Jackson had no idea what had happened—his wife was suddenly upset. She had been fine when they left the house, but in just a short while, her mood had completely changed! He tried several times to speak to her, even wanted to ask for his shirt and pants back, but each time he saw her holding the child with a long face and not even looking at him.

With no other choice, he could only walk behind her shirtless, wearing only his big shorts, holding a wild goose and a basket of duck eggs.

As they passed old Lew's house, he saw Lew squatting on his doorstep, smoking a dry cigarette.

Lew noticed Trashcan Jack’s wife walking ahead, holding the child, and still holding Jackson's clothes. Then he looked at Jackson—his tall, over six-foot frame, following behind his wife with his head lowered, looking meek like a wilted eggplant.

Lew had never noticed before how Jackson, who acted so tough outside, could be so timid in front of his wife. What a softie!

When the couple approached, old Lew couldn't help but tease, “Oh, Jackson, what’s wrong? Did your wife scold you?”

Jackson stretched his neck to glance at his wife, but not seeing her expression, he only caught a glimpse of her fair neck. He quickly looked away, smiling at old Lew but didn’t dare say a word.

The couple arrived home. Jackson dropped the goose on the ground, hurriedly stepped forward to open the yard gate. Once it was open, he stood aside like a gentleman, waiting for his wife to enter before bending down to pick up the goose and following her into the house.

Sophia nearly burst out laughing at his amusing behavior. She managed to hold it in, sitting on a bench in the yard while holding the child.

Only then did she realize that she was still holding his shirt. He had come home with no shirt on, wearing only his pants.

Suddenly, she remembered how old Lew had teased Jackson earlier. Why had she gotten into a tiff with him? She even forgot to give him his clothes!

She stole a glance at him and saw he wasn’t angry; he was silently drawing water. She stood up and called to him, “Don’t wash with that cold water. I’ll heat some up for you.” Then, holding the child with one arm, she struggled to open the door to put the baby on the little bed inside.

Hearing his wife speak to him first, Jackson immediately perked up.

He turned around, seeing his wife struggling to open the door while holding their daughter. He quickly put down the basin of water, took a few strides, and approached her.

Walking up behind her, he took the key from her hand, inserted it into the lock, and quickly opened the door.

Jackson looked down at his wife, who was holding their daughter, feeling delighted. “You watch the baby, and I’ll take a shower and cook for you,” he said.

Her fair neck looked even more delicate in contrast to her bright red sweater.

Sophia didn’t say anything. Once the door opened, she carried the baby inside, gently placing her on the small bed and tucking her in with a blanket.

Sophia opened the curtain and came back outside, only to see Jackson with his bare back, splashing himself with cold water. The sight made her lose all her irritation. She thought to herself: let him freeze!

She walked over to pick up his shirt from the bench and sat down, waiting for him to finish washing and come inside.

Sophia took his clothes and went to the well to draw a bucket of water, starting to wash his clothes and pants.

As she washed, she wondered if she should take their daughter to town tomorrow to buy Jackson a couple of thicker outfits.

It was already autumn, and the weather was getting colder. He still wore that thin shirt every day, leaving for the mountains before dawn. The dew in the mountain air was heavy in the early mornings, and the temperature was low—how could he not feel the cold?

Every time he came back, his pants were covered in mud, and his shirt was stained with dirt. She guessed it was from crouching down on the ground, picking herbs with a bone needle.

Jackson quickly splashed himself with water, his tall, muscular body wet and chilly, giving off a cold aura. He took long strides and bent down to go inside.

He grabbed the towel Sophia used and started drying himself off.

After changing into a clean set of clothes, he came out and saw that his clothes had already been washed. His heart warmed at the thought.

Having someone wash your clothes felt so good! Having his honey around felt great!

He then took the goose he had just plucked, gutting it and preparing the organs. He decided to stir-fry half and make a soup for his wife with the other half.

When Meilani came back, she happened to see Jackson working on the bird while Sophia hung up the clothes for her brother.

This scene once again changed her perception of Jackson…

After Sophia had just set down her bowl, Auntie Zola arrived in a hurry. Her daughter was about to get married, and they needed to find a literate person to help with the wedding list. She quickly came over to ask Sophia for help.

Meilani didn’t want to be alone with a man, so to avoid rumors in the village, she went with Sophia to lend a hand.

After dinner, Jackson started preparing badger oil.

Badger oil was a valuable medicinal ingredient, known for its moisturizing and skin-repairing properties. It was particularly effective for treating burns and frostbite.

He first sliced off the fat from the badger he had previously hunted, cutting it into small, roughly 1cm square pieces to ensure even size. This would help the fat to be evenly rendered later.

Next, he added a suitable amount of water to a cast-iron pot—about one-third of the weight of the fat.

The water helped control the temperature during the rendering process, preventing the fat from burning at high heat and ensuring the oil would be purer.

When the water started bubbling, Jackson gently added the cut pieces of fat.

As the temperature rose, the fat slowly shrank, releasing a faint oily fragrance.

He carefully controlled the heat, using a low flame to render the oil slowly. This was the key step to ensure the oil would be pure and fragrant.

As time passed, the fat pieces turned slightly yellow. Jackson used a spatula to flip them over, making sure each side was evenly heated until the pieces became shriveled and stopped releasing oil.

He then scooped out the oil residue with a strainer, leaving only the golden badger oil behind.

Finally, Jackson filtered the oil and carefully transferred it into a ceramic jar, sealing the lid tightly before storing it in the space.

Around 8 PM, Jackson saw that it was pitch black outside, so dark that he couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face. He locked the door, holding the baby in his arms, and walked through most of the village to Auntie Zola’s house.

When Sophia saw him carrying the baby, she thought something had happened and hurriedly set down what she was doing.

She walked over to Jackson, glanced at the baby in his arms, and asked, “What happened?”

Jackson smiled at her, “It’s nothing. Just came to check on you.” He then grabbed a small stool and sat down.

Auntie Zola, who was quick-witted, noticed the situation and grinned from ear to ear, teasing Sophia, “Jackson’s worried about you walking home in the dark. He doesn’t trust you and came to pick you up!”

Sophia looked at Jackson sitting on the stool and wondered, Is that really true?

Oh well, Auntie Zola always liked to tease people. There was no way this could be taken seriously. Besides, even if Jackson knew she was afraid of the dark, Meilani had come with her anyway. There was no need for him to come all this way!

Thinking about this, Sophia turned to Jackson and said, “You sit here and rest for a bit. I’ll be done soon.”

“Alright,” Jackson answered. As he spoke, his eyes were glued to his wife’s every move.

At that moment, Zola's son, Jabari, sat down next to Jackson, munching on cornbread. He said, “Bro, I really think Sophia’s great. She’s even prettier than Whitley, and she’s got smarts and class too.”