Chapter 24: He’s Doing Better Now

Su Tangxue bounced happily on her way home. Today was truly a day of harvest—she not only got a nest of baby birds and a litter of baby rabbits, but also carried a wasp nest in her hand.

Although she didn’t quite understand what use a wasp nest could have, since her fourth brother said it was valuable, it must be.

Earlier, Lu Shan had taken advantage of the wasps’ distraction and quietly slipped to the roadside to take their nest. He told her that the pupae inside were delicious when fried.

The moment Su Tangxue heard that, all her fear vanished, and she skipped home with the nest in hand.

As for the rabbit, Lu Shan wanted to split it with her fifty-fifty, but she refused, saying her family wasn’t short on meat. She told her fourth brother to take it back for himself—he looked too skinny anyway. She added that if he wanted meat next time, he could just come to her.

As soon as she said that—

It was the first time Su Tangxue saw an expression of admiration on Lu Shan’s face. If it weren’t for the restriction of time and setting, Lu Shan probably would’ve called her “big sis” right there and then.

In times like this, when even the little sister had to help him out, well… he was really doing better now.

When Su Tangxue returned home, the sun had just climbed halfway up the sky. Only Grandma was in the yard, and she thought Lu Qinglin hadn’t come back yet. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a familiar voice spoke from behind:

“Where have you been today?”

Su Tangxue turned around and was truly startled by the man—how did Lu Qinglin walk without making a sound?

“You’re back? I thought you weren’t home!”

Lu Qinglin didn’t answer. His gaze moved from her face to the two bulging pockets on her clothes—clearly filled with something again.

“What’s in your pockets?”

Su Tangxue instinctively wanted to lie, but it was too late. The three little birds in her pocket chirped out loud.

Seeing she couldn’t hide it anymore, she told the truth.

“Look, my fourth brother dug out these baby birds for me, caught a rabbit for me, and also got a wa—”

Before she could finish, Lu Qinglin’s face had already turned dark as ink, his deep eyes becoming so black they were frightening.

She shivered instinctively.

Realizing the situation wasn’t good, Su Tangxue quickly admitted her mistake. “I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”

After a long silence, Lu Qinglin finally let out a cold, curt “Don’t let it happen again.”

He took the bird nest and rabbit from her and placed them properly before heading into the kitchen.

Su Tangxue glanced down at the wasp nest in her hand and followed him in.

“You still need something?”

Lu Qinglin turned back, his indifferent eyes fixed on her.

Realizing she really had gone too far today, Su Tangxue swallowed the words “I want to eat the wasp pupae” and instead said, “Nothing really. I just wanted to learn how to cook from you, get some pointers.”

Lu Qinglin thought about it and figured it was about time to teach her. His attitude softened.

“Stay away from the back hill from now on. It’s dangerous.”

“Mm.”

“Also, I have time tomorrow. I can take you to the county. Think about what you want to buy. My leave is almost up, and I’ll be heading back to the unit soon.”

Su Tangxue immediately began to think seriously. Snacks were a must, of course, and she also needed to stock up on rice, flour, and other essentials. That way, she wouldn’t have to go to town too often.

As for the worry of using everything up without earning, she hadn’t yet figured out what she could do.

She’d first look around the village and see if there was anything she could help with—it didn’t matter how much it paid or how many work points she’d earn. As long as she had a source of income and could keep herself busy, that would be enough.

Just the thought of having to face things alone made Su Tangxue feel uneasy. In her past life, she’d always relied on her dad. Even after arriving in this world, she first relied on this world’s “dad,” and then Lu Qinglin.

Thinking back, in all her years of living, she had never once experienced the hardship of working.

Even during university summer breaks, when she joined short film crews, it was never hard labor—it was all just playacting.

And now, with just a few days until she had to rely on herself… the thought alone was depressing.

“That wasp nest?”

Lu Qinglin’s voice pulled her back to reality. She quickly pulled out the palm-sized nest from behind her.

“My brother said it tastes good, but I’ve never tried it before. I wanted you to help me cook it.”

Lu Qinglin took the nest. It wasn’t even as big as his hand, but there was still a good amount of white film left, so there should be quite a few pupae inside.

“Go get a bowl.”

Excited by the prospect of good food, Su Tangxue quickly fetched a clean bowl.

Wasp pupae were considered a rare delicacy in rural areas. When Lu Qinglin was young, his father often took him into the mountains. If they came across a wasp nest, they’d bring it back as a treat for the family.

So, for Lu Qinglin, this wasn’t just food—it was also a cherished memory of his father.

Su Tangxue stood by and watched Lu Qinglin skillfully peel off the white membrane and remove the yellow pupae inside.

She had expected something delicious—but seeing the squishy, worm-like things made her skin crawl.

She never should’ve been so greedy. Wanting to eat everything was clearly a mistake.

“You do the peeling. I’ll go light the fire.”

Su Tangxue’s face was serious. “Me?”

Lu Qinglin nodded.

Looking at the soft, wriggly things in the bowl, Su Tangxue couldn’t bring herself to touch them. “No thanks. You do the peeling—I’ll light the fire.”

Afraid he’d change his mind, she quickly fled the kitchen, only to return a moment later.

“Lu Qinglin, was that chicken on the ground your doing?”

Lu Qinglin nodded. “I saw it on the mountain today. Took it down while I was there.”

He’d gone to the mountain to carry firewood and had heard clucking from the bushes nearby. Since they didn’t have meat for dinner yet, he’d caught it for the meal.

By the stove, Su Tangxue frowned at the low platform and the various pieces of wood.

She had never cooked before—much less used a firewood stove. This was really tough for her.

She fumbled around the stove, hoping to find matches or something. After circling around, she found nothing. Frustrated, she had no choice but to ask Lu Qinglin for help.

Lu Qinglin paused his peeling and pulled a matchbox from his pocket.

Su Tangxue was surprised. “Lu Qinglin, why would you carry around a box of matches?”

Realizing she misunderstood, Lu Qinglin blushed slightly.

He had actually planned to start the fire and prepare the chicken, but when he heard Su Tangxue coming in, he’d tucked the matches into his pocket and forgot.

“It’s not like that. I just forgot to put them back when you came in.”

Su Tangxue could tell he wasn’t lying, but seeing him blush for the first time was unexpectedly amusing.

“Well then! I’ll get back to lighting the fire.”

She patted his shoulder and gave him a meaningful smile before heading back to the kitchen.

After she left, Lu Qinglin let out a quiet sigh of relief.

But once Su Tangxue returned to the kitchen, she realized she had forgotten to ask how to actually light the fire—she’d been too distracted by his blushing face.

She hesitated for a while but finally decided to figure it out on her own.

How hard could starting a fire be?

She could handle it!