Chapter 40

Shen Wu didn’t notice his gaze. She locked the door and took out a package wrapped in brown paper from the bag. She held it out to Lu Xuan like a treasure, “Here!”

The brown paper was tightly wrapped, but the aroma still seeped out.

“The state-owned restaurant made braised mutton today, and the flatbread was fresh out of the oven when I bought it. I bought it especially for you, try it.”

Lunch was bean sprouts with noodles, and the noodles were divided among everyone, not enough to fill their stomachs, just about five or six points full. Lu Xuan smelled the aroma and saw the bright eyes of the person in front of him. “Did you eat?”

Shen Wu stuffed the flatbread into his hand, “I did, I ate rice.”

“I can’t be the only one eating good food. Rice is hard to carry, and when I saw the fresh flatbread and braised mutton, I brought it for you. I brought two.”

“But it’s cold now, it might not taste as good.”

The flatbread was well-wrapped and still warm. Lu Xuan took a bite, “How can meat taste bad?”

Shen Wu looked at the cotton. The color was a bit uneven, some white, some slightly gray, it looked like she had searched several places. She glanced at Lu Xuan.

He ate quickly, in big bites, and finished a flatbread in no time.

He looked like a rough and tough man, but he was quite thoughtful, remembering that she found the kang uncomfortable.

Shen Wu put down the cotton and gave Lu Xuan the remaining flatbread in the bag, “Here’s another one, you should eat it while it’s still warm.”

Lu Xuan wiped his mouth, “I won’t eat it, eight points full is enough. Save this one for when you’re craving meat.”

Shen Wu had eaten rice, braised pork, fish-flavored shredded pork, and eggplant for lunch. She was full both in her stomach and her soul, and she wasn’t interested in this flatbread with mutton.

“Eat it quickly, you work hard, eat more meat. It’s a shame there’s no soup, I should have gotten you some soup.”

“I heard that if you go to the commune to teach, you’ll be paid five yuan a month, based on a full work point, more than a strong laborer earns. From now on, third brother, don’t work so hard, just put in eight points of effort.”

“I’ll support you!” She raised her chin proudly.

She looked so arrogant. Lu Xuan felt inexplicably comfortable hearing her say she would support him.

But he said, “I’m a grown man, how can I let you support me? How would that look? Where would I put my face?”

“You study hard, if you don’t pass, it doesn’t matter, I’ll support you.” The words in the book were headache-inducing, “I can afford it!”

Under Shen Wu’s gaze, Lu Xuan finished the other mutton flatbread. This time, he was completely full.

After eating, Lu Xuan rinsed his mouth under his wife’s gaze and opened the window to air out the smell of mutton.

It was nap time, and cicadas chirped outside.

Shen Wu lay on the bed, and Lu Xuan pulled her into his arms as soon as he got on the bed.

As soon as she was pulled into his arms, Shen Wu wriggled out like an eel, creating some distance between them.

Lu Xuan frowned, turned over, and stared at her, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Wu pointed to the sun outside, “It’s hot.”

The sun outside was scorching, and Lu Xuan was hot too.

Lu Xuan got out of bed and took a palm leaf fan. He fanned her with one hand, and now Shen Wu felt comfortable. She kissed the man’s face twice, “Third brother, you’re the best.”

“I like you.”

The smell in the room had mostly dissipated. He got up and closed the window. Hearing Shen Wu’s words, he felt hot himself. He deliberately put on a serious face, “If you don’t want to do anything else, then sleep.”

Shen Wu quickly closed her eyes.

Her long eyelashes fluttered.

“Third brother, I mean it, I like you. Do you want to hear my heart?”

He was getting hot too, and he covered her mouth with his hand, “I know, sleep.”

He thought to himself, he had married a talkative little lady. One minute she was complaining about the discomfort, the next she was complaining about the heat, then she was complaining about him being dirty… She had a whole basket of sweet words, one minute she was feeling sorry for him, the next she was going to give him a child, then she wanted him to hear her heart.

Thinking about it, Lu Xuan couldn’t help but smile. He fanned with his palm leaf fan with gusto.

Everyone went to work in the afternoon. Shen Wu stayed at home to read.

