Picked up a silly rabbit for free, what kind of crazy good luck is this.
He Chen lifted the plump rabbit and set it aside for now.
At the moment, he wasn't in the mood to deal with any rabbits. Looking at Ye Manman, whose cheeks were flushed and eyes bright with excitement, he found it hard to calm his feelings.
The heavens knew how scared he was the moment he heard the commotion and found Ye Manman was frightened. He almost thought he'd lost her. The last time when the wild boar appeared, he was restless the whole night, terrified that he might have been too late.
He feared that the thug some people mentioned might bully her, and was even more afraid that some accident would happen to her without him knowing.
Especially now, when such an incident had just occurred right before him!
"The mountain is too dangerous. You absolutely mustn't come up here alone in the future."
Skillfully roasting the chicken, he kept monitoring Ye Manman frequently.
Seeing her eagerly checking the bushes where the wild rabbit had dashed out, he felt a wave of lingering fear and couldn't help but speak again.
"Come over here by my side..."
He wouldn't say things like, "I'll protect you," which always felt embarrassingly intimate, but he was far more concerned about her safety, so he could only ask her to stay nearer to him.
Only when she's closer can he protect her to the fullest extent.
"No way, I think there'll definitely be more things coming over soon. The animals in this mountain are so silly, whether pigs, chickens, or rabbits, they all keep crashing into trees. Who knows how they grow so big."
Ye Manman felt exceptionally lucky, which reminded her of the heroine's experiences in the original novel.
She remembered how the heroine Ye Xiaotong improved after her rebirth, while the supporting character Ye Manman had increasingly bad luck. She wondered if the heroine had stolen her luck.
Regardless, now that she was here, nobody would take anything from her—not even luck.
She squatted there happily, her big eyes fixed on the patch of bushes, thinking of lots of delicious food.
Beijing roast duck, lamb hot pot, cold beef salad—she mentally cycled through all the different cuisines.
Unfortunately, no more silly animals emerged, leaving Ye Manman no choice but to return and sit beside He Chen, a bit disappointed.
"Ah, nothing at all."
The aroma of roasted chicken suddenly improved her previously not-so-great mood.
Ye Manman hadn't eaten meat in many days, apart from having some cured meat on the day she arrived and a bit of cabbage fried with pork on the day the Ye Family shared the pork; they hadn't made a single meat dish since.
She didn't know how to cook, so even knowing there was meat available she couldn't do anything about it.
Now, smelling the meat felt like centuries had passed, and she was almost drooling.
"Is it ready yet? It smells so good~"
She simply squatted in front watching He Chen roast chicken, her black eyes shining and occasionally licking her lips, like a little glutton.
He Chen chuckled softly, slightly helpless.
"Not yet, the chicken is really big, it needs to roast a bit longer. The inside isn't fully cooked yet."
Actually, He Chen hadn't eaten meat for a long time either. Even last time when the family shared pork, he was the one who caught the pig, yet his aunt didn't let him eat any, saying his appetite was too big and he'd finish the meat in one go.
His little cousin was still young and needed the meat to grow strong.
But he still managed to get his share and more for Ye Manman to eat.
"I'm so hungry, I'm really starving~"
Ye Manman couldn't handle temptation, her stomach growling. To avoid obsessing, she began circling He Chen and the fire, occasionally singing a song.
Although it was just a catchy internet tune, Ye Manman happened to hear it once and couldn't forget, now it just came out unconsciously.
Seeing her behave like a child circling around and hearing her sweet singing, He Chen felt a warmth in his heart—a truly cozy feeling.
He wished time would just stop, so he could live happily with her forever.
Finally, Ye Manman ran to drink some water and eat half a peach before He Chen announced the chicken was done.
Just moments ago, looking lazy and disinterested, Ye Manman's eyes instantly lit up, and she quickly leaned over.
However, with the whole chicken on a stick, she found it challenging to start eating, and her bright expression momentarily fell.
"How do you even eat this? It's not convenient at all."
She's not someone who'd disregard manners just to eat, even during her hungriest moments maintaining basic etiquette.
Heeding her words, He Chen quickly secured the roasted chicken, went to pick some large leaves, washed them thoroughly, then came back to tear the chicken into pieces before her.
"This way, it's much easier to eat."
He washed his hands several times before tearing the meat, afraid Ye Manman would mind if it wasn't clean, and more importantly worried she might upset her stomach, so the chicken today was cooked very thoroughly.
Overall, the chicken was perfectly done and looked quite good.
Seeing this, Ye Manman's previous discontent vanished completely. She too washed her hands and carefully pinched a drumstick, taking a big satisfied bite.
"Mmm, mmm, mmm, this is way too delicious~"
Ye Manman munched a mouthful, raising her delicate, slender hand to thumb up at him immediately.
"He Chen, you're amazing!"
Her praises were always so forthright and sincere, making He Chen's ears instantly flush.
He picked up a leaf to fan himself, feeling particularly warm.
Seeing he wasn't eating, Ye Manman directly handed him a large drumstick.
"You eat too, let's finish this chicken all by ourselves, save nothing for anyone else."
Receiving the oily drumstick, He Chen felt his love overflowing.
No one had ever cared about whether he ate or not.
Whether he did anything for his stepfamily, they'd always eat everything in one go, never saving him anything, nor inviting him to eat together.
Only Ye Manman would feign anger to make him drink porridge for his health.
And only she would willingly offer him the best parts of the chicken, telling him to eat together.
Biting into the meat, He Chen resolved in his heart once more to work hard, ensuring Ye Manman lives a better life.
His wife is the best in the world!
His wife deserves something better! Deserves the best!
With satisfied faces after eating their fill, the pair picked some peaches before He Chen carried a rabbit in his hand, pockets filled with peaches, and with Ye Manman on his back, they headed down the mountain.
Without much sense of time, before they knew it they arrived home well past mealtime, where they found Li Hongmei and her husband sitting in the main house sulking.
"Well~ Where have you been gallivanting off to? Who do you think you've married, some queen or a lady from the city? Needing to be carried around on a mountain, treating our He Chen like a horse or a mule?"
Li Hongmei started speaking with a biting sarcasm the moment they stepped inside.
"If you don't have the fortune of a lady of rank, you better not act high and mighty, life's meant to be lived really, right?"