Chapter 22.2

As the couple brooded in silence, Qin Qingman, meanwhile, had returned home with Wei Ling and Chuchu.

Three pieces of meat were enough to sow discord between Zhu Hongxia and Qin Xiang—why not enjoy the results?

Wei Ling walked beside Qin Qingman, as he looked at her, he noticed the faint upward curve of her lips.

A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes; he had known all along that the woman he admired was clever.

See? What had almost turned into a volatile confrontation was resolved by his wife in just a few words, yielding both peace and practical benefits.

If he had been the one to handle it, he doubted he’d have managed as well.

If he and his wife were still living in the Duke’s Mansion, his wife would surely manage all the complex relationships there with perfect skill.

“Have you looked enough?”

Qin Qingman’s quiet, slightly exasperated voice sounded in his ear just as he was lost in thought, admiring her.

She had noticed him stealing glances.

Having never been caught staring at a girl before, Wei Ling felt his face warm slightly. But even so, he earnestly answered her question, “Not enough.” He wanted to look at his wife for a lifetime.

Now, it was Qin Qingman’s turn to blush.

Not only did she blush, but a trace of shyness flashed in her eyes as well.

“Wife, I’d like to make a trip back to the military camp,” Wei Ling said, after considering the matter, seeking Qin Qingman’s permission.

At the mention of something serious, Qin Qingman set aside her shyness and immediately expressed her concern, “Did something happen?” Just yesterday, she’d heard from Wei Ling that he would be on leave for a few days. If he wanted to go back today, there must be an issue.

Not hiding matters unrelated to military operations, Wei Ling explained, “The appearance of wild boars in that forest is a dangerous situation. Our soldiers stationed nearby have a duty to investigate. If someone were injured or worse, it would be a serious matter.”

“Then be careful,” Qin Qingman replied, “and let me pack you some food to leave in that shelter we used to stay in.”

Wei Ling smiled at the mention of their shared memory from that shelter, recalling the first meal they’d eaten together. “Alright.”

He didn’t refuse her offer, he nodded in appreciation.

“If it’s not too urgent, why don’t you stay for lunch before you go?” Qin Qingman glanced up at the sky, estimating it was around ten o’clock.

There was still time for a meal, and she had just finished cooking the pig’s lung stew, which was simmering on the stove, filling the air with a savory aroma.

Wei Ling, who had only just begun his relationship with Qin Qingman, didn’t really want to leave so early. He finally agreed to wait until after lunch.

Meanwhile, Chuchu, having overheard that Wei Ling would be leaving soon, was filled with reluctance.

Taking advantage of the moment while Wei Ling and Qin Qingman spoke, he gathered some corn and a few carrots to feed the horse.

With no hay on hand, Chuchu had to use grain to feed the horse; if the animal went hungry, it wouldn’t be able to make the journey.

For lunch, Qin Qingman steamed mixed-grain buns. Although their color wasn’t the most appealing, they were delicious.

The pig’s lung stew, simmered for hours, had turned the broth a creamy white and filled the room with a light fragrance. It was Wei Ling’s first time eating pig’s lung, and it became an unforgettable meal for him.

At the military camp’s mess hall, they occasionally served pig’s lung, but the color and smell had always put him off. No matter how much he craved meat, he could never bring himself to eat it and always ended up giving his portion to a comrade.

“Ah Ling, I made a few sausages,” Qin Qingman said as she thought of the abundance of pork in the yard. She didn’t plan to keep it all to herself. “They’ll be ready soon. Take them with you. Whenever you’re hungry, you can just heat them up for a quick meal.”

Wei Ling hesitated for only a moment before nodding.

Now that he had a wife, he ought to bring a little gift back; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to face his comrades.

—o—o—o—

When Wei Ling finally left the Qin Family’s house, it wasn’t only Chuchu who felt reluctant—Qin Qingman felt an ache in her heart as well.

Although they’d only spent a short time together, emotions were strange that way; it was easy to become attached to someone you trusted.

“Make sure to lock the doors and windows at night. If you hear anything unusual outside, don’t go out. Wait until I return to handle it,” Wei Ling reminded her before he left.

He hadn’t mentioned that someone had tried to sneak into the Qin family’s yard last night to steal meat, but he couldn’t leave without warning the siblings to be cautious. Although Kaoshan Village had a reputation for good security, there was no guarantee someone desperate for food wouldn’t take a risk.

“I understand, don’t worry,” Qin Qingman assured Wei Ling. Letting him feel that she was taking his words to heart.

Actually, when Zhu Laoda and his group came over to cause trouble, Qin Qingman had already noticed the human-shaped marks outside the courtyard wall.

Thinking of how Wei Ling could kill a wild boar with his bare hands, she had guessed that something must have happened last night.

“I… I’ll come back early.”

With these words, Wei Ling mounted his horse, gave it a gentle nudge, and the horse took off—gradually disappearing from Qin Qingman and Chuchu’s sight as it ran further and further away.

Only after Wei Ling was no longer visible did the siblings turn back toward the courtyard.

Qin Qingman touched her earlobe, feeling a bit warm.

“Sigh, Big Brother Wei has left,” Chuchu sighed, sounding like a little adult.

“Why are you sighing? Your Big Brother Wei will come back.” Qin Qingman ruffled Chuchu’s head, which was snug under his hat.

Their area was a snowy village; every year, not only was the snowfall heavy, but the snow season lasted a long time. To keep people from freezing to death, the government was not strict on leather regulations, so every family had fur-lined boots, fur hats, and some even had leather coats.

