Huo Shu said: "I'm going to wander around the mountains, see if I can bring back some fresh game."
Xiao Yong pulled the bowstring: "The forests here are sparsely populated, there should be plenty of good game."
His tone couldn't hide his anticipation. Xiao Yong was originally a hunter, and seeing the forests here in Yuchang made his fingers itch.
Ji Taoyu pursed his lips. All the meat at home was preserved, no one had fresh meat to eat nowadays.
Ji Taoyu pursed his lips. The only meat available at home was preserved; no household had fresh meat to eat these days.
If one wanted to purchase any, the nearest source was a village fifty li away. Even making the trip offered no guarantee of success. The sole means of obtaining fresh meat was to rely on the mountains—to hunt.
While he himself could usually suppress his cravings, understanding the conditions here, and could completely do without meat. But, it seemed the baby's father could not bear the thought of the child going without. See how intently he was planning for it.
Ji Taoyu noticed the youth following behind the two: "What about A-Pan?"
Zhao Pan scratched the back of his head: "I want to go with Uncle Huo to properly practice my archery skills. Being in the mountains, books aren't of much use here."
As soon as the words fell, Huang Yinsheng also came out, dressed in dark clothes with cuffed sleeves.
Ji Taoyu narrowed his eyes: "Grandfather is going hunting too?"
Huang Yinsheng said with a smile: "What hunting could I do? It's been many years since I last came to Yuchang. The mountains and wilderness here are lush, and spring is the best season for digging up medicinal herbs. I'll go up the mountain with Huo Shu, we can keep each other company."
Ji Taoyu pursed his lips. Initially, he just thought going up the mountain to hunt sounded interesting, but now hearing his grandfather say he could also dig for herbs, interesting quickly turned into envy.
However, he placed his hand on his belly. The child was just four months along, barely settled, and they had endured such a bumpy journey for many days. Needless to think, they wouldn't agree to let him go along.
"We'll go early and return early."
Huang Yinsheng said: "You behave yourself at home."
Ji Taoyu watched as the group of four left. He tilted his chin up, leaning back in the recliner, his skin so fair it seemed to glow in the sunlight.
He listlessly peeled and ate a hard-boiled egg. Yuan Huiru, seeing he was downcast, said with a smile: "If you're feeling bored, you can come with your godmother and your mother later to dig for some wild vegetables around here."
"Dig for wild vegetables?"
Ji Taoyu's eyes lit up.
Yuan Huiru responded: "Yes, right now we have no fields or land, not a bit of fresh melons, fruits, or vegetables. We can only eat dried radish and dried cabbage. The season is good now, wild vegetables are tender and plentiful. Digging some up will not only give us a change of taste but also help stretch the little traveling money we have."
"Right now, everyone has no income, so we must live frugally."
Ji Taoyu quickly nodded: "Okay."
The three each took a small hoe, carried a basket, and slung a small backpack basket before heading out.
It wasn't just them, other women and gers from other families had the same idea. Many people outside were digging for wild vegetables.
Everyone was unfamiliar with the surrounding paths. Needless to say about places close by, for places slightly further away, they went together in groups.
"There's quite a lot of wild chives, they're very fragrant stir-fried with preserved meat."
Clumps of thin wild chives grew long, and being in season, they hadn't yet turned yellow or wilted.
"The soil here is quite fertile. The wild vegetables can grow so well. In the future, when we clear and plant crops, it shouldn't be bad either."
"There are fernbrake on the side too. We can pick a bunch to take back later. They're also good blanched and served as a mixed dish."
While the three were talking, a voice chimed in: "Everyone's out digging for wild vegetables, huh."
Ji Taoyu looked up and saw it was Ji Wanglan. He called out: "Third Aunt."
Ji Wanglan had a basket hanging on her forearm containing a handful of fernbrake. She came over to check the trio's results and saw their baskets were still empty: "Just got out?"
"Mm."
Ji Taoyu continued searching for wild vegetables. Seeing some mugwort, he picked a few stalks as well: "Third Aunt, didn't you go help build the houses?"
"Your uncle and cousin went to help your eldest uncle. The two families will build together, so it'll be faster."
Ji Wanglan said: "Your cousin has worked with your eldest uncle often, he's very handy."
Huang Manjing smiled without speaking. This meant they were latching onto her eldest brother's family. Given the lazybones in their family, they probably wouldn't do honest work themselves. But, it was better than them pestering their family.
"That's good." Ji Taoyu said.
Ji Wanglan saw the other two weren't speaking. She pushed Ji Taoyu aside to dig for wild vegetables: "I need to talk to your mother about something important. Go play over there for a bit."
Ji Taoyu was a bit baffled but couldn't be bothered to argue with his third aunt.
Seeing Ji Taoyu move away, she quickly squeezed between the two women and said mysteriously: "Xiao Liu's family, Zhao niangzi, let me tell you something strange, it's really something else."
Huang Manjing raised her eyebrows. What earth-shattering thing could have happened already, just arriving here: "What is it?"
"That third daughter of the Wu family, wasn't it said she wrapped her hair and became a nun? She disappeared for many years! Guess what, I actually saw her mixed in with us here today!"
Ji Wanglan acted as if she had discovered some enormous secret. Pulling Huang Manjing aside and lowering her voice to avoid Ji Taoyu, she said: "I saw her talking to your son-in-law, laughing and chatting, they seemed quite familiar. That young man named Pan or something also following your son-in-law, he even calls her mother!"
Huang Manjing was stunned for a moment. She had actually learned about Wu Lianhe's situation on the road. It was inevitable that the villagers would find out eventually, so she wasn't surprised.
"So what?"
"I say, how can you be so muddled? Your son-in-law has a face like iron, when has he ever shown any extra kindness to any young woman or ger? With your son-in-law being so capable all these years, could it truly be that there was no one? The more I look at that Pan kid, the more I feel..."
Before she could finish, Yuan Huiru's eyes suddenly widened, and she hurriedly interrupted: "You mustn't speak nonsense!"
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