Bailee wasn't scared. After all, he grew up in the countryside, where killing chickens, ducks, or rabbits was just part of daily life. He'd always done it himself, from bleeding them to preparing the meat.
Still, he couldn't help but feel impressed—his wife was so bold and decisive.
Julie said she wanted rabbit, especially spicy rabbit: "Let's have braised rabbit tonight. Make the rabbit head spicy for me, please. Thanks."
Bailee nodded. He and his second brother didn't like spicy food too much, but the youngest brother and his wife enjoyed it.
After giving instructions, Julie left the kitchen and returned to her room. Bailee felt a little shy thinking about his earlier actions. Luckily, his wife hadn't pushed him away. That would've made him want to hide in a hole.
But instead, she'd even patted his back. That made him feel really happy—she wasn't rejecting his affection and was even caring in her own way. She was just a bit strong-handed.
For dinner, they had spicy rabbit heads, braised rabbit, stir-fried cabbage, and shredded potatoes.
Julie ate a lot of rabbit meat. She even soaked some rice in the sauce and finished two bowls before putting down her chopsticks. It was just too tasty.
It would've been even better if someone hadn't fought her over the rabbit head.
But thinking that he was still young and needed to grow, she gave him the last two pieces and left the table.
Once she left, Lorrie quickly grabbed those two pieces and devoured them. So delicious.
He even used the leftover sauce to soak rice, making sure every bite had that rabbit flavor. He ended up eating two full bowls before stopping.
Haven and Bailee enjoyed the braised rabbit too, eating with great satisfaction—meat, rice, and vegetables all together. It couldn't get any better.
That night, Julie slept in her own room.
Haven was mentally prepared, so he didn't feel too disappointed. If not tonight, she'd visit his room another day.
The next morning, Bailee got up early to prepare breakfast in the kitchen. Haven helped him.
With nothing to do, Lorrie went to the backyard to check on the chickens and rabbits.
Suddenly, he shouted excitedly, "They laid eggs! We got eggs!"
Bailee and Haven rushed over to see what was going on.
When they got there, they saw their little brother holding two eggs, grinning like a fool.
The two older brothers could only smile helplessly. It's just a couple of eggs—was it really that exciting?
Lorrie believed it was thanks to all the time he spent with the chickens yesterday. That's why they laid eggs.
He figured he should keep playing and talking with them from now on.
The chickens, if they could talk, would probably beg him to stop visiting.
Still, Bailee was happy. The fact that the chickens were laying eggs meant they wouldn't need to buy any from the village anymore. He took the warm, freshly laid eggs to the kitchen and placed them with the others.
Lorrie hummed a tune, clearly in a great mood.
For breakfast, they had zhajiang noodles. The meat sauce was made from finely chopped pork belly cooked with soybean paste.
When Julie came to eat, she was pleasantly surprised by the noodles. It had been a long time since she'd had them.
She stirred the noodles to mix the sauce evenly, then took a bite. The noodles were handmade and wide, chewy but not sticky. The sauce was flavorful, and they had also added finely chopped mushrooms, giving it a refreshing taste without being too greasy.
She enjoyed it so much that she ate two large bowls before stopping.
After greeting the others, she grabbed her tools and headed out to the fields.
Even though they hadn't talked about it openly, it was clear they had an understanding—Julie took care of the work outside, like farming, and the brothers handled everything inside, like the garden, chickens, and rabbits.
As for chores and safety matters, that was Mr. Leng's responsibility.
Julie went to the fields, watered a few plots of land, fertilized the sweet potatoes and potatoes, pulled out the weeds, and then returned home.
By the time she arrived home, it was already late afternoon.
Haven brought over a basin of water so his wife could wash up a bit.
Julie thanked him, washed her face, and wiped off with a dry towel. She did feel more refreshed afterward.
Dinner was yam stew with pork ribs, stir-fried cabbage with lard bits, and stir-fried loofah.
The food looked good, so Julie ate a big bowl of rice, drank a bowl of soup, and only then set down her chopsticks and returned to her room.
She wondered if she had grown taller.
Eating well must've helped her grow a little.
She took out a measuring tape from her space and measured herself. Sure enough…
She had grown two centimeters.
She was satisfied.
Even though her height wouldn't be considered short in the apocalypse, in this female-dominated country, it definitely wasn't tall.
Late at night
Julie went to Haven's room.
Haven was wearing a gray undergarment, his hair loosely hanging by his cheeks. His eyes were full of charm and silent seduction.
But Julie didn't find anything particularly different from usual.
