The moment another small figure appeared beside his wife, Lu Yunfei narrowed his eyes to get a better look. It turned out to be his sister-in-law—the little girl who loved playing with shuttlecocks made from pheasant feathers.
Lu Yunfei only had a general impression of his wife’s family. His father-in-law, Han Daliang, was timid; his mother-in-law, Madam Li, was sharp-tongued and mean; his young brother-in-law, Han Dongdong, was just a mischievous kid; and his younger sister-in-law was shy and reserved. Since they were Han Xiuxiu’s family, he felt it was only right to keep in touch with them from time to time. After all, he had almost no relatives of his own left. His wife’s family had become the only family he had.
The moment Black Panther saw its mistress, it dashed toward her in excitement. The dog looked fierce enough that Han Xiaoxiao froze in fear, hiding herself behind Han Xiuxiu.
Knowing how intimidating Black Panther appeared, Han Xiuxiu gently reassured her younger sister. The dog circled Han Xiaoxiao a few times, sniffed her scent, then unexpectedly stretched out its tongue and licked her several times.
“Sis—it… it’s going to bite me!” Han Xiaoxiao cried, clutching Han Xiuxiu’s arm.
“It won’t bite you. It’s only licking you. Just don’t move,” Han Xiuxiu comforted her. “It likes you, that’s all. Don’t be afraid. Black Panther is just like your brother-in-law—it only looks scary.”
Han Xiaoxiao forced herself to relax. Feeling the dog’s tongue sweep across her hand, she shivered from head to toe. When she realized it really wasn’t trying to bite her and was even wagging its tail happily, she managed a nervous smile despite her lingering fear.
“It didn’t bite me.”
“Of course not. It knows you’re family, so it won’t hurt you.” Han Xiuxiu stroked Black Panther’s head. “But since you two aren’t familiar with each other yet, don’t pet it the way I do.”
Han Xiaoxiao nodded, feeling much more at ease.
While the two sisters and the dog were getting acquainted, Lu Yunfei’s long strides quickly brought him over. Han Xiuxiu and her sister walked up to greet him, reaching to help carry what he had brought back.
“Were you tired?” Han Xiuxiu asked with concern.
Han Xiaoxiao quietly greeted him, “Brother-in-law,” sounding a little shy.
“I only checked a few traps today, so not really.” Lu Yunfei grinned. “Since Xiaoxiao’s here, she’s an honored guest. Let’s kill one of the pheasants tonight and stew it. This one’s nice and plump—we’ll have a proper feast.”
Being called an honored guest made Han Xiaoxiao blush, though a smile crept onto her face.
Han Xiuxiu readily agreed. “I already told Xiaoxiao this morning we’d be having pheasant stewed with bamboo fungus. I knew you’d come back with a pheasant.”
Lu Yunfei chuckled, instantly forgetting the slight disappointment he’d felt over today’s modest haul.
“Spring pheasants aren’t as fat as the ones in autumn, but the meat tastes better. They’re perfect for making soup.”
He pointed at the rabbit hanging nearby.
“This rabbit injured its leg. It probably won’t survive anyway. Should we stir-fry it too?” Then he turned to Han Xiaoxiao. “If you’d come yesterday, you could’ve tried your sister’s sour rabbit stew. Since we’re making chicken soup today, we’ll fry the rabbit instead. Sound good?”
Han Xiaoxiao’s cheeks flushed with excitement.
“Yes!”
Laughing and chatting, the three of them headed home, with Black Panther happily trotting ahead after demanding a little more affection from Han Xiuxiu.
Once they arrived, Lu Yunfei slaughtered the pheasant and rabbit. Han Xiuxiu went to the vegetable patch to pick fresh vegetables, while Han Xiaoxiao stayed in the courtyard catching chicks. Evening mist would soon settle in, and the little chicks needed to be put back into their coop before dark.
Night fell quickly in the mountains. Only moments ago the sunset had still colored the sky, but as soon as the sun disappeared, the air turned chilly. A gust of mountain wind made Han Xiaoxiao shiver.
“It’s colder here than at home.”
Han Xiuxiu went inside and returned with one of her own jackets.
“The mornings and evenings are still cold. Wear mine for now. Once the fire’s burning, you won’t feel it anymore.”
Lu Yunfei cleaned the pheasant first. Wild pheasants were smaller than domesticated chickens, constantly running through the mountains searching for food, making their meat firm and lean. He carefully chopped off both drumsticks whole, planning to give one each to Han Xiuxiu and Han Xiaoxiao later.
Han Xiuxiu had her sister tend the fire while she poured cold water into the pot. After blanching the cleaned chicken pieces and skimming away the foam, she brought fresh water to a boil before transferring everything into a clay pot to simmer slowly over the smaller stove.
Lu Yunfei came out carrying a handful of dried goji berries and red dates.
“I gathered these in the mountains. There’s not much left.”
Han Xiuxiu smiled.
“When autumn comes, I’ll go into the mountains with you and gather more.”
“Sounds good.” Lu Yunfei smiled back. “There’ll also be chestnuts and pine nuts. We’ll bring them home and roast them—they’re delicious.”
