Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 490: Caterpillar Mom Doesn’t Bite (4)

Dugu Chen nodded upon hearing this, and seeing them catch live caterpillars without getting bitten, he finally felt at ease to let them continue playing in the rice paddy for a while.

"Old Uncle, why not just sprinkle some poison in the field? That would kill them all, saving you the trouble of catching them." Yueyue twisted her little head and looked gratefully at the man in his forties wearing grey clothes, kindly offering her suggestion.

Upon hearing this, the man waved his hands: "No, that won’t do. If we use poison, all the fish will die, and the rice seedlings will be wiped out too. It would be a loss not worth the gain."

Yueyue stuck out her little tongue sheepishly, her face flushed: "Hehe, I didn’t think of that."

"Silly," Qiqi murmured softly, which brought him a glare from his sister.

Di An moved a chair and placed it under a nearby big tree. Dugu Chen sat down and watched the two children playing joyfully in the field, then glanced at the house; his wife was still talking. He looked up at the sky; it had already been an hour, and she hadn’t finished. He was considering whether to go inside when he saw his wife and the two people come out.

"Husband, where are the children?" Walking up to Dugu Chen, she didn’t see the two kids and, looking into the yard without finding them either, she asked the person beside her with confusion.

Dugu Chen slightly lifted his chin: "Aren’t they over there?"

Following her husband’s gaze, Baihe laughed upon spotting them behind a clump of rice seedlings. She walked past her husband and ran towards the field: "You two, how much longer do you plan to play?"

When Yueyue and Qiqi heard their mother’s voice, they straightened up. Yueyue excitedly held up the caterpillar she had just caught and shouted, "Mother, look how capable I am, I caught so many caterpillars! I’m helping get rid of pests for the crops."

"Yes, mother, I caught a lot too." Qiqi followed his sister, vying for credit.

Baihe glanced at the item in Yueyue’s hand; although it made her blink, she saw it clearly and excitedly gestured to Yueyue: "Yueyue, come here, show it to mother."

"Coming."

By the time Yueyue climbed up from the rice paddy and handed over a small basket to her mother like presenting a treasure, she didn’t forget to instruct: "Mother, these things don’t bite, you can catch them without worry."

Baihe pinched Yueyue’s tender cheek and took out a caterpillar, her eyes sparkling. She bent down to kiss her obedient daughter’s face: "My treasure, you’re so good. Today, mother will cook something delicious for you."

When Yueyue heard that her mother was going to cook, she froze for a moment and then coming to her senses, she was so delighted she couldn’t keep her mouth closed. She ran to the edge of the field urging Qiqi: "Brother, hurry back, mother is going to cook, we’re having a feast!"

Upon hearing this, Qiqi immediately leaped ashore and ran to Baihe’s side, asking in surprise: "Mother, really?"

"Truly, when have I ever lied to you?" Baihe felt a bit guilty, realizing that her own children were so surprised just to eat a meal she cooked, which showed her shortcomings as a mother.

"Oh, that’s fantastic." Yueyue clapped her muddy hands happily and exchanged a look with her brother.

"Hehe," Qiqi let out a goofy laugh. It had been a long time since he had eaten food cooked by his mother.

"You two should go wash up. Otherwise, I won’t wait for you to eat when your mother is finished cooking. I won’t be saving any for you," Dugu Chen came over and saw the two little ones still in their excitement, giving them a timely reminder.

Qiqi and Yueyue simultaneously rolled their eyes at their own father, clearly bothered that, despite his concern for them catching a cold, he still managed to say something that irked them.

"Aunt Baihe, I want to take a bath; hurry up."

"Uncle Huang Yi, I need to wash up, make it quick."

Seeing them hurriedly run off, Feng Xuxu looked up and exchanged a glance with Dugu Chen, "I’m an inept mother; even a meal can make them this happy."

Dugu Chen wrapped his arm around her shoulder in silent consolation, "You are a good mother. Unfortunately, the harem and those several estates take up all your spare time, so you’re unable to attend to the children’s daily needs. The children are aware of this."

Feng Xuxu nodded gratifyingly, "The children are all very well-behaved, almost not needing my attention at all. Aside from being a little naughty, they’re all more mature than children their age.

"Alright, didn’t you say you would cook yourself? I’ll be your sous-chef."

"Yes, not just today. From now on, I will cook every day." The scene with the children just then had stirred a sour feeling in her heart; nothing was more important than the children. From this day forward, she too would learn to be a good mother, a good wife, and leave those other tasks to the servants.

"Hahaha, then I’m in for a treat," Dugu Chen laughed with joy upon hearing this.

Feng Xuxu gave him a disdainful look, "Don’t flatter yourself; I’m doing it for our children."

"Hehe, then I’ll just compete with them for food." He refused to believe that she would have the heart to let the children go hungry, so inevitably, she would have to make more, Dugu Chen thought with a sly raise of his eyebrows and a few cunning chuckles.

"..." Alright then, shameless people are indeed capable of anything.

The two of them, carrying bamboo baskets, circled around the small courtyard’s vegetable garden, slowly walking towards it.

"My lady, what shall we have for lunch today?" Rolling up his sleeves, Dugu Chen looked over the kitchen counter at the freshly bought chicken, duck, goose, pork, mutton, paddy fish, and carp—a variety of fresh ingredients.

Feng Xuxu shook her bamboo basket, "Today, we’ll make eel."

"You, you want to eat that?" He couldn’t believe it, something utterly unheard of; Dugu Chen stared at his wife in amazement.

Feng Xuxu pursed her lips, smiling and nodding, her face full of pride, "Don’t worry, it’s a great delicacy, very nourishing!"

Considering his wife’s background, Dugu Chen reluctantly accepted it, but the thought of that thing entering his mouth made him shiver involuntarily, "Then, my lady, please make paddy fish for your husband."

Feng Xuxu held a dagger in one hand and an eel in the other, glancing at Dugu Chen, who looked on hungrily. Remembering it had been two years since she last made him this dish, she nodded in agreement, "Then you pick the fish, and I’ll cook it for you afterward."

"Tian Yi, you go. Pick out several big ones," he called out, turning to Tian Yi, who stood by the door.

"Yes, Master." Excitement tinged Tian Yi’s voice as he remembered the divine taste of the fish prepared by the lady of the house; he had been lucky enough to have it just once—two years ago, when the master’s brother brought several fiery paddy fish, all of which the lady cooked and rewarded to Tian Yi who was on night duty. He had intended to save some for his brothers, but the flavor was so exquisite and the fish so tender that he had inadvertently eaten it all by himself. When the others found out, he ended up taking quite a beating.