Chapter 15: Spendthrift Woman

The couple got on their bicycle and rode home.

Chen Rou even took out some candy from her space. She had collected it but rarely ate any—only indulging occasionally.

Today, the ordinary townsfolk were in a good mood, so she took one out. She unwrapped a piece and leaned over to feed it to him. Han Guobin ate it.

Chen Rou also popped one in her mouth and said, “Today’s luck is amazing. I not only got what I wanted in exchange, I even managed to trade for a piece of beef. When we get home, I’ll make you a cold beef dish.”

She had three types of meat in her space—pork, beef, and lamb. Pork was the most abundant, while lamb and beef were about equal in quantity.

She had taken out lamb a few times before, each time just a small amount. But she wasn’t too worried since lamb was locally available, although rarer than pork—it still appeared on the market.

But this was the first time she had taken out beef because it was simply too rare.

Unless she went into the county, she wouldn’t normally bring it out.

Han Guobin paused, then asked, “Wife, did you go to the black market?”

“No, I didn’t go to the black market. I went to my girlfriend’s house and traded with her,” Chen Rou replied.

Han Guobin wasn’t stupid. He said, “Wife, things are strict in the city. Let’s not go again. Whatever you want to eat, I’ll get it for you.”

Old Yang had everything. Even if he didn’t, he could ask someone for help and get it through connections.

“Mm, this is the last time. I won’t go again. My man is capable; I’m not worried about not having meat to eat. I really just intended to visit her today. She asked me, and I thought about how you haven’t tried beef, so I asked for a piece,” Chen Rou explained.

Although Han Guobin was touched that his wife always thought of him, he didn’t give in. “I’ve already ordered three pounds of eggs.”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you. I won’t go again. When my belly gets bigger, I won’t be able to walk that far anyway. Once the baby’s born, I’ll be tied up even more. If there’s anything we need to buy, I’ll tell you and you can go.” Chen Rou understood what he meant and responded obediently.

Han Guobin didn’t say anything more.

The couple went straight to the village leader’s house to return the bicycle. They also gave the leader’s wife an apple and a persimmon.

“My cravings have gotten stronger since I got pregnant. Guobin bought these for me. Aunty, you should try them too,” Chen Rou said with a smile.

“Oh no, you don’t have to. Don’t worry about me, just take them back,” the village leader’s wife, Chen Aidie, a middle-aged woman, quickly replied.

“It’s not a big deal. If you don’t eat them, split them between my nephews and nieces,” Chen Rou said before heading home with Han Guobin.

Since they had borrowed the bike, offering some fruit as thanks was the least they could do.

When the village leader got home, his wife told him, “Guobin’s wife is getting more and more thoughtful. She came with Guobin to return the bike and even gave me an apple and a persimmon.”

“You accepted them?” the leader was surprised.

“Just one apple and one persimmon. She sincerely wanted to give them, so I took them,” Chen Aidie replied. “Don’t criticize me for it. She’s not on good terms with her mother-in-law and won’t have much experience when the baby comes. When the time comes, I’ll give her some advice on what to watch out for.”

The leader didn’t say anything after that.

Seeing Chen Rou become more sensible pleased him. He had watched Han Guobin grow up, so of course, he hoped he’d live well.

Now that his wife had become considerate, life would surely get better, and they’d work harder too.

To many outsiders, Chen Rou now seemed much more sensible. But when Han Guobin got home and saw his wife take out a gleaming, shiny watermelon knife behind closed doors, he nearly collapsed from fear!

“Guobin, see if this feels right in your hand,” Chen Rou said.

This was the real reason she had gone into town with that ‘free’ fifty yuan. Compared to this, all other goods were secondary.

Her husband went deep into the mountains to hunt, sometimes gone for two or three days, with only a sickle in hand. But that sickle was barely a piece of metal. How could she not worry?

From the first day he said he’d be staying in the mountains for several days, she had already thought of giving him a weapon for protection, but just hadn’t found a good excuse.

This trip to the city was all about getting this for him.

Han Guobin’s breathing became ragged. He immediately wrapped the knife and put it away, then went outside to check that no one was around before coming back in and lowering his voice: “Wife, where did this knife come from?”

“Same as our kitchen knife, I traded with my girlfriend,” Chen Rou said, looking at him nervously. “Are… are you angry?”

Although Han Guobin’s tone was harsh, he wasn’t angry—he was wary of the kind of people his wife might be associating with!

The kitchen knife was one thing. He had seen it—sharper than usual, sure—but still just a kitchen knife.

But this long-bladed knife was different. It looked practically like a weapon!

“I… I’m just worried about you,” Chen Rou said with a wronged expression. “You go into the deep mountains for days at a time. When I’m home with nothing to do, I keep thinking—what if you run into a wild beast? If something happened to you, what would me and the baby do?”

“I have a sickle,” Han Guobin said, softening his tone, understanding she was worried for his safety.

“That piece of junk sickle? It’s useless against something like a wild boar. It wouldn’t even pierce the skin. I’ve tested this knife—forget skin, if you find the right moment, you can slice its whole head off!” Chen Rou insisted.

