On their way home, the two of them collected more branches until neither the basket on their backs nor their hands could hold any more. Only then did they head home.
When they arrived, Lin Yuzhen was tidying up the vegetables she had laid out to dry. Seeing Su Luowan and her brother return, she hadn’t said a word yet, when Su Luonian ran up to her, quietly boasting:
“Mom, my sister even shot a wild pheasant today!”
As he spoke, Su Luonian set down his own basket, pulled out the branches inside, and then took out the dead pheasant for Lin Yuzhen to see.
“Oh! This pheasant is really fat!”
Lin Yuzhen’s eyes lit up with surprise, and she praised it generously.
Su Luonian, even more excited, animatedly recounted to Lin Yuzhen the entire story of Su Luowan hunting the pheasant.
Seeing this, Su Luowan couldn’t help but smile. She neatly stacked the branches and carried the freshly picked grapes into the kitchen.
These grapes were completely natural, pesticide-free. After a simple wash, Su Luowan carried the cleaned grapes to Lin Yuzhen and handed her a bunch:
“Mom, don’t bother tidying up for now—try the grapes we picked!”
Su Luonian couldn’t wait and reached for the bowl of grapes.
Quick as ever, Lin Yuzhen lightly tapped the back of his hand:
“Go wash your hands first!”
Su Luonian, who had been planning to sneak a taste, could only grumble:
“Okay, okay!” and rushed to the water basin.
When he returned, he picked up some grapes and said to Lin Yuzhen:
“Mom, let’s cook this chicken today!”
Su Luonian looked at her expectantly. He hadn’t eaten meat for a long time, and if he didn’t get some now, he’d forget what it even tasted like.
Seeing her son’s eager expression, Lin Yuzhen reached out and playfully poked his forehead:
“All right, all right, today we’ll cook the whole chicken so you can eat your fill!”
Su Luonian jumped for joy and shouted:
“Mom, you’re the best!”
Watching this scene, Su Luowan smiled, set aside the grapes in her hand, and offered:
“Mom, I’ll clean this chicken!”
Lin Yuzhen, busy tidying the dried vegetables, wanted to refuse:
“Wanwan, you’ve never done this before. Let me do it!”
Su Luowan shook her head:
“I’ve seen you do it, so I’ll give it a try. You just keep tidying the dried vegetables!”
With that, Su Luowan went to the kitchen, boiled a pot of hot water, poured it over the pheasant in a basin, and efficiently cleaned it.
She was completely at ease handling a wild pheasant. As a child, she often ran through the mountains with her apprentices, where wild pheasants were abundant.
Whenever they caught one, they’d go to a nearby stream to slaughter it and set up a simple grill to roast it fresh.
Thinking about that made Su Luowan’s mouth water. While there wouldn’t be roasted chicken today, stir-fried chicken with green peppers would be just as good.
After cutting the chicken, Su Luowan had initially intended to cook it herself, but recalling that the original owner’s cooking skills were average and fearing mistakes, she quietly took on the task of tending the fire.
Su Luonian abandoned his practice of throwing stones and crouched at the kitchen doorway, eagerly sniffing the aroma of the chicken.
Lin Yuzhen boiled half the chicken into soup and stir-fried the other half with green peppers to make a spicy chicken dish.
Once ready, she portioned some chicken soup and chicken meat and handed them to Su Luonian.
Su Luonian immediately understood his mother’s intention and carried the food out of the house.
From her memories, Su Luowan knew her mother wanted him to deliver it to the elderly residents living in the cow shed.
Ever since her older brother learned to hunt, whenever the family’s meals improved, they would share some with those elders.
Even during the past two years since her brother had joined the army, when meat was scarce at home, whenever there were extra provisions, their mother always made sure the elders received a share.
Lin Yuzhen often told her three children:
“We’ve experienced hardship, so we should help others when we can. Those elders live lonely and difficult lives; anything we can do to help counts!”
Thinking of this, Su Luowan’s eyes grew slightly misty. This was one reason she had quickly come to love this home.
About a quarter of an hour later, Su Luowan was still lost in thought when Su Luonian returned, panting.
During dinner, Su Luonian, who had been eagerly anticipating the chicken, was now in a low mood.
Lin Yuzhen asked the reason, and Su Luonian replied somewhat glumly:
“Mom, Grandpa He’s not feeling well!”
Hearing this, Lin Yuzhen paused with her chopsticks mid-air, furrowed her brow, and asked with concern:
“Xiao Nian, what’s wrong with Grandpa He? Did he say what’s bothering him?”
Lin Yuzhen considered that the elders in the cow shed didn’t have easy access to medicine. She wanted to understand the situation so she could go to town to get them some medicine if necessary.
Su Luonian replied sadly:
“When I went, Grandpa He was coughing badly, and there was a bit of blood at the corners of his mouth. I think he coughed up blood! And he looked very pale and weak!”
Hearing this, Su Luonian also felt uneasy. Even facing chicken he hadn’t eaten in a long time, he had little appetite.
Seeing her mother and brother worried, Su Luowan said:
“Mom, I’ll go take a look. Maybe I can help!”
She winked at her mother.
Lin Yuzhen immediately understood and, thinking of Su Luowan’s space, restrained herself from asking further. She only said:
“All right, eat first. Tomorrow is the autumn harvest; we need energy.”
After dinner, Su Luonian ran early to his room to practice. Lin Yuzhen quietly asked Su Luowan while tidying the pots and dishes:
“Wanwan, are you planning to use the space to treat Grandpa He?”
Su Luowan nodded:
“Mom, I’ve been reading medical books inside the space these past two days. The spring water there has health-enhancing effects. I want to try it!”
Lin Yuzhen nodded:
“All right, be careful then!”
Though worried about her daughter’s secret space being exposed, thinking of the elders in the cow shed softened her heart. She trusted her daughter to keep the secret.
Su Luowan nodded and left the house, heading toward the cow shed.