“When will the mushrooms come out?” Han Xiuxiu asked.
“Once the weather gets a little warmer and we’ve had a few rains, all the mushrooms will start growing.”
“Then we’ll gather plenty of those too.”
“Of course. I’ll take you when they appear.”
As they spoke, they looked at each other with smiles on their faces. It was nothing more than ordinary household conversation, but Han Xiaoxiao remembered what her sister had said—that her brother-in-law only looked fierce.
It really was true.
Whenever he spoke to her sister, he smiled constantly. There wasn’t a trace of fierceness about him.
While the chicken simmered in the clay pot, the wok wasn’t idle. They stir-fried the rabbit with dried chili peppers from last year’s harvest. Since the meat was tough, they added water and let it braise.
As they cooked, the three chatted casually about Lu Yunfei’s hunting trip.
Though usually quiet, whenever he talked about hunting he became surprisingly articulate. He explained how to read animal trails, how to set traps, and how to capture game alive and bring it home, speaking methodically and in great detail.
Han Xiuxiu listened with admiration, thinking how skilled he was and hoping to learn from him someday.
Han Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, had simply never heard such things before. To her, her brother-in-law seemed incredibly capable, and she couldn’t help but admire him.
The three sat around the warm stove as the rich aroma of rabbit filled the room. They all began feeling hungry.
The chicken wasn’t tender yet, but its fragrance had already drifted through the house.
Han Xiuxiu suddenly heard a stomach growl.
Turning around, she saw both Lu Yunfei and Han Xiaoxiao blushing.
Lu Yunfei spoke first.
“I’ve been running around the mountains all day. I’ve been hungry for ages.”
Han Xiuxiu laughed.
Seeing the rabbit was done, she tossed in chopped garlic shoots, stir-fried everything for another moment, and served the steaming dish.
“Then let’s eat the rabbit first. By the time we’re done, the chicken soup should be ready.”
Each of them had a bowl of white rice to go with the braised rabbit.
Lu Yunfei picked up a rabbit leg and placed it into Han Xiaoxiao’s bowl.
“Xiaoxiao, have this leg. There’s plenty of meat.”
Then he placed another rabbit leg into Han Xiuxiu’s bowl.
“You too.”
A rabbit had four legs. Each person got one, and Han Xiuxiu gave the last one to her sister.
“Eat more.”
Han Xiaoxiao was overwhelmed.
At home, whenever there was meat, the legs and wings—the best, meatiest pieces—never went to her or her sister.
Now she was not only eating them herself, but she finally believed what her sister had said: that life after marriage had truly become much better.
By the time they had finished the large bowl of rabbit, the pheasant soup was almost done.
Han Xiuxiu added the blanched bamboo fungus to the clay pot and let it simmer for another fifteen minutes.
Before she even lifted the lid, the rich aroma filled the room.
It smelled incredible.
On a chilly spring evening, one bowl of that soup was enough to make every worry disappear.
The bamboo fungus had absorbed every drop of the broth. Crisp yet tender, bursting with savory juices and its own unique fragrance, it tasted even better than the chicken itself.
Lu Yunfei finally understood why Han Xiuxiu insisted bamboo fungus had to be paired with chicken soup.
It was unbelievably delicious.
Every chicken soup he’d ever tasted before seemed inferior.
“This is amazing,” he said. “It’s even better than the pork bone soup we had last time.”
Han Xiuxiu smiled.
“All the flavor from the chicken ends up in the mushrooms. They’re even tastier than the meat. Next time we find more bamboo fungus, let’s buy an old hen and simmer it all day. The soup made from that would taste even better.”
Lu Yunfei now trusted his wife’s judgment completely.
“Then next time, we’ll use an old hen.”
Han Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened.
Even better than this?
She simply couldn’t imagine what that would taste like.
The three of them finished every drop of soup. There was very little meat left.
Black Panther had worked hard accompanying Lu Yunfei into the mountains that day, so the leftovers became the dog’s special dinner.
Every member of the household went to bed content.
That night, Lu Yunfei voluntarily slept in the storage room Han Xiuxiu had cleaned out.
It had once belonged to his late father. The bed was already there, and after sweeping away the dust, they’d spread fresh straw underneath and laid down clean bedding. It was surprisingly soft, warm, and comfortable.
After washing up, Han Xiuxiu and Han Xiaoxiao lay down together and quickly fell asleep.
Only Lu Yunfei remained awake.
Over the past several days, he had grown used to sleeping with his wife in his arms.
Now, despite the warm bed, he tossed and turned restlessly. Every movement made the straw beneath him rustle softly.
Only after a long while did he finally drift off.
The mountain nights were cold.
Occasionally, the cry of a night owl echoed through the darkness.
Then the mountain wind picked up, and sometime after midnight, a light rain began to fall.
The sound of the rain woke Lu Yunfei.
With the rain, the mountain paths would be even harder to travel.
Sigh…
His little sister-in-law probably wouldn’t be able to return home tomorrow after all.
Which meant, poor him…
He would likely have to spend another night sleeping alone.
Lu Yunfei suddenly regretted refusing earlier when his sister-in-law had offered to sleep in the storage room instead.
Now, it was far too late for regrets.