If you don't consummate the marriage for three years and then marry a successful educated youth

Zhang Shuhua nodded and said, "That's good. I'm sorry to have troubled you, Yao Yao. When you come back later, catch a chicken and make soup to nourish your body. The fat one is for you guys."

Wen Yao waved her hand: "No need, Mother. Baozhu works hard raising these chickens. We usually hunt pheasants, which is enough for us. You should stew them and drink the soup to nourish your bodies."

"You're getting older, so you need to take better care of yourselves in the future, otherwise you'll experience pain all over your body as you get older."

"We're both married and can take care of ourselves."

Zhang Shuhua was somewhat moved. Ah, such a sensible daughter-in-law is really lovable. Everyone has a heart, and who wouldn't want to be a little biased towards such a daughter-in-law?

With gentle eyes, she said, "Okay, I'll have Baozhu stew the chicken. You can come over and eat then, it'll save you trouble."

"You have to gather herbs and make medicine; it's very hard work."

"Baozhu, go with your sister-in-law early and come back early. When you go into the woods, remember to tap the ground with a bamboo pole, there are a lot of snakes at this time of year."

Jiang Baozhu patted her chest and smiled brightly: "Don't worry, Mother, I know everything. We'll be going now. I'll make you some wild scallion stir-fried with wild eggs and duck eggs when we get back tonight."

Zhang Shuhua couldn't help but laugh: "Where would you find any wild chicken eggs or duck eggs? The kids in the brigade have already searched for them all."

"Hehe, no, I know a place where they definitely have it."

"Mom, we're leaving now, we're not talking to you anymore."

Wen Yao was pulled all the way up the hillside by her, and the wind helped to dispel much of the heat: "Baozhu, why did you bring me to the hillside? Didn't you say we were going to the woods?"

Jiang Baozhu smiled mysteriously: "Sister-in-law, just follow me. I'll take you to a good place that no one else knows about. You can find wild chicken and duck eggs there."

"Oh, there are such nice places."

"Yes, that's right. I discovered it by chance and haven't told anyone else because I'm afraid they'll spread it and those little kids will try to take it from me."

"Haha, Baozhu is so smart."

Wen Yao followed her down the hillside, darting through the bushes. When they finally emerged, they found themselves in a low-lying area where the water plants grew above their knees.

"Baozhu, where is this place...?"

Jiang Baozhu pointed and said, "Sister-in-law, come with me. That's where wild ducks like to nest. Let's go over there and collect some wild duck eggs. They're delicious stir-fried with wild scallions."

"If you're lucky enough to catch a fish, that's even better."

Wen Yao rolled up her trouser legs and tied them with strips of cloth. She placed her shoes on the bank of the paddy field by the water, and felt that they were cool to the touch. "Hmm, it's really cool here."

"Yes, sister-in-law, please be careful. There are a lot of duck eggs here, but there are just as many water snakes. They're not poisonous, but they're still disgusting. Please be careful."

"I'll share a bamboo pole with you, so keep an eye on it."

Jiang Baozhu bent down and started searching. Before long, she found about ten duck eggs. She waved her hand and called out, "Sister-in-law, how's your harvest? Have you seen any fish?"

Wen Yao pointed to the bubbling area: "This is bubbling and moving. I don't know what it is. It doesn't seem like a fish. I tapped it with a bamboo pole and it's hard."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Baozhu immediately became interested and ran over excitedly, craning her neck to look curiously at the bubbling area.

"Hey, this is interesting. I'll give it a try."

"Bang bang bang~~~"

The sound was clearly the result of something hitting a hard object. Jiang Baozhu didn't know what it was, but she knew it must be something good. If it wasn't a snake, there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Sister-in-law, I think this is either a very large clam or a turtle or something. Other things wouldn't be buried in the mud and water and not come out, but would be bubbling up."

"If it really is a giant river clam, and if it contains a pearl, we'll be rich."

Wen Yao widened her eyes slightly, somewhat surprised: "Can river mussels in these fields really produce pearls? Shouldn't pearls only form after many years of settling in a large river?"

Jiang Baozhu didn't have time to explain anything. She rolled up her sleeves and reached into the mud to start groping around. She was startled when she touched something that was moving.

"Ah, what's moving?"

"Oh my, it's still running. Then it's definitely not a clam. Clams don't run like that. It's most likely a soft-shelled turtle. Hehe, sister-in-law, this soft-shelled turtle is probably quite big."

Wen Yao bent down and looked at her curiously: "How do you plan to catch it? I remember reading in the book that the turtle's mouth can bite really hard, it can bite off a piece of flesh, so we can't be careless."

Jiang Baozhu was startled: "Oh, is that scary? I was planning to just grab it like that. Sister-in-law, do you have any good ideas?"

"Yes, tie a small stone to a strip of cloth, then use a bamboo pole to find the turtle's head and make it bite the stone so it won't bite anyone."

"That's a great idea, I'll give it a try."

It took the two of them a lot of effort to get the mud-covered creature out of the water. It was a large turtle weighing three or four pounds, and it was quite ferocious as it stretched its head out and retracted.

Jiang Baozhu quickly ran to the edge of the field, threw the turtle on the grass, then ran over and knocked down the basket so that the turtle could go inside, and then covered it with a stone slab to weigh it down.

Wen Yao followed closely behind, glancing at the turtle in a very good mood: "Baozhu, you're amazing! You managed to catch such a big turtle. I definitely couldn't have done it."

"Haha, that's right. Although I'm not as naturally strong as my older brother, I'm still much stronger than the girl."

"Sister-in-law, let's hurry back and put this turtle in a basin of water at home. Its belly is probably full of silt. Once it vomits it all out, we can kill it and eat it to help it recover."

"I heard it's very nourishing. Let's go. If anyone asks, don't tell me where you caught it. This is our secret base, we can't let anyone else know."

"Okay, I'll listen to Baozhu."

Jiang Baozhu liked her sister-in-law's personality; she was smart and gentle. It was a pity she wasn't a man, otherwise, she wouldn't have the status of an elder brother.

Jiang Lie's nose itched, and he paused in his chopping wood: "Achoo, achoo~~~"

"Who's talking about me again? Probably cursing me."

"After I cut down these two dead trees, I should head back. I wonder if my wife misses me. Hmm, she probably does."

*

Jiang Baozhu and Wen Yao strode into the courtyard, locked the door, and one of them hurriedly brought out a washbasin, filled it with water, and poured the turtle, which was covered in mud, into it.

He squatted to the side, watching with a happy expression.

Seeing her grinning foolishly, Zhang Shuhua walked over and said, "You're back. How many wild onions did you dig up? What are you grinning about here for?"

His gaze swept over the contents of the basin, and he froze, rubbing his eyes wide. "This, this is... a soft-shelled turtle! Where did you catch it? My God, it's huge!"

"It weighs three or four jin, but it was Baozhu who caught it."

Jiang Baozhu stood up, put her hands on her hips, and said proudly, "That's right, but it's also thanks to my sister-in-law's good luck. She found this turtle, and I went to catch it and brought it back."