Fu Yinli recalled that when his elders had introduced the marriage arrangement, they said the girl had been raised delicately since childhood—soft, quiet, and refined.
Unlike the other daughters of the Ruan family, she kept a very low profile. If not for her striking looks, most people wouldn’t even notice her.
But someone of the Fu family’s status didn’t need marriage alliances to consolidate power. If that were the case, Fu Yinli might as well step aside and let the illegitimate sons take over. His temperament was suited to a gentle girl as soft as water.
And she, of course, didn’t cook. A young lady from the Ruan family had no need to. It was said that when Ruan Zhe was at home, she had little social life, and later she went to work as a pediatric massage nurse at a community clinic after passing the exam.
Aside from work, she stayed home and did her own things—now he knew that meant reading novels at home.
All of this had made Fu Yinli feel at ease. So when he first saw her, all his thoughts condensed into one sentence:
“Hello, would you be willing to marry me?”
She was calmer than he expected. She didn’t react with surprise to his status or abrupt proposal, only slowly nodded and said, “Hello, I’m willing.”
After marriage, she never entered the kitchen either. Only now did Fu Yinli suddenly realize that in these three years, he didn’t even know what she liked to eat—let alone that she could cook.
And now, this “soft as water” girl was deftly tearing smoked fish into small pieces after washing it in warm water. Her slender fingers bore small cuts from gathering supplies in the forest recently.
She never complained. She was not delicate.
She could plant vegetables, raise rabbits, cook…
Just what else did he not know about her?
He looked at her deeply and said, “Alright.”
Then he went back to moving wood. Over the past few days in the forest, they hadn’t been idle. By rough estimate, they had gathered quite a lot.
There were thick logs, thinner branches, and fine firewood. He could tell that Ruan Zhe liked order—whenever she got something, she immediately sorted it.
Those logs piled up in a messy heap, blocking the vegetable field and delaying their work.
No matter how much she had hidden before, Fu Yinli knew that all his business-world skills meant little here. Doing more would simply make her life easier.
Ruan Zhe was eager to show her skills.
She put the smoked fish into cold water, brought it to a boil over a small flame, and let it simmer until the broth turned milky white.
This fire still wasn’t quite right.
The fresh mushrooms needed to be eaten quickly. After washing, she tore them by hand without soaking them, placing them directly into the soup with the gills facing down so their aroma could be released.
Once the soup had simmered, she lightly smashed the white parts of wild scallions and added them in.
Soon, a golden layer of oil floated on the surface—rendered from the fish and mushrooms. No extra oil was needed. She kept it on low heat with the lid slightly open.
Then she waited. One stove wasn’t enough efficiency; she could cook multiple dishes at once.
When the soup was finally ready, the mushrooms were fully soaked, the fish tender and fragrant, and the scallions translucent. She sprinkled a bit of green scallion on top, then carried the pot outside to the small table by the RV.
She also set the rice to cook in the RV, then started stir-frying.
She blanched bracken in boiling water and quickly removed it to keep it crisp. Then she heated oil until fragrant, sautéed scallion whites until golden, added diced smoked fish, and stir-fried until its smoky aroma burst out.
She added sliced pine mushrooms and goose egg mushrooms, stir-fried over high heat until they curled slightly and released water, then tossed in the bracken.
A pinch of salt and a spoon of soy sauce went in—poured along the edge of the wok with a sizzling sound. Finally, scallion greens were added and everything was quickly tossed and plated.
She also made scrambled eggs with wild scallions.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want more dishes—it was just that fresh ingredients didn’t keep well.
The cabbage she had stored in the farm had already started to wilt.
Still, if the farm could preserve everything indefinitely, she wouldn’t be able to grow crops or raise chickens. There were gains and losses.
The RV table was already set up by her, along with two camping chairs. No canopy was needed—the sunlight in the farm didn’t seem harsh.
In fact, she was still puzzled: there was sunlight here, but no visible sun.
The rice was done too, though without a crust layer, which was a pity.
“Fu Yinli, time to eat!”
“Coming.”
He went to the stream, quickly washed up, and came over shirtless.
Just as he sat down, a bowl of soup was placed in front of him, followed by his shirt draped over his shoulders.
Ruan Zhe looked at him brightly. “Try it.”
He took a sip. The salty freshness slid down his throat, the smoked fish’s richness blending perfectly with the mushrooms’ sweetness. It was so good it loosened even his thoughts.
Then he tried the dishes—crisp bracken, smooth mushrooms, chewy fish. Same ingredients, completely different flavors.
The scallion-egg dish was light and fragrant, not greasy at all.
“Your cooking is really amazing,” he said sincerely after tasting everything. “It’s my honor to be able to eat this. Wife, I’ve never had such an appetite before.”
He usually could say even more flattering things, but at this moment, he only used the most sincere words.
As expected, Ruan Zhe lifted her chin proudly, satisfied. “Of course. Your blessings are yet to come.”
Fu Yinli looked at her expression and softened. “Yes.”
That meal, Ruan Zhe fully showcased her cooking skills—boldly and proudly.
They ate more than usual and finished everything cleanly.
After washing up, they didn’t rest. Instead, they began working on the farm again—they only had three days and needed to make full use of them.
When she checked the seedlings, she found the sprouts had already emerged.
Chili had over twenty sprouts; eggplant had more than ten.
She carefully carried them off the RV. “Fu Yinli, we can transplant them now. What are you doing?”