Hunting in the Mountains

Mrs. Tang pointed at Lucky and scolded, "You ungrateful fool! I'm doing this for your own good, but you won't listen. Just wait until Su Li bullies you to death!"

Su Li glanced at Mrs. Tang. "Aunt Tang, your husband likes to beat you, so you wish all men would beat their wives just to make yourself feel better, right? At home, you probably want to avoid chores, but if you skip washing a dish, you get a beating, don't you? My husband loves me, and that's my good fortune. Sigh, someone who's been beaten by her husband for over ten years could never understand what it's like for a couple to support each other through life. Lucky loves me, I love Lucky—what's it to you? Lucky, let's go home. I'll make you something delicious!"

"Okay, okay!" The moment he heard there would be delicious food, Lucky's eyes sparkled. He obediently followed behind Su Li, grinning like a flower. "Wife is the gentlest!"

Mrs. Tang watched the young couple walk away, chatting and laughing, and was so angry her teeth itched. She was just about to curse when a loud shout came from behind: "Why aren't you home making dinner? What are you hiding out here for? Lazy woman, are you looking for a beating!?"

Mrs. Tang's scalp tightened. She turned to see her husband, Zhang Zhuzi, looking fierce. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her home, cursing as he went: "Lazy woman, trying to starve me! Didn't beat you yesterday, so you're itching for it today, huh? Watch me whip you good!"

Su Li's home

Wang was worried that Lucky, the simple-minded boy, might get into trouble, so she anxiously waited at the courtyard gate. From afar, she saw the two of them approaching.

When Wang saw Lucky carrying two buckets himself while Su Li's hands were empty, and noticed Lucky's pant legs were a bit wet while Su Li was perfectly dry, she figured out what had happened by the river.

"My silly son-in-law really does dote on his wife!" Wang relaxed, happily greeting her daughter and son-in-law, finding Lucky more and more pleasing to the eye.

Though Su Li's family was poor, the mother and daughter usually managed with laundry, sewing, and embroidery work, so they never went hungry.

Lily Evans whipped up a table full of rustic farmhouse dishes. Most were wild greens and coarse grains, but in the hands of a skilled chef, even the simplest food could be mouthwateringly delicious.

"My daughter's cooking just gets better and better!" Margaret Evans said with a smile as she ate. But seeing Lucky devour bowl after bowl of rice, she couldn't help but worry—with a man who eats this much, their food stores would be gone in no time.

Lily noticed her mother's concern and reassured her, "Mom, don't worry. As long as we work together, things will only get better for our family."

After dinner, Lily took Lucky up the mountain behind their house.

"Wife, what are you doing?" Lucky squatted down curiously next to Lily, watching her sharpen a stick with a hatchet.

"You'll see soon enough," Lily said with a mysterious wink. "Lucky, we'll be having meat for dinner tomorrow."

In her previous life, Lily's family had bought several hills just to raise chickens, ducks, rabbits, and more, all to satisfy picky gourmet clients. As a chef, Lily often went into the mountains herself to catch wild game, and over time, she became an expert at setting traps for pheasants and rabbits. Now, after studying the terrain, she planned to set traps where wild animals were most likely to pass by.

"Hey, isn't that Lily? What brings you up the mountain?"

Lily turned and saw Mark Hunter, the village's resident hunter.

Mark had a bow and arrows slung over his shoulder, clearly just coming down from a day of hunting.

"Lily, is this your husband?" Mark sized up Lucky, thinking that this guy looked pretty sturdy—almost as strong as a seasoned hunter like himself.

"Mark, this is Lucky, my husband." Lily greeted him with a cheerful grin.

Mark watched Lily working with the sticks and twigs, curiosity in his voice. "Lily, what are you making with all those branches?"

"I'm making a few traps to catch some wild game for dinner." Lily finished one trap and set it in the grass.

Mark smiled, thinking to himself that the girl was just tinkering around and didn't really know what she was doing. He offered her some friendly advice: "Lily, hunting isn't that simple. The animals on this mountain are clever—you see, I spent all day here and only caught a handful."