Coming from the post-apocalyptic world, she deeply understood the importance of weapons. Even though this was just a watermelon knife, it was top-tier—definitely not the kind that snapped in half.

She had collected two. One was still in her space.

Han Guobin naturally understood how sharp the knife was, but that wasn’t the point. He said, “Wife, from now on, you are not to see that girlfriend again!”

This was the first time he had spoken to her so sternly.

“Of course I won’t. Once I got this knife, I decided in my heart to cut ties with her,” Chen Rou replied weakly, looking every bit the obedient wife.

Whether Han Guobin believed her or not, he stared at her for a moment.

“I’m really just worried about you. Unless you want your son and me to remarry, call another man ‘father,’ and have someone else hold me at night,” Chen Rou said.

Han Guobin couldn’t help but scold, “Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Then when you’re out there, remember that your wife and child are waiting for you at home. Whether or not you make money doesn’t matter. As long as we’re fed, it’s fine. But if you lose your life, it’s over,” Chen Rou said, hugging his waist and burying her face in his chest.

The outside world was dangerous. Home was the safest place. While he braved danger outside, she would make sure to do what she could for him.

This watermelon knife was her way of helping. Otherwise, should she just leave it sitting in her space and not give it to him?

“I understand,” Han Guobin said, hugging her back. “I’ll be careful out there. You don’t need to worry at home. If there’s heavy work, wait until I come back to do it, or ask Sister-in-law Zhouzhen for help.”

“Okay.” Chen Rou nodded obediently.

After his wife promised again and again not to meet that girlfriend anymore, Han Guobin finally let the matter drop.

Then he went to look at the knife again—it was truly razor sharp. With this blade, he could now venture even deeper into the mountains.

After so many years of venturing into the mountains, Han Guobin was well aware of which places were safe to go and which weren’t. When he was single, he had fewer concerns. But now that he had a wife and child, he naturally exercised more caution.

Even though he was heading into deep mountains, he always had a mental yardstick.

But now, he wasn’t afraid. With such a sharp blade in hand, even if he encountered a ferocious tiger, he was confident he could retreat unscathed.

Of course, there were no tigers in these deep forests, but there were indeed packs of wolves and wild boars. If he could run into a lone one, that would be ideal…

Chen Rou had no idea that this man of hers, who looked so honest and down-to-earth, was actually eyeing those wild boars with their thick hides and sharp tusks.

She sorted the things she had bought and took the beef outside to cook.

Beef was easy to prepare. She simply boiled it until done, sliced it, and served it with shredded ginger or dipping sauce—it was delicious.

She hadn’t taken out too much beef, just a bit over a pound, because she knew it wasn’t something they usually brought out. But this time, she used a bit more than usual.

At noon, they ate boiled sweet potatoes. Their family had been allocated a lot of sweet potatoes this year, and they were delicious when simply boiled.

They ate about half a pound of beef, and Chen Rou made the rest into beef sauce.

She planned to make beef patties with it once he set out, so he could take some with him.

Now that Han Guobin had a new knife, and the snow hadn’t fallen yet—it wouldn’t be suitable to go out once it did, since the mountain snow was heavy and made movement difficult, plus wild animals rarely ventured out—he had to seize the current opportunity.

After resting a bit, he set out early the next morning, having eaten boiled sweet potatoes for breakfast. He took the beef patties his wife had made and some steamed buns with egg and vegetables.

Naturally, he also brought along that watermelon knife.

When Zhou Zhen came over to visit, she commented, “Your Guobin is really capable. That lazy bum of mine doesn’t even want to go out anymore!”

Truly, comparing people only makes you angry; comparing goods makes you want to throw them out.

Ever since the farming season ended, Han Guobin had been heading out into the mountains every few days. Whether he brought back wild game and exchanged it for money—only the two of them knew.

But there was certainly some. Wild hares and pheasants were common in the mountains—how could there not be any?

It was just a matter of how much he could catch.

But her own man went twice and gave up, saying there wasn’t much to catch and it was too cold.

It was cold at this time, especially in the mountains. But why wasn’t that man of hers cold?

“That’s because your husband married a hardworking wife like you. My Guobin married a spendthrift like me—if he doesn’t work hard, how can we survive?” Chen Rou replied.

She took down the yarn Han Guobin had rolled into a ball for her yesterday.

Zhou Zhen’s eyes widened. “You… you bought yarn? How much is it per jin? I heard it’s ridiculously expensive—like over ten yuan a jin?!”

“Twelve yuan a jin. Guobin and I are each knitting a sweater,” Chen Rou said calmly.

“You… you spent all fifty yuan?” Zhou Zhen exclaimed in shock.

“Mm-hmm, spent it all,” Chen Rou replied. “That’s why I say I’m a spendthrift wife.”

Zhou Zhen took a deep breath—that was fifty yuan! Not five, and certainly not fifty cents!

“Your Guobin didn’t beat you up?” Zhou Zhen couldn’t help but ask.