Gang Gye crouched down beside a large tree and checked in.
When he saw his reward, his eyes widened in surprise.
As I thought! The location where I check in really does affect the rewards to some extent.
A wild chicken!
Today's check-in reward was a wild chicken.
Just thinking about the taste of chicken made him impatient to eat it.
He couldn't help it.
Back when he lived in the modern world, he had usually eaten meat for both lunch and dinner.
However, since arriving in this era, he hadn't even seen any meat, let alone eaten it.
He had only managed to taste a tiny piece of a meat bun.
Speaking of meat buns, the ten meat buns he had received as yesterday's check-in reward were still sitting in his system inventory.
He simply hadn't found an opportunity to eat them.
Looking at the reward in his system, Gang Gye selected the option to retrieve it.
Immediately, a brightly colored wild chicken appeared in the grass a short distance in front of him.
The chicken was alive and didn't look particularly different from an ordinary wild chicken.
Afraid that it might run away, Gang Gye hurriedly threw himself at it.
The wild chicken was trapped beneath Gang Gye's small body and began frantically flapping its wings in panic.
Gang Gye was startled as well and let out a loud scream.
Hearing his cry, Jang Un-chu immediately rushed over in concern.
"What happened? Huh? Little Six, are you all right?"
Gang Gye was desperately holding on to the chicken beneath him.
He shouted excitedly,
"Mother, hurry! Come here! I think it's going to escape!"
Jang Un-chu hurried over.
When she saw what was happening behind the tree, she was shocked.
However, she didn't simply stand there in surprise.
She quickly reached down and firmly grabbed the chicken that was struggling beneath her son.
The wild chicken was extremely strong.
Even Jang Un-chu nearly failed to catch it.
Only after using some vines scattered on the ground to tie the chicken securely was she finally able to talk to Gang Gye.
The gloomy mood she had been in after speaking with Jang Un-mo earlier had completely disappeared.
Her face was now filled with smiles.
"Little Six, how did you manage to catch this chicken?"
Wild animals living in the mountains were extremely quick.
Most of the time, it was difficult to even get close to them.
They would usually notice someone's presence from a distance and immediately fly away.
Gang Gye puffed out his little chest proudly.
"I saw it crouching over there, so I just jumped on it without thinking!"
Jang Un-chu praised him.
"My Little Six is truly amazing!"
Gang Gye's eyes sparkled as he spoke in an especially sweet, affectionate voice.
"Mother, are we going to eat chicken for lunch? I really want to eat some meat!"
Seeing how adorable her son looked, Jang Un-chu wanted to agree immediately.
Unfortunately, she couldn't make decisions about the family's household supplies on her own.
That remained true even though her son had been the one to catch the chicken.
The Gang family usually took whatever game they caught into town and sold it.
A wild chicken caught in the mountains would naturally fetch a higher price than an ordinary domesticated chicken.
Moreover, the wild chicken in her hands was quite heavy.
It seemed to have grown rather plump.
Just by looking at it, she could tell that it would yield a considerable amount of meat.
If they took it into town and sold it, they could earn quite a bit of money.
Jang Un-chu said,
"That's not something Mother can decide on her own. But Grandma adores you, doesn't she? Why don't you ask her yourself? If Grandma agrees, we can have chicken for lunch today."
After talking about meat for so long, Jang Un-chu herself began craving it.
She couldn't help it.
Although she was an adult, she rarely had the opportunity to eat meat.
In this village, practically everyone would start salivating at the mere mention of meat.
Looking at her son, Jang Un-chu gently encouraged him.
"When we see Grandma later, try asking her nicely. You should act especially sweet and affectionate, too."
"Okay!"
Gang Gye nodded enthusiastically.
He looked as though he had just been entrusted with an important mission.
Jang Un-chu called out cheerfully,
"Come on! That's enough mushroom picking for today. Let's head back!"
The mother and son made their way back together.
Old Madam Gang had also come out to gather firewood today, but she was working near the foot of the mountain.
Gang Gye and his mother had gone a little farther into the mountains to collect mushrooms.
As they approached the foot of the mountain, Gang Gye spotted several familiar figures.
Unable to contain his excitement, he called out in his soft, childish voice.
