Wealthy beyond measure, yet you call me a sister-supporting-brother demon?

"Those two, father and son, are utterly despicable. We must never associate with people like them again."

"Damn it, Wang Fugui still owes me two hundred coins. He has four big fat pigs at home and he still wants to borrow money from me! Once he pays back those two hundred coins, I'll never have anything to do with him again."

"That's right, now the Wang family's reputation in Shanhou Village is completely ruined!"

When Butcher Wang's mother, Wu Xiuhong, saw her son take out a pig-slaughtering knife, she tried to stop him, but it was too late. She walked unsteadily, saying, "Son, you can't do this! If you do this, you'll die on the road. Put the pig-slaughtering knife down immediately."

After calming down, Wang Fugui realized that he had gone too far today.

“Son, if it’s Da Mao’s fault, we have to admit it. We have to pay back the twelve taels of silver to Chen Tong and Li Yong! Our Wang family still has to live in Shanhou Village. How can we offend everyone?”

Wang Fugui frowned and remained silent. That was twelve taels of silver! His mother needed medicine, and he had worked hard for two years to save up that much.

“Fugui, if you don’t pay them back, your mother will stop taking medicine. Now you’ll have the money to pay them back.”

"No, Mother, I'll give them back. You should take your medicine." Although Wang Fugui wasn't a very good person, he had one redeeming quality: filial piety.

Wu Chunhong finally felt relieved. "Son, don't think about anything crooked or shady anymore. Just live a good life. Our reputation in the village will gradually improve."

Wang Fugui's eyes reddened. His mother was already so old, and she was still worrying about him for no reason.

After watching the excitement, Yuan Sheng returned home and began reading with Zhu Chenxi. Today they were studying "Essentials for Elementary Learning," and he now studies for two hours every day.

"Heaven and earth cover and sustain, the sun and moon shine brightly. The four seasons come and go, the eight festivals arrive. Spring flowers bloom brightly, summer leaves flourish..." Zhu Chenxi's voice was melodious as she read aloud, and Yuansheng followed along.

After reading the first paragraph five times, Zhu Chenxi said, "My lord, try to memorize it once."

Yuan Sheng had a photographic memory and, without holding back, recited it aloud with perfect intonation.

Zhu Chenxi's beautiful almond-shaped eyes widened, like a startled kitten.

She read another passage: "When the king is virtuous, his benevolence is boundless. All nations submit to him, and the people rejoice. His decrees are kept secret, and the wicked and evil-doers find rest..."

Yuan Sheng read it aloud three times and then memorized it.

Zhu Chenxi was overjoyed and read a few more passages with Yuansheng, who memorized them all. Yuansheng eventually memorized the entire book of "Essentials for Enlightenment," which contained over a thousand characters. The entire learning process took two hours.

Zhu Chenxi ran excitedly to Sheng Guihua, "Mom, Dad! My husband is a genius! He memorized a book in just two hours!"

The surprise on Sheng Guihua and Yuan Laifu's faces was astounding; their son had truly come to repay their debt of gratitude.

"Good, good, good! My Yuan family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke!"

Sheng Guihua grabbed Yuan Sheng's arm, "Your son is just like his mother! He's so smart!"

Yuan Laifu pouted, "Anyway, the good things are all like you, and the bad things are all like me."

Zhu Chenxi went to the kitchen and brought back a pot of mung bean soup. "My lord, have some soup to soothe your throat." Zhu Chenxi had already started cooking it; the mung beans were cooked until soft, and she had added sugar.

Yuan Sheng took a sip; it was refreshing and slightly sweet—delicious!

Zhu Chenxi poured drinks for Yuan Laifu and Sheng Guihua, saying, "Dad, Mom, you should drink too."

Yuan Sheng poured a bowl for Zhu Chenxi with his own bowl, saying, "Wife, you should drink too."

The family happily enjoyed the mung bean soup, a warm and sweet moment.

