Taohua's cooking was indeed excellent. After a busy spell, she prepared a large table full of dishes. Liu Ruyan helped by her side, washing vegetables, and never let Zhao Rongrong lift a finger.
Watching the two women bustling about, Zhao Rongrong couldn't help but secretly rejoice, seeing it as a testament to her son's excellence.
Lu Fan designed the layout and then placed the iron cages neatly in the yard, with wild chickens on one side and wild rabbits on the other. At the current scale, it was feasible to bring in another thirty to fifty wild chickens and rabbits!
After finishing, he went to check on his second senior sister in the pigsty. To his surprise, his second senior sister was pacing restlessly inside the pigsty, lying down and getting up intermittently.
"Son! It looks like this guy is about to give birth to piglet babies! Tell your dad, how did you manage to bring this creature back? It actually listens to you so well. What did you do to it?" Lu Changfu suddenly appeared behind Lu Fan, asking with an air of someone trying to uncover a world-shattering secret.
"Dad! What do you mean? You're not suggesting... that this litter of piglets has something to do with me, are you?" Lu Fan's eyes widened.
"This... you said it yourself! I didn't mean anything by it. With my son's capabilities, it wouldn't be a problem for him to have a child with any woman. How could he bring back a litter of piglets for me? Heh heh!" Lu Changfu glanced towards Taohua, who was cooking, and said mysteriously.
"You scoundrel! You can't say a single proper thing to your own son. Believe it or not, I'll break your leg again." Zhao Rongrong's scolding came from behind, and at the same time, a broom landed on Lu Changfu's backside.
"Ouch... Ouch... Stop hitting... Stop hitting." Lu Changfu's legs could only support him with crutches, and he was unable to dodge Zhao Rongrong's broom, so he immediately cried out in pain.
"Heh heh!"
"Heh heh!"
Liu Ruyan and Taohua both laughed. They hadn't expected Lu Fan's family to be such a lively bunch. Of course, they hadn't heard Lu Changfu's latter remark.
"The wild boar is about to give birth, and your farm needs to expand. Whether you can lead the whole village to prosperity in the future depends on you." Liu Ruyan walked over, looking at the wild boar in the pigsty with excitement and a hint of anticipation.
"Heh heh! That's definitely no problem. I'll go into the mountains again tomorrow and try to bring back a few more wild rabbits and chickens. Also, I want to try artificial cultivation of matsutake mushrooms," Lu Fan said, lowering his voice mysteriously.
Matsutake mushrooms were truly valuable. Tonight, he needed to seriously ponder the cultivation techniques for matsutake. If he could sell so many matsutake mushrooms every day, wouldn't that be a huge fortune?
"Really? I heard that matsutake mushrooms are very difficult to cultivate! They have very special requirements for their growing environment. However, the mushrooms you brought back were indeed very delicious," Liu Ruyan immediately said.
"Heh heh! My cultivation techniques are definitely top-notch! I will definitely succeed." Lu Fan chuckled. The Shennong San Ji contained many cultivation and breeding techniques. When he had time, he would study them carefully, and he believed he could succeed. However, this matter was too miraculous to be casually revealed.
"Mmm! I believe you!" Liu Ruyan nodded inexplicably.
"Xiao Fan! Come back for dinner!" Taohua saw Lu Fan and Liu Ruyan chatting happily and felt a pang of jealousy. She called out from the doorway.
"Village Chief Liu! Let's go eat!"
"Just call me Ruyan! 'Village Chief Liu' sounds awkward." Liu Ruyan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly quickened her pace towards Taohua.
"Xiao Fan! You bought so many things, it must have cost a lot of money! Where did the money come from? Did you borrow it?"
Seeing Liu Ruyan and Taohua enter the house, Zhao Rongrong hurried to Lu Fan's side and asked in a low voice. Her biggest concern was money, but with Liu Ruyan and Taohua present, she hadn't had a chance to ask.
"Mom! Don't worry! I picked a lot of mushrooms this time. And I sold them at a high price when I went to the county town. Heh heh! From now on, you can enjoy life with me! You don't need to worry about making money." Lu Fan said with a smile.
"Really! Then I can rest assured! My son is truly capable." Zhao Rongrong's face immediately lit up with joy.
Lu Fan specifically went to the small shop to buy a few bottles of beer and drinks. He also bought a bottle of white liquor for his father.
Lu Changfu usually enjoyed a drink. He used to have a small glass every evening, often joking that it was a divine life.
But ever since he became paralyzed and confined to bed, he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol. Today, holding the white liquor Lu Fan had bought him, he felt a little excited.
"Xiao Fan! Come, have some white liquor with your dad." Lu Changfu had a lot he wanted to say, but couldn't express it. For a man, the best way to express himself was through alcohol.
"Dad! You want me to drink white liquor? I've never touched this stuff before!" Lu Fan stared at Lu Changfu in surprise.
"Xiao Fan! Why are you dawdling? Uncle is happy today, if he asks you to drink, just accompany him!" Taohua, being familiar with the family, grabbed Lu Changfu's liquor bottle, and while speaking, poured some white liquor into her own cup.
"Uncle! If Xiao Fan won't drink with you, I will! Come, I wish Uncle good health soon, and Auntie happiness every day!" With that, Taohua directly downed half a cup of white liquor.
"Tao... Taohua! Slow down, are you alright?" Zhao Rongrong said anxiously, surprised by Taohua's eagerness.
"Auntie! I'm fine!" Taohua wiped her mouth, picked up her chopsticks, and put a piece of stir-fried meat slices into Zhao Rongrong's bowl. "Auntie, try it, how is my cooking! If you like it, I'll come and cook for you every day."
"Mmm mmm! Taohua cooks delicious food! Delicious!" Zhao Rongrong nodded quickly.
"Xiao Fan! Look, Auntie says my cooking is good. When you get married in the future, you should marry someone like me. Not only am I straightforward and have no ill intentions, but I'm also neat and efficient with chores inside and out, and I cook well!" Taohua said animatedly.
"Uh..." Liu Ruyan almost spat out the matsutake mushroom she had just put in her mouth from laughing.
"Sister Taohua! Please eat!" Lu Fan was embarrassed and couldn't help but look at Zhao Rongrong, wondering who gave her this confidence.
"Alright! I didn't say anything." Zhao Rongrong immediately pretended not to see or hear anything and continued to urge Liu Ruyan to eat.
"Ahem... Taohua! Come, have another drink with Uncle." Lu Changfu raised his wine glass again... It seemed he couldn't let this young widow speak anymore. Once she started talking, the beautiful woman beside her would think too much. How would his son get along with her?
"Okay! Uncle, I'll drink with you!" Taohua was not polite at all and took another large gulp with Lu Changfu.
"Village Chief Liu! Eat more! Eat more!" Zhao Rongrong kept urging Liu Ruyan to eat. This situation was quite something. She had originally intended to treat the village chief to a meal, but now Taohua had become the main character. This young widow was too good at stealing the spotlight!
After the meal, Liu Ruyan bid farewell and returned to the village branch. Zhao Rongrong hurriedly asked Lu Fan to see her off. Taohua had drunk quite a bit, so Zhao Rongrong took the opportunity to send Taohua home herself. Otherwise, she was afraid the young widow wouldn't leave and might even stay the night.
"Lu Fan! It seems I still need to return to my place..." Liu Ruyan's pretty face was slightly flushed from drinking a bit of beer. Thinking that Lu Fan still needed to treat her illness made her blush and her heart beat faster. She didn't dare to meet Lu Fan's gaze.