"Grandma! Father! Hurry and look at what Mother and I brought back!"
Because Gang Gye was the youngest and was particularly cherished by the family, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look when he called out.
Old Madam Gang smiled.
"Little Six, what did you bring back?"
Jang Un-chu led her son over.
"Mother, look at this."
When Old Madam Gang saw the brightly colored creature in her third daughter-in-law's hands, she was astonished.
"You caught a wild chicken?"
Everyone quickly gathered around Jang Un-chu and Gang Gye.
It really was a wild chicken!
Old Madam Gang stroked the chicken and asked in amazement,
"How on earth did you manage to catch this?"
Jang Un-chu explained with a smile.
"Little Six caught it. We were picking mushrooms, and this chicken must have been dozing off nearby. Little Six was clever enough to jump on it immediately and catch it."
"As expected of my precious little boy! You're truly amazing!"
Old Madam Gang couldn't stop smiling as she continued praising Gang Gye.
"Just look at how fat this chicken is. I'm sure we could get a very good price for it if we sold it."
Just as I thought.
Jang Un-chu immediately realized that Old Madam Gang intended to sell the wild chicken.
However, no sooner had the old woman finished speaking than a tiny figure clung to her leg.
Gang Gye began acting affectionately in his soft, childish voice.
"Grandma, don't sell it. Please? It's been so long since our family last ate meat. Little Six really wants to eat chicken..."
Old Madam Gang hesitated.
After all, her beloved grandson had caught this wild chicken himself.
She didn't feel particularly comfortable taking something away from a four-year-old child.
Besides, Little Six was being so adorable.
How could she possibly refuse to let him eat a little meat?
While Old Madam Gang was still hesitating, Gang Gye quickly continued.
"Grandma is the best! Grandma is the best grandma in the whole world! Little Six loves Grandma the most!"
"Oh, goodness! All right, all right."
Old Madam Gang finally surrendered.
"We'll have meat for lunch today. Third Daughter-in-law, take the chicken back and prepare it with First Daughter-in-law. Let's have a proper feast for once."
In truth, the Gang family wasn't particularly poor.
However, Old Madam Gang was very fond of saving money.
She wanted to raise a scholar in the family, so she tried to save wherever she could in everyday life.
She was determined to put aside every last copper coin.
Jang Un-chu smiled with her eyes.
"Mother, then we'll head back first and start preparing everything."
"Go ahead."
Old Madam Gang nodded.
However, a moment later, when Gang Gye wasn't paying attention, she quietly tugged on her third daughter-in-law's arm.
Leaning close to Jang Un-chu's ear, she whispered,
"On your way back, have a little talk with Little Six. Tell him we'll slaughter the big rooster we're raising at home for lunch and take this wild chicken into town to sell tomorrow. Promise him that we'll buy the children some tanghulu tomorrow."
Tanghulu was a sweet treat made by threading fruit onto skewers, dipping them in sugar syrup, and allowing the coating to harden.
Wild chickens were more expensive than domesticated chickens.
Old Madam Gang had been so thoroughly won over by her grandson's affectionate behavior that she had agreed without thinking.
However, after reconsidering, she couldn't help feeling that it would be a shame to eat such a valuable chicken.
On the other hand, she couldn't simply take back her promise.
Therefore, her only option was to have her daughter-in-law persuade her grandson.
That way, Old Madam Gang wouldn't lose face.
Jang Un-chu nodded.
"All right. I'll explain it to Little Six. He's a sensible child, so I don't think there will be any problems."
Old Madam Gang let out a relieved sigh.
"Make sure you slaughter a big one. Choose one with plenty of meat on it."
On their way home, Jang Un-chu explained that they would be eating a domesticated rooster instead of the wild chicken.
Gang Gye didn't particularly mind.
After all, both were chickens.
He doubted he would notice much difference in taste when he ate them, anyway.
Besides, a rooster that had been raised on a farm wouldn't be bad, either.
Gang Gye readily nodded in agreement.
Throughout their journey home, they encountered quite a few villagers.
Everyone was curious about the wild chicken Jang Un-chu was carrying.
At first, she patiently explained how they had caught it to each person who asked.
