Chapter 128: How Bizarre, You've Hit the Nail on the Head Again

The vehicle heading down the mountain wasn’t sent exclusively to pick up Xia Yan; several military families were on board as well. Among them was someone Xia Yan recognized but couldn’t quite recall the name—she only remembered that Wang Guilan had mentioned a surname, Qian. Apparently, this person had a good relationship with Liu Xiuying.

Thinking about how someone like this could be close to a woman like Liu Xiuying, Xia Yan figured she couldn’t be much better herself.

Sure enough, as Xia Yan boarded the vehicle with her three children, the woman began to sneer and mock, “Do you really think the army’s vehicle is your private ride, coming to pick you up at your doorstep?”

Xia Yan simply wrapped her two youngest boys in a blanket and ignored the woman.

She thought that would be the end of it, but when the soldier loading a sack of beef bones onto the vehicle revealed the bloodstains seeping from underneath, accompanied by a strong metallic smell, the woman couldn’t help but exclaim again, “What is that awful stench?”

Qian Yuxiang covered her mouth and nose, her face twisted in disgust.

Before long, Lin Hongzhuo spoke up, unable to stay silent. “Those are beef bones! Mom says soup made from them is delicious. They don’t smell bad at all.”

Qian Yuxiang eyed the large sack full of bones. Just how many pounds was that? It looked like the bones of an entire cow had been brought along.

“Hmph, it’s just beef bones—no meat at all. So ignorant, acting like bones are such a treasure. My dog can’t even get a scrap of food, and it doesn’t even look at bones.”

At this, someone else couldn’t remain quiet. Though beef bones don’t have much meat, many people still bought them. What was Qian Yuxiang trying to imply? What did she mean by saying the dog wouldn’t even look at them?

“Qian Yuxiang, stop spouting nonsense. With your husband’s meager allowance, you probably can’t even feed your dog, let alone afford bones for yourselves,” one woman retorted.

“Your family doesn’t even have bones to eat!” Qian snapped back, as if she’d been provoked.

She jumped up and pointed at the round-faced woman who had spoken, hurling insults.

“What? I’m wrong? Others might not know what kind of person you are, but I do. The last time you came to town, you specifically picked out some large beef bones and caused a scene with the shop owner, cursing him like a dog because they scraped the meat off so cleanly.”

The round-faced woman showed no fear of Qian Yuxiang, clearly ready to fight.

Someone spoke up in her defense, and Xia Yan, trying to stay out of the conflict, generously said, “Oh, so Sister Qian likes gnawing on bones too. I have plenty of bones. If you want some, you can take a bit home. If it’s too much trouble, when I get home I can cook it all into a big pot of soup for you to come and get.”

“I don’t just have beef bones. I’ll also throw in some beef offal and brisket. If you want any, Sister Qian, you’re welcome to take some,” Xia Yan added.

Qian Yuxiang was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Xia Yan to speak like that. As the round-faced woman had said, with five children relying on her husband’s small allowance, she only got to eat meat once or twice a month, usually buying cheap bones to stew into soup.

Still, embarrassed, Qian forced herself to say, “You’re the one who loves gnawing on bones. Keep those meatless bones for yourself.”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Xia Yan smiled knowingly. She understood perfectly well that people like Qian Yuxiang wouldn’t accept the offer.

Turning to the other women on the vehicle, Xia Yan continued, “Sisters-in-law, I have a lot of beef bones. I only have three little kids at home, and Lin You isn’t around lately, so we can’t finish all this. I think my cooking is pretty good. If you don’t mind, bring your children over tomorrow morning with bowls to have some beef offal soup.”

She spoke honestly. With so many bones to stew and some offal the shopkeeper had secretly included, there was no way she and her three little ones could finish it all by themselves. Without a fridge, it was better to share.

The other women brightened at the prospect. Everyone at the mountain garrison knew that the wife of Captain Lin was a far better cook than the state-run restaurants.

“Xia Mei, I’ll bring my boy over early tomorrow to have some beef offal soup,” the round-faced woman said first.

“Yeah, the captain’s wife is famous for her cooking. I’ve wanted to try it for a long time. I won’t bother making breakfast tomorrow; I’ll just come for the soup,” another added.

“My family has some vermicelli noodles. I’ll bring some to you,” said one.

“I have two cabbages. We can put them together with the vermicelli in the soup,” chimed in another.

The rest of the women eagerly joined the conversation.

To them, a free, delicious bowl of beef offal soup with noodles and cabbage was an excellent choice in the cold winter.

Seeing how quickly Xia Yan had become popular, Qian Yuxiang immediately became spiteful again. “Hmph, it’s just a pot of beef bone soup with no meat. What’s so great about it?”

Xia Yan frowned slightly at that comment, wanting to retort, but the round-faced woman beat her to it.

“Hey, Qian Yuxiang, you’re just bitter because you can’t have any, aren’t you? But I think Xia Mei isn’t stingy. If you come tomorrow morning, she’ll definitely give you a bowl too. Though with so many kids, you might want to bring a pot.”

This time, Qian’s true feelings were exposed—she was indeed jealous. Beef offal soup with vermicelli and cabbage? Made from beef bones? Such a dish was usually reserved for holidays or special occasions.

After all, any one of those ingredients could be used to make a dish on its own.

Xia Yan smiled at Qian’s expression and deliberately said, “Sister Qian, you can bring a pot too. I have two large iron pots at home. I can cook two big batches. There will be more than enough.”

For a person like this, Xia Yan thought it was already generous not to insult her outright, yet she still kept complaining.

“I don’t want it. If I’m going to treat everyone, I want something better than beef offal. That’s just offal—nothing respectable,” Qian said, her tough talk the only weapon she had. Tomorrow, she might not come herself but send her kids instead.

Xia Yan ignored her and instead amused herself by teasing Lin Nuannuan in her arms.

On the way back, Lin Hongzhuo hummed a children’s song Xia Yan had taught him to cheer up his sister. The round-faced woman, curious, asked, “Xiao Zhuo, that song’s nice. Who taught you?”

“Aunt Wu,” he replied. “My mom taught me.”

The round-faced woman’s name was Wu Qiuhua; her husband was the second battalion’s political officer.

“Xia Mei, you teach singing too? I heard you teach at the school. Maybe you could teach my daughter someday. She loves singing and dancing.”

“Brother Wu, I teach Chinese language. There’s a different teacher for music,” Xia Yan replied with a smile. She dared not agree to teach music; if the school found out she had the talent, they would surely make her take on extra work. The current music teacher already had to cover art and labor classes, and had complained to Xia Yan about being overburdened.

By the time the vehicle arrived at the garrison, it was near evening. Xia Yan didn’t rest upon returning home but immediately began cleaning the beef bones, knowing she had promised to serve soup to the women on the vehicle early the next morning. Though only five or six women, many would bring their families along...