Chapter 94 : We are husband and wife

Hearing this, Wang Chunmei’s lips curled into a faint sneer, but her voice remained gentle.  

“Your father is busy repairing the roof and doesn’t have time. Let’s eat quickly so we can help him afterward.”  

Zhang Xiaohua felt that something was off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.  

She sat down nervously, watching as her mother scooped a bowl of thick porridge for her, and then another equally thick bowl for herself. At that moment, Zhang Xiaohua finally believed what others had secretly been saying, her mother might have injured her brain and become a completely different person.  

Otherwise, why would she give her such thick porridge?  

In the past, wasn’t this kind of porridge reserved only for her father?  

“Silly child, why are you staring at me? Eat quickly.” Wang Chunmei smiled, placing a piece of salted fish into Zhang Xiaohua’s bowl.  

Zhang Xiaohua was so shocked she couldn’t speak.  

Finally, under her mother’s urging, she stiffly picked up her bowl and began eating the porridge. The salted fish smelled delicious.  

It was her favorite dish, but she had never dared to touch it before. She used to finish her watery porridge quickly and leave. Now, she was finally eating the salted fish she had longed for. It tasted amazing.  

Zhang Xiaohua decided not to think too much about why her mother was acting differently. She just wanted to savor the delicious food in her mouth.  

Who knew if she would get another chance to eat it tomorrow?  

For Wang Chunmei, this was her first proper meal in this new life, and it tasted even better than the delicacies of her previous one.  

For the first time, she went against the teachings she had followed for over 20 years and ate without waiting for her “husband.”  

Wang Chunmei felt a deep sense of happiness.  

After the mother and daughter finished their meal and cleaned up the dishes, Zhang Xinrong finally came down after repairing the roof.  

When he entered the kitchen, there was a bowl of sweet potato porridge and a plate of salted fish on the table.  

At first glance, it seemed normal, but upon closer inspection, he noticed that the fish had only been steamed. It didn’t have the rich fried aroma he had smelled from the roof earlier.  

Zhang Xinrong frowned, picked up the bowl, and started eating. However, after a few bites, he realized that while the porridge appeared rich on the surface, the bottom was filled with sweet potatoes, with only a thin layer of rice on top.  

Zhang Xinrong: …  

—  

That night, Shen He was only able to repair one room, the kitchen, and the shower room.  

Before dawn the next day, he led his troops to the village to assist with post-disaster recovery efforts.  

In reality, there wasn’t much left to do, damage assessments had already been completed the day before.  

Nearly every house on the island had suffered damage.  

The lucky ones only needed roof repairs, while the unlucky ones had their walls collapse entirely. Even worse were the houses near the shore, which were completely washed away by the waves.  

Inside the homes, there were clear signs of flooding.  

Despite placing heavy stones on essential household items before the typhoon, many things had still been blown away.  

Many of the fishing boats docked in the shelter had also been damaged.  

Pingzhou Island had suffered significant losses, and the situation in Lianning County was likely no better.  

It was uncertain when maritime traffic would resume.  

In the past, typhoons usually caused a week-long halt in navigation. But with the strength of this storm, no one knew how long it would take to resume sailings.  

The entire island was weighed down with worry.  

If the boats couldn’t operate, their vegetable supply would be cut off. Although they could still fish, the long-term lack of vegetables would be difficult to endure.  

—  

Meanwhile, Shen He was leading his soldiers to assist the island’s residents.  

On the other side, Su Ranran was also busy.  

On the second day after the typhoon, she finished cleaning the house, washed the rain-soaked clothes, and hung them up to dry.  

That afternoon, Shen He returned home, sweating profusely, but instead of resting, he continued repairing other parts of the house.  

Feeling sorry for her exhausted husband, Su Ranran prepared fish soup for him using the special spring water from her space.  

The fish had been brought home by Shen He himself.  

As expected, the soup made with space spring water tasted even better. However, Shen He seemed distracted, his expression heavy with concern.  

“What’s wrong?”  

Su Ranran poured him another bowl of soup and asked with concern.  

She knew the typhoon had caused a lot of damage, but she didn’t have a clear understanding of the extent.  

After all, she had been busy cleaning their house all day and hadn’t seen much of the outside world.  

“It’s nothing, don’t worry,” Shen He reassured her. “Come, eat some fish.”  

He habitually picked out the bones and placed the fish meat in her bowl.  

But Su Ranran could tell he was troubled. As a wife, if she only enjoyed his care but couldn’t share his burdens, what kind of partner would she be?  

“Shen He.”  

Su Ranran put down her chopsticks, her expression turning serious.  

Shen He paused and looked up, meeting her determined gaze.  

“We are husband and wife,” Su Ranran said softly but firmly. “We’ll spend decades together in the future. I want to be a partner who can share your happiness and your burdens, not just a delicate flower hiding behind you.”  

Hearing this, Shen He was stunned. He suddenly remembered the dark circles under her eyes from yesterday morning. He had felt sorry for her and set up a rest area, but she had chosen to stand by him and face the typhoon.  

Now, she sat in front of him, telling him she wanted to share both the good and the bad.  

At that moment, a deep sense of gratitude filled Shen He’s heart. He was thankful that she had changed her mind that afternoon and decided to stay with him.  

Otherwise, he might never have realized the kind of relationship he could have lost.  

A warm feeling surged within him.  

“Ranran, thank you.”  

He didn’t specify what he was thankful for, but Su Ranran’s eyes softened.  

“Then… can you tell me now?”  

“Yes,” Shen He nodded. “The vegetable supply will run out in two days, and we don’t know when the ships will sail again.”

Although he had applied for supplies before the typhoon, the time was too short, and not much could be transported.  

Additionally, green vegetables are difficult to preserve, so it would be fortunate if they lasted another two days.  

This was indeed a pressing issue.  

Su Ranran had an abundance of vegetables in her space, but she couldn’t just take them out openly.  

Suddenly, she remembered a book she had seen in her space a few days ago.  

It mentioned a type of green vegetable that might be able to solve their current predicament.  

It only took ten days to grow from sowing to the length of a finger, and once harvested, new shoots would sprout the very next day.  

Hearing her explanation, Shen He became intrigued. “What kind of vegetable is it?”  

“Water spinach,” Su Ranran replied.  

However, when she noticed his confused expression, she fell silent for a moment.  

She had forgotten, they didn’t call it by that name here.  

“It’s known as water spinach,” she corrected herself.  

Upon hearing this, Shen He recalled the green vegetable that was once common in their hometown.  

“Some people have tried planting it before, but it didn’t sprout.”  

The soil here was too salty for it to grow properly. But since Su Ranran brought it up, she must have a plan.  

“We can grow it hydroponically,” she suggested.