Lu Yunfei never expected Han Xiuxiu to lift a spoon to his lips. Her almond-shaped eyes curved with a smile as she urged him to drink. He obediently sipped the soup, but his gaze never left her face. How could he taste anything? With a swallow, the soup was gone.
“H-good… it’s good,” Lu Yunfei stammered.
Han Xiuxiu found his dazed, awkward expression amusing and couldn’t help laughing inwardly. Teasing him was surprisingly fun.
She scooped up another spoonful of soup. Lu Yunfei watched her eagerly, expecting to be fed again. Instead, she drank it herself.
A flicker of disappointment crossed his face. He had wanted his wife to feed him again. Then he realized they had just shared the same spoon, and his mood instantly brightened. He looked at her with quiet anticipation.
She pursed her lips thoughtfully as she savored the soup.
Bamboo fungus had long been praised as one of the “Eight Treasures of the Grasslands” for its exquisite flavor. Today’s soup was made with pork bone broth, which was delicious but not quite perfect. Chicken broth would have brought out the bamboo fungus’s natural sweetness even better.
“It’s wonderfully fresh,” Han Xiuxiu said with a smile. “But it would taste even better cooked in chicken broth. Still, slaughtering a whole chicken just for one pot of soup would be too wasteful.”
Lu Yunfei smiled.
“We’d never kill one of our own chickens. But I can always catch a wild pheasant in the mountains.”
Han Xiuxiu’s eyes lit up.
“That’s right. I almost forgot. The betrothal gifts you brought to my family included wild pheasants. My little sister especially loved their tail feathers.”
Of course, Han Daliang had sold the pheasants in town for money, but that wasn’t something worth mentioning.
“Your sister likes pheasant tail feathers?”
Lu Yunfei raised an eyebrow, stood up, removed a basket hanging on the wall, and handed it to her.
“It’s full of them. If she likes them, she can have every single one.”
Inside were dozens of brilliantly colored pheasant tail feathers.
Han Xiuxiu picked one up, gently stroked it, and admired it.
“They’re beautiful.”
Lu Yunfei had simply kept one feather from each pheasant he’d hunted as a keepsake. He never imagined they’d someday make such wonderful gifts—not only for his little sister-in-law, but for his wife as well.
Tomorrow would be their return visit to her parents’ home. Now he didn’t have to worry about what to bring the little girl.
After hanging the basket back up, Han Xiuxiu noticed the bow and quiver beside it.
She looked at them curiously.
Lu Yunfei caught her gaze.
“That’s my hunting bow. If we’re free this afternoon, I’ll take you to shoot some turtledoves.”
Her eyes immediately sparkled.
That sounded far more exciting than staying home.
They finished lunch. Lu Yunfei reached for the dishes to wash them, but Han Xiuxiu stopped him.
“I’ll do it. You rest.”
Truthfully, he washed dishes rather slowly, and she didn’t want to waste time. She wanted to leave for the mountains as soon as possible.
She quickly cleared the table, washed the dishes, tidied everything up, and urged him to hurry.
Seeing the excitement shining in her eyes, Lu Yunfei felt immensely pleased. He immediately called for Black Panther, and the three of them set off.
Spring had awakened the mountains.
Fresh green shoots covered the trees, and the wheat seedlings in the distant terraces glowed emerald under the sun. Farmers worked busily in the fields while countless birds flitted through the forest in search of food.
They hadn’t gone far before spotting several birds.
Lu Yunfei unslung his bow and drew an arrow.
Squinting one eye, he aimed at a bird perched high in a tree.
The arrow whistled through the air.
It was so fast Han Xiuxiu barely saw it before it struck the bird cleanly through the head, knocking it from its branch.
“Black Panther, go!”
At the command, the big black dog dashed forward and proudly returned carrying both bird and arrow.
Han Xiuxiu couldn’t help applauding.
“That was amazing!”
Seeing his wife’s admiration filled Lu Yunfei with pride.
