Shen Tingwen instinctively stopped, tilting his ear to listen to the strange sounds entering his ears.
Li Yue Shu pulled him along, cautiously parting the rustling grass where the sounds originated, and discovered a nest of pheasants.
Shen Tingwen's eyes lit up, and he instinctively moved forward, only to be held back by Li Yue Shu.
She made a shushing gesture, picked up a few stones.
"Whizz!"
The sound of air being cut through rang out. The two largest pheasants were instantly stunned by the thrown stones, leaving behind a few newly hatched chicks and several eggs.
Li Yue Shu grabbed some grass from the side, ran over, and tied the legs of the two stunned pheasants.
She turned to look at the bewildered Shen Tingwen. "What are you standing there for? Come here, take off your outer shirt."
Shen Tingwen instinctively obeyed. Only when he saw her throw his only clothes on the ground and wrap the entire pheasant nest did he understand.
He frowned, looking at the woman before him.
Her skill just now was definitely not something this woman should possess…
Li Yue Shu seemed completely unaware of his gaze. She handed him the wrapped eggs, carried the two stunned pheasants in one hand, and cradled the few newly hatched chicks in the other, happily walking back.
It was the time when the villagers went out to work. They all saw the pair returning with a bounty.
"Shen Lao San's wife, where did you get this whole nest of good things?"
"We were just lucky. We intended to go up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables, when unexpectedly Ah Wen stepped on something and rolled down a slope, coincidentally stunning two pheasants and finding this whole nest of good things."
"Look, Ah Wen's clothes are all dirty. He'll have to wear his elder brother's for now."
Li Yue Shu brushed them off with a few words and, under their envious gazes, swaggered home with their spoils.
Shen Tingwen carefully and clumsily held the eggs, his gaze complex as he looked at her.
Amidst the crowd, Yang Shi watched the pair return with their bounty, a shrewd glint in her eyes.
…
"Wife!"
As soon as they reached the doorstep, Shen Wei rushed over with open arms, a look of joy on his face.
Li Yue Shu threw the stunned pheasants into his embrace. "Kill the chickens, we'll stew soup for lunch."
Shen Wei stood there, hugging the chickens blankly, his bewildered eyes so beautiful they were almost illegal.
Li Yue Shu, however, didn't see it, her attention drawn to the people behind him.
Shen Ting Yi, pulling the recently three-year-old Shen Zhi Yu, ran over, panting.
Among the four children, Shen Zhi Yu resembled Shen Wei the most.
His ordinary features were somewhat cute, but compared to the other three children, he was too plain, too ordinary.
Shen Zhi Yu was most afraid of the original owner, because at three years old, he didn't understand anything and only knew that this woman always scolded and beat him, which made him scared.
Just like now, when Li Yue Shu looked at him a few more times, he was so scared that he hid behind his third sister.
Shen Ting Yi immediately shielded her fourth brother, her face full of vigilance.
Li Yue Shu naturally didn't miss their reactions. While feeling helpless, she also had new ideas.
If she wanted to win over these four future great villains, she might be able to start with the youngest, Shen Zhi Yu.
In the original book, Shen Zhi Yu later became an invincible great general, who loved to conquer cities and slaughter populations, killing without mercy.
But he was only a three-year-old child now, his mind not yet set, and he was the easiest to guide.
Thinking this, Li Yue Shu picked out the most adorable-looking chick from the nest. "Ah Yu, do you like it?"
She smiled kindly, but Shen Zhi Yu flinched in fear, though his eyes were drawn to the chick in her hand.
Seeing this, Li Yue Shu took two steps forward, ignoring the siblings' wary retreat, and squatted down. "If Ah Yu likes it, Mother will give it to you."
Shen Zhi Yu's eyes brightened. "Really?"
His soft voice softened Li Yue Shu's heart. She extended her hand further. "Of course it's true."
The chick seemed to know this was a crucial moment in deciding whether it would become a pet or food. It flapped its wings and chirped at Shen Zhi Yu.
Shen Zhi Yu was even more enticed. Disregarding Shen Ting Yi's restraint, he carefully took the chick.
He looked up at Li Yue Shu timidly. "Thank you, stepmother…"
His soft, adorable voice melted Li Yue Shu's heart. She directly raised her hand.
Seeing her movement, Shen Ting Yi, who had been on guard, immediately hugged her fourth brother, and Shen Zhi Yu instinctively closed his eyes.
The expected slap didn't fall; instead, a gentle touch landed on his head.
Shen Zhi Yu opened his eyes in confusion and saw his usually fierce and wicked stepmother smiling warmly as she stroked his head.
"Ah Yu is such a polite and good child."
Such a cute and sensible child, if she taught him well, he definitely wouldn't be sent to the army as a military prostitute in the future!
Under the bewildered gazes of the three children, Li Yue Shu didn't dare to be too overly enthusiastic. "Let's go, home. Mother will make you something delicious!"
Li Yue Shu walked ahead, and Shen Wei immediately trotted after her, leaving the three children staring at each other, seemingly still in shock.
…
Although Shen Wei had the mind of a child, his brain was sharp. After Li Yue Shu explained the steps for killing a chicken, he could immediately handle it.
Li Yue Shu watched his fluent knife skills, a thoughtful expression in her eyes.
The original owner was bought from out of town by Mother Shen and didn't know much about Shen Wei's past, only that he was sent away from home from a young age due to his unfavorable birth date.
It wasn't until three years ago that Shen Wei suddenly returned with four children whose mothers were unknown, and a year ago, he had an accident while hunting in the mountains and his whereabouts were unknown. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
The original owner knew nothing about Shen Wei's affairs three years ago, but judging by his knife skills, he clearly had some background.
As Li Yue Shu was deep in thought, she saw Shen Wei suddenly look up.
He held up the cleaned chicken and looked at her with a face seeking praise.
Li Yue Shu paused, then shook off her jumbled thoughts.
What did it matter? He was just a little fool now, and the four children cared about him. She would raise him!
Li Yue Shu took the chicken, took out the seasonings from the Shen family, and made a plate of braised chicken and a bowl of egg drop soup.
Soon, tempting aromas wafted from the kitchen, and people eating lunch in nearby houses could smell it.
Sniffing the enticing aroma of meat, they could only curse under their breath as they gnawed on their bland cornbread.
Li Yue Shu was unaware of this. She emerged from the kitchen with a plate of braised chicken.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw four figures crouched by the door, staring longingly at the bowl in her hand.
Li Yue Shu's lips curved into a smile. "There's still a bowl of soup, who wants to help me carry it?"
"I will!" Shen Wei immediately stood up and ran excitedly into the kitchen.
Shen Ting Wen and Shen Ting Yi snapped back to reality and regretfully looked away.
It's not like they hadn't tasted delicacies before, so why did they lack such self-control!
Shen Zhi Yu didn't understand his siblings' thoughts and was still staring longingly at the bowl of braised chicken.
Li Yue Shu saw the reactions of the three children and didn't expose them. "Go wash your hands and get bowls, get ready to eat."
Soon, the family sat around a low table.
Shen Ting Wen looked at the clearly visible white rice in his bowl, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
He knew this woman had hidden grain, but the rice she had eaten these past two days was enough for her to eat for five days. She was really so generous?
Li Yue Shu didn't notice Shen Ting Wen's expression. Just as she was about to eat, a high-pitched and affected voice came from the doorway. "Oh, you're eating already!"