After Zhu Chenxi finished drinking, she said, "My lord, you should study first. I'll go cook."

Yuan Sheng stopped her, "Wife, I'll cook this fish today. Let's have a new dish: boiled fish."

"My lord, studying is the most important thing."

“Yes, Bao’er, you should focus on your studies. We’ll cook the meals,” Sheng Guihua also advised.

Yuan Sheng laughed, "Mother, wife, learning requires a balance of work and rest. Also, you don't know how to make this boiled fish, so you'll have to watch me."

Zhu Chenxi and Sheng Guihua could only follow Yuan Sheng's lead.

The fish scales had already been scraped off by the fishmonger. Yuansheng cut the fish into fillets, mixed them with starch, egg white, and a little coarse salt, and marinated them until flavorful.

Sauté butter, ginger, garlic, and fennel seeds in a pot until fragrant, then season with coarse salt. Add water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add bean sprouts and cucumber slices and cook until tender. Remove and place in a bowl. Add fish fillets and cook over high heat until tender. Remove and place with the bean sprouts and cucumber slices. Pour in the broth.

Top with Sichuan peppercorns, coriander, minced garlic, chopped green onions, and dogwood. Heat lard in a wok and pour it over the top.

Accompanied by a sizzling sound, a wonderful fragrance wafted out and entered everyone's noses.

Yuan Laifu sneezed, and it smelled so damn good!

Everyone kept swallowing their saliva, and Yuansheng couldn't help but swallow as well. They used dogwood instead of chili peppers, and since they didn't have hot pot broth, they could only make a simplified version, but it was still incredibly delicious.

The rice was already cooked, let's eat!

Yuan Sheng took a bite—it was spicy, refreshing, smooth, and bouncy! The taste was amazing! The chef deserves a hundred flowers as a reward!

Zhu Chenxi slurped her food while eating, looking like a little squirrel.

Yuan Laifu's chopsticks just wouldn't stop.

Sheng Guihua never knew that fish could be so delicious. She wants to eat fish every day from now on!

Yuan Sheng felt extremely happy watching his family happily eat boiled fish. This fish tasted even better than the state banquet he had eaten in his previous life.

……

Zhang Wen, Ma Guifen, and a few younger children stood by the wall, their mouths watering at the smell of boiled fish. What are they eating next door? It smells so damn good!

Zhang Wen and Ma Guifen had already heard the news: Yuan Sheng's father-in-law was a scholar who had given his daughter a dowry of several dozen taels of silver. No wonder the neighbors were eating so well every day! The two were extremely jealous. Yuan Sheng was incredibly lucky! What a scoundrel, to have such good fortune!

"You spendthrift! You think you're all that now that you have a few dozen taels of silver. If you keep eating like this, you'll end up penniless sooner or later."

Glug, glug, the sound of swallowing saliva.

"Old man, let them be arrogant. When they run out of money, I'll see them eating chaff and wild vegetables. When our Qingshu passes the imperial examination, we'll eat and drink well every day, and we'll make them envious! From now on, I'll cook by the wall every day, and the aroma will waft into their yard!"

Gudong, Gudong.

Zhang Wen and Ma Guifen swallowed hard as they cursed. The mental victory strategy didn't work on the adults, let alone the kids.

The grandson immediately exclaimed, "Grandpa, I want to eat eggs!"

Zhang Wen instructed Ma Guifen, "Go and cook one for him."

Seeing this, the three granddaughters said, "Grandma, we want to eat too. The three of us can just have one."

Ma Guifen slapped Chunhua hard across the face, "You gluttonous brats! All you know is eating, you'll get stuffed to death!"

……

After finishing his meal, Yuan Sheng was pondering how to purify salt. Coarse salt was a bit bitter and didn't taste good. He drew several diagrams on the ground, having already figured out the steps to purify salt, and planned to conduct experiments tomorrow if he had time.

At that moment, Zhou Yuchuan ran in crying.