Chapter 30: A Herd of Wild Goats, Mutton Soup

Gu Wennuan returned to the Zhou family home, and Hu Ailian’s worries of the past few days finally dissipated.

With Gu Wennuan present, they felt a newfound sense of security. In the past, when Gu Wennuan had been difficult, they were frequently bullied by the villagers. The gossip and sharp-tongued rumors alone were enough to drown anyone in malice. But now, things had changed: they lived in a brick house, had plenty to eat, and wore new clothes. Life was better than they could have ever imagined.

Hu Ailian still couldn't let go and asked Zhou Sinian, "Nuan’er, didn't you visit the military base to see Sinian? It’s been five years; it’s time for him to come home. When he returns, you two should live a good life together. I’ll help you talk to him. As long as you two are happy, I can rest easy."

Recalling her treatment at the Shan Province military base, Gu Wennuan’s mood soured instantly. "Mother, I didn't see Zhou Sinian. I told the guards at the gate to have him write a letter home. I’m going to my room now."

Seeing Gu Wennuan’s grim expression, Hu Ailian said nothing more. Children have their own destiny; she wouldn't interfere. Her son was simply courting disaster—with such a fine wife, he would surely regret his actions later.

After washing up, Gu Wennuan entered her spatial dimension. She hadn't tended to the crops since her trip to Shan Province, so she stored the grain in the granary. Entering the villa, she picked up a medical text; lately, she had developed a keen interest in acupuncture. Chinese culture was profound and vast, especially Traditional Chinese Medicine—with a single needle in hand, one could be invincible.

Gu Wennuan read for nearly two hours, still feeling unsatisfied, but fearing someone might walk into her room, she quickly exited the space. Before leaving, she had specifically slaughtered a pig to reward the "hero" of the previous night.

Early the next morning, Hu Ailian took the twins to work in the fields. Zhou Qing was a married daughter, and since she didn't have her household registration moved back, she wasn't eligible for work points.

Gu Wennuan didn't care about a few work points. She was busy gathering medicinal herbs to make whitening cream. She also brought out the little puppy from her space; after what happened yesterday, she realized the household needed a guard dog. She fed it a large marrow bone every day to ensure it would look after the house. However, she did this secretly, knowing the family would accuse her of being wasteful if they found out.

With a basket on her back, Gu Wennuan headed toward the mountain. Passing the educated youth dorms, she saw Shen Simin pushing her bicycle out. Gu Wennuan glanced at her leg—how could she ride a bike with such a limp? Shen Simin caught Gu Wennuan’s gaze and glared back viciously.

Shen Simin ignored her further and pushed the bike away. Today was a big day. In her past life, after Gu Wennuan died, today was the day Zhou Sinian returned. She had to dress beautifully to leave a good impression. So what if Gu Wennuan wasn't dead? She would still take Zhou Sinian for herself, become an official’s wife, and see who would dare mock her then.

Gu Wennuan paid no mind to the delusional woman and continued up the mountain. Her main task today was to gather herbs for the whitening cream, hoping to collect enough so she would have work to do during the winter confinement.

Upon reaching the mountain, Gu Wennuan threw the fat pig to the wolf pack. Seeing them feeding brutally, she lost interest and headed deeper into the woods. She filled her basket and was about to head back when she heard a sound.

"Baa..."

Gu Wennuan pricked up her ears. Another bleat. She parted the bushes and discovered a herd of wild goats grazing. They were all plump and sturdy, clearly well-fed. They were so fat! Gu Wennuan imagined lamb skewers, lamb soup, and whole roasted lamb beckoning to her; she couldn't wait to catch them.

"Little sheep, here I come!"

Gu Wennuan crept closer, then used a flash of movement to enter her space, reappearing right beside the flock. One by one, she gathered them into her dimension.

"Hahaha, with the space in my hands, I am invincible!"

