My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 93 Part 1

Chapter 93

"Why is Zhao niangzi so agitated? It wasn't just me who saw it. Everyone is whispering about it."

Ji Wanglan looked at the usually gentle Yuan Huiru, who reacted so strongly. She was startled by her loud scolding and lowered her voice: "They're all afraid of your godson and don't dare say anything, but your godson is one of our own. I only came to tell you so you can keep an eye out."

"Our Tao ger just had a child, we can't let someone sneak in and take advantage."

"Women and gers all had half their faces covered. I didn't pay much attention on the way here."

Ji Wanglan said: "But that boy called Pan'er was jumping around right in front of them. Ah, I was just wondering why Tao ger didn't properly look into it and question his behavior."

Huang Manjing, seeing Ji Wanglan getting more and more out of line, quickly pulled her and said: "Third Sister, things aren't how you think. I'm telling you straight, there is no such relationship between the third daughter of the Wu family and our A-Shu like you said. Third Sister, you must not speak of this to anyone else."

Ji Wanglan was just about to argue, thinking these two were fools, when she heard her add: "If these words reach A-Shu's ears, you know how formidable he is."

Hearing this, Ji Wanglan shuddered. The incident at Lianping Prefecture with the rebels was still vivid in her mind. She dared not provoke that formidable man and immediately shut her mouth.

She shrunk her neck back: "Fine, anyway, I've brought the message to you. If anything happens later, don't say I didn't warn you."

Having said that, Ji Wanglan seemed to feel she had been somewhat presumptuous and, feeling slightly awkward, left with her basket.

Ji Taoyu was squatting nearby digging for wild vegetables and had indeed heard every word of their conversation without missing a thing.

Seeing that Ji Wanglan had left, he went over: "To think the rumors are spreading in this direction—we really can't delay any longer."

Yuan Huiru frowned tightly: "What should we do? Just have the mother and son move in, as if announcing it to everyone?"

Ji Taoyu said: "We still need to gather everyone and announce this matter directly. Only then will it stop them from discussing it privately and saying all sorts of things."

Thinking of Ji Wanglan's speculation, Ji Taoyu was also a little angry. If Huo Shu found out, who knows how he would react.

"Right now, everyone has just arrived here. Making a living is the top priority. Announcing it early so everyone knows will mean they gossip for a couple of days and then it's over. If we were back in Tongzhou, where days were stable and people had nothing to do, who knows how long they would gossip and point fingers for."

Huang Manjing also agreed with Ji Taoyu's opinion: "Right, this might be the best opportunity. Our group of fellow villagers have practically escaped death. Those rules of etiquette and doctrine are only paramount in peaceful, well-fed times. In times of chaos, being able to survive is already the most important thing; these other matters won't be seen as so crucial."

Ji Taoyu also said: "A-Shu said our living quarters here need to be expanded. Later, we can have A-Pan and his mother move into the same courtyard as Godmother. Everyone relies on A-Shu, and A-Pan is his eldest nephew. I doubt anyone would dare say much."

Furthermore, although the Wu family had also moved here entirely, Wu Lianhe couldn't very well live at her parents' house with her son. Building a separate residence would also be troublesome. This was the best arrangement.

Yuan Huiru felt much more settled after hearing the two of them speak. So she went to find Wu Lianhe and brought her home to discuss this matter together.

Wu Lianhe was horrified to hear that gossip was already spreading below, and it was such unpleasant talk.

Originally, she had wanted her son to earn an official title before recognizing his ancestry, but who could have predicted the turmoil in Tongzhou? Now, although he already has the title of Xiucai, it isn't of much use.

She wasn't afraid of anything else, only worried about damaging her son's reputation and affecting the children of her natal family. Her older brothers were already married, but there was still a younger brother of marrying age.

The few of them carefully discussed strategies but hadn't fully settled the matter when, in the afternoon, the men who had gone up the mountain returned first.

Ji Taoyu hadn't even taken his afternoon nap because of the matter concerning Wