Chapter 34: Applause for the Dog

Ming Leyao wasn’t really close with the two of them, so she just smiled and listened quietly to Liu Qiushuang’s complaints without saying much. Soon it was time for class. Liu Qiushuang went back to the staff office and kept chatting with Fang Xian about the situation.

The whole morning passed quickly. After class ended at eleven, Ming Leyao strolled slowly back home. As soon as she entered the house, her mighty and imposing dog charged at her with the force of a thunderbolt, but just before reaching her feet, it slammed on the brakes, flipped onto its back, and skillfully lay on the ground waiting for her to play with its belly.

“You…” Ming Leyao laughed and scratched its belly, then let it go play on its own.

She opened the door to the main room, and just then the door to the west room swung open. Fu Wencheng’s tall and straight figure appeared in the doorway.

“You’re back.”

Hearing this, Ming Leyao felt a momentary flash of a wife waiting for her husband to come home from work… She quickly pushed that silly thought away and smiled as she replied.

“Yeah, does the wound still hurt?”

“It itches, but it doesn’t really hurt anymore.”

“After you eat, I’ll take a look at it.”

“Is there anything I can help with?” Ming Leyao raised her eyebrows, looking at the weak Fu Wencheng, her eyes silently asking, “Are you sure you can handle it?”

“…” How to respond when the girl you like doubts you? Urgent help needed!!!

“Ahem, I think I’m fine now.”

“No, your feeling doesn’t count.”

“…”

Fu Wencheng’s wheat-colored face looked a little pale and fragile, with a hint of pitifulness in his eyes. Paired with his handsome face… ahem, quite disarming.

“Well… you should go back to your room and lie down. The wound is healing, and pulling on it isn’t good.”

“Okay…” Reluctantly, he went back to the room to be a “useless person.” For this legendary soldier, it was a bit hard to adjust.

Lunch was simple—cornmeal mixed with potatoes to fill the stomach, some pickled vegetables on the side. Considering Fu Wencheng shouldn’t eat too much salt while healing, she steamed a separate bowl of eggs just for him.

Seeing the special egg dish in front of him, Fu Wencheng hesitated a few times before finally saying, “I’ll pay for it.”

“Mhm, and if you don’t, I’ll come after you anyway.” Ouch, right in the feels????

The meal was unusually quiet.

After eating, Ming Leyao washed the dishes, then changed Fu Wencheng’s bandages. She saw that all his wounds had formed scabs, sprinkled more medicine powder, wrapped them up again, told him to rest well, and took the dog out.

This time, her destination was the back mountain—and a deep part of it. They say the more skilled, the bolder the person. Ming Leyao not only wanted to test her dog’s ability but also review the progress she had made recently.

One person and one dog ran up to halfway up the mountain, a place no one had ever entered before. There were more wild goods here than at the foot of the mountain. She let the dog wander freely and took a small hoe from her space to start gathering herbs.

While gathering, she suddenly noticed the dog, which had been lively just moments ago, was completely still.

She stood up and looked around but couldn’t spot the dog anywhere.

“Dog? Dog???” Her crisp voice echoed through the forest. A distant bark came back, calm and contented, so she relaxed and kept collecting.

After about half an hour, lively dog barking suddenly broke the quiet mountain forest. Ming Leyao looked up toward the source of the noise, completely puzzled.

She saw several wild pheasants hopping up and down, and the dog was pawing this one and grabbing that one, creating a chaotic scene of “chickens flying and dogs running.”

Ming Leyao was about to step in and help, but just as she lifted her foot, the dog looked up at her proudly, then suddenly burst forward, dove into the pheasant flock, knocked one down, pinned another under its paw, and had a third one in its mouth…

The dog’s fur was messy in the wind, but in that moment, in Ming Leyao’s heart, this dog was the very definition of mighty and majestic.

“Only you could pull off something like this…” She twitched the corner of her mouth, sincerely applauding the dog despite herself. No more praise—she didn’t want the dog to get arrogant.

She walked over and took out a rope to tie up the three pheasants. Then she hit a dilemma.

She was worried when there was no meat, and even more worried now that there was plenty of meat. So much meat… how to eat it all?? She couldn’t just eat one and raise the rest, right? Plus, all mountain meat was publicly owned in this era. If she dared to keep any at home, she’d probably be reported the next day.

After thinking for a few minutes, Ming Leyao untied the knots, threw two of the pheasants into her space, and took one back to cook for dinner.

She descended the mountain faster than she climbed, her feet almost flying, not daring to pause for fear of meeting someone on the way.

Sneaking back home like a thief, she rushed into the main room, closed the door, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“What’s wrong? Did someone bully you?” Fu Wencheng had been watching anxiously from the window. Seeing her return hurriedly, his heart skipped a beat, and he dropped all pretense, rushing out and firing a rapid stream of questions at Ming Leyao.

Such unguarded concern warmed Ming Leyao’s heart and brought a strange feeling too, but she hid it well. Fu Wencheng didn’t notice at all.

“Look, what did I catch today?” Only then did Fu Wencheng notice the sturdy pheasants tied in her basket and understood why she was so anxious. He relaxed, a smile softening his sharp features.

“You’re amazing.” His praise was straightforward and sincere, making Ming Leyao blush.

“I’ll cook chicken soup for you tonight.”

“Good, I’ll help with the fire.”

“Mhm…” Ming Leyao’s mind got tangled by that smile, and she forgot about Fu Wencheng’s injury, wanting nothing more than to escape this heart-fluttering place.

In the small yard, Ming Leyao had set up two kitchens—one near the entrance of the main house, with two stove pits on either side, used for heating the kang bed in winter and for cooking.

The side kitchen was a later addition, used for storing vegetables and grains, with a large stove holding a big pot, and two mud stoves beside it for slow cooking and stewing.

Fu Wencheng sat by the stove pit boiling water while Ming Leyao placed the cleaned chicken and a large basin in front of him to pluck the feathers. Then she started washing rice for steaming.

After washing and cutting the vegetables needed for the evening, Fu Wencheng finished the chicken, handed it to her, and Ming Leyao swiftly chopped the whole chicken into pieces—half for chicken soup, half to stew with mushrooms and potatoes.

The two worked like an old married couple. Ming Leyao didn’t have to say a word, and Fu Wencheng knew exactly when to use high heat and when to simmer.

The sunset’s glow filled the kitchen, painting a scene of peaceful, quiet years.