Even Black Panther seemed infected by their happiness, circling excitedly around their legs.
By the end of the afternoon, they had shot seven or eight birds.
Every single one had been killed with a headshot.
Some arrows had even pierced directly through the birds’ eyes.
Han Xiuxiu’s eyes shone brighter and brighter.
After Lu Yunfei dropped another mountain turtledove, she tugged on his sleeve.
“You’re incredible. Will you teach me archery?”
He handed her the bow with a grin.
“Want to learn? Give it a try.”
Han Xiuxiu accepted it.
Standing behind her, Lu Yunfei adjusted her posture and guided her hands.
But the bow that he drew so effortlessly barely moved in her hands.
She managed to pull it halfway before her arms gave out.
When she released the arrow, it dropped pitifully to the ground after only a short distance.
She sighed.
This body was simply too weak.
Lu Yunfei laughed heartily and gently rubbed her cheek.
“My bow isn’t something just anyone can draw. For your first try, that was already impressive. When I have time, I’ll make you a smaller bow. Then you’ll be able to use it.”
Her disappointment vanished instantly.
“Really? Promise?”
He smiled.
“It’s no great matter. Of course I promise.”
As the sun began sinking behind the mountains, they packed up and headed home.
Darkness came quickly in the hills.
Although they hadn’t traveled very far, it was nearly dusk when they returned.
Lu Yunfei cleaned the birds while Han Xiuxiu gathered firewood and picked some garlic shoots from the garden.
After washing them, she sliced them diagonally into neat diamond-shaped pieces.
By the time she finished, Lu Yunfei had already chopped the birds into bite-sized pieces resembling chicken.
She heated oil in the wok.
First came crushed garlic.
Then dried Sichuan peppercorns.
Finally she tossed in the bird meat.
The moment it hit the hot oil, an irresistible aroma filled the air—the rich fragrance that only sizzling meat and bone could produce.
Even Lu Yunfei swallowed instinctively.
She stir-fried everything over high heat before adding the garlic shoots.
As soon as they softened, the dish was finished.
Smelling the delicious aroma, Lu Yunfei declared,
“A meal this good deserves wine.”
There was still half a jug left from the wedding feast.
He poured himself half a bowl.
Han Xiuxiu reheated the leftover dishes from lunch, then sprinkled a little water over the rice to warm it through using the residual heat from the stove.
Soon dinner was ready.
An oil lamp illuminated the table as they enjoyed the fruits of the afternoon’s hunt.
The stir-fried bird meat was fragrant even down to the bones.
Compared with chicken, the meat was firmer yet more tender, filling every bite with rich flavor.
Black Panther sat beneath the table, tail wagging furiously as he begged for food.
Unable to resist, Lu Yunfei tossed him a piece.
The dog swallowed it whole before staring expectantly for another.
Lu Yunfei took a bite of meat, then a sip of wine, thoroughly content.
Noticing Han Xiuxiu watching him, he offered her the bowl.
“Have a taste.”
Village women rarely drank alcohol.
Wine was expensive, and usually only the family’s laborers were allowed to enjoy it.
Han Xiuxiu took the bowl and sipped.
The liquor hadn’t yet undergone distillation, so it wasn’t very strong. Instead, it carried the mellow fragrance of grain.
Lu Yunfei watched her expression carefully.
“Is it good?”
The original Han Xiuxiu had probably never tasted alcohol.
Almost immediately, warmth spread across her cheeks.
Still, she nodded.
“It’s good.”
“Really? Your face is already turning red.”
“It really is.”
In her previous life, Han Xiuxiu had loved drinking.
Now that she finally had another chance, there was no way she would admit otherwise.
If she claimed she didn’t like it, she might never be allowed to drink again.
Lu Yunfei found his wife’s flushed cheeks incredibly adorable.
After every sip he took, he passed the bowl back to her.
By the end of dinner, Han Xiuxiu was pleasantly tipsy.
Suppressing a laugh, Lu Yunfei told her to rest while he cleaned up.
