Chapter 5: The "Irritable" Wife Knows How to Show Affection (5)

“I was lucky today and caught a small wild chicken. Although it’s a bit thin, it’s enough for a meal for us.”

As Su Qiruo spoke, she placed both chicken legs into Yun Zimu’s bowl, then picked up a piece of chicken rib for herself and began to gnaw on it.

“Hmm… it’s quite delicious, though it lacks some bay leaves. When I have time, I’ll go to town to buy the missing seasonings, and next time I’ll make you something even better.”

Only after Su Qiruo finished speaking did she notice that the person beside her hadn’t touched his chopsticks at all.

“What’s wrong? Do you not like it?”

Setting down the bone in her hand, Su Qiruo asked sheepishly.

Does this child think her cooking is so bad that he has no appetite?

But to her, this chicken tasted much better than the watery soup they had at noon!

Yun Zimu shook his head, his eyes reddening as he said, “Thank you, Wife.”

“Why do you need to say such things between us? Eat while it’s hot; I’m afraid it will taste fishy once it cools down.”

Su Qiruo gave almost all the meaty parts to Yun Zimu, keeping only the skin and bones for herself, but for her, this was already enough to be content.

Yun Zimu took small, delicate bites of the chicken. He had never eaten a whole chicken leg before.

Even back at the Yun estate when his father was still alive, they could only have a full meal when his mother occasionally spent the night in his father’s courtyard.

But the kitchen staff would never send them two whole chicken legs like this; at most, they would send a chicken carcass with almost no meat on it. Even then, his father would always smile with a look of relief.

Yun Zimu knew his father didn’t like his mother, but he still hoped she would visit often, because only when she came could they eat a full meal.

Su Qiruo rubbed her full stomach, then got up to fetch two bowls of water from the kitchen, placing one in front of Yun Zimu and downing the other herself.

After letting out a small, satisfied burp, Su Qiruo began to give instructions to Yun Zimu about his recovery tomorrow.

“There’s no food left in the house. I’m going into the mountains tomorrow to take a look. I’m afraid I won’t be back by noon, so bolt the door when you’re home alone. Don’t go out, and remember to eat on time.”

“Wife…”

Yun Zimu raised his face and called out worriedly. The deep mountains were very dangerous; many people didn’t dare to enter, and those who did rarely came out. Even if they did, they were often covered in wounds.

He had heard there were large beasts inside that could easily hurt people.

Although his wife hadn’t been good to him in the past, he didn’t want anything to happen to her.

Yun Zimu couldn’t understand why Su Qiruo had suddenly changed her temperament and treated him so differently today. However, he didn’t believe she was acting this way out of love or pity; he only assumed she had grown tired of beating him and wanted to find a new way to torment him.

As long as you don’t have expectations, you won’t be disappointed.

This was what his father had often taught him, and Yun Zimu had always remembered it.

But such a wife made him want to be good to her. In the past, when she went out to drink and didn’t come home at night, he would feel a sense of relief hidden beneath his fear.

But today, hearing her say she was going into the mountains, he felt afraid.

No matter what, his wife was the pillar of the household. If something really happened to her, he wouldn’t even be able to earn the few grains of brown rice they had each day. What would he do then?

Besides, a wife who treated him this well…

Even if it was just a pretense, he didn’t want anything to happen to her.

“Don’t worry, I will definitely be back before dark. I won’t leave you to be afraid.”

Su Qiruo wasn’t so self-absorbed as to think he was worried about her. After all, no matter who it was, they wouldn’t forget her past cruelty just because of her gentleness today.

“Since there isn’t much work in the fields, I’ll go into the mountains more often during this time. If I can hunt some game to trade for money, I can get your injuries properly treated.”

By the time she said the last sentence, Su Qiruo clearly lacked confidence. After all, weren’t these injuries caused by “her”?

“These injuries don’t matter, really, I’m fine.”

Yun Zimu said hurriedly. He had been beaten so much since he was a child that he was already used to it.

It was just pain for a while; it would pass in a few days.

“Just be obedient. I’ll leave food warmed in the pot tomorrow; eat it when you wake up. The injury on your leg is quite serious, so be careful when you move around.”

With that, Su Qiruo stood up and walked out, leaving Yun Zimu sitting there alone in a daze.

Su Qiruo found a broken bamboo cage from somewhere, inside of which were four small rabbits the size of fingers.

“I found these at the foot of the mountain today. You can raise them for now. Feed them some rice soup for now, and in a few days, they can eat tender grass.”

Seeing the flash of joy in Yun Zimu’s eyes, Su Qiruo knew these four little rabbits had won his heart.

Perhaps when people are lonely for too long, they all want to find a companion!

Just like when she first saw Yun Zimu; beyond pity, it was more like having gained a companion, making her feel less alone.

When it was time to sleep, Su Qiruo gave the bed to Yun Zimu and went to the kitchen, sleeping on the pile of straw where Yun Zimu used to sleep.

“That god-forsaken ‘Su Qiruo,’ she really has no humanity! How could she treat someone like this?”

The prickly straw made Su Qiruo feel uncomfortable all over. She truly couldn’t imagine how Yun Zimu managed to sleep here every day.

Yesterday, while clutching her aching head, Su Qiruo had complained about the hard wooden bed, but now, she actually felt a bit nostalgic for it.

People are truly never satisfied; only after comparing do they realize how good what they had was.

While Su Qiruo couldn’t sleep from the discomfort, Yun Zimu in the room couldn’t sleep either.

What exactly happened to his wife?

Not only did she not drink or hit him, but she also picked fruit, cooked for him, and brought him little rabbits. She even gave up her bed to him. This was truly hard to fathom.

“Hiss…”

As he turned over slightly, the pain in his leg flared up, making Yun Zimu shiver.

It seemed his injury was quite serious this time!

“Could it be that my wife felt guilty for beating me too hard last night, and that’s why she’s treating me so well today?”

Perhaps that was it!

Yun Zimu thought about it until he drifted off to sleep, but before he fell asleep, that was indeed what he believed.

Before the village roosters had even crowed, Su Qiruo had already climbed out of bed.

She splashed some cold water from the bucket on her face, lit a fire in the dark, and boiled a pot of thick porridge using the chicken soup from last night. She then went out to fill the water vat, gulped down a quick meal, and set off with a sickle, a hemp rope, and a sack.

Under the faint morning light, following the path she had walked yesterday, Su Qiruo walked toward the light, full of confidence.

Passing by the fruit tree, Su Qiruo nimbly climbed up, picked a few fruits, and stuffed them into her clothes; these would likely be her lunch.

There was no flour in the house, so she couldn’t make any dry rations to carry. Making do with a few fruits to stave off hunger was better than going hungry.

Thank you to all the little cuties for your support, and thank you to Yinian Ruchen for the support!

Love you all.

(End of chapter)