Chapter 42
Another field belonging to the Gu family was situated at the foot of the mountain by the river. In the late afternoon, the sun could no longer reach this spot, making it quite cool.
According to Gu Jinchen, there were quite a few river snails and loaches in this field.
"Auntie, I found two more!" Second Baby exclaimed, holding up two river snails he had just caught.
"Yes, Second Baby is so capable. Let's collect some more, and Auntie will stir-fry the river snails for you all to eat tomorrow."
"Little Auntie, Older Baby caught three as well."
"Yes, Older Baby is also very capable!"
Overhearing their conversation, Gu Jinchen silently lifted two plump loaches he had caught. "We'll have the river snails tomorrow. How about we cook these first today?"
Upon hearing his words, Luo Ge turned and her eyes immediately lit up.
"Wow, such fat loaches! You're so amazing, husband!"
Gu Jinchen's half-opened smile froze. "???"
Just amazing, nothing else?
She had just praised Older Baby as being "very capable" too.
Feeling a little unsatisfied, he stubbornly continued searching for more loaches while working.
Unexpectedly, he managed to catch two even fatter ones.
This field was fertile and close to the river, so finding such plump loaches was not surprising. However, loaches are cunning and good at hiding, so being able to catch them really depended on one's own ability.
Just like... she hadn't caught anything.
Thinking about how loaches are prepared, she unconsciously swallowed.
"Husband, you truly live up to being my husband - the most capable and hardworking person in our family. You're so amazing! Tonight, we'll all get to enjoy a delicious meal." Her sweet words praised him according to his expectations.
At first, she didn't notice, but now seeing him work so hard to catch loaches and always comparing his catches with the two little ones, she couldn't help but notice.
The two little ones weren't doing much better than him either, constantly comparing with each other.
This family of 'men' who loved to compete with each other - she was amused.
Hearing her words, Gu Jinchen finally smiled, even though he felt she might have been a little perfunctory. But it didn't matter.
Her praise of him was the longest, longer than what she said to the two little ones, and thinking about this point made him happy.
"Alright, let me see if I can find some more." Judging from her earlier reaction, she seemed to really enjoy eating them.
"Okay."
Seeing that they all had their own hauls, Luo Ge didn't want to fall behind either. So while planting the seedlings, she also started searching for loaches.
But clearly, those creatures weren't easy to find. She did manage to collect some river snails though.
In this state of searching while working, time passed quickly.
In the end, they didn't catch many more loaches - a total of fifteen for the afternoon, thirteen of which were caught by Gu Jinchen. The two smallest ones were found by her.
It was enough for one meal tonight.
There were quite a lot of river snails in this field. The two little ones had collected enough for two or three meals as well. Overall, it was a bountiful harvest.
Back home, she steamed the dried fruits one last time, coated them with sugar and honey, and they would be left to dry in the sun for one more day before being ready as dried fruit.
This batch of fruit was quite substantial, weighing over a thousand pounds. She estimated the dried fruit would weigh over a hundred pounds.
The more things there were, the more time it took. By the time everything was done, night had already fallen.
Gu Jinchen had made some racks for her so she could place the trays on them instead of taking up floor space, and all the dried fruit was brought inside to avoid getting damp from the mist.
After finishing all this, she let out a breath of relief.
"Alright, finally done. It's already dark out. I'll go cook the loaches now." As always, Gu Jinchen lent her a hand.
Since it was dark, they had to cook by lamplight. The loaches they brought back were stir-fried to make a dish that goes great with rice and is also perfect for pairing with alcohol - dry-fried loaches.
Accompanied by a plate of stir-fried peanuts, Gu Jinchen indulged in a rare occasion of drinking.
As for the river snails, they were first placed in a bucket of fresh water to let them purge the sand for a few days before being cooked for a better taste.
...Later that night.
Catching a whiff of the alcohol scent on Gu Jinchen, Luo Ge pushed him gently.
"If not, could you go wash up again?"
She didn't know why, but while the smell of alcohol had never bothered her before, tonight it made her feel terribly uncomfortable.