He was the most beautiful of the three, the most thoughtful, and the most ruthless.
It was undeniable.
If he hadn't been born in a society where women ruled and men were submissive, with his boldness and intelligence, he wouldn't have ended up doing so poorly.
You could say he was born in the wrong place—or maybe even the wrong gender.
Julie got on the bed, her tone warm and tender...
After the first round, she was about to lie on her side to sleep.
But the man wasn't willing—he clung to her tightly.
His eyes were filled with emotion and longing.
He held her neck with both hands, saying nothing, but his eyes seemed to speak volumes.
Julie wasn't cold-hearted—just reserved.
This kind of invitation felt new and interesting to her.
She had said it before—she liked someone who was bold and flirtatious in bed. That kind of energy was exciting.
Haven was in trouble now.
Since he started it, he had to deal with the result himself.
It wasn't until near dawn that Julie finally left his room, feeling refreshed and satisfied.
Haven, on the other hand, was completely worn out and fast asleep.
At breakfast, Haven still hadn't gotten up.
Bailee, having been through it himself, understood and was just a little concerned.
Lorrie, on the other hand, no longer foolishly barged in. He didn't need to see it to know his second brother must be miserable.
He didn't glare at Julie anymore either.
Though he couldn't help worrying about himself. He was afraid it would hurt.
But their eldest brother once said that all men have to go through it.
Better to get it over with quickly than to drag it out.
That kind of made sense.
So Lorrie didn't think about it anymore.
Julie wasn't surprised to see Haven still asleep.
She just felt a little helpless—maybe she had gone too far.
But she was only human, and it was all proper between them. Luckily, it only happened now and then.
After breakfast, Julie returned to her room.
A while later, she went to Haven's room.
Seeing him still asleep, she didn't wake him. She simply applied medicine to him and quietly left.
She didn't know why he had taken the initiative last night, but it had felt nice.
After all, Julie was not the kind of person to make the first move. Usually, she was very restrained.
When she went back to her room to change, she noticed the scratch marks on her back and body. She thought to herself—he's like a playful kitten that doesn't lose out.
She sat cross-legged and closed her eyes to rest.
Haven finally woke up in the late afternoon.
Thinking about last night made him blush, feeling both sweet and a little bitter inside.
He knew he was the least favored among the three by his wife.
He had once tried to poison her. Although nothing happened, a smart woman like her surely knew—she just hadn't brought it up.
His younger brother had once injured her too, yet she still tolerated him more.
That was probably because the younger one had a simple nature, was easy to trust, and those types were usually likeable.
But because he and Bailee spoiled him too much, the younger one became a little rebellious and prideful. Sometimes he didn't think things through.
Julie had clearly noticed this, which is why she often ignored or indulged him.
If not for what happened before, crossing her bottom line, she wouldn't have disciplined him so harshly.
But it worked—she definitely had a way with him.
As someone watching from the side, he could tell the younger one feared and respected her, and maybe even loved her.
Just a bit too stubborn to admit it.
After what happened, though, he had gotten much better.
Bailee had always been loyal and respectful to her. He was the only one of the three who had never hurt her.
Even though it wasn't always obvious, Haven could sense that she had more patience and encouragement for Bailee, because he deserved it.
But as for himself… he was probably the one she liked the least.
His looks, intelligence, and talents didn't seem to earn him any points with her.
He didn't want things to stay like this.
In a relationship, someone had to take the first step.
No matter what he said, she wouldn't believe it—so it was better to show it through actions.
He truly regretted what he had done.
But he was also grateful that she had come into their lives.
It was like she brought light into their darkness and saved them.
He hoped that one day he could give her children, whether a boy or girl. He would raise them well.
Looking at the marks on his body made him blush again as memories of last night flashed through his mind.
He was a bit embarrassed about being so forward, worried she might think he wasn't reserved enough.
He noticed the faint smell of medicine in the air, looked down, and blushed even more.
Even as calm as he usually was, he couldn't help feeling flustered.
Not thinking too much, he got out of bed and opened the door.
Lorrie hadn't gone to play with the chickens and was waiting in the main hall.
When Haven walked out, Lorrie looked at his legs.
Noticing he was walking a bit strangely—just like Bailee had—he quickly helped him.
Lorrie thought to himself, "What's going on? Did she make them kneel or something?"
That couldn't be it, right?
He was confused but didn't ask.
Because he had once asked Bailee out of curiosity, and the answer was so awkward and vague that he didn't dare ask again.
So even though he was curious, he stayed quiet.