Qin Qingman’s family used to own a leather coat as well, but when their parents needed treatment, they sold it to gather funds.

Currently, besides their hats and fur-lined boots, the siblings only had cotton coats, which didn’t keep them as warm as leather ones, but were good enough as long as they didn’t travel far.

Chuchu, who was trying to mimic adult sentiments of loss, got distracted as Qin Qingman ruffled his head. He slipped and fell face-first into the snow.

A large, person-shaped imprint immediately appeared in the thick snow.

Qin Qingman froze for a second before bursting into laughter.

Before coming to this place, she had envied the sight of snow villages, but now that she was actually living in one, she understood just how cold it really was.

If the house wasn’t warm enough, even her hands would freeze to the point that she couldn’t undo her own buttons.

“Sis.”

Getting up, Chuchu saw Qin Qingman laughing with her eyes crinkled in amusement. He immediately made a snowball and threw it at her.

His sister had gone bad!

Chuchu wasn’t very strong, so the snowball hit Qin Qingman and then slid right off, but it sparked Qin Qingman’s playful spirit.

Without a second thought, Qin Qingman bent down to start making snowballs herself.

Chuchu screamed in surprise and ran around the courtyard, yelling as he ran while attempting to throw snowballs back. A full-blown snowball fight broke out in the Qin family’s yard.

The courtyard was filled with laughter and joy, the siblings’ faces brimming with vitality.

The sound of their playful laughter carried to a few nearby households.

Zhu Hongxia, feeling irritable today, couldn’t stand hearing others laugh. Although she couldn’t see exactly what Qin Qingman and Chuchu were doing, she muttered to herself, “Is it really necessary to show off this much just because she has a soldier man backing her up?”

“For heaven’s sake, shut your mouth! Haven’t we suffered enough?”

Qin Lei, standing beside her, was furious upon hearing Zhu Hongxia’s unfiltered remark.

He nearly reached out to cover her foul mouth.

At this point, was she really willing to say anything out loud? Did she think their household was too peaceful or something?

“I…”

Zhu Hongxia still wanted to argue, but when she saw the cold look in Qin Lei’s eyes, she didn’t dare to say anything more offensive.

Qin Caiyun, who had been observing quietly from the side, felt no emotional stir.

From the moment she had no say in the cancellation of her engagement, she had already detached herself from this family.

The life or death of this household no longer mattered to her. If it hadn’t been for her inability to live independently, she would have left long ago, not willing to endure any further humiliation.

She reached up to touch the hat on her head and harbored resentment toward Qin Qingman and Chuchu.

If it weren’t for their family’s goose, she wouldn’t have had her scalp scratched or been dismissed from her engagement.

Hearing the bright laughter from outside the window, Qin Caiyun’s face twitched involuntarily.

While Zhu Hongxia found the laughter of Qin Qingman and Chuchu irritating, the other families didn’t feel the same way.

Qin Zhenzhu, who had just heated up her own kang, peered out the window at Qin Qingman and Chuchu playing in the courtyard. She looked on with envy. After turning ten, she had stopped having snowball fights herself.

“Zhenzhu, you’d better hide the meat well, don’t let your brother steal it again.”

Li Meina lay comfortably on the warm kang, feeling in good spirits.

“Mother, why would I steal meat?” Qin Defu entered from the main hall and walked into Li Meina’s room. His father wasn’t home, so they had heated the kang in this room, and he would be sleeping at the foot of the bed tonight.

“I know you too well.” Li Meina didn’t want to comment on her son’s greedy habits.

Qin Defu rubbed his nose, then leaned closer to Li Meina with a flattering smile, “Mother, you need to eat some good food to recover. We don’t need to cook much, just make some meat soup. It’s cold in winter, and a warm bowl of meat soup will help your body.”

“I think you’re the one craving it,” Li Meina saw through her son’s little scheme.

Not feeling embarrassed at all, Qin Defu readily admitted, “Mother, when father and the others return, they’ll certainly bring back game, and they won’t lack meat. But we do! How about we make some meat today? It’s been so long since I’ve had any.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Didn’t we eat chicken half a month ago?” Li Meina refuted Qin Defu’s suggestion.

“Mother, that was more than half a month ago! I’ve forgotten what meat tastes like by now. I just saw that the piece of meat Qingman brought us was quite big, with lots of fat. How about we cut some fat and stew it with sauerkraut? That would be really tasty.”

As he spoke, Qin Defu couldn’t help but lick his lips in anticipation.

Li Meina and Qin Zhenzhu also felt their appetites stirred by his words.

“Mother, how about we make some meat today? Grandpa Lin said that if you want to recover quickly, you need to nourish your body well. The sooner you take care of yourself, the sooner you’ll get better,” Qin Zhenzhu, also craving the meat, offered the suggestion when she saw that Li Meina was tempted.

“Yes, Mother, and there’s only a month left before the New Year. With all the preparations for the holidays, how can our family not have you in good health? You need to get better quickly,” Qin Defu said, trying to use every excuse to get some meat.

“Alright, we’ll make meat today, but we’ll have to save some for your father.”

“Understood, Mother,” Qin Defu said eagerly, excited to help with the cooking.

Meanwhile, Qin Shu and the others, who were up in the mountains, were facing danger. They had followed the tracks of the game deep into the forest, and although they found several deer, they also encountered wolves— not just one, but a pack of wolves.

A dozen wolves circled around Zheng Anguo and the others, their eyes glaring hungrily.