TIPS – Chapter 108

“Mm.” Shen Junxi looked at him with a beaming smile and nodded in admiration. “It really is big. Most field frogs are usually quite skinny.”

“It’s because this one croaks the loudest,” Song Jingwei said proudly with a grin. He used to find these creatures annoyingly loud, but now he listened carefully, trying to figure out which frog was the loudest.

“Let’s catch a few more and then head back,” Shen Junxi said, glancing at the narrow-mouthed, wide-bellied basket. There were already eight or ten inside—enough for them to have two meals. These little creatures were hard to keep alive and couldn’t be left at home for too long. Since the field ridges were so close to their house, they could always come back to catch more later.

But Song Jingwei was just getting into it and shook his head. “I’ll catch a few more.”

The young man showed him the basket and gestured helplessly. “That’s already a lot. If we can’t finish them, they’re hard to keep alive.”

“…” Song Jingwei remained focused on his search and replied, “We can give the extras to the old man. You can go deliver them.”

Alright then—his wife clearly didn’t want to go home yet. The young man had no choice but to keep following him around catching field frogs. There were just so many of them here, croaking endlessly. No wonder they were so noisy.

As he kept catching them, Song Jingwei muttered, “With this many, how long would I have to catch before they finally shut up?”

In his heart, the young man responded: “That’s impossible. You’re overthinking it. There’s no way you can catch them all.”

That night, the two of them ended up catching more than thirty field frogs, stuffing the basket Shen Junxi had brought to the brim. It was so full it could barely hold any more before Song Jingwei finally said they could go home.

Shen Junxi’s parents were still awake. When they heard the little dog, Xiao Hei, whining, they knew it must be them returning and came out to see whether they’d caught any field frogs.

“How was it? Easy to catch?” Shen Dongming asked cheerfully as he came out.

“Pretty easy. We got a whole basket full,” Song Jingwei said, pointing to the basket Shen Junxi was carrying.

“Whoa, that really is a lot.” Shen Dongming was surprised, then broke into a wide grin. “Great, great. Tomorrow I’ll have your mother butcher a few for a meal.” He hurried back to tell his wife—they had indeed caught a good bunch.

“Alright. Let’s also give some to Grandpa,” Song Jingwei added, immediately asking the young man to separate the frogs and find two larger baskets, so they wouldn’t get squished together.

The next morning, Yang Shi saw the mountain of field frogs and laughed. “These two kids, they said they’d catch them and really did.” But with that many, how could they finish them all? So she started planning different ways to cook them.

She’d stew two or three for porridge for the baby, steam a plate for them, and stir-fry another.

When Song Jingwei and the others woke up, freshened up, and brought the baby out to wait for breakfast, Yang Shi first brought over the baby’s porridge so they could feed him. She said, “Here, today we’re feeding the baby field frogs porridge. Let’s see if he likes it.”

Song Jingwei handed Bumbling (the baby’s nickname) to Shen Junxi, then took the bowl and gently blew on a spoonful to cool it down before feeding the baby. Everyone watched to see the baby’s reaction. To their delight, the baby smacked his lips and finished it all in no time—he was eating really well.

“Looks like he likes it, haha. Keep feeding him, then,” Yang Shi said. “I’ll go bring out the breakfast. Let’s all eat.”

Shen Dongming had also gotten up and helped bring breakfast to the table. Seeing his son and daughter-in-law feeding the baby, he asked, “What’s the baby eating? Field chicken too?”

Song Jingwei replied, “Mom made field frogs porridge. The baby loves it…” Ah-woo, another spoonful, and it was gone.

“Hehehe.” Shen Dongming came over smiling to take a look. Sure enough, his grandson was eating heartily. He quickly said, “He loves it that much? Then tomorrow I’ll go catch some for our Bumbling too.” He could catch them just fine—not any worse than his son or daughter-in-law.

