Jiang Wangchuan walked into the chicken coop with a determined look.
Outside the coop, Lin Suhe, Ding Yang, and Ding Huan stood with their little faces pressed against the fence, eagerly watching him catch a chicken.
As an experienced hunter, Jiang Wangchuan was quick and agile.
In just a few moments, he caught a flapping hen.
“Wow!”
Lin Suhe couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise.
She and the two little children clapped excitedly for Jiang Wangchuan, making him feel a little embarrassed.
But seeing the admiration in his little wife’s eyes, he couldn’t help puffing out his chest.
“It’s just catching a chicken. That’s nothing. I’ve even hunted a black bear in the mountains.”
Lin Suhe’s eyes widened in shock.
“A black bear? Really?”
Chen Xiulian nodded from the side.
“Of course it’s true! The whole village was talking about it back then! That black bear was one and a half times the height of a grown man. Chuan had to gather five or six strong men just to carry it down the mountain.”
Lin Suhe stared in amazement.
The original owner’s memories vaguely included that incident, although she had never seen the bear herself. She had only heard her father mention it.
Chen Xiulian continued dramatically,
“It must have been incredibly dangerous. I remember you were badly injured too. The bear’s claws left three long gashes across your chest. It scared your eldest aunt half to death. Do those scars still remain?”
Lin Suhe’s gaze instinctively fell on Jiang Wangchuan’s chest.
Hidden beneath his rough cloth shirt, she couldn’t see anything.
Jiang Wangchuan scratched his chin awkwardly.
“The three scars are still there, but they’re nothing serious. Sister-in-law, let me kill the chicken.”
He noticed the concern in Lin Suhe’s eyes and quickly changed the subject.
Taking the kitchen knife from Chen Xiulian, he skillfully slit the chicken’s throat and held it over a wooden basin to drain the blood.
Lin Suhe had never seen anyone kill a chicken before.
The bloody scene unfolding before her eyes frightened her so much that she cried out, turned her head away, and covered her eyes.
Chen Xiulian laughed.
“So Chuan’s wife is this timid? You can’t even watch someone kill a chicken.”
Jiang Wangchuan quickly carried both the chicken and the basin into the kitchen.
“Oh, I forgot. My wife is easily frightened. She’s even afraid of earthworms, let alone watching someone kill a chicken.”
Even the two little children began jumping around Lin Suhe, chanting,
“Auntie’s scared! Auntie’s scared!”
Lin Suhe lowered her hands from her face and glared at Jiang Wangchuan with raised brows.
Without saying a word, her expression clearly accused him of making fun of her—and teaching the children to do the same.
Her angry expression only made her look even more adorable.
Chen Xiulian covered her mouth as she laughed.
“Even when Chuan’s wife is angry, she’s still so pretty.”
Jiang Wangchuan proudly lifted his chin.
“Of course. In all the nearby villages, there’s no girl prettier than my wife.
Except you, Sister-in-law.”
Chen Xiulian laughed and lightly smacked him with the palm fan she had been using to fan the fire.
“You rascal! You sure know how to sweet-talk people.”
The little courtyard was soon filled with laughter.
…
Around noon, the other three members of the Ding family returned from working in the fields.
The moment Jiang Wangchuan’s eldest aunt, Ye Hongshuang, saw the couple, her face lit up with joy.
“Chuan, you’ve finally gotten married. If your mother can see this from heaven, she’ll surely be happy for you.”
Jiang Wangchuan’s mother, Ye Hongxue, was Ye Hongshuang’s only younger sister.
She had died from illness when Jiang Wangchuan was still very young.
Ye Hongshuang had mourned her for a long time, crying so much she nearly ruined her eyesight.
Later, after Jiang Wangchuan separated from his father’s household, it was Ye Hongshuang’s family who helped support him.
Without them, he might have starved before he was old enough to take care of himself.
Because of that, Jiang Wangchuan loved his eldest aunt deeply.
To him, she was almost like a second mother.
His cousin, Ding Changfeng, gave him a firm pat on the shoulder and jokingly wrapped an arm around his neck.
“You brat. You quietly went and found yourself a wife without telling anyone. Not bad!”
Jiang Wangchuan laughed.
“I didn’t exactly bring her home. She came looking for me herself.”
Ding Changfeng punched him lightly in the chest.
“Listen to you! You got lucky and you’re still acting modest!”
Ding Zhifu greeted the young couple before heading into the kitchen to help carry the dishes.
Seeing so many unfamiliar faces at once made Lin Suhe feel a little nervous.
She lowered her eyes and quietly twisted her fingers together.
Ye Hongshuang walked over, took her hand warmly, and asked how she had been doing.
Only then did Lin Suhe gradually relax.
From inside the house, Chen Xiulian called out,
“Lunch is ready! Everyone, come inside!”
The whole family happily gathered around the dining table.
As Ding Changfeng handed out bowls and chopsticks, Chen Xiulian pointed to the cloth bundle on the table.
“Father, Mother, these are the gifts Chuan and his wife brought. There are some malt candies and… soap!”
Jiang Wangchuan nodded.
“That’s right. Soap. It’s for washing clothes, and you can also use it to wash your hair and body.”
“Oh my, it was enough that you came to visit. You didn’t need to bring gifts.”
Although Ye Hongshuang said that, her face was full of pride and satisfaction.
…
“Mother, I want a chicken drumstick.”
Little Ding Yang was still too young to use chopsticks.
Holding a wooden spoon, he pointed eagerly at the drumsticks on the platter.
The chicken Jiang Wangchuan had caught had been divided in half.
One half had been stir-fried, while the other half had been made into a pot of chicken soup.
Hearing her son ask for a drumstick, Chen Xiulian immediately placed one drumstick into Jiang Wangchuan’s bowl and the other into Lin Suhe’s.
She gave Ding Yang and Ding Huan each a regular piece of chicken.
“Be good, Yang. Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang are our guests today. The drumsticks are for them. You and your sister can eat the other chicken.”
Ding Yang puffed out his cheeks and stared longingly at the drumstick in Lin Suhe’s bowl.
Smiling gently, Lin Suhe picked up the drumstick and was about to place it into Ding Yang’s bowl.
“Yang, Aunt doesn’t really like drumsticks. This big one is for you.”
Chen Xiulian quickly stopped her chopsticks.
“Chuan’s wife, the children are still little. They can’t finish such a big drumstick. Regular meat is enough.”
Still holding the drumstick, Lin Suhe looked helplessly toward Jiang Wangchuan.
Reacting immediately, Jiang Wangchuan picked up the drumstick from his own bowl and dropped it into Ding Yang’s bowl.
Then he smiled at the two children.
“How about this? Yang and Huan can share one drumstick, and your aunt and I will share the other one. Does that sound good?”
Both children nodded their little heads at once.
Chen Xiulian was about to object again, but Ye Hongshuang smiled and stopped her.
“Changfeng’s wife, just let them do as they like. Otherwise, no one will end up eating the drumsticks today.”
Lin Suhe used her chopsticks to separate a piece of meat from her drumstick and placed it into Jiang Wangchuan’s bowl.
Watching the affectionate young couple, Ye Hongshuang smiled happily.
She ladled several more spoonfuls of chicken soup into Lin Suhe’s bowl.
“Chuan’s wife, drink more soup. You look far too thin. You need to build up your strength so you can give Chuan a big, healthy baby boy as soon as possible.”