Chapter 8: A Great Wife

In the afternoon, Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun helped Jiang Youcheng and Liu Shi tidy up the branches.

The freshly cut branches were too moist inside, and their texture was too brittle, making them unsuitable for weaving baskets. They needed to be left in the sun for a while and then placed in a ventilated area to achieve the best results for weaving baskets.

At dinner, they had wild vegetable pancakes, porridge, and a pan-fried golden fish.

The pan-fried fish was also delicious.

Song Jingyun narrowed his eyes again.

In the evening, after a day of exhaustion, Jiang Mixia lay down, stretched, and prepared for a good night’s sleep.

Half-asleep, Song Jingyun suddenly spoke up, “Do we have a bamboo fork at home?”

“I don’t think we do,” Jiang Mixia yawned.

“Then can we make one?” Song Jingyun asked.

“We can if you want, but what do you need a bamboo fork for?” Jiang Mixia blinked. “Do you want to go fishing again?”

“Uh-huh,” Song Jingyun nodded.

He wanted to go.

The fish was very delicious.

Moreover, fishing is quite simple.

Jiang Mixia, unaware of Song Jingyun’s thoughts, scratched her head with some concern.

Could it be that today’s encouragement and praise were a bit too much, and her young husband had lost himself a bit?

While Jiang Mixia attributed today’s successful fishing to Song Jingyun’s serious learning, she also believed that luck played a significant role.

Going again might not yield the same good fortune.

However, it’s not easy to give up without trying.

After pondering for a while, Jiang Mixia made up her mind. “Alright, I’ll ask Dad to make a bamboo fork in the morning.”

Song Jingyun, not thinking much about it, was delighted when Jiang Mixia agreed to make the bamboo fork. “Great!”

The next morning, Jiang Mixia spoke to Jiang Youcheng about making the bamboo fork.

Without much consideration, Jiang Youcheng found a suitable length and thickness of bamboo, and with an axe, he started to craft the fork.

Making a bamboo fork wasn’t difficult; he just needed to sharpen both ends enough to be sufficiently sharp.

However, since Jiang Mixia had recently recovered, and Song Jingyun didn’t seem quite adept, Jiang Youcheng was concerned that the sharp ends of the bamboo fork might injure them, so he only sharpened one end.

“Here you go, it’s done,” Jiang Youcheng brushed off the bamboo shavings from his body and handed the bamboo fork to Song Jingyun.

Song Jingyun tested the feel of the bamboo fork in his hand.

It was good, even better than the one Jiang Chunyu had.

After finishing their meal, Jiang Youcheng and Liu Shi went to cut branches, while Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun headed to the river.

Jiang Mixia also brought a bucket, intending to fetch a few buckets of water.

“Let’s try here.”

Song Jingyun stopped by the river and started rolling up his sleeves and pant legs.

Sitting down on a stone by the bank, Jiang Mixia pondered how to console her husband when he returned disheartened.

But after a quarter of an hour…

Jiang Mixia looked at the three reasonably sized wild carp and grass carp in the basket and fell silent for a long time.

Was her husband really this outstanding?

Scratching her ear, Jiang Mixia looked at Song Jingyun with suspicion. “Are you very skilled on your planet?”

“In what way?” Song Jingyun took the fourth fish off the fork and threw it into the basket.

“For example, in agility? Martial arts? Uh… warfare?”

If spearing fish was this successful, wouldn’t he be a formidable force in the interstellar realm?

“Our galaxy is a very peaceful one, and there has never been any war.”

“Oh? Isn’t there a possibility of war due to resource or energy disputes?”

“No, the energy needed for each planet’s operation can be collected from the nebula nearby. The collection process is simple; all you need to do is activate the energy collection device. Energy is limitless, and each planet’s energy requirements differ. It needs to be converted using an energy collector to suit the planet’s needs. In simple terms, the energy on our planet is useless to others, and attempting to seize energy collected from other planets would serve no purpose.”