“There’s still a whole basket left outside. We can wait till we finish those,” Yang Shi said as she laid out the bowls and chopsticks and called everyone to eat.

By then, Bumbling had finished a whole bowl of porridge. Shen Junxi held him for a while, then set him down in the small wooden crib to let him play by himself.

“Here, give it a try—how does this taste?” Yang Shi said, picking up a piece of stir-fried field frogs and placing it in her husband’s bowl.

Everyone looked toward Shen Dongming, who quickly popped it in his mouth. After chewing, he nodded and said, “Delicious. The flavor’s great! Junxi, let your wife try it too.”

“Mm.” Shen Junxi smiled and picked up a piece for Song Jingwei, also stir-fried. She wondered whether it was as tasty as her father-in-law claimed.

Song Jingwei picked up what seemed to be a piece of field frogs leg. He hesitated for a second, then put it in his mouth. The first taste that came through was the aroma of scallions and ginger, followed by a rich umami flavor locked into the juices. Finally, when he bit into the meat, he found it tender and fresh, and thanks to Yang Shi’s cooking, full of savory goodness.

“Well?” Yang Shi asked nervously.

“It’s good,” Song Jingwei praised without hesitation, nodding.

“As long as it’s tasty! Eat up, eat up, have more!” Yang Shi said cheerfully. As the family’s head chef, hearing the words “delicious” brought her the greatest joy.

“Alright, you eat more too,” Song Jingwei said, trying the steamed dish next. Though it didn’t have the deep flavors of the stir-fry, it had a unique lightness to it—perfect for those who preferred a milder taste.

Here is the full translation:

These two dishes would be great to make for the old master as well.

After breakfast, Song Jingwei had the young man deliver the field frogs. He casually asked, “With your mother’s cooking skills, how much have you learned?”

Shen Junxi honestly gestured, “About fifty percent.” The dishes he could make were delicious, but he didn’t know how to cook things he hadn’t tried before, so he didn’t have many specialties.

“That field frog dish just now—can you make it?” Song Jingwei asked. Seeing the young man hesitate and then nod, he clapped his hands and said, “Great. Then make the same two dishes for the old master, alright?”

With that phrasing, the young man could only say yes. He immediately went to find Yang shi and asked his mother to give him some guidance on the spot.

Watching the young man’s hurried figure, Song Jingwei’s lips curled into a smile. This was a different feeling. His subordinates might also act immediately upon his orders, but it wasn’t the same as the young man’s unconditional response.

“Cook field frog?” Yang shi was puzzled. Her son suddenly came asking how to make the two frog dishes from this morning—was it for his wife? That was simple. She smiled and said, “What’s this? Want to learn it so you can cook for your wife?” Pleasing your wife was natural.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi smiled at his mother and gestured, “I’ll make it for the old master first. Once I’ve practiced and perfected it, I’ll make it for my wife.”

“Alright then, watch closely.” Yang shi immediately began teaching him.

The young man watched attentively and tried hard to remember all the tips and steps. He really was learning it for his wife. In the future, he would definitely be the one cooking in the house—not her. It wouldn’t do if he didn’t know how to cook.

After learning a bit from his mother, Shen Junxi picked up the frogs and was about to leave. When he reached the door, he saw Song Jingwei already standing outside. His wife smiled at him and said, “Let’s go. The earlier we leave, the earlier we’ll return.”

Shen Junxi widened his eyes slightly in surprise and gestured, “You want to go too?”

“I want to visit the old master. What’s wrong with that?” Song Jingwei strode ahead without waiting and then turned back to urge, “Come on, it’s getting late.”

The young man was stunned for a moment, then broke into a smile and quickly caught up to his wife, walking side by side with him. This was exactly what he hoped for. No matter what they were going to do, if his wife was willing to accompany him, that was the greatest blessing of all.

His father once said, if you want to know whether a couple gets along, just watch how they walk together. If the wife is always walking quickly ahead, she doesn’t like her husband. If the husband is always striding ahead and not waiting, he doesn’t like his wife.

