Chapter 50: Plain and Simple Romance

These were not just 2 ordinary little chicks—this concerned whether she and Fu Wenjing could achieve egg freedom in the future. They had to be carefully nurtured.

There was no chicken coop, but letting the chicks roam freely wasn’t an option either.

It didn’t matter if they made a mess, but they were too small—one careless step could crush them to death.

Su Ruanruan glanced at the pile of firewood branches stacked against the wall. Without hesitation, she took the branches and stuck them into the ground one by one, closely packed together. This way, she only needed to enclose a small area, just enough for the 2 chicks to move around.

Once the temporary chicken coop was set up, Su Ruanruan found 2 broken tiles at the base of the courtyard wall.

The tiles were all fragmented—either missing a corner here or chipped there.

However, the grooves in the middle were still intact. One tile was used to hold water, while the other was for chopped corn kernels—just the right fit.

After settling the 2 little chicks, Su Ruanruan fetched a small shovel from under the wall and began weeding in the shaded parts of the courtyard.

The Original Owner was used to various farm work, and these skills had long become muscle memory.

The moment Su Ruanruan picked up the small shovel, she instinctively knew how to dig grass with the least effort and how to uproot the grass entirely.

Although the summer afternoon was scorching hot, Su Ruanruan worked diligently without any complaints.

Before long, she had cleared all the weeds in the shaded areas.

Glancing at the sunlit part of the courtyard, Su Ruanruan didn’t hesitate for a moment and squatted down directly.

Being scorched by the blazing sun was indeed uncomfortable—but having no vegetables to eat would be even worse.

To achieve vegetable freedom as soon as possible, enduring a little sunlight was absolutely worth it.

The only thing Su Ruanruan felt fortunate about was that the Original Owner’s skin was naturally fair. Even after working in the fields every day without any sunscreen, the skin remained white and delicate.

Not getting tanned saved a lot of sunscreen!

Thinking this way, Su Ruanruan became even happier.

When people are in a good mood, they work faster.

Without realizing it, Su Ruanruan had already cleared half of the courtyard.

Just as she was about to continue, the front door was knocked on, and Fu Wenjing’s voice echoed from outside.

“Wife, I’m back!”

Hearing Fu Wenjing’s voice, Su Ruanruan immediately ran toward the courtyard gate.

As soon as Su Ruanruan opened the courtyard gate, she saw Fu Wenjing standing outside, pushing a wooden cart. On the cart, there were not only long bamboo poles but also a towering stack of firewood.  

Seeing this, Su Ruanruan was a bit shocked. “How did you manage to bring back so much bamboo and firewood?”  

Fu Wenjing’s face was slightly flushed, and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and the tip of his nose.  

He casually wiped his face with his hand before answering Su Ruanruan’s question. “I brought back more so that you wouldn’t have to worry about it when you need it. I have to go to the Military Unit tomorrow, and I’ll probably be quite busy.”  

At that moment, a hint of guilt appeared on Fu Wenjing’s face.  

He had brought Su Ruanruan here, yet he couldn’t always be by her side.  

Just from his expression, Su Ruanruan could already guess what he was thinking. “You don’t need to feel guilty. As a military wife, I have this level of awareness. Even though you can’t always be with me, it’s precisely because of people like you that we get to live such a peaceful life. Not only do I understand you, but I also support you!”  

“Thank you, wife!”  

Fu Wenjing gazed deeply at Su Ruanruan, his eyes filled with emotion.  

The two of them looked at each other for a long while before Su Ruanruan snapped out of it. She quickly ran outside to help Fu Wenjing push the cart into the courtyard.  

As soon as they entered, Fu Wenjing noticed Su Ruanruan’s hard work. “Wife, you’ve already cleared out so many weeds? Why didn’t you wait for me so we could do it together?”  

Su Ruanruan playfully winked at Fu Wenjing. “I did wait! I was waiting for you to come back and turn the soil!”  

“Got it!” Fu Wenjing responded with a bright laugh. “Leave it all to me! I’ll unload the cart first, then get started.”  

There was already some firewood stacked in the courtyard, but it was running low.  

If they needed to cook three meals a day, it would last 2 days at most.  

Now that Fu Wenjing had brought back so much, it would be enough for at least ten days to half a month.  

Fu Wenjing didn’t let Su Ruanruan help with unloading, but she didn’t stay idle either—she continued weeding.  

“This area produces a lot of coal. I never needed it before, so I didn’t apply for a coal permit. Tomorrow, I’ll go get one and buy a coal stove.”  

“When you don’t feel like burning wood, using a coal stove is very convenient. It burns just as well. It’s a great tool, and once I get it, I’ll teach you how to use it.”  

Su Ruanruan had used a coal stove before when she was in the orphanage as a child, but she still nodded obediently. “Okay!”  

“We can’t just leave the firewood stacked in the courtyard like this. If it rains, it’ll all get wet. I’ll build a small shelter for it later. It just so happens that I brought back some long tree trunks. I’ll go find Sister Niu and trade for some wheat straw to weave a grass mat and lay it on top.”  

“Sounds great!”

Whenever Fu Wenjing spoke in long sentences, Su Ruanruan would always respond with a lighthearted “Okay.”  

This was never her brushing him off.  

On the contrary, having been an orphan since childhood, Su Ruanruan had never experienced what it felt like to have family. She cherished this feeling more than anything.  

Having someone to share her life with.  

There was no need for grand passion, no need for endless sweet talk.  

They planned together, worked together, shared the same goals, and both wished for a better future. Most importantly, they both wanted to stay by each other’s side forever.  

Perhaps, this was ordinary romance.  

The entire afternoon, Su Ruanruan and Fu Wenjing didn’t stop working.  

Sweat continuously trickled down their bodies, dried, and then formed again.  

But their efforts paid off.  

The empty space in the courtyard was now free of weeds and had been deeply tilled, turning into neat rows of small plots.  

A simple shelter had also been built over the firewood stack.  

For people, the shelter was open and drafty on all sides.  

But for firewood, it was more than enough.  

With the roof covering it, the wood wouldn’t get soaked even if it rained.  

The bamboo that Fu Wenjing had brought back was neatly stacked against the main house’s wall. Among them, 2 pieces had already been split into thin strips, as wide as chives.  

These were meant to be woven into bamboo strips.  

But weaving bamboo strips wasn’t something that could be done in a short time—it had to be done gradually.  

Fortunately, it was summer, and the nights weren’t cold.  

As long as it didn’t rain, the 2 chicks could stay in the simple enclosure Su Ruanruan had made for them.

A few meters in front of the main house’s door wasn’t used for planting vegetables. The only thing Su Ruanruan did there was clear the weeds.  

She had a plan—whenever she went into the mountains, she would collect small stones. Once she had gathered enough, she would pave the ground with them.  

That way, whether it rained or snowed, the ground wouldn’t become too muddy.  

For now, Su Ruanruan didn’t mention this plan to Fu Wenjing.  

She was afraid that if she said anything, Fu Wenjing would immediately grab a cart and head to the mountains—refusing to return until he had filled it with stones.  

It wasn’t that Su Ruanruan was overthinking.  

It was simply that Fu Wenjing was exactly the kind of person who would do that.