The Tempting Educated Youth Married to a Rough Man-Chapter 96 - 94: Wen Ran: Uh, Is Xiao Chenye Cosplaying a Resentful Little Wife?
Wen Ran stumbled a bit when Hongguo bumped into her, but she quickly held onto her, then turned her head, casting a curious glance at Xiao Fang.
The meaning was obvious, like, what’s the deal, scaring our kid?
Xiao Fang: "..."
She was speechless and shook the medicine bottle in her hand, "Her hand’s scratched, I’m just putting some medicine on it."
Hongguo, who was startled, blushed with embarrassment when she realized it was a misunderstanding, and sheepishly retreated from Wen Ran’s embrace.
But, Wen Ran always felt there was a gaze making her feel like there’s a thorn in her back.
Looking back, she met Xiao Chenye’s eyes.
Looking pitifully aggrieved.
"Come sit," Wen Ran patted the spot beside her, "I saved a spot just for you."
These words made Xiao Chenye feel a bit better, and with a little grunt, he finally sat down next to Wen Ran.
Five bonfires burned, and five large iron pots were licked by the flames.
Two pots were cooking rice, and the remaining three were stewing dishes.
To ensure the hunters going into the mountain ate well, the captain had painstakingly gathered these five large pots.
Previously, hunters on the mountain ate cold food, but now they were having hot meals.
The fish soup bubbled and frothed with a milky white foam, smelling fresh and enticing, an aunt threw in some cilantro, and a bowl for each person not only whetted their appetites but also warmed them up.
"Eat more, you girls are all so skinny and frail, just wait till you get married and have kids, then you’ll know how much trouble a scrawny frame can be."
Such a bold statement almost made Wen Ran choke.
Xiao Fang remained calm, and Hongguo also handled it unfazed.
In fact, Xiao Fang even gave Wen Ran a disdainful look, "Young girls like you still need more practice!"
She’s been hunting in the mountains for two or three years, and by now, these aunts had toughened up her skin.
Wen Ran silently gave a thumbs up.
Impressive!
After eating and drinking their fill, with nothing to do, they all went to sleep, the bonfire wasn’t extinguished, continuously providing heat and warning to predators in the forest.
The women were gathered in the center, Hongguo snuggled with Wen Ran, breathing in the faint scent of security from Wen Ran, she slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Dreamless through the night, until dawn.
After a simple breakfast, everyone dispersed to action, two strong lads were specially sent to take that bastard Xiao Qiang down the mountain, while the rest packed up, preparing to move forward.
In a short while, they hadn’t come across any prey, but Xiao Fang wasn’t idle, picking herbs wherever she went.
However, processing herbs is complicated, so Xiao Fang could only collect those that were easy to process, while for the rest, she could only look on, longing.
"Goji berries!" Xiao Fang exclaimed joyfully, "There’s a big patch of wild goji berries here!"
Fresh goji berries can be eaten directly, with a pleasant taste, sweet with a hint of tartness. If dried, they become medicinal herbs.
Following the principle of taking a feather from every passing goose, everyone rushed in, stripping most of the goji berries, they didn’t even need washing, just a blow to remove the dust, and they went straight into their bellies.
After walking in the mountain for two more hours, Zhao Tiezhu and several leaders finally spoke, deciding to camp here for the next three days.
The aunts were quick and practiced, clearly old hands at this, and with nothing to do, Xiao Fang began gathering herbs while Hongguo, who was beside Wen Ran, suddenly asked, "Sister, can the herbs Sister Xiao Fang picks be sold?"
"If processed properly, they can be sold, pharmacies and hospitals will buy them."
Hongguo’s eyes lit up, "I know a lot."
"Huh?"
Wen Ran smiled, "You’ve seen her pick them?"
"Yep!" Hongguo complained, "I come here often to pick fruits, those herbs taste awful, bitter and astringent."
Wen Ran grinned, indeed!
Food is for enjoyment, medicine is for necessity, in the eyes of Huaxia people, it’s not about whether you can eat it, but whether it tastes good.
"Do you want to join in?"
"Can I?"
"Of course, just don’t wander out of the safe area," Wen Ran winked, "but whether Xiao Fang is willing to teach you is not up to me."
Hongguo’s eyes sparkled, "Sister, I understand!"
Watching Hongguo run off excitedly, Wen Ran looked around the crowd, pondering going out for some game in the morning.
"What are you plotting?"
Xiao Chenye suddenly appeared behind Wen Ran, nearly scaring her to death, "Good gracious, are you trying to rebel?!"
She clutched her chest, bewildered and shaken, "People scaring people will scare someone to death."
"Sorry, I didn’t mean to," Xiao Chenye also looked aggrieved, "I just wanted to say something to you."
Wen Ran: "..."
No, why does Xiao Chenye give off such a vibe of a grievous little wife?
"Hey! Can you be serious for a bit?"
"Alright."
Xiao Chenye became serious in a second, Wen Ran took a deep breath, forget it, let’s not dwell on it, "By the way, why choose this spot?"
"Zhuzi, along with the leaders, picked this place, there are wild boars around here.
You wonder why the captain let Zhuzi lead? His family has been hunters for generations, he knows this mountain like the back of his hand.
Of course, he might not be familiar with this deep a spot, but areas frequently visited by wild boars have common traits, once you grasp them, finding wild boars isn’t hard."
Oh~
So that’s how it is, Wen Ran had gained some knowledge.
"Should I go help out?"
"Probably not needed, there are enough people."
Wen Ran was taken aback, "Then why am I here?"
Though she wanted to join the team for a round, she hadn’t even brought it up when the captain eagerly asked her to come up the mountain.
So...
Xiao Chenye pointed with his lips and chuckled, "Isn’t there a women’s team here?"
As far as the eye could see, Xiao Fang was joyfully picking herbs with Hongguo, while the aunts were gossiping, talking about whose husband was fierce on the bed, all while effortlessly preparing the ingredients for dishes.
Wen Ran: "..."
Got it.
Looks like she’s turned into a sort of bodyguard.
Darn it!
Can’t work for free, she’ll have to apply for extra shares when they return!
By noon, the team had returned fully loaded, having raided a wild boar nest, and carried back seven big fat boars, and a dozen or so half-grown small boars.
The camp instantly burst into joy, everyone swiftly and skillfully dragged the wild boars to the wide and open creekside, cleaned them up, and assembled a small squad to carry down the mountain for processing.
On the mountain, they kept one big and one small boar for the day’s meals.
Just when Wen Ran thought her little life could continue leisurely like this, suddenly, a change occurred.
Whether it was the members killing too many wild boars and angering the wolves or something else, on the fourth day up the mountain, just as everyone was preparing to move to a new spot, they were surrounded by a pack of wolves.
