novelzi Chapter 33
Chapter 33
In the end, to comfort his wife, Wen Yan was carried step by step by Jiang Zhou onto the boat.
Wen Yan was naturally small in stature, and especially after giving birth to Xiao Yi, he appeared even slimmer than before, so carrying him was not a strenuous task for Jiang Zhou.
Jiang Zhou carried him on his back and leaned his head close to Wen Yan. He spoke softly, “So, let’s name Xiao Yi as Jiang Rendong, alright?”
Wen Yan replied, “Alright.”
“And remember, don’t cry when you feel wronged. Tell Zhou-ge right away, okay?”
“Okay.”
Jiang Zhou lifted him slightly, “My wife is young. When we go back, you’ll eat well and gain some weight, alright?”
Wen Yan rested on his back, feeling the faint warmth that passed from Jiang Zhou’s body to his own. It made him drowsy, so he answered, “Okay.”
With his wife on his back, Jiang Zhou felt content and hummed a tune as they walked.
Wen Yan had never heard this particular melody before, so he asked curiously, “What are you humming?”
Jiang Zhou cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed to admit that he was humming the song ‘Pig Butcher Carrying His Wife Back.’ He just smiled and said, “Oh, it’s nothing, just humming whatever comes to mind.”
Wen Yan was somewhat skeptical but felt sleepy. He decided to let it go and settled on Jiang Zhou’s back, not saying another word.@@@@
“Wife?”
“Hmm.”
“Wife.”
“Yes.”
“Wife.”
“...”
When Jiang Zhou glanced back, he saw that Wen Yan had closed his eyes and was dozing off on his back.
Jiang Zhou stopped talking and continued humming softly to lull him to sleep.
As they approached the dock, light snow began to fall from the sky. At first, it was only a few sporadic flakes that melted before reaching the ground.
He reached out and touched the pillow and bed beside him, feeling only a faint warmth. Jiang Zhou must have been up for a while. As he was about to get up, he saw Jiang Zhou entering from outside, his head covered in snow.
“Don’t get up just yet. Your clothes got wet from the snow yesterday, and I was worried they might catch fire in the middle of the night, so I didn’t move them. I’ve just hung them up, and they haven’t dried yet. You should stay in bed a while longer and wait for your clothes to dry.”
Wen Yan rolled up in the quilt and laid back down. “Where have you been? You came back with a head full of snow.”
“I went outside to check if the river froze over. If it’s frozen, it’s not good for business,” Jiang Zhou replied. “I told your parents that you’d stay with me until the snow melts.”
Wen Yan hesitated for a moment but decided to bring up the issue. “But Xiao Yi’s hundredth day celebration is the day after tomorrow.”
“It’s not a problem; I’ve already checked. Even though it snowed heavily, it’s not very deep, and it melts immediately upon falling. It will probably be gone in a few days.”
Wen Yan fell silent. He laid in bed, wearing only his underclothes, and then he remembered that yesterday was the first time they had slept together in a year.
He peeked out from under the quilt and saw Jiang Zhou stirring something in a pot on the stove, his head bowed.
“The porridge will be ready in a moment. You can have a bowl and then get some more sleep.”
Jiang Zhou raised his head and met Wen Yan’s eyes peering out. They locked eyes for a moment, with Jiang Zhou maintaining his composure, while Wen Yan turned away.
The porridge on the stove was bubbling away, emitting a delightful, sweet aroma.
Wen Yan couldn’t resist his curiosity any longer and asked, “What kind of porridge did you cook?”
Jiang Zhou filled a bowl with the porridge and handed it to him, replying, “It’s salted egg and lean meat porridge.”
Preserved eggs were originally obtained by bartering with villagers for pork. With an abundance of duck eggs and unsure of what else to make, Jiang Zhou decided to make salted eggs a few days ago. They had been sitting for two days.
Wen Yan had never tasted salted eggs, let alone heard of them, so he was quite intrigued.
Jiang Zhou had been cooking the porridge since he woke up. He seasoned it only with salt and cooked it to a thick, creamy consistency, with the rice grains melting in one’s mouth.
Wen Yan sipped a bowl of it and felt a comforting warmth spread in his stomach. “It’s delicious,” he remarked with bright eyes, clearly wanting more.
Jiang Zhou took the bowl back, cautioning, “While the salted egg porridge is tasty, you shouldn’t have too much.”
The salted eggs he made didn’t follow the high-tech methods of salted eggs from his memory. He used the simplest recipe, which had some mildly harmful substances. Consuming too much of it wasn’t advisable for one’s health.
Fortunately, Wen Yan was obedient and followed Jiang Zhou’s guidance without resistance. When told not to consume too much, he refrained from having another bowl and resorted to eating snacks instead.
After finishing their meal and tidying up, Jiang Zhou started contemplating what to prepare for the 100-day banquet.