Zhao Tiezhu squatted in the toilet until his legs went numb and stars danced in his vision.
That damned restaurant had actually sold people spoiled meat.
Tomorrow, he was definitely going to give them a piece of his mind.
Finally…
After one last hard push, Zhao Tiezhu finally felt relieved.
If this kept going, he was going to collapse from exhaustion.
Dragging his weak, shaky legs, Zhao Tiezhu had just stepped out of the bathroom when he saw Lin Qiaoyun anxiously waiting outside.
“Wife, do you need the toilet too? Then hurry and go in. I don’t need you to help me—I can walk on my own.”
Lin Qiaoyun had still been debating whether she should drug herself when Zhao Tiezhu pushed her straight into the bathroom.
Even though the smell inside was really awful—
As long as she could get through this without suspicion, she didn’t care.
Lin Qiaoyun stayed in the bathroom for ten minutes, thoroughly rinsing the place inside and out before coming back out.
The Zhao house was quiet. Everyone was resting now.
When she returned to the room, she saw Zhao Tiezhu already asleep on the bed.
She looked at him carefully.
He somehow seemed even more handsome than before he drank the essence liquid.
Was the effect already this obvious after just drinking it?
Luckily, he had only taken it once. He probably wouldn’t become too much better-looking. It would be enough if it improved his health. After ten years in the army, he definitely had a lot of hidden injuries.
Her man, of course, had to be protected by her.
After all, he was practically a national treasure!
Oh! Oh! Oh!…
Lin Qiaoyun secretly amused herself for quite a while, almost laughing hard enough to snort.
After she had enjoyed herself enough, she finally started organizing her things.
There were only a few clothes.
The old clothes could be worn for work later, while the new ones could be saved for school.
It was July now, and school wouldn’t start until September. There was still more than a month before classes began.
She still had plenty of things to do during that month.
It was 1955 now.
From what she remembered, the years ahead didn’t seem easy. People mostly struggled to get enough food to eat.
She felt like she needed to start stockpiling food now—anything edible, she would gather it. The mountains were so big; surely there would always be food to find.
Lin Qiaoyun folded her clothes neatly and put them into the wardrobe.
In a rural place like this, it was rare for families to even have a wardrobe for clothes. Her parents only had two wooden trunks.
She knew the Zhao family valued her, their eldest daughter-in-law, very highly and had specially prepared this for her.
After tidying this and arranging that, it was soon four in the afternoon.
The weather was hot now, and it wouldn’t get dark until around eight.
She thought maybe Zhao Tiezhu could take her into the mountains for a walk to see if they could bring back some wild game.
Just as she walked to the bedside to wake Zhao Tiezhu—
He happened to open his eyes.
Their gazes met.
For a brief second, Lin Qiaoyun felt as if she had been sliced by a blade.
It only lasted an instant.
But in that instant, all the hairs on her body stood up.
Her man really was worthy of being a cannon fodder male lead.
He definitely had real ability.
She would need to be more careful around him in the future.
“Wife, how are you feeling? Are you still uncomfortable anywhere? Why didn’t you rest?”
“I’m fine. No need to rest. I probably didn’t eat much today, so I only had to use the toilet once.”
“Mhm. I’m fine now too.”
Zhao Tiezhu climbed out of bed feeling refreshed and energetic, as though something about him had changed.
He just couldn’t quite explain what was different.
“Zhao Tiezhu, hurry and go wash up. We’re heading to the mountains in a bit. Oh right, go check on Grandpa, Grandma, Father, and Mother too. See how they’re doing.”
“Alright, I’ll go take a look.”
Zhao Tiezhu walked out and stood in the main hall, stretching a few times.
He strangely felt as if he had even grown a little taller.
Still, he didn’t think much of it and assumed it was just the feeling of waking up from sleep.
After checking on his grandparents and parents and seeing that they were all fine, he headed to wash up.
The moment Zhao Tiezhu left, Lin Qiaoyun changed clothes.
She switched into her patched old clothes.
Looking at the worn-out outfit, Lin Qiaoyun felt pretty disgusted by it.
But everyone dressed like this these days. If she wore nice clothes all the time, people would only grow resentful.
Once she finished changing, Zhao Tiezhu returned.
Aside from Jinhua, who stayed behind to clean the house, the other girls and the three younger brothers-in-law all insisted on coming along to the mountains.
Looking at the huge crowd, Lin Qiaoyun thought—
Even if there’s prey, won’t they scare everything away?
But once they reached the mountains, Lin Qiaoyun realized she was completely wrong.
She was actually the weakest member of the family.
Zhao Tiezhu didn’t do much at all—he just stayed beside her and took care of her.
But once the others entered the mountain—
Wow.
Their entire presence changed.
Every single one of them pulled a bow out from behind their baskets.
Lin Qiaoyun silently cursed in her heart.
Holy crap. No wonder the Zhao family lives at the very end of Guyun Village. Even the nearest neighbor is a five-minute walk away.
Before, she thought the villagers avoided the Zhao family.
Now she realized the Zhao family probably chose it on purpose.
The siblings grabbed their bows and went hunting wild chickens and rabbits.
Meanwhile, Lin Qiaoyun began searching the mountain for edible mushrooms, wild vegetables, and common medicinal herbs.
It was already July in the south, so there actually weren’t that many wild vegetables available.
Only purslane, dandelions, and some wild scallions.
Zhao Tiezhu followed behind her. Whatever she dug, he dug too.
A perfect case of where the wife leads, the husband follows.
Lin Qiaoyun actually liked this kind of dynamic.
Every now and then, she would look up and smile at him.
If Lin Qiaoyun’s biological mother from before had seen her like this, she would immediately know—
Lin Qiaoyun had fallen head over heels.
Unfortunately, her biological mother wasn’t here.
Only a completely unromantic man stood beside her.
Actually, it wasn’t that Zhao Tiezhu was unromantic.
People in this era were just reserved.
Following her around without leaving her side like this—
That was already considered the sweetest expression of love.