Witty Wife, Better Life

Chapter 172: Chapter 165: The Couple Go Up the Mountain

The next morning, Shen Yunfang didn’t wake up until the sun was shining on her backside, comfortably stretching in someone’s arms.

Ah, after so many years, she hadn’t slept this soundly.

"Awake?" The raspy voice of Li Hongjun sounded from above her head.

"Mm?" Shen Yunfang lifted her head, then stared straight at her man, her husband.

It wasn’t their first time sharing a bed, but it was the first time she observed him so closely, his slightly stern face exuding charm, yes, charm.

She felt a secret pride in her heart; this man was her first discovery, and in this life, he would only ever be used by her. This realization made the corners of her mouth turn up slightly. It was indeed a matter of pride to have her man utterly beguiled by her.

"Morning... cough, cough..." She said good morning but found her throat hoarse, coughing vigorously twice.

"It’s not early anymore." Li Hongjun felt his excitement rising again at the sight of the soft and tender body in his arms that had yet to calm down.

"Hey, it’s time to get up, my eggs haven’t been collected, the chickens and ducks have not been fed, the west room..." Shen Yunfang’s voice trembled a bit as his rough hand caressed her, making her goosebumps stand up.

Is this really okay? To be so excitable early in the morning?

"I’ve done all that." Li Hongjun had already gotten up earlier and completed all the chores his wife usually did in the mornings.

"Really?" Shen Yunfang didn’t even know what she was saying anymore.

"Mhm, focus." Li Hongjun found his way in.

"No, no, we still have to go up the mountain today..."

"I’ll go with you later."

That "later" took quite a long time.

Please forgive two young men and women who had just tasted the flesh – it is always understandable to have a spirit of exploration towards the unknown and novelty towards things newly acquired, isn’t it?

By the time the two of them tidied up and got up from the kang, it was already 8:20. Shen Yunfang made a point of checking her watch.

When Shen Yunfang got down to the ground, her legs were slightly wobbly. Anyone whose circulation had been restricted for too long would feel this way; it had nothing to do with physical strength.

She gave someone a white glance, "Hurry up and check on your quails. They’ve been chirping non-stop since last night, so annoying."

Then she waddled off to the main room to cook. Physical activity in bed was definitely exhausting, whether for the person on top or underneath. She needed to replenish her energy.

Li Hongjun smiled as he watched his wife walk out of the room and then shifted inside the kang, pulling a wooden bucket towards him and started taking out fluffy little quails one by one.

Taxue had been waiting at the door since early morning and finally saw its mistress come out. Delighted, it stuck out its tongue, darting into the room, and took a few running strides hoping to leap onto the kang.

"Don’t come up." Li Hongjun commanded.

Taxue immediately stopped jumping and sat obediently by the kang, looking up at his master, waiting for the next command.

Li Hongjun ignored Taxue and continued to take out quails one by one.

Being naturally timid, the little quails, perhaps sensing danger crouching under the kang, huddled together in a frightened chirping mass as soon as they were placed on top.

When Shen Yunfang brought the cooked rice into the house, she saw the kang bed full of little quails.

"It wasn’t easy, a few of them have survived." Li Hongjun had taken care of them during the later stages of hatching, and for a beginner to successfully hatch them on his first try was no small feat.

Li Hongjun moved the wooden box filled with little quails a bit further inside, then set up the kang table, "Seventy-three in total."

Out of a hundred quail eggs, seventy-three hatched, which wasn’t bad.

Last year, Yunfang had kept the number of quails at around three hundred. The males were slaughtered for meat at one and a half months old; the extras were put into the space, and when they felt like it, they would fry a few for a meal. The females were allowed to lay eggs for a few months, and once the peak laying period was over, they were culled for meat as well.

So basically, they needed to hatch a new batch every two to three months, but last year, Dashuan’s wife did almost all the hatching work.

Breakfast was simple: sweet potato porridge, cornmeal leavened pancakes, a plate of peeled spiced quail eggs, a plate of quick-fried vegetables, and a platter of Yunfang’s own pickled vegetables.

Both of them consumed a large portion, with each downing two bowls of porridge and each eating three pancakes, each as big as a bowl.

After breakfast, Yunfang prepared to go up the mountain, and Hongjun got ready to follow after cleaning up quickly.

"Are you really going?" Yunfang felt a bit troubled.

Hongjun cast a glance at her, "Of course, as long as I’m home, I’ll do these chores."

Yunfang frowned, although she was quite pleased to hear the head of the household voice such a sense of responsibility, she wondered if a soldier like him knew anything about farming and might just add to the chaos.

"Sure, it’s possible," she conceded since he was hardly home throughout the year anyway. "But your leg hasn’t fully recovered yet. You can’t overexert so soon. If you want to do these chores, wait till you’re fully healed."

Unwavering, Hongjun took his wife’s hand and walked out the door, "Didn’t you test whether I could exert myself last night? Don’t worry."

Pah, what a rogue, she thought. As if she could be at ease.

Nevertheless, since Hongjun was insistent on accompanying her, Yunfang didn’t forcefully stop him; she also wanted to take him out for a bit of a diversion.

In recent days, aside from visiting the uncle’s home twice with her, Hongjun had been cooped up at home due to his leg injury, and it must have been tough for a big man to be stuck indoors all day.

To look after Hongjun, Yunfang deliberately slowed her pace while climbing the mountain, taking frequent breaks. She talked about where the wildest, tenderest vegetables were found, where the sweetest wild fruits grew, where mushrooms appeared in clusters—as they walked, it resembled a spring outing.

By the time the two reached the slope of the mountain, Yunfang was enthusiastically explaining how cleverly she had set a trap to catch a family of wild boars.

Hearing her mention wild boars, Hongjun’s stride momentarily paused and he took a deep breath, preparing to give his silly wife an extra lesson in wilderness survival when they got home that evening. He definitely had to educate her properly.

Seeing that he remained calm even after hearing such a big tale, Yunfang was puzzled, "Why don’t you say something? Aren’t you going to praise me for being so amazing?"

Hongjun pursed his lips and said, "That was just a blind cat running into a dead rat."

Yunfang hit him playfully, annoyed. The man really couldn’t say anything nice. But upon further reflection, she indeed had been like a blind cat that ran into a dead rat.

When the two finally stood on the slope, Yunfang proudly stretched out her hand and pointed out the fields she had cleared, from one end to the other, all cultivated by her. It was only then that Hongjun was truly shocked. The area of this hillside was not small. Imagining his slender wife single-handedly reclaiming all this land, he was genuinely astounded.

"Did you clear all this land by yourself?" The area spanned several acres.

"Yep, I did it all by myself." Yunfang said proudly.

Still, Hongjun couldn’t help but scold her, "Have you gone mad? Are you trying to work yourself to death?"