this always had their returns. Soon, he thought, he would reap his reward. With this in mind, Zhou Zheng turned to look at Chen Ying. Her appearance wasn’t bad—there was an air of confidence to her features. And her figure? Quite nicely proportioned where it needed to be.

"Yingzi, still thinking about it?"

"Zhou Ge," Chen Ying said, "I just don’t understand why the woman couldn’t marry the man. A pair of lovers—why couldn’t they end up together?"

Zhou Zheng curled his lips into a smile. "That’s why they’re so old-fashioned. This movie is meant to reflect the mental shackles the feudal society imposed on women. These days, we’re young people of the new era. Sometimes, we need to loosen up and not be so stiff about things."

Even though she thought similarly, hearing Zhou Zheng say it out loud put Chen Ying into a tangled mood. Because if she herself were ever divorced and met a man who quietly cared for her, she too would tread carefully, believing she wasn’t deserving. Suddenly, she seemed to understand the protagonist’s actions.

"Zhou Ge, if you were that man, would you marry the Prime Minister’s daughter who had been abandoned?" Chen Ying asked cautiously.

Of course, he wouldn’t be that man—he admired the scholar more. He believed the story wasn’t ideal; the scholar’s ending was far too tragic. It would have been better if there was a happy ending. The scholar had worked so hard, enduring humiliation and marrying a woman he didn’t love for the sake of his future. That was perseverance akin to Han Xin or Goujian! Why did it have to end that way?

"Of course I’d marry her!" Zhou Zheng said passionately. "Yingzi, I don’t care about societal opinions. If I meet someone I like, I’ll pursue her to the ends of the earth. Without trying, how would you know whether she might agree?"

As he spoke, his eyes stayed fixed on her, a gaze so scorching that Chen Ying’s face immediately flushed red. She lowered her head, wringing her hands together. "Zhou Ge, I need to go now."

"Ah, Yingzi—" Zhou Zheng held her hand briefly before releasing it, a smile lingering on his lips. "Last time, you said you wanted to read *How the Steel Was Tempered.* I’ve finished it already. You can pick it up from my dormitory, just ahead of us near the school."

"I..." Chen Ying hesitated, looking a bit conflicted.

"Yingzi, we’re a couple. It’s just grabbing a book—no one will gossip," Zhou Zheng said, adjusting his glasses.

The word "couple" caught Chen Ying off guard, causing her to momentarily drop her defenses. Yes, she was in a relationship; they were planning to marry and have children someday...

Still, she couldn’t be like Tian Sangsang, having a child before marriage. Such a thing would bring a lifetime of shame and endless gossip, dragging her family into it as well. Her family held key positions in the village, and their reputation needed to be maintained. It was just picking up a book—nothing more. She had gone to his dorm before to deliver meals.

Thinking this way, her reservations dissolved, and she shyly followed Zhou Zheng. What she failed to notice, however, was the strange look in Zhou Zheng’s eyes.

From a distance, she saw Li Zhengxiong carrying a bamboo basket on his back and holding a white burlap sack. There appeared to be something wriggling inside, and blood was dripping from it.

"Yingzi, Mr. Zhou." Li Zhengxiong greeted them.

Zhou Zheng furrowed his brow imperceptibly, casting a look at Li Zhengxiong’s bare torso, dripping with sweat, exposing a bronze-hued muscular physique. The whiff of sweat that came with him made Zhou Zheng immediately feel disdain. Hmph, just a boorish rural man.