Upon hearing her words, Gu Jinchen's handsome face creased with a hint of grievance. "Wife, are you put off by me? I've already washed three times today."
Luo Ge shook her head. "No, I'm not put off. It's just that smelling that scent makes me feel uncomfortable."
Hearing this, Gu Jinchen froze, immediately sitting up with concern.
"Is something not feeling well?"
Luo Ge shook her head again. "I can't pinpoint it, but I just feel an odd discomfort... a bit of nausea."
By the lamplight, Gu Jinchen examined her complexion and noticed she didn't look too well. He reached out to feel her forehead.
"Could you have gotten heatstroke? Let me go call a doctor."
Seeing him about to rush out, Luo Ge quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.
"It's fine. The city gates are closed at this late hour, so no doctor would make a house call anyway. I'll just drink some water from my space and rest. I'll be better."
She also suspected she might have gotten heatstroke, but she had felt fine when they returned home in the evening. It was quite strange.
Hearing her words, Gu Jinchen also remembered the effects of the water from her space. He quickly brought over the water she prepared for him daily.
"Then drink some first and see if it helps. If it doesn't work, we'll go find a doctor. Health is a serious matter that can't be delayed."
After helping her drink some, Gu Jinchen also had some to clear the alcohol from his system.
He then promptly went out to the courtyard and took a thorough bath, even using the soap Luo Ge had taken out for him. Only then did he dare to return to the room.
"How is it? Can you still smell anything? Are you still feeling unwell?"
Catching the faint scent of soap on him, Luo Ge shook her head.
"Much better. I don't feel uncomfortable anymore. You should go to sleep now."
She felt quite embarrassed for making him wash up several times.
Earlier, the smell truly made her feel terribly uncomfortable. But after drinking the water from her space, she felt much better.
Relieved to hear this, Gu Jinchen relaxed and patted her head.
"Let me massage you to sleep. That way, you might be able to rest more comfortably."
He suddenly remembered how his mother used to help him fall asleep like this when he was a child, and he would sleep very soundly.
"Okay." Luo Ge agreed, then remembered something she had forgotten to mention to him.
The little ones had talked about renovating the courtyard today, but she had forgotten to tell him.
"If not, let's find someone to renovate the courtyard after we finish the work in the fields and have some free time, shall we?"
There were some damaged areas with holes in the courtyard, and the holes didn't seem small. The courtyard walls also had some cracks, so they needed to be repaired as well.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinchen nodded in agreement. This courtyard indeed needed a proper overhaul.
In the past, when the houses weren't dilapidated, there had been three or five rooms suitable for living. But now, only the one they were in and the little one's room remained habitable.
Excluding the main hall, there were only two rooms fit for living.
Before getting married, he didn't need to think too much about it. But now that he had a young wife, he had to consider their future situation if they had children.
They couldn't possibly squeeze into one room with their future children, right?
And their children would also eventually get married and have children of their own, just like the two little ones.
Thinking it over, he felt that even after renovation, five rooms might not be enough.
"If not, shall we just rebuild a bigger mansion?" he suggested after some thought.
If his little wife needed to make more dried fruit and the like in the future, the current courtyard might be a bit too small.
"That could work too?"
Although she hadn't inquired about the cost of building materials, she figured their current savings should be sufficient.
Rebuilding a larger mansion would indeed be better.
"Alright, I'll contact someone first, and we can start after the Mid-Autumn Festival. How's that?"
"Sounds good. The Mid-Autumn Festival is just a few days away. Let's go to the town and buy some things, and when we return, I'll make some mooncakes for you all?"
"Okay."
Although he hadn't heard of such cakes before, he knew whatever his wife made would never disappoint him.
"Alright, let's sleep. I'll give you a massage."
"Okay."
We must admit, Gu Jinchen's gentle way of caressing her head and coaxing her to sleep worked remarkably well. Before long, she had fallen into a deep slumber.
In her sleep, she clearly depended on him even more, her arms encircling his waist and her head nestled against his chest.
A feeling of complete reliance on him.
"My clingy little wife."
Seeing her familiar sleeping posture, Gu Jinchen let out a soft chuckle and closed his eyes to sleep as well.