If Long Yu-jiao was reading, Lu Lao-tai would think it was great, but Shen Wu reading?

Lu Lao-tai had inquired and found out that she had only finished fourth grade in elementary school, and she often skipped class. She wasn’t good at studying, and she was just pretending, being lazy and shifty.

Lu Lao-tai couldn’t stand seeing Shen Wu idle, it made her uncomfortable, “The second son is coming back today, you have to make sure everyone gets to eat the meat, understand?”

There was only one pound of meat, and there were so many people in the family. Everyone would only get a taste of the meat. Lu Lao-tai wanted to get a full Manchu-Han banquet flavor out of one pound of meat.

“Okay, I promise! Everyone will get to eat meat.”

Lu Lao-tai was about to say something else when Xu Yin came out with her bow and arrow, “I’m going to the back mountain.”

Shen Wu thought for a moment, “I’m tired of eating the vegetables we grow, I’m going to find some wild vegetables.”

She said, putting down her book and taking a basket.

Xu Yin had brought a big snake back last time and exchanged it for a dozen eggs. She was idle at home anyway, it would be good to hunt some wild game.

As for Shen Wu finding wild vegetables, Lu Lao-tai was happy about that.

“Don’t be lazy!”

“Xu Yin, keep an eye on her!”

The two of them went out one after the other. Shen Wu looked around for wild vegetables as she walked. She saw some green shepherd’s purse by the roadside. Thinking about what to eat for dinner, she picked some shepherd’s purse.

Everyone else was in the fields. You could recognize Shen Wu from her back from afar. No one in the village dressed up more than her. She even wore a hat when she went out to pick wild vegetables.

Seeing the two of them walking one after the other.

“Hey, Yu-jiao, are those your third sister-in-law and fourth sister-in-law?”

When Long Yu-jiao was recording work points, a fellow educated youth who had come down to the countryside with her asked her. She turned her head and glanced in the direction of Shen Wu and Xu Yin.

Long Yu-jiao turned her head and followed her gaze, “Yes, it’s them.”

“I heard that your two sisters-in-law don’t get along. They fought when they first came in. Now it seems like they don’t have such a bad relationship? They even came out together.”

Long Yu-jiao paused, her eyes widened slightly. She thought back on everything that had happened in recent days, and a look of confusion gradually filled her gentle eyes.

The educated youth didn’t notice anything wrong with Long Yu-jiao. Looking at the backs of Shen Wu and Xu Yin, she sighed, “We’re still from the city, but unexpectedly, we’re not as good as these village girls. At least they don’t have to work.”

“I’m definitely going to try to pass the exam and become a teacher when school starts this time. Yu-jiao, what about you?”

…

“Long Yu-jiao?!”

Long Yu-jiao snapped out of her daze. Her gaze shifted from Shen Wu and Xu Yin, and she said softly, “I’ll try.”

There was no shortage of shepherd’s purse in the village. At this time of year, it grew in batches. The two of them picked a basket full in a short while. Shen Wu pressed on it and felt it was enough. She went into the mountains with Xu Yin.

The author didn’t give them a koi fish character design. The two of them walked around for a while, and when they were about to go down, they saw a weasel, its eyes rolling as it looked at them. Shen Wu only had respect for this creature, she didn’t dare to touch it. When Xu Yin was about to shoot an arrow, she stopped her.

“I think we’re going to have to compete with the koi fish character’s heroine for her luck.” Shen Wu sighed from the bottom of her heart.

Xu Yin thought for a moment, “Isn’t that a bit immoral?”

Shen Wu: “I’m just a wicked person.”

What morality? She was written into this miserable era, and no one talked about morality.

When Shen Wu and Xu Yin came back, Long Yu-jiao had already gone home.

Seeing Shen Wu and Xu Yin entering the house, she teased, “Third sister-in-law, fourth sister-in-law, didn’t you two have a bad relationship? Why are you out together? It seems like you’re closer than some people who have a good relationship.”

“If people didn’t know, they would think you were sisters!”

Her probing gaze was fixed on Shen Wu and Xu Yin, not missing a single expression on their faces –