The Game of Life TGOL

Chapter 527: Chapter 525 Benevolent Lies

After gobbling down five buns, Zhao Mei felt rejuvenated, perking up to introduce her husband to Jiang Feng and company, and likewise, to introduce her unremarkable husband to them.

Zhao Mei’s husband hailed from Jin Province, a bona fide northern man with a towering stature and a burly frame, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Jiang Zaidi without appearing the least bit inferior—a strong man who met her uncle’s standards of beauty.

The sturdy man was now stuffing the plastic bag that had contained the buns into his pocket, aiding his wife in the destruction of the evidence of her stealthy snacking.

Seeing her younger cousins eyeing her with curiosity, Zhao Mei heaved a sigh and began to recount her experiences over the past few days.

The issue wasn’t anything major, it was just that… the meat prepared by Tian Lin was incredibly unpalatable.

The Zhao family, due to a perennial shortage of male labor, had never been wealthy. Because of their lack of resources, oil and fat were rare commodities on their dining table, and in Zhao Mei’s childhood, it was a rare treat to see meat dishes featured at their meals.

This was precisely why braised meat had become an indispensable heavyweight dish at the Zhao family’s New Year’s feast. Not only was the braised meat fatty, but even the red-braised pork was made with large chunks of fat. Stir-fried pork with chili was cooked with fatty Wuhua pork, and even in the winter melon soup, sliced pure fat was added.

In the Zhao family’s cookbook, fat was synonymous with flavor—a mediocre culinary skill could be compensated with fat, and the opulence of a dish was demonstrated through its fat content.

In days of scant clothing and food, what could bring more happiness and satisfaction than a pure piece of fat and copious amounts of grease?

As a child, Zhao Mei loved eating fatty meat.

Mainly because she couldn’t afford anything else, and also because meat was only available during the holidays, Tian Lin’s braised meat used to be Zhao Mei’s favorite.

The previously fat-loving Zhao Mei, in front of the Jiang family’s three plump members, would wolf down nearly half a bowl of pork with an equal fat-to-lean ratio, so heavily sauced that the flavor hadn’t penetrated the meat. One bite and the greasy fat would explode in her mouth, clinging to her tongue and teeth for what seemed like an eternity, after eating one piece, you definitely wouldn’t want a second. After finishing the red-braised pork, she would happily consume a full bowl of braised meat; sometimes, even one full bowl wasn’t enough, and she’d go for half a bowl more.

Late on, Zhao Mei went to study in the county’s high school, and her family’s finances improved slightly, beginning to fade from the confines of poverty. With some pocket money, she could eat in the school cafeteria and even enjoy snacks from the stalls outside the school.

Since then, Zhao Mei had become unable to face the Zhao family’s specialty—the plain water braised meat.

Years flew by, and the dazzling outside world had blinded her, the ever-changing array of fine foods had clogged her mouth; her tolerance for the family specialty dimmed, causing her to react to the mere sight of meat with the same dismay as the general populace—the Jiang family members.

The one glimmer of hope was that the Zhao family’s plain water braised meat was a holiday exclusive, limited to the period from the day before the Lunar New Year’s Eve to the Lantern Festival.

Zhao Mei just had to hold out for 10 more days to sail through unscathed.

As Zhao Mei was vividly describing to Jiang Feng and the others how she managed, in the past few days, to have her husband create diversions, openly repair the pathway while secretly moving goods, and smuggle in food from outside, as well as cook noodles in the middle of the night, the door suddenly opened.

Everyone jumped in fright.

“Meimei, if you can’t manage the braised meat, you must drink this bowl of bird’s nest soup. I’ve added two chunks of rock sugar since you’ve been craving something sweet lately. Drink it while it’s hot,” Tian Lin entered with a bowl of rock sugar bird’s nest soup in hand.

Zhao Mei obediently finished the entire bowl of bird’s nest soup, which finally brought a smile to Tian Lin’s face.

Picking up an untouched piece of braised meat, Tian Lin said to Jiang Zaidi, “De, I heard from your grandma that you guys left early this morning and didn’t have breakfast, let me get you some braised meat.”

“Mom, it’s too early for such a hefty serving of meat, I’m afraid they won’t be able to stomach it. Feng brought some sweet dumplings, why don’t you cook those instead. Do you guys want sweet dumplings or braised meat?” Zhao Mei asked.

“Sweet dumplings!” All present chimed in unanimously, their eyes resolute.

“Alright, I’ll go and cook the sweet dumplings for you. The dumplings are in…”

“Here, I just made them fresh yesterday. Aunt, you should eat these fresh dumplings quickly before they go bad, eat less of the braised meat over the next few days, and have more dumplings,” Jiang Feng hastily handed the dumplings to Tian Lin.

“Okay.” Tian Lin accepted the dumplings and happily went to the kitchen to cook them.

The people who narrowly escaped the ordeal couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

“Meimei, just tell Aunt the truth,” Jiang Shoucheng, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. “Aunt called Grandma the day before yesterday and mentioned that you’ve lost quite a bit of weight recently. You’re about to give birth next month, and sudden weight loss during pregnancy is a big taboo. It’s not for any other reason; you can’t be skipping meals just to avoid eating braised meat.”

After Jiang Shoucheng said this, everyone found it very reasonable and nodded in agreement.

Standing in the crowd like a backdrop, Zhao Mei’s husband exclaimed in shock: “What?! Meimei, you’ve lost weight recently? Why didn’t you tell me!”

With an expression of speechlessness, Zhao Mei glanced at her husband: “Didn’t you see I gained three pounds when I weighed myself last night?”

Her words were filled with anger, clearly displaying her frustration with her constantly increasing weight.

Jiang Shoucheng: ???

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Zhao Mei put on a serene smile and said to Jiang Shoucheng, “Shoucheng, don’t worry. I haven’t lost weight recently, and while I might not eat at regular meal times, it doesn’t mean I’m not eating. My parents have been accustomed to having meat for so many years, even if I tell them, they will still make it. It’s just been like this for a few days. Telling them the truth would just upset my mom, and it’s not necessary since I won’t starve myself.”

It’s always hard to predict a pregnant woman’s mood, which can change in an instant. One moment Zhao Mei was calmly explaining her recent eating habits to Jiang Shoucheng, and the next, her face twisted with anger as she said to her husband:

“I told you last night to just boil a bowl of noodles with a couple of eggs, and you made me such a huge bowl. Is that a bowl? That’s a basin! I’ve already been feeling uncomfortable because of the pregnancy, feeling like my stomach is being pushed. And last night, that huge basin of noodles made me feel like they’re stuck in my throat. I was so uncomfortable all night, I hardly slept at all.”

“I’m sorry, my wife.” Zhao Mei’s husband knew that during such a special time, it didn’t matter who was right or wrong; apologizing was the correct thing to do.

“Meimei, can you really get enough nutrition just from noodles?” asked Jiang Feng.

“Yes, I get enough. I only eat noodles at night. Although I don’t eat meals at mealtimes during the day, I’m actually eating all the time. Ever since I got pregnant, I can’t keep my mouth still. Plus, my mom thinks I haven’t been eating much lately and is afraid I’m not getting enough nutrition, so she makes me drink a bowl of bird’s nest every morning just like she did earlier. I think those three pounds came from drinking bird’s nest,” Zhao Mei explained, her tone once again even.

“Feng, I heard that your family opened a store in Beiping,” Zhao Mei said with a smile.

Jiang Feng nodded: “Yes, Grandpa and Grandma moved to Beiping too, and De has gone to work in Beiping.”

“That’s great. You and your brothers have always liked sticking together since you were kids. I’m carrying twins, and I hope they can work in the same city when they grow up,” Zhao Mei said, her face glowing with maternal warmth.

Jiang Feng was about to continue with the family chat when a game notification sounded in his mind.

“Ding, an optional side quest has been discovered. Please choose at your discretion.”

The words Jiang Feng was about to say turned into: “Meimei, I need to use the bathroom. Where was it again?”

Zhao Mei straightened up with some difficulty and shuffled a bit, then pointed to the right: “Just two steps to the right.”

“Thanks, Meimei,” said Jiang Feng as he got up and quickly walked outside.

Jiang Shoucheng and Jiang Zaidi exchanged a knowing look, more resolved than ever to take Jiang Feng for a full physical check-up after the new year.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Unaware of Jiang Shoucheng and Jiang Zaidi’s plans, Jiang Feng found the bathroom without issue, went inside, closed the door, and opened his attribute panel.

As Jiang Feng had suspected, the side quest was related to Zhao Mei.

Jiang Feng decisively clicked yes to accept the side quest.

[The Well-Intentioned Lie] Zhao Mei, after being exposed to various cuisines for many years, could no longer stomach the braised meat her mother cooked. To avoid disappointing her mother’s good intentions, she has maintained the well-intentioned lie that she still likes eating braised meat. Now that Zhao Mei is 36 weeks pregnant, to ensure both her health and that of the twins in her womb, the player must maintain this well-intentioned lie while ensuring her daily diet brings joy to body and mind.

Quest Tip: It’s better to teach someone to fish than to give them fish.

Quest Reward: [A Memory Fragment of Tian Lin]