Shen Junxi recalled that whenever he and Song Jingwei walked together, they were usually side by side. Neither one would leave the other behind.

Over in Xiao Liang Mountain, the old residence of the Yuan family patriarch had grown quiet and lonely ever since his eldest grandson Yuan Qing left. The old man had nothing much to do all day. Today, when two of the younger generation suddenly showed up, he was so happy he couldn’t stop smiling and quickly invited them in to sit. He was afraid they would just drop something off and leave, as had happened several times before—usually it was only Shen Junxi who came.

“How come both of you came today?” Yuan Jinyun asked happily, with a hint of surprise.

“We caught a bunch of field frogs last night and came to bring you some to try,” Song Jingwei said, pointing to the basket. They had brought more than ten frogs for the old master.

“Field frogs?” Yuan Jinyun was startled and then pleasantly surprised. He laughed heartily and said, “Ah, field frogs—how nice! This is the perfect time to eat them. But…” He looked worriedly at the basket of frogs and sighed, “I don’t know how to cook them.” He lived alone and did everything by himself.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Song Jingwei said with a smile. He gestured for the young man to go slaughter the frogs, then turned to Yuan Jinyun and said, “I didn’t just bring frogs—I brought a chef too.”

Seeing the young man happily carrying the basket to the kitchen, Yuan Jinyun was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter. He was clearly delighted and said, “Good, good, good. You’re very thoughtful. Thank you for the frogs, and thank your family’s chef too.”

After that, they went inside, chatted while drinking tea, and since this was Song Jingwei’s first visit, the old master even gave him a tour of the residence before they settled in the study.

“Jingwei, do you know how to play chess?” Yuan Jinyun asked, seeing the chessboard on the table. A sudden idea struck him.

“I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you—I don’t,” Song Jingwei shook his head honestly. Not only chess, but of the four classical arts—qin (zither), qi (chess), shu (calligraphy), and hua (painting)—he didn’t know a single one.

“That’s alright. If you don’t play chess, we can just drink tea and chat,” Yuan Jinyun said with an undiminished smile. He then commented, “You really are quite a peculiar person. Most people would show some embarrassment when admitting they don’t know something, but you—” Not only was there no shame, he looked like it was perfectly natural, which was baffling.

“It’s just a matter of preference. I’m not interested in those things,” Song Jingwei replied. He wasn’t from ancient times and didn’t think everyone needed to master those arts. It was simply a difference in mindset.

“Fair enough. From what I see, you seem to have an interest in agriculture?” Yuan Jinyun asked. The Shen family’s main household had been working on lotus ponds and tea gardens lately—he had actually gone to take a look himself.

“Can’t say I particularly like it. To be honest, planting lotus roots and tea is all just to make money,” Song Jingwei said, showing a slight trace of embarrassment—but only just a little. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with that.

“Hahaha!” Old Master Yuan Jinyun burst into laughter again. “You really are something else.” His opinion of Song Jingwei was the same as that of his eldest grandson Yuan Qingsui: an extremely down-to-earth man, a businessman, without even a hint of the scholarly air. But the strange thing was, despite this, no one found him unlikeable—because his frankness was refreshing. He was plainly vulgar in a bold and open way, without a shred of pretense.

“You flatter me, sir. I’m just an ordinary man,” Song Jingwei replied, both amused and helpless at Old Master Yuan’s similar reaction to Yuan Qingsui’s. He couldn’t help but marvel—they truly were grandfather and grandson.

The two of them chatted about everything under the sun until the young man came to the door and knocked, signaling that lunch was ready.

When Yuan Jinyun saw that even white rice was served, he was surprised. “You even made rice?” It wasn’t quite lunchtime yet, but it was close enough to go ahead with lunch.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi nodded with a smile, gesturing to the elder, “Sit down and try it while it’s hot. It won’t taste good once it cools.” The weather was still a bit chilly in April.