She flashed into the space, where the goats were running around in a panic in their new environment. Gu Wennuan caught the lead goat, fenced off an area of the pasture, and drove the flock inside to save for later. She picked out the fattest one, slaughtered it quickly, drained the blood, and hung it in the warehouse.

Carrying a leg of lamb and the offal, she exited the space with a puppy following close behind. "Let's go home and have lamb soup!"

Back home, she spread the herbs to dry on a tray in the courtyard and handed the meat to Zhou Qing. Zhou Qing looked at the meat without a word. Since Gu Wennuan had the ability to make the family live well, she didn't care where the meat came from; as long as they could eat it, that was enough. Gu Wennuan was pleased to see Zhou Qing’s pragmatic nature—if anyone asked, she would just say she snatched it from a wolf.

"Wangcai, come here!" Gu Wennuan sat in the courtyard training the puppy while Zhou Qing cleaned the offal.

"Nuan’er, how do you cook this offal? I don't know how to make lamb soup." Zhou Qing only knew how to make simple home-cooked meals; usually, meat was either stewed or stir-fried, and besides, who ate meat every day? Having a feast during the holidays was already a luxury.

Gu Wennuan set the puppy down and went into the kitchen. During the renovation, she had specifically built two large stoves for stewing. Lamb soup paired with sesame flatbread—it would be absolutely heavenly.

She put the entire leg of lamb in the pot to boil. After simmering all afternoon, the soup turned a milky white. She shredded the meat, cut the offal into small pieces, and added them to the pot. The fragrance of the lamb soup drifted out of the chimney and across the village.

"What is that smell? So fragrant!" The workers coming home from the fields sniffed the air. The scent was intoxicating.

"Sister-in-law Zhou, it seems to be drifting from your house. What good thing is your daughter-in-law cooking again?"

Hu Ailian wasn't sure if it was really their house, but she brushed off the group of gossiping women. "What could it be? I bought two marrow bones yesterday to make soup for the children to build up their strength. Stop being so nosy and go home to cook!"

The older women looked at Hu Ailian with envy. Having a meal ready when you get home was a blessing; unlike them, who had to handle the cooking for the whole family after a long day’s work.

"Let's go, let's just go home and eat some scallions with sauce. We don't have Sister-in-law Zhou's luck."

Hu Ailian ignored them and led the two children home. The closer they got, the stronger the fragrance became. Zhou Siyue inhaled deeply. "Mother, what good thing is sister-in-law making? It smells so good!" Zhou Xi was also drooling with hunger.

Gu Wennuan was busy baking flatbreads on the stove; crispy flatbread with lamb soup was a perfect combination. Seeing Hu Ailian and the others arrive, she told them to wash their hands and get ready to eat.

At the table, everyone had a bowl of lamb soup and two flatbreads. All that could be heard was the slurping of soup.

"Sister-in-law, this is too delicious!" Zhou Siyue said while eating.

"Is it? If you crave it again in a few days, I'll make it for you." Gu Wennuan added a spoonful of chili oil, instantly elevating the lamb soup to a new level.

Yubao and Yaya had already eaten their fill while Gu Wennuan was baking and were playing in the courtyard. From the house of Old Lady Wang next door came a string of scolding. The family sat in their courtyard with their bowls, listening to the commotion. Upon closer inspection, it turned out the smell of the lamb soup was so good it had made the neighbor's child cry with hunger.

After cleaning the kitchen, Gu Wennuan was called into the room by Hu Ailian.

"Nuan’er, a few days ago I used some fabric coupons to trade for a piece of floral cloth from Auntie Li. I noticed you’ve lost weight and your clothes don't fit right, so I want to make you something." She picked up a tape measure to take Gu Wennuan's measurements.

Gu Wennuan had never been treated with such care. In the world overrun by zombies, no one truly cared for her. Now that someone was treating her with genuine kindness, it would be a lie to say she wasn't moved.

"Thank you, Mother."

"What’s there to thank? As long as you are all well, I am happy."