Witty Wife, Better Life

Chapter 208: Chapter 201 The Expedition to Inquire About Faults

Shen Yunfang, who lived on the mountain, didn’t even know her home was being watched. These past few days, she had roamed through the familiar woods, harvesting wild fruits and mushrooms. As for other places, Shen Yunfang didn’t dare to wander. First, there were wild boars, then wild wolves, which made her realize that the mountain was not as peaceful as she had imagined. She didn’t have incredible martial strength or a magical space to save her life, so her own safety was her top priority. Besides, the mushrooms and wild fruits on the mountain were never fully harvested. One shouldn’t be too greedy—having enough to feed the family was plenty.

Therefore, Shen Yunfang stayed on the hillside these past few days, cooking pig feed in a large pot and watering and fertilizing the fields.

The Chinese cabbages had reached the heart-wrapping stage, and ample fertilizer and water were essential. She had stored a lot of water in her space during those days. In the mornings, she watered the cabbages and radishes, and in the afternoons, she used earthworm castings mixed with pig and sheep manure as organic fertilizer to promote the growth of the cabbages.

She also had to occasionally pick off insects from the cabbage leaves. She discovered that about fifty percent of her cabbages had been nibbled by pests.

To solve this problem, she had specifically consulted with Old Lady Wang and eventually was told to go to the county to buy some ’Liu Liu’ powder, which could simply be mixed with water and sprinkled over the crops.

Shen Yunfang thought for several days and ultimately couldn’t bring herself to do it. ’Liu Liu’ powder was a pesticide, and a potent one at that. Rather than spraying her cabbages with pesticides, she preferred to let the insects munch on half of them instead.

On reflection, the fact that insects were drawn to her cabbage leaves indirectly proved the quality of her cabbages. The marks left by the bugs on every leaf fully illustrated that she was indeed growing green, eco-friendly food. If even the insects were willing to eat it, then the vegetables must be safe and non-toxic, fit for consumption.

Once again, Shen Yunfang trustingly plucked a cabbage that had been badly chewed by insects and, expressionless, fed the plump bugs to the chicks. Then she washed the cabbage leaves, cutting the outer ones to stir-fry with meat, and dipping the inner ones in sauce for a fresh snack. The result was a truly sweet taste of cabbage—something she had never experienced in her past life.

This reinforced her determination to grow green, safe vegetables. To be able to enjoy such sweet cabbages in the future, she decided to carefully cultivate these autumn vegetables and, after harvesting, she planned to store them in her space. Several acres of land should yield enough for her to eat for ten or eight years.

Today, she was applying the last batch of fertilizer to the cabbages on the hillside. In about a month, they would be ready to harvest.

Shen Yunfang glanced at the sky, tossed her tools into her space, then filled the pigs’ and sheep’s feed troughs with food before heading down the mountain. As she walked, she sniffed her clothes. She had spent the entire day immersed in manure water, and while her nose had gone temporarily numb, the breeze seemed to carry the stench of pig manure once again.

Ugh, the first thing to do when she got home was to take a good wash. She must not let her little baby get affected by the smell.

Upon arriving home, she brought all the kettles into the east room, mixed some warm water, and then sat down in the large tub for a good bath.

Her pregnancy wasn’t obvious with clothes on, but once naked, her belly was as round as an upturned pot. Shen Yunfang soaked in the water, chatting with her baby while caressing her stomach. After a while, she got up and changed into clean clothes. The dirty clothes were soaked directly in the bathwater. With a show of strength, she lifted the entire tub of water and carried it out to the yard. She brought over a little stool and washed the clothes with ease.

After hanging the clothes to dry, she went to the backyard, opened the gate, and with a clanging basin, she welcomed her chicks back home.

Taxue chased all the chicks back home before being the last one to return. It followed its mistress closely, unable to speak, or it would surely have boasted to her about its brave deeds of defending the homestead and protecting the chicks that day.

Shen Yunfang, annoyed by Taxue’s pestering, gave it a light kick and scolded, "Stop causing trouble here, go play by yourself."

Taxue looked sorrowfully at its mistress, its ears drooping dejectedly and its tail tucked between its legs as it ran back to its kennel to sulk.

With Taxue no longer underfoot, Shen Yunfang quickly herded the chicks back into their coop, then fed them before turning to cook for herself.

Ever since she became pregnant, her cravings continually changed; today she wanted something sour, but by tomorrow she might be in the mood for something sweet. She had initially thought she might be carrying twins, as having multiple births at once seemed to be a common boon among those who had traveled through time, but after the old doctor at the hospital made a definitive diagnosis with his "iron teeth and bronze jaws," she realized she was carrying just one child and put that wishful thinking aside. She was content just to take good care of the one growing inside her.

Today, she suddenly craved winter melon, so she decided to cook it by simply dipping it in egg sauce. She directly went down to the cellar, thinking that in another two months her agility might be compromised, so she took advantage of her current physical state. Once down, she moved most of the winter melon into her storage space. She had everything else she needed in her space, so she left those items untouched in the cellar.

After bringing the winter melon upstairs, she quickly sliced it open with a few swift cuts, scooped out the seeds to dry outside—those seeds were treasures that, once dried and fried, were even tastier than pumpkin seeds.

She washed the remaining melon and set it to steam in a large pot, meanwhile taking out a handful of grilled mutton skewers from her storage space to eat as she sat on a small stool beside the stove, waiting.

She had impulsively decided to make these mutton skewers a few days ago by cutting space-stored mutton into small pieces and marinating them with the star anise and Sichuan peppercorns she could find. Then she manually whittled some wooden sticks and skewered the meat, grilling it while on the hillside. Even without special spices like cumin, the freshness of the meat ensured it was delicious.

She had marinated plenty of mutton, resulting in many skewers. Unable to finish them all, she grilled and stored the remainder in her space, ensuring they stayed tasty whenever she craved them next.

When the winter melon in the pot was almost ready, she stirred together some cornmeal and added it in, making a thick porridge in the process.

After enjoying a simple and satisfying meal, Shen Yunfang felt that if she could spend her days like this in the future, it wouldn’t be too bad—oh, of course, it would be even better if the child’s father could also be by her side.

After tidying up the kitchen, she heard the ducks and geese at the front gate and quickly opened it—it was time for her flock to come home.

But outside the door weren’t just ducks and geese; there was also an unwelcome visitor.

"Yunfang, you’re finally back. Your darn dog is just outrageous. It came after me trying to bite me just as I passed by your place today. Ouch, its bite is so sharp, it really got me," Second Aunt complained with a self-righteous air, having concocted this excuse during an afternoon of lounging at home.

If Yunfang’s dog had bitten her, surely some compensation with eggs or something to nurture her health was in order.