“Old Master, sit and eat quickly. He wants you to try his cooking while it’s fresh,” Song Jingwei explained for him.

“Alright, alright, you all sit too. Eat with me before you go. Consider it keeping an old man company,” Yuan Jinyun said, clearly afraid they’d leave after dropping off the food.

“Of course. Even if you chased us out, we’d still stay to eat,” Song Jingwei replied with a smile, pulling out a chair and sitting beside the young man.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi handed his wife a pair of chopsticks so he could try it out. He wanted to know if the dish he cooked tasted any good.

“……” Song Jingwei took the chopsticks, seriously picked up a piece, and slowly chewed it like a food critic. Then he said, “The flavor is a bit different, but…” Seeing how earnestly the young man stared at him, awaiting his verdict, he smiled and added, “It’s just as delicious.”

The young man instantly beamed, picked up a piece for himself, tasted it, and nodded, gesturing, “It really is delicious.”

Old Master Yuan laughed heartily and teased, “Let me try and see if it’s truly that good. Could be you’re just sweet-talking me.”

Song Jingwei grinned. “Try it and you’ll know, Old Master.”

Yuan Jinyun picked up a piece and tasted it. He nodded in satisfaction. “Fresh and tasty—it’s definitely the flavor of field frogs.”

The couple across the table both laughed. If field frogs didn’t taste like field frogs, what else would it taste like?

“Hahaha…” Old Master Yuan chuckled along with them and, having found a dish he liked, bent down to eat several more bites enthusiastically.

Shen Junxi and Song Jingwei stayed with the old man until noon before saying their goodbyes—they needed to return home for lunch with their parents and child. Although Yuan Jinyun was reluctant to see them go, he understood. “Next time you catch field frogs, remember to bring some over. If you find anything tasty, don’t forget this old man.”

“Of course, you can count on it,” Song Jingwei replied. Whatever tasty things came into the house, they’d always share a portion with the old master.

After bidding farewell to Yuan Jinyun, the two of them walked home together.

Shen Junxi rubbed his overly full stomach and gestured to his wife with a bitter face, “We still have to eat lunch when we get back…”

Song Jingwei laughed. “No one told you to keep eating. Didn’t you see I only had half a bowl?” He mostly ate the dishes, not much rice—so he wasn’t overly full.

“I was eating seriously.” The young man gave a gentle smile. They had come to accompany the old man for a meal, so of course, he couldn’t slack off at the dining table.

“That’s a good attitude.” Song Jingwei smiled too. Suddenly he thought of their son’s silly eating habits—it was quite similar to the young man’s. Every time he fed the baby, the boy would stare intently at the bowl, fully immersed in eating. Nothing else mattered. Peeing, pooping—those were post-meal matters.

Back home, Yang shi had just finished cooking and hurriedly called them over for lunch.

The young man immediately took the initiative to feed the baby. When the rest of the family had eaten most of their meal, he didn’t join in. Instead, he stayed on the side, playing with the child.

“Xi’er, what’s the matter? Why aren’t you eating?” Yang shi asked curiously.

“He overate at the old master’s place,” Song Jingwei answered while still eating slowly—he too had only taken a bit over half a bowl of rice.

“This child, how could you eat yourself stuffed at someone else’s house?” Yang shi scolded with a mix of annoyance and amusement.

“No idea what got into him,” Song Jingwei chuckled. He glanced at the father and son playing together and picked up a rattle drum from the edge of the table. He shook it and said, “Baby, look here—dong dong dong.”

Little Benben heard the sound and immediately turned his head toward his father, abandoning the funny faces his dad was making. He stared dully at the drum, his mouth still open, drool starting to drip down.

“Shen Junxi, wipe your son’s mouth. He’s drooling all over,” Song Jingwei said, wrinkling his nose at the sight. Honestly, their son had a bad habit—every time he held him, the kid would drool all over his clothes.