He thought to himself:
My wife really is stubborn. She clearly can’t hold her liquor, yet she insisted on drinking. She’s definitely drunk now… but somehow she’s even cuter like this.
Han Xiuxiu’s head felt wonderfully light.
The feeling wasn’t unpleasant at all.
Ever since arriving in this world, she’d constantly worried about one thing after another.
But now her mind was blissfully empty.
She suddenly felt that spending the rest of her life quietly in these mountains wouldn’t be so bad.
As he had done the previous night, Lu Yunfei prepared warm water for washing before calling her over.
Afterward they climbed into bed.
Han Xiuxiu was already half asleep.
Holding his wife close, Lu Yunfei felt desire stirring again.
But he forced himself to endure it.
Closing his eyes tightly, he soon drifted off to sleep beside her.
The next morning, Han Xiuxiu awoke to find Lu Yunfei already up.
After getting dressed, she stepped outside.
There he was in the courtyard, bare-chested, practicing a set of martial arts.
Steam rose from his body in the cool morning air.
Every movement was clean, powerful, and perfectly disciplined.
She watched, transfixed.
A question slowly formed in her mind.
How could an ordinary mountain hunter know martial arts like this?
After finishing his routine, Lu Yunfei turned and saw his wife staring at him in fascination.
Pride nearly overflowed from his heart.
After a brief hesitation, he finally called her by the title he’d long wanted to use.
“Wife, you’re awake. Did I wake you?”
Han Xiuxiu snapped back to reality and shook her head.
“No, not at all.”
She walked closer.
“Who taught you that boxing style? It’s impressive.”
Wiping away his sweat, Lu Yunfei answered casually,
“My father taught me.”
“And how did your father know it?”
“My grandfather taught him.”
Han Xiuxiu laughed.
She had been overthinking again.
Of course martial arts would simply be passed down through generations in ancient times.
She had asked a rather silly question.
“Oh. Then I’ll go make breakfast.”
Breakfast was simple again:
Rice porridge, wedding cakes, and pickled vegetables.
After eating, Lu Yunfei began chopping firewood.
The family relied on fallen branches and dead trees gathered from the mountains.
The wedding feast had used up quite a bit, so he wanted to replenish the supply.
Han Xiuxiu had nothing pressing to do.
After watching him work for a while, she brought out the basket filled with pheasant feathers she’d noticed the day before.
“Do we have any needles, thread… and copper coins?”
Lu Yunfei immediately stopped working.
He returned with sewing supplies and a cloth pouch.
Without a second thought, he emptied the entire pouch into the basket in her lap before resuming his chopping.
Opening it, Han Xiuxiu found several strings of copper coins along with two or three taels’ worth of broken silver.
Could this really be all of his savings?
And he had handed it over without hesitation.
He truly wasn’t the type to keep secrets from his wife.
She planned to make a shuttlecock for Xiaoxiao.
She cut two circles of cloth slightly larger than a copper coin, stitched the coin securely between them, split the base of a feather shaft into three strips to anchor it firmly, then inserted several bright pheasant feathers into the top.
After adjusting the feathers, a beautiful shuttlecock was finished.
While chopping wood, Lu Yunfei secretly watched his wife.
He wondered what she was making.
Only halfway through did he realize—
She was making a shuttlecock.
Han Xiuxiu tested it with a few kicks.
It bounced crisply off her cloth shoes.
Xiaoxiao was definitely going to love this gift.
Watching his wife awkwardly kick it only a few times before it fell, Lu Yunfei couldn’t help laughing.
Afraid she’d notice, he quickly turned away.
The day passed peacefully.
Three meals.
Simple chores.
Before they knew it, night had fallen.
After washing up, they climbed into bed once more.
Han Xiuxiu felt Lu Yunfei’s restless hands wandering over her body—touching here, stroking there.
His warm breath tickled her ear.
But she pretended to be asleep.
This body was still too weak.
She needed more time to recover.
For now…
Her poor husband would just have to endure a few more days of abstinence.