Male Lead's Canon Fodder Wife

During winter, the daytime was shorter than during summer. At six o'clock, the sky had completely darkened. Liu Piao sat in the living room with a brazier lit. A small pot of ginger soup was boiling on top of it.

She kept stretching her neck to see if her husband had returned. After waiting another half hour, she finally heard the sound of the bullock cart. Without putting on her jacket, she rushed out of the house and opened the gate.

Seeing his wife come out, Zhang Ermu was taken aback and asked, "Wife, why are you coming out without wearing a jacket? It's cold outside, you should go inside first."

Liu Piao opened the gate wider and said, "You should come in quickly. Don't catch a cold."

As a man, Zhang Ermu didn't feel as cold as his wife. He was used to working outdoors in winter and no longer feared the cold. But he was worried about her, so he quickly drove the bullock cart into the bamboo shed.

The bamboo shed had been rebuilt using bamboo and thatch. It kept the shed warm and helped the bull avoid getting sick in winter.

Liu Piao locked the gate and went to the bamboo shed. When she saw how many things her husband had brought back, she asked, "Husband, didn't you say you wouldn't go to the mountains again? Why did you go?"

"I went to check the traps. Even if we don't go to the mountains, we can check them every few days. In this low temperature, even if the prey is dead, it won't spoil," Zhang Ermu replied.

"I also found some winter vegetables and brought them back. We can pickle them later," he added, showing his wife today's haul.

Hearing this, Liu Piao said worriedly, "Husband, with the cold weather, it might snow in the next few days. You shouldn't go into the mountains anymore. We have enough food and firewood already."

Noticing her concern, Zhang Ermu gently patted her head and said, "Alright, I will listen to you."

After their brief conversation, the two of them carried the items into the kitchen. Liu Piao poured her husband a bowl of ginger soup before heating up dinner, while he took a quick bath.

While the two of them enjoyed their meal, Zhang Damu's family was suffering. They were used to taking advantage of Zhang Ermu and the Zhang parents, so they hadn't made enough preparations for winter.

At that moment, they were shivering as they huddled together in their bedroom. They didn't have enough firewood, so they could only warm one kang bed. Seven people lived there, and the bed was far too small for everyone to sleep comfortably.

Not only was firewood scarce, but the roof also needed repair. Some thatch was damaged, so cold wind blew into the house now and then, making it hard to fall asleep.

"Husband, you should go to your parents' house tomorrow and ask Ermu to fix our roof. Also, borrow some food and firewood from him," Zhang Damu's wife said, pulling the cotton quilt tighter.

Hearing this, Zhang Damu asked, "Do you think he'll come if I ask?"

"You are his brother, he has to listen to you," she said with a frown.

Zhang Damu snorted, and said with annoyance, "He is no longer a boy you can fool. He has a wife now, and Liu Piao is not someone you can offend."

His wife was angry by his words and asked, "Zhang Damu, what do you mean by that? Do you think I'm not as good as that vixen?"

"Watch your words, the children are here," he warned.

"Did I say anything wrong? If she is not a vixen, how could she seduce so many men?"

Frustrated by her words, Zhang Damu said, "I'm too tired to argue with you. If you have energy to scold others, add more firewood or we will freeze tonight."

With that, he turned over and closed his eyes.

His wife, enraged, pinched his waist with hate. But after years of farming, his muscles were rock hard. She felt pain in her fingers instead of him.

"Mother, I'm so cold," their son, Zhang Dazhi, complained.

The moment she heard his words, she stopped bothering her husband and added more firewood to the stove. As she climbed back into bed, she muttered, "Winter is coming, and I don't know if we will get through it safely."

As the night deepened, the villagers fell asleep with worried hearts.

Early the next morning, Li Chenmo and his family woke up early. Today, they planned to strengthen the pig pen and add more thatch and straw to keep the pigs warm.

After washing up, he left with his son, while his wife and daughter prepared breakfast. When they arrived at the pig pen, Li Lingyun and Li Chenze had already arrived with the dried straw and thatch.

Seeing them coming, Li Chenze said, "Third brother, do you think these will be enough?"

Li Chenmo nodded and replied, "It should be enough. We'll need to cut some bamboo and strengthen the pillars."

"No problem."

While the Li brothers went to cut the bamboo, Dong Li and the Chen brothers cleaned up the pig pen. In order to avoid the water from freezing during winter, they had to keep the pen warm enough. Otherwise, the pigs would die from dehydration.

As they worked, Chen Jianmin asked, "Ah Li, has your family prepared for the winter?"

Dong Li nodded and said, "My father and I already gathered enough firewood, so there shouldn't be a problem. As for food, we got a lot of grains from the mountain. It should be more than enough to last my family until next year. How about your family?"

"We have enough grains, but we still need to gather more firewood," Chen Jianmin replied.

Hearing this, Dong Li asked, "Didn't you and your brothers gather a lot of firewood before?"

"My eldest aunt didn't have enough firewood, so my parents sent some over. Now that they have enough, it's my family that lacks firewood," Chen Jianmin said with a sigh.