Chapter 118
The first batch of chives was ready to be harvested. Early in the morning, after Shen Xuanqing left, Lu Gu took advantage of the mild sunlight and went to cut a large bunch with a sickle. Since they had brought up plenty of eggs this time, he planned to make chive and egg dumplings for dinner.
While sorting the chives, Guaizi came over to sniff. Perhaps the strong smell of chives bothered him, he wrinkled his nose and walked away, stretching lazily at the courtyard gate with his butt in the air.
There was some mud on the chive leaves, so Lu Gu washed them very carefully, scrubbing each one clean and changing the water twice.
Wei Lanxiang had experienced an epidemic when she was a child, and influenced by the doctor’s constant reminders, the Shen family had always been particular about food cleanliness, adhering to the principle of not eating anything unclean. Over time, Lu Gu had also learned to follow this practice.
The washed chives were placed on a bamboo tray to drain. He could chop them in the afternoon, there was no rush.
His hands were stained with black and green stains, so Lu Gu took some wild soapberries to wash his hands. He saw that there were not many wild soapberries in the small bamboo basket, so after kneading the dough, he covered the dough basin with a cloth and called Guaizi to go out and pick some.
The wild soapberries tree wasn’t far away, and Guaizi knew the way, he ran ahead of him.
"Woof!"
Lu Gu heard Guaizi's impatient bark, Lu Gu smiled faintly and called out, "Coming!"
The tree branches were laden with green round fruits, which had grown larger since the last time they were picked. Lu Gu hung the bamboo basket on a broken half of the tree trunk, stood on his tiptoes, and pulled down the lush branches, picking the wild soapberries one by one.
Guaizi seemed eager to help. He circled anxiously under the tree, jumping up to try and bite the branches. But the tree was too tall, and he couldn’t reach. In the end, he had to give up, wagging his tail a couple of times before standing still and looking up.
The wild soapberries had grown bigger, so Lu Gu decided to come back the day before going down the mountain to pick more, as they could be sold in town. It seemed that wild soapberries were one of the few things that could be sold from spring to late autumn, making them a reliable source of income. Thinking this, Lu Gu’s fondness for the wild soapberries grew even stronger.
The small bamboo basket was filled with enough wild soapberries for him and Shen Xuanqing to use for a month. He slowly released the branch in his hand and walked back with Guaizi.
Thinking of the Guaizi's intention to help just now, and still seemed a bit "unwilling to give up", he handed the handle of the bamboo basket to the puppy's mouth and coaxed him, "Bite this. Carrying it back would be a big help."
In fact, Lu Gu didn’t expect Guaizi to be of much help, he just wanted to tease him. After Shen Xuanqing left, only the two of them were left. If he didn’t play with the puppy, who else was there to play with?
Unexpectedly, Guaizi was so smart. He tilted his head to look at him for a while, then opened his mouth and bit the handle of the bamboo basket.
"Ah." Lu Gu was very surprised. He didn't expect Guaizi to actually understand him. Overjoyed, he couldn’t help but rub Guaizi's furry head, praising him as he did so: "So smart! How are you so clever and understanding?"
Guaizi couldn't speak, and might not understand complicated words, but he could sense emotions, he could tell whether Lu Gu was happy or not.
Lu Gu patted Guaizi's head and smiled at him, making his tail wag happily.
"Alright, let’s go back," Lu Gu straightened up and stopped petting him.
Guaizi understood the words "go back". He was so excited that if he wasn't holding something in his mouth, he would have barked a few times. He dashed forward, however the bamboo basket was shallow and quite full, so a lot of wild soapberries fell out as he ran. Lu Gu, who was following behind quickly called out for Guaizi to stop while picking up the wild soapberries that had rolled on the ground.
Guaizi was good at reading people's expressions. Seeing that Lu Gu was not angry, he turned around and ran back happily.
Lu Gu put the wild soapberries he picked up into the bamboo basket and said, "Alright, no more running now."
The two of them walked back steadily together.
The loofah and winter melon vines in the backyard were growing well. Having been watered two days ago, they didn’t need any more attention. The small vegetable plot in the front yard was also thriving. Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Lu Gu brought out his sewing basket to do some embroidery.
Life on the mountain was quiet, but fortunately, he had Guaizi to keep him company. He no longer felt the fear he used to when left alone in the yard.
Although Guaizai was usually naughty, but he was very good at pleasing people. As the sun grew stronger, the two of them moved under the eaves to avoid the sun. When Guaizi grew bored of playing by himself, he came over and nuzzled his furry head under Lu Gu’s hand, whimpering incessantly, obviously asking to be petted.
Lu Gu had no choice but to put down his work and indulge him.
Guaizi's fur was smooth and sleek, and his body felt solid to the touch, it was obvious that the meat was not eaten in vain.
"Alright," Lu Gu said after petting Guaizi for a while, trying to push him away. But Guaizi stubbornly squeezed closer, rubbing his head against his hand repeatedly.
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