However, she eventually grew tired of repeating the story and began giving everyone the same brief answer.
"We were just lucky enough to catch it."
Their good fortune attracted plenty of envious looks.
However, not everyone who envied them harbored ill intentions.
Most of the villagers simply began wondering whether they should send their own children into the mountains as well.
Perhaps their children might also be lucky enough to catch a wild chicken.
In the Gang household, the responsibility for preparing meals was divided according to a rotating schedule.
Today, it was the eldest branch's turn to cook.
That was why Old Madam Gang had instructed Jang Un-chu to return home and prepare the chicken with her eldest daughter-in-law.
It was still a little too early to start preparing lunch.
Therefore, Jang Un-chu first took Gang Gye to the edge of the fields to look for her two older sisters-in-law.
Jang Un-chu generally got along quite well with them.
Madam Oh, the eldest daughter-in-law, and Madam Sun, the second daughter-in-law, had both come from the same village.
The two women had been close even before they married into the Gang family, and their relationship had grown even stronger afterward.
That was why they usually preferred working together.
In comparison, Jang Un-chu was somewhat distant from them.
It wasn't that the two women deliberately excluded her.
Rather, the hardships Jang Un-chu had experienced were very different from theirs, and she carried far too many burdens in her heart.
Jang Un-chu had suffered abuse at the hands of her former husband.
After divorcing him, she had remarried Gang Jo-hang, who had never been married before.
More importantly, the son she had brought into the family wasn't even related to the Gang family by blood.
Of course, the other members of the Gang family didn't know this.
Old Madam Gang was also extremely fond of Gang Gye.
Nevertheless, Jang Un-chu felt ashamed.
As a result, she rarely spent her days chatting with others.
Instead, she simply worked diligently from morning until evening.
Over time, this had made it difficult for her to become particularly close to her two sisters-in-law, who were much more talkative and cheerful.
However, Madam Oh and Madam Sun both liked their youngest sister-in-law.
That was only natural.
How could they dislike someone who worked diligently, treated others pleasantly, and didn't constantly calculate her own gains and losses?
Old Madam Gang didn't think her other two daughters-in-law were lazy simply because Jang Un-chu worked hard, either.
As a result, the three women maintained a polite relationship and willingly helped one another whenever necessary.
They all knew that none of them was the sort of person who cared only about her own interests.
They might occasionally have their own little schemes or selfish thoughts, but there were no serious problems between them.
Jang Un-chu finally reached the edge of the field where her two sisters-in-law were working.
"Sisters-in-law!"
Madam Oh and Madam Sun raised their heads.
Jang Un-chu explained,
"Eldest Sister-in-law, Little Six caught a wild chicken in the mountains. Mother told us to return home early and prepare a chicken because she wants us to have chicken for lunch."
Chicken took quite a long time to cook, so it needed to be prepared in advance.
Madam Oh and Madam Sun were astonished.
They quickly approached Jang Un-chu and reached out to touch the wild chicken she was holding tightly.
Then, they affectionately stroked Gang Gye's head.
"Little Six, you're truly amazing!"
Both women knew perfectly well that if Little Six hadn't pleaded with Old Madam Gang, she would have sold the wild chicken instead of allowing the family to eat it for lunch.
Jang Un-chu continued,
"Mother said we should keep the wild chicken and sell it later. She wants us to slaughter one of the roosters we're raising at home for today's meal."
Madam Oh, the eldest daughter-in-law, nodded.
"That's the right decision. A wild chicken is worth more money, after all. Well, let's head back, then. We need to prepare lunch."
After thinking for a moment, Madam Sun decided to follow them as well.
She was so eager to eat chicken that she couldn't bear the thought of waiting without watching it cook herself.
Seeing this, Jang Un-chu didn't say anything.
Although Old Madam Gang had instructed her to prepare the meal with the eldest daughter-in-law, she wasn't someone who frequently lost her temper with her daughters-in-law.
Moreover, the household had plenty of people who could work, so it wasn't necessary for the women to spend every single moment laboring.
Of course, that didn't mean someone could simply lie around doing nothing while everyone else was working.
As they made their way home, both older sisters-in-law continued praising Gang Gye.
They even promised to buy him some candied fruit the next time they went into town.