Song Jingyun explained, “Moreover, our galaxy achieved balance after a long time. If a planet disrupts this balance, the entire galaxy could face catastrophe. So, not only are there no energy disputes, but if a planet faces an energy shortage due to laziness, neighboring planets’ residents would offer assistance. Galaxy inspectors oversee energy collection to ensure the stability and order of the entire galaxy.”

“I see,” Jiang Mixia suddenly understood.

The interstellar future was surprisingly harmonious.

This also explained why her husband, coming from the interstellar realm, was not particularly audacious.

As another fish swam by, Song Jingyun was busy spearing it.

Sure enough, he speared another one effortlessly.

There would be more stewed fish for lunch today!

As Jiang Mixia carried two large buckets of water back, Song Jingyun, with the basket on his back, was in high spirits, as it was filled with various fish.

Upon returning home, Jiang Youcheng and Liu Shi were equally surprised.

Today’s catch was nearly double that of yesterday.

As usual, they prepared to stew the fish for lunch, and due to the abundance of fish, Liu Shi decided to stew three of them.

“Husband, despite his seemingly simple and petite appearance, seems quite capable,” she remarked.

If Song Jingyun catching so many fish yesterday was due to luck, today’s catch demonstrated genuine skill.

The capable son-in-law brought joy to Liu Shi’s heart.

“Just as I said, it’s a good thing that Jingyun doesn’t remember much. He’s not only capable but also being taught by Xia to be responsible. With his abilities, he’ll treat Xia well in the future,” Jiang Youcheng remarked.

Liu Shi now shared this view and nodded in agreement. “I’ll scoop a bowl of stewed fish to take to the eldest sister-in-law’s house later.”

When trouble arose in the family, the eldest branch had been actively involved in managing everything. Elder brother Jiang Youfu even brought over a sum of money, insisting it be used.

As for Sister-in-law Yang, she couldn’t easily come over due to the second branch’s circumstances. Therefore, she often had Jiang Chunyu bring things over every few days.

It was only natural to reciprocate kindness, so taking some stewed fish over was the right thing to do.

Jiang Youcheng nodded. “When you go, bring over the new woven basket. We can use it at home.”

“Okay,” Liu Shi agreed and added, “There’s a market in town tomorrow. Get everything ready this afternoon, and then go to the market tomorrow.”

“I was thinking, with so much fish at home, we won’t be able to finish it all for a while. Why not take some to sell and use the money to buy a couple of pounds of pork for the children to eat,” Liu Shi suggested.

Although fish is meat, it’s not as flavorful, and it has many bones. Selling some fish to buy pork would make for a better meal. At least it would satisfy the children’s cravings and provide them with nutrition.

Jiang Youcheng found the idea feasible.

Together in the yard feeding the chickens, Song Jingyun heard about the plan to sell fish and buy pork at the market. He asked Jiang Mixia, “Is pork delicious?”

“It’s very delicious,” the food enthusiast Jiang Mixia nodded vigorously. “Especially the pork belly, it’s the most delicious.”

“Is it more delicious than stewed fish?”

“Of course!” Jiang Mixia affirmed. “Pork belly is much more flavorful than fish meat, and it’s delicious no matter how it’s prepared.”

Delicious no matter how it’s prepared?

Eyes gleaming, Song Jingyun asked, “Can I go to the market with you tomorrow?”

He wanted to see what this pork, delicious no matter how it’s prepared, was like.

Jiang Mixia blinked.

She also wanted to go to the market.

Life at home was frugal, and she wanted to visit the town, observe the market, and perhaps find a way to earn a living.

“I’ll talk to my parents about it.” Jiang Mixia poured the sticky bran mash from the wooden basin into the chicken feed trough and then went to discuss the market trip with Jiang Youcheng.

Song Jingyun stood still, lost in thought.

His wife was truly kind to him.