“Mm, okay.”
And so, the two of them chatted as they walked down the mountain.
Back at home, Shen Youyou went to the nearby river to wash the dirty clothes she had changed out of, using the remaining soap pods. She scrubbed them clean and hung them out to dry.
Once that was done, she returned home.
Her father, Shen Fu, was still inside crafting small items. The corners of the room were stacked with finished products—baskets and crates he had made during his time resting in bed.
Her mother, Li Shi, was still out in the yard, reclaiming more land. In her mind, as long as there was land, no one would go hungry! So, more land was always better.
Watching her hardworking parents, Shen Youyou felt inspired. She sat on a wooden stool in the yard, thinking.
Yes—since she had decided to settle down here, she needed to figure out how to earn money.
At the moment, the only silver in the household came from the ten taels given when her grandmother split the family property. A portion had been spent on her father’s leg treatment, and the remaining silver couldn’t be touched, as it had to be saved for future inspections or buying medicine.
So, how could she earn money? The only skill she had was cooking.
Looks like she would need to focus on that.
The nearest town was called Qingyun Town. Her mother had mentioned that villagers went there to buy necessities, and there were plenty of shops. Some villagers even set up stalls to sell homegrown vegetables or handmade items.
While she was lost in thought, Mo Yan returned, carrying the two plucked wild ducks. He called out to Li Shi and Shen Youyou:
“Auntie, Youyou, these are the ducks I caught in the mountains. I put them by the kitchen. You can figure out how to cook them for the kids—they’ll enjoy it. My cooking… isn’t really worth showing off.”
Shen Youyou’s mind suddenly lit up.
Right! She had an idea.
Before the apocalypse, there had been a very popular food trend: braised duck delicacies. Shops selling marinated duck, spicy duck necks, and brands like Zhou Hei Ya were everywhere, bustling with business. She loved that flavor herself.
She wondered if people in this dynasty would enjoy it too. And now, with two ready-made ducks, why not give it a try?
Excited, she said to Mo Yan:
“Then give me the ducks! I have a new recipe in mind. I’ll cook it tonight and let you all try it.”
“Okay. I’ll take care of the three little ones—they said they want to go fishing by the river, so I’ll take them.”
After handing the ducks over, Mo Yan prepared to go keep an eye on the kids by the river—it could be dangerous, so he needed to supervise.
“Be careful. Don’t let them fall in.”
“Got it.”
Mo Yan went off to find the three kids. Hearing they could fish by the river, the children were overjoyed. Shen Nan even ran home to grab the basket his father had woven for fishing. Confidently, he said everyone should wait for their big catch.
Shen Fu and Li Shi smiled and shook their heads, reminding the kids to stay safe before letting them go. With Mo Yan supervising, they were unconcerned.
Li Shi glanced at her daughter and asked with care:
“Youyou, do you need help with those two ducks?”
“I’ve got it. Don’t worry, Mom—just keep tending the crops.”
Shen Youyou insisted—she needed the kitchen to herself to make full use of her little cooking setup.
Seeing her so determined, Li Shi didn’t press further and continued with the land.
In the kitchen, Shen Youyou examined the two ducks and began chopping them up.
The hardest part was the lack of traditional braising spices, but for Shen Youyou, that wasn’t a problem—she had her “Full Kitchen.”
As she worked, she spoke to it in her mind:
“Manman, are you there?”
[I’m here, sister! Always here. What do you need the kitchen to do?]
Shen Youyou didn’t bother with pleasantries.
“I want to make braised duck! I remember there are pre-packaged spice mixes in the kitchen, right?”
Before the apocalypse, she had once bought a few spice packs for making duck, intending to try it herself later. She never had the chance, and the packages had remained in the little kitchen ever since.
[Yes, sister! I found the duck spice packs—there’s Sweet & Spicy and Five-Spice flavors. How many do you need?]
She thought for a moment and replied:
“One of each, please. That way, we can try two flavors for the two ducks and see which everyone prefers.”
As soon as she said this, two spice packs appeared on the countertop. Manman had even removed the outer packaging, leaving only the useful contents.
Shen Youyou smiled softly, thinking:
“This Manman is really thoughtful. And when it talks, it’s so cute—like a little child.”
She placed the duck into the pot and started braising.
With only one stove, she had to cook one duck at a time. It required patience and careful attention.
But Shen Youyou had a major advantage: whatever she did, she was extremely patient and could endure long periods of solitude, especially when cooking. Her old mentor had praised her for this.
So, she wasn’t in a hurry at all.
As she cooked, she pondered and concentrated.
Some time later, the excited voices of the three kids reached the kitchen.
“Mom! Mom! We caught fish—come look!”
Shen Nan ran toward his mother, his face glowing with excitement. Tuanzi and Yuanzi followed, grinning from ear to ear.
Mo Yan walked behind them, looking fondly at the children.
Li Shi hurried over to Shen Nan’s basket. Sure enough, a fish was flopping inside, still alive.
She quickly grabbed a wooden basin and some river water. Excited, she said:
“Put it in here! It might survive a couple more days. Today we’ll eat the ducks, and the fish can wait a bit. You really did catch a fish—amazing!”
Li Shi was genuinely surprised. She knew the river had fish, but they were slippery and hard to catch. Some villagers had tried many times before, always failing, and eventually gave up.