Chapter 25: Splitting the Benefits
So if Su He could continue to be as sensible and amiable as she is now, Wu Yanhua wouldn't mind living in harmony with her.
When they arrived at Su He's house, Su He politely ushered Wu Yanhua out of the kitchen and started cooking alone.
Since the kids had come over, Zai Zai and Niu Niu were having a blast, taking their older siblings to play in the mud and run around games near the house.
"My mom took us to catch eels the night before last, and yesterday we even had eel congee!" Niu Niu said proudly to her siblings.
Sure enough, as soon as Niu Niu finished speaking, the other children shot her envious looks.
Normally, when they ran to the fields to catch eels, they'd inevitably get covered in mud, and their parents would whip them with a rod. So none of them dared to go to the fields anymore.
But Zai Zai and Niu Niu's mom actually took them to catch eels willingly—how lucky!
Soaking up their siblings' admiration, Zai Zai and Niu Niu were thrilled.
Their mom was the best mom in the world.
Of course, Su He had no idea what was happening outside.
She steamed up some sweet potatoes and corn that Fu Dajun had brought over earlier, wok-tossed the greens Wu Yanhua had just given her, and after some thought, decided to make braised pork once more.
As soon as the aroma of the braised pork filled the air, the whole house was filled with the delicious smell.
"Smells so good! Niu Niu, what's your mom cooking?" Zhuang Zhuang asked.
Zhuang Zhuang was the youngest son of the eldest brother Fu Guoqing and Zhang Xiaohua, already five years old.
"It's gotta be braised pork—Mom made it!" Zai Zai said excitedly.
They hadn't had braised pork in a long time, just once before.
"Braised pork… it must be so tasty." The kids were practically drooling.
Meat was a rare treat, saved for holidays since it was so expensive.
Thinking about this, they forgot about playing and all wanted to see what Su He had cooked.
When they returned to the house, Wu Yanhua sat at the door, fanning herself as she waited for them.
"Dinner's not ready yet, go play some more," Wu Yanhua said.
"Grandma, we want to see what Auntie made!" Zhuang Zhuang replied.
Honestly, Wu Yanhua was just as curious. She hadn't realized Su He's cooking smelled this good.
No wonder she'd always complained about their family's meals—turns out Su He's cooking was genuinely delicious.
Unconsciously, through her own assumptions, Wu Yanhua began to feel that she might have misunderstood Su He in the past.
When everyone entered the kitchen, Su He was just bringing the last plate of braised pork to the table.
At the sight of three large bowls of braised pork on the table, the children let out a collective "wow" and swallowed hard.
"Dinner's almost ready, just waiting for everyone to come back so we can eat," Su He said with a smile.
"Auntie, when can we eat?" Even the usually quiet Ya Ya couldn't resist asking.
Ya Ya is the youngest daughter of Fu Tinghua's second brother Fu Dejun and He Fangfang, already five and a half years old. Like her mother He Fangfang, she is a bit introverted.
But seeing the three heaping plates of meat, she couldn't help but ask when they would eat.
Su He and Wu Yanhua exchanged a glance, then said, "We have to wait for those working in the fields to come back before we can eat. Come on, let's go call your moms for dinner."
After speaking, she walked to the doorway and shouted toward the mountain where the durians were planted, "Big Sis~ Second Sis~ Third Sis~ Dinner's ready~"
Shouting across the mountains like this was just part of rural life, so nobody batted an eye.
Seeing Su He calling out, the children also chimed in, shouting, "Dinner's ready~"
Zhang Xiaohua and Chen Sufen were just moving a tree into the freshly dug pit when they heard the calls. They looked toward the direction of the voice—it was indeed Su He's place.
Worried they hadn't heard, Su He called out a few more times.
"Sounds like they're calling us for dinner," Chen Sufen said excitedly, already feeling a bit hungry.
"Be right there!" she shouted back toward the foot of the mountain.
Hearing the response, Su He went back inside to continue cooking.
By then, it was already noon, and the men had finished their morning shift. Before coming, Chen Sufen had asked around for someone to tell her husband and sons to come over for the meal, so by around 12:20, Fu Dajun and the others arrived.
"Whoa, the house is buzzing today!" Fu Dajun remarked with a smile, seeing his grandchildren unusually active and chattering away.
"Grandpa, Grandpa, Auntie cooked red-braised pork! I want to eat it!" Zhuang Zhuang tugged at Fu Dajun's sleeve.
"You want to eat? Did you tell your aunt?"
"I did! She said we can eat once you're back. That red-braised pork smells *amazing*." Zhuang Zhuang licked his lips as he spoke.
His father, Fu Guoqing, couldn't help but laugh at his greedy expression.
Zhuang Zhuang was the naughtiest boy in the family, but also the family's little mischief-maker.
Soon, the women returned, and the whole family was finally gathered.
Su He had already served the rice. Seeing the feast laid out on the table, everyone felt their weariness melt away.
"Dig in! Everyone, take a seat. Kids, sit over there."
Su He pointed to the makeshift kids' table she had set up with stones and a wooden plank.
The children didn't mind at all, happily picking up their bowls and piling their bowls high with pork.
"Wow~ So delicious~" Zhuang Zhuang exclaimed dramatically.
"My mom's cooking is the best!" Niu Niu chimed in, praising Su He, who turned pink with embarrassment.
But the most embarrassed one was Wu Yanhua. Even Niu Niu said Su He's cooking was delicious—proof that she really knew how to cook.
Hmm, this red-braised pork was fatty but not greasy, with just the right sweetness, and stewed perfectly—it truly was delicious.
Everyone ate with single-minded focus, too busy to talk.
As plates began to empty, Su He spoke up first.
"Dad, Mom, brothers, sisters-in-law, I'd like to discuss how we'll split the durian harvest's earnings later," Su He suddenly said.
"Hmm? Cut? How's it split?" Fu Dajun was the first to ask.
"My share would be 50%, Mom and Dad get 10%, and each of my three sisters-in-law gets 10% as well. The remaining 10% will be used for daily expenses." This was the split Su He had in mind from the start.
It's better to clarify such matters early on. Even among family, things might get messy down the road.
"Your mother and I didn't do much, so we don't need a share. Y'all can figure out how to divide it up," Fu Dajun said straightforwardly.
"That won't do. The land's in your name, so you're getting 10%," Su He replied firmly.
At present, the Fu family hasn't divided the land yet, so it still technically belongs to the elders.
"Getting a share comes with responsibilities. Later on, the sisters-in-law gotta take care of these fruit trees. I can assure you that these fruits will definitely be profitable, so I hope the family takes this orchard seriously," Su He said earnestly.
Seeing her confidence, the three sisters-in-law found themselves getting pumped up.