The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 84: Is this like cheating?

Jindou and Jinhu, after all, were older and had a few little secret spots, none of them big, because if they were, they would have been discovered long ago.

At most, it would just be a small tree laden with sour fruit, or a vine dangling with sour grapes.

Where have they ever seen something like this, where one could casually point and unearth over ten pounds of yams, or merely rest for a moment and find a large bunch of black fungus on the log they were sitting on?

Even a fall could lead to busting into a mountain rat’s nest!

If Jindou and Jinhu were in the modern era, they would surely exclaim, "Old lady, are you freaking hacking?!"

Wang Yongzhu was also very tired. It was hard for her to subtly reveal the locations of ingredients scanned by the System using various methods.

One moment she’s complaining of exhaustion, the next she’s tripping over, and then acting as if she’s discovered a new continent, as if possessed by the spirit of an actor!

Nevertheless, they returned fully loaded.

On the way down the mountain to the village, as fate would have it, they ran into Wang Yongping and Song Chongjin, and the Li Family brothers.

They were coming out of the big mountain connected behind Dahei Mountain, also on their way home.

The group had a fairly good harvest, with at least each person not returning empty-handed.

Especially Song Chongjin, who carried a antelope weighing dozens of pounds on his back, and Wang Yongping had a wild chicken in his hand, while the Li Family brothers were carrying two grey rabbits.

In these days, Wang Yongping would always follow Song Chongjin into the mountains. From initially coming back empty-handed, to when others would return with game and he managed to bring back a few nuts, until today, when he could finally land some game himself.

Lady Lin had her doubts at first, feeling indignant about why she and the men had to do all the work in the fields, while her young brother-in-law would not help upon returning but would instead run off to the mountains all day.

But no matter how much she muttered, the head of the family said nothing, nor did the in-laws, so she could only be angry in her own house.

After a few days, seeing that although Wang Yongping did not catch game, he never returned empty-handed, always bringing back some fruits or mushrooms from deep within the mountains, she stopped talking.

Old Granny Zhang didn’t want her straightforward Fourth Brother to become too close with Song Chongjin, she always felt there was something impenetrable about that boy, and with her own simpleton of a son, he might get sold and still help count the money.

It was Wang Laozhu who stopped her, stating it was better for their son to follow others into the mountains than stay at home dealing with idle gossip and people’s strange looks. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t bring back any game, just to clear his mind was good. He was such a big lad, it’d be bad if he became frustrated and fell ill.

As for the Song Family kid, he had his calculations, and as long as their own foolish boy did not provoke him, everything should be fine.

Besides, the Li Family brothers were with them too, what could go wrong?

Late on, when Wang Yongping came back, after getting the story out of him, they learned that Song Chongjin had been taking good care of him in the mountains, teaching him how to set traps and dig pitfalls, which put their minds at ease.

They tacitly consented to Wang Yongping’s association with Song Chongjin.

Wang Yongzhu had not yet reacted when Jindou and Jinhu saw their uncle returning not empty-handed, carrying a wild chicken, and shouted with joy, rushing over with Little Bean in tow.

"Uncle, did you catch this?"

"Uncle, can we have wild chicken for dinner tonight?"

...

Wang Yongping, with his head held high and chest puffed out, was extremely proud. Surrounded by his nephews and nieces, his tail was practically wagging to the sky.

In his speech, he puffed himself up mythically, boasting about his quick eyes and hands that spotted the wild chicken in a patch of wild grass, and his valiant and swift movements as he charged forward, and so on and so forth...

Listening to his story, those in the know understood it was just a wild chicken, but those who didn’t might think he was hunting dragons.

Wang Laozhu’s bunch of Little Beans all cooperated with his braggadocio, emitting "Wow—" novelbuddy-cσ๓

"Oh—"

"Eek—" with matching expressions, it was unbearable to watch.

Wang Yongzhu watched the Li Family Brothers almost unable to keep a grip on their laughter—or their rabbit—while Song Chongjin maintained a stony face, only occasionally hoisting the slipping antelope back onto his shoulder.

"Fourth Brother, you’re so capable, why don’t you catch an antelope to bring home?" Wang Yongzhu coldly said as Wang Yongping showed signs of getting carried away.

How embarrassing! Someone carrying an antelope didn’t even speak up, and here you are, squawking over just capturing a wild chicken, how can you be so shameless?

Wang Yongping’s boasting came to an abrupt halt, meeting Wang Yongzhu’s look that seemed to dare him to blow his own horn any further. Sensibly, he swallowed the rest of his words.

Deflecting, he said, "Er, that, this, uh, Little Sister, you went up the mountain too, eh heh—heh—what are you all carrying on your backs?"

"Hm? Where did you dig up so many yams?"

"And those wood ear mushrooms—"

For some reason, since he came back, Wang Yongping always felt that Little Sister had become quite scary. Especially whenever she smiled, his legs would start to tremble.

Just one glare from Little Sister and he would almost feel like kneeling down!

But in front of his brothers, anything can be lost except for face! He had to maintain the dignity of being the elder brother no matter what.

He had only casually glanced at the children’s baskets, but was shocked to find they contained all sorts of things.

Not just him, the Li Family Brothers, who were familiar with Wang Family’s people, eagerly crowded around to take a look.

Even Song Chongjin glanced several times into the baskets.

"Wang Jindou! Wang Jinhoo! Did you go deep into the mountains? Do you not value your lives? Who let you go? If it were just you, fine, but you actually took your older cousin and your younger siblings? They don’t understand danger, don’t you?" Wang Yongping immediately thought of a possibility, his face changed, and he reached for a stick, ready to beat them.

Everyone in the village knew that the small mountain near the village, called Qili Slope, had a gentle terrain and not as dense vegetation as the big mountain behind it.

The locals only call the mountains behind Dahei Mountain. There, the peaks are high, the forests deep, and large creatures like tigers and black bears frequently appear. There are also wolf packs that have inhabited the area for many years. On nights with a full moon, faint howls can be heard.

For generations, in this small mountain behind the village, save for the shaded side near the deep mountains where people seldom go, there are only a few spots near the village’s side where edible plants can be found.

At this time of the year, on the side of Qili Slope near the village, where could one find so many good things?

Even the hills on the other side are often scoured by villagers with enough guts to go in groups. If there were such old things, they would surely be noticeable and would have probably been picked clean by now. Can it be that these teenagers and children could find them?

Only on the backside of Qili Slope, deeper into Dahei Mountain, the most experienced hunters dare not venture too far. They mostly stick to the peripheral areas. Even so, it must be the village’s grown men or seasoned hunters who dare to enter in groups. Ordinary people wouldn’t dare to go there even if they were beaten to death.

Who would have thought that these little bunnies from his family had the gall to take the young and frail into the Black Mountain? If this wasn’t asking for trouble, what was?

Jindou and Jinhoo had never seen their Fourth Uncle this furious before. Dodging while clutching their heads, they protested their innocence, "We didn’t go to Black Mountain! We found these on Qili Slope, if you don’t believe us, ask our older cousin!"

Wang Yongzhu, faced with so many eyes suddenly fixed on her, appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly cursed. In the future, she had to keep a low profile, not as conspicuous anymore. Otherwise, with every trip to the mountain yielding a bounty, if it happened too often, the villagers might become jealous. And from jealousy, any sort of trouble could arise.

Her reputation as a lucky star, once too widely known, would not be a blessing but a disaster.

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