"Why isn't Big Brother home yet?" Nining asked the chickens she was feeding, as if seeking an answer from them.
The chickens Nining asked about only looked confused as they continued to peck at the food she was giving them.
They didn't understand or comprehend what their owner was saying; they only knew that they needed to eat their fill.
Just as Nining was feeling a little dazed, she heard the sound of their yard gate opening.
From there, Nining saw Jay's return.
Seeing her brother return, Nining cheerfully ran over to Jay.
"Big Brother...you're finally home!!" She hugged Jay's leg happily.
"Oh...Nining, you seem to really miss Big Brother!" Jay replied with a smile, happy to be greeted by his younger sibling.
After a week of improved nutrition, Nining looked much better; her cheeks looked fuller, and her skin was no longer so thin.
And most noticeably, her hair seemed to be turning black, and Jay knew his efforts were working.
With affection, Jay gently stroked Nining's hair.
"Ummm...Nining missed you, big brother," Nining replied, looking at Jay with a cute expression.
"Ohhhh...do you really miss me?" Jay asked again.
"Umm...umm...Nining missed you," Nining said to Jay again with a cute expression.
"Okay, since Nining is so nice, I'll make you something delicious tonight. How about it?" Jay asked again.
"Ahhhh...come on...come on...big brother...Nining helps!" He quickly grabbed the utensils Jay had brought.
Seeing Nining's enthusiasm, Jay was delighted and then went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for his family.
After cleaning himself and changing clothes, Jay walked into the kitchen to find Nining sitting in front of the stove, looking a little anxious.
"What's wrong?" Jay asked, seeing Nining's anxious expression.
"Big brother, Nining will help you light the fire so you can cook quickly," Nining replied, answering Jay's question.
"Oh... okay then," Jay replied with an understanding expression.
Thinking, Jay decided to check what ingredients were in his kitchen, and found that there were only a few kilograms of potatoes left over from his family's staple food.
After cooking various dishes for almost a week, Jay was starting to get bored of constantly eating potatoes and sweet potatoes as his staple food.
Boiled, mashed, fried, and battered, Jay had tried them all.
Thinking about this, Jay had to admit that he seemed to still be used to rice as his main staple food in his previous life.
"I have to think of a way to bring food home, ahhh... luckily it's market day tomorrow, it'll be a great excuse to sell some of the pork in the room!!" Jay made his decision.
This time he made potato soup with matsutake mushrooms, hoping the addition of mushrooms would make the dish more delicious and filling.
Meanwhile, he was also roasting pine nuts for a snack.
And during the cooking process, Nining, who was nearby, seemed to be getting hungry.
Especially when the mushroom and potato soup was cooked, Nining was salivating.
"Sis... why do these mushrooms smell better than meat?" Nining asked in surprise.
And Jay, hearing Nining's question, realized that Nining had apparently never eaten matsutake mushrooms in her life.
So it was natural that she didn't know what they tasted like. Jay had tasted them at his grandfather's house when Uncle Ricky invited him to a big meal there, after successfully killing a large game like a deer.
He still remembered the fragrant and chewy taste of the matsutake mushrooms, which was very tempting. He had to say it was a very memorable food memory for him.
"If you say these mushrooms taste better than meat, would you believe me?" Jay replied, asking Nining.
"Ahhh, how is that possible!!! Meat is the best, Sis!!" Nining replied in disbelief.
"Oh… let's prove it at dinner," Jay replied confidently.
"Um… let's prove it," Nining replied, not wanting to be outdone, she was absolutely convinced her brother was wrong.
#####
Shortly after his father and mother returned, Jay and Nining served the meal they had made together.
Each person received a bowl of potatoes and mushrooms, and in the center of the table was a plate of pine nuts Jay had fried.
"Wow… your cooking smells so good today, Jay!!" his father praised, smelling the fragrant aroma of the soup Jay had cooked.
"Um… yes… that distinctive mushroom aroma!!" His mother also praised.
"Okay, let's eat, while it's warm," Jay replied with a smile.
"Mmmm "M...yum...yum...uuuummm" Beside Jay, Nining was currently burying her head in her bowl, as if she didn't want to pay attention to anything but the soup in front of her.
And as Jay tasted the soup he'd made, a warm, delicious aroma immediately entered his throat.
Flowing into his stomach, the warmth felt incredibly soothing.
Soon, he took a piece of mushroom from his bowl, and when he bit into it, the chewy, rich taste immediately brought a smile to his face.
It was truly delicious, the rich flavor of wild matsutake mushrooms immediately captivated his palate.
Soon, in Jay's dining room, only the sounds of slurping and chewing could be heard.
After a pleasant dinner, Jay and his father were resting on a bench in their yard.
They were chatting together. "How's work?" his father asked.
"It's fine, but Dad, I must express my sincere gratitude to you," Jay replied happily.
"Oh...that's rare for you to say that. What's wrong?" Feeling strange, his father asked, "I must say, Dad, your vision is excellent. Although gathering animal feed seems like a trivial task, I never imagined there would be so many benefits I could gain from harvesting the animal feed.
Even though the workload is only half that of most jobs in the village, who would have thought that over the course of this week, I would gain so many benefits that are more valuable than the workload." Jay explained why he was grateful to his father.
Jay's father, who heard this, didn't think much of it at first, but after listening to his son continue, he came to realize that what Jay said was true. He had been very fortunate this past week.
When Jay came home, he always brought good things home, and with those good things, the food at home had improved.
Even meat, which had once been difficult to eat, was now almost an indispensable item on their dinner table.
Even if there was no meat served, the food cooked was delicious and comparable to a meat dish.
Like today, even though Jay didn't catch any game, he did get a lot of matsutake mushrooms and pine nuts. It was truly something that wasn't easy to come by and was something to be grateful for.
Now, as he was about to respond to Jay's statement, his father was at a loss for how to respond.
His initial intention was simply to encourage Jay to work hard and earn points for their family.
Paul was afraid that Jay would slack off when he could finish his work at home. The rice fields were a source of income, so he tried to find a good reason to keep Jay contributing to the family.
He finally found a job that suited his son's lazy and playful personality.
He was looking for animal feed, assuming he could finish the job quickly.
After that, he was free to do whatever he wanted.
But what was unexpected was that Jay had another surprise in store.
"Yes...it's good that you're awake. Just continue with your work. Dad will support you, and if you need any help, just let me know," Paul replied to Jay.
"Speaking of help, or I have something I need your help with." Hearing what his father said, Jay was certainly no longer polite. He, who had already flattered his father, wouldn't pass up this opportunity.