Chapter 5: He Yufeng's Return

Hearing this, He Dahu also looked toward the entrance, and when he saw He Yufeng standing outside the courtyard gate, he rushed over as well.

He Yufeng tossed the wild boar from his shoulder into the courtyard, crouched down, and scooped the two brothers up in his arms.

Su Li stood before the main hall, watching the man in the courtyard holding the children.

His eyebrows were heroic and slanted, his long, slender black eyes held a sharp glint, his thin lips were lightly pursed, and his features were well-defined. His tall, lean frame was powerful without being coarse, looking much like an eagle in the night.

His clothes were stained with spots of blood, though it was unclear if it was his own or from the wild boar on the ground. At this moment, his eyes held a trace of tenderness as he looked at He Dahu and his brother.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted to Su Li. As their eyes met, Su Li did not look away, meeting He Yufeng's gaze directly.

He Yufeng frowned and averted his eyes; today, Su Li gave him a very strange feeling.

The person was clearly the same, yet he felt as if the Su Li before him had changed. However, that was none of his business; as long as she didn't mistreat the two children, everything would be fine.

"Daddy, you're so amazing! You even hunted back such a big wild boar!" He Erhu looked at He Yufeng with a face full of admiration.

Su Li looked at the wild boar in the courtyard. She had to admit that He Yufeng was indeed a skilled hunter; with this wild boar, they could afford to buy quite a few things for the house.

He Yufeng set the two little ones down.

He Erhu pouted, looking a bit dissatisfied.

He Yufeng explained, "Father is dirty, and you two just washed yourselves. Don't get your clothes dirty."

Su Li rolled her eyes. He had already hugged them, and now he was saying this? Wasn't that like taking off one's pants just to fart?

He Dahu and He Erhu began to flatter He Yufeng.

"Daddy isn't dirty at all, he even smells fragrant."

"Daddy also smells like bravery and invincibility, I love it so much."

Su Li curled her lip in disgust, unwilling to watch them act sycophantic, and turned toward the kitchen to make dinner.

He Yufeng was processing the wild boar in the courtyard; seeing his skillful movements, Su Li knew he did this often.

Su Li said to He Yufeng, "Cut a piece of meat for me. We're out of vegetables at home, and the children are growing—they can't go without meat!"

Being as resourceful as she was, using the children as an excuse was always a foolproof move!

He Yufeng's movements didn't stop upon hearing her words, but he did cut a piece of meat and tossed it to her.

There would be meat for dinner tonight, and wild boar meat at that. Su Li happily took the meat back to the kitchen.

He Dahu and He Erhu stared longingly at the meat in Su Li's hand. They had already tasted her cooking at noon, and now they couldn't help but feel expectant.

Su Li looked at the wild boar meat with some worry. It was said that even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice; now that they had meat, the house had no seasonings other than oil and salt. Wild boar meat itself had a bit of a gamey smell, and if it wasn't neutralized, the taste wouldn't be very good.

She remembered that Chen Xiang's family seemed to grow ginger. Perhaps she should go borrow some?

Just as this thought sprouted in Su Li's mind, she heard Chen Xiang's voice outside the door.

"Is Sister Su Li home?"

Looking at He Yufeng, who was handling the wild boar with a knife, Chen Xiang felt a bit intimidated. This couple was frightening one after the other.

"What is it?" He Yufeng asked.

Chen Xiang lifted the eggs in her hand and said, "Um, I came to bring some eggs to Sister Su Li."

He Yufeng looked at the eggs in Chen Xiang's hand and frowned, thinking to himself that Su Li had probably gone to bully someone again. He had told her so many times, yet she never changed.

"Take the eggs back. If she comes to your door again, just use a broom to chase her out. If that doesn't work, come tell me."

Chen Xiang's mouth twitched. Was telling him useful? Wasn't he also completely under Su Li's thumb!

He Yufeng saw through Chen Xiang's thoughts, and a flash of embarrassment crossed his face. Every time he mentioned Su Li, she would use the children to threaten him. The two children were his weakness, which was how Su Li had gained leverage to act bossy over him!

As Su Li walked out of the house, she saw the awkward scene in the courtyard.

Seeing Su Li come out, Chen Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to Su Li, He Yufeng was the one who made her feel even more suffocated!

"Sister, I came to give you some eggs. Thank you for helping me this morning!"

Su Li waved her hand. "It was just a small thing. Take the eggs back. I remember your family grows some ginger; if you want to thank me, why don't you lend me some ginger instead?"

He Yufeng shot a glance at Su Li. He had actually thought she had changed, but it turned out she was still the same old self. Truly, a dog cannot change its nature.

Chen Xiang froze for a moment, not expecting Su Li to refuse her eggs. Hearing that Su Li wanted ginger, she hurriedly said, "Fine, just go to the vegetable garden and pull as much as you want!"

After saying it, she immediately regretted it. Once comes once, and twice comes twice. If she let Su Li pull ginger from the garden today, what would happen if Su Li came to pick vegetables from her garden tomorrow?

Given Su Li's temperament, she wouldn't stop until she had picked every single vegetable in the garden!

Chen Xiang wished she could slap herself; she spent all day doing stupid things.

"Then thank you, Sister-in-law!"

Su Li thanked Chen Xiang and then walked toward Chen Xiang's vegetable garden with practiced ease.

Chen Xiang bit her lip and left the eggs in the kitchen. Even though Su Li said she didn't want them, she couldn't truly refuse; if Su Li remembered later and came looking for them, it would be troublesome.

Su Li stir-fried amaranth with the wild boar meat, and before long, a delicious aroma wafted out.

"Smells so good!" He Erhu sniffed the air.

Although He Dahu didn't speak, he swallowed his saliva.

Since there was no rice at home, Su Li made flatbreads for dinner. She tried using amaranth seeds instead of sesame seeds in the bread, and the taste was no different from sesame.

"Time to eat!" Su Li set the food out and called out to the father and sons in the courtyard.

He Dahu and He Erhu had been impatient for a long time. Hearing Su Li call them for dinner, they very conscientiously went to wash their hands, because if they didn't wash their hands, they would get beaten!

Su Li walked out carrying a bowl of meat.

He Dahu and He Erhu cast cautious glances at her.

"She's eating, so what is she going for?"

"She has a bowl in her hand, and I saw it was full of meat. Could she be eating secretly behind our backs?"

The brothers' expressions changed. This was a very high possibility; after all, Su Li was not the selfless type!

He Yufeng looked at the two brothers whispering to each other and said, "Wash your hands and eat. Mind your own business."

If He Dahu and He Erhu were overheard discussing her behind her back, there was no telling what kind of trouble Su Li would stir up.

"Yes." The brothers nodded obediently.

Su Li looked at Chen Xiang's tightly closed courtyard gate, then used the bowl of meat to knock on her door.

"Who is it?" Chen Xiang was cooking in the kitchen.

"It's me," Su Li said.

"Ouch!" Hearing Su Li's voice, Chen Xiang got burned by a pot, then hurriedly began to hide the cooked dishes.

Fortunately, she had the foresight to close the courtyard gate every time she cooked.

Chen Xiang tidied her hair before opening the door. "Sister, is something the matter?"

(End of Chapter)