Chapter 43 Killing the Chicken

Chapter 43 Preparing the Chicken

These mushrooms were wild phoenix-tail mushrooms (a type of edible fungus), which Su He had also picked and eaten when she lived in the countryside.

Compared to other mushrooms, this type of wild phoenix-tail mushroom probably wouldn’t exchange for many points in the system, but they could cook them and eat them themselves.

"Do you want to eat chicken with mushrooms?" Su He asked.

"Mom, what happened to the chickens we bought last time?"

Zai Zai had an excellent memory. Last time, Su He had bought two chickens in town, saying she would give the kids some extra nutrition, and he had remembered it ever since.

"The chickens are staying at Aunt Niu’s place. I’ll go pick them up later," Su He said with a smile.

Last time, they’d left in a rush. Since Aunt Niu’s house was close to theirs, Su He had asked her to feed the two chickens for a few days and to let anyone who asked know that she and the kids had gone to the city.

But now, it seemed no one had stopped by during those days.

In fact, no one even knew they had gone to the city.

"Mom, I want to eat chicken," Niu Niu said, licking her lips after hearing her mom and brother talk about eating chicken.

"Alright, alright, you two little gluttons," Su He said as she crouched down to pick the mushrooms.

After Fu Tinghua finished cutting down the trees in that area, he came over to find the three of them and saw the mother and children bent over picking mushrooms.

For some reason, the scene made him feel warm inside.

If Su He had always been like this, even if he didn’t love her, he could have made a life together with her.

But—

The way she’d changed was a relief too.

"Dad, mushrooms! Mom said she’ll stir-fry them later," Niu Niu, eagle-eyed, spotted Fu Tinghua and blurted out excitedly.

"Mm, Mom’s stir-fried mushrooms must be delicious," Fu Tinghua said, casting a gentle gaze at Su He.

Su He seemed to sense something and turned to look at Fu Tinghua, meeting his smiling eyes.

Ugh! Stop looking at me like that—I can’t handle it!

"Heh, as long as you like it," Su He answered awkwardly before focusing on picking mushrooms again.

Seeing everyone busy, Fu Tinghua went back to cutting trees.

He had done this farm work since childhood, so he was used to it.

But he never expected Su He, who used to be so pampered, to adapt so well to rural life—it wasn’t what he’d expected at all.

After coming down the mountain, Su He offered to help carry some firewood for Fu Tinghua, but he refused.

"I packed these myself. They’re too heavy for you," he said.

Su He looked at the five bundles of firewood on the ground and asked worriedly, "Isn’t that way too much?"

The amount Fu Tinghua had tied was way more than she’d managed last time.

"Don’t worry, I’ve got this," Fu Tinghua said nonchalantly.

Su He fell silent...

Oh well, he’s family after all. What’s the big deal if he helps out? Why was she feeling guilty anyway?

Maybe she just felt guilty, or maybe it was because Fu Tinghua’s face was downright misleading.

Su He kept subconsciously thinking Fu Tinghua couldn't handle farm work or heavy labor.

But Fu Tinghua was born in the countryside, for goodness' sake! She was crazy to even think that.

After returning home, Su He went to Aunt Niu's place to pick up the two chickens and casually asked, "Anyone ask for me the last few days?"

"Never saw anyone at your place," Aunt Niu replied.

Figures. But aside from the Fu family, who’d even bother?

In the backyard.

Su He held a knife, gripping the chicken by its wings, about to wring its neck.

It had been so long since she last killed a chicken—Amitabha (a Buddhist prayer).

She sent the kids away to play in the fields, not wanting them to witness the act.

However, Fu Tinghua, who had just brought the firewood home, walked in on her. Seeing the reluctance in Su He's eyes, he sighed and stepped forward, saying, "I’ll handle it."

Su He paused, knife in hand, and asked, "Wait—you can do this?"

At her question, Fu Tinghua gave her a wry smile and replied, "I grew up in the countryside. I’ve done this before."

Su He flushed and quickly handed him the knife, saying, "Then you do it."

"Give me the chicken too."

As soon as Fu Tinghua reached for the chicken in Su He's hands, the chicken squawked and flapped.

Without thinking, he steadied her hand.

The moment their hands touched, Su He instinctively wanted to let go of the chicken.

"Wait," Fu Tinghua said, and Su He froze, allowing his hand to remain over hers.

His hand burned against hers, practically searing her.

"Alright, let go now," Fu Tinghua said, and Su He immediately pulled her hand away.

Fu Tinghua: ......

Did she think he was a beast?

"I... I'll go get the hot water," Su He muttered, already backing off.

Was she... a little afraid of him? Why?

Fu Tinghua frowned, watching her retreating figure, his mind racing.

By the time he snapped out of it, he’d already finished the job.

After letting the chicken blood drip into a bowl, Su He brought over the iron basin filled with boiling water.

"Okay, drop it in," Su He said.

Without hesitation, Fu Tinghua placed the chicken into the boiling water.

Scalding it first made plucking easier.

"Go grab the firewood now. I’ll handle the rest here," Su He said while stirring the chicken.

"Already got it all. This should keep us going for a bit. If it’s not enough, I’ll head back up the mountain tomorrow."

Done already? That quick?

Su He was taken aback by how fast—and how strong—Fu Tinghua was.

"Alright, then... got anything else to do?" Su He asked, not even trying to hide she was trying to get rid of him.

"Nothing urgent right now. These few days are my vacation." Trying to dodge him? Too bad—he wasn’t budging.

"I’ll stay in the kitchen and help you," Fu Tinghua added.

Su He: "......"

"Heh. Sure," she said, forcing a smile.

Su He had thought about divorce, about the two of them just coasting along, their marriage reduced to a piece of paper.

But she had never imagined that Fu Tinghua would fall in love with her and genuinely stay with her.

After all, it was too out there. The original host’s past actions had been too extreme. Su He felt that if she were Fu Tinghua, she definitely wouldn’t fall in love with Su He in the future.

Whatever. Time to hustle.

She had planned to check on the durian tree this morning, but they had gone to the nearest mountain instead, so that got pushed back.

She’d check on the tree later. Whether she could strike it rich in this era depended heavily on the durian tree.

It was the only one of its kind in the country. Who would even think of importing fruits from abroad in this day and age? Relations with foreign countries were still quite tense at the moment.

Durian—the king of fruits.

She was gonna make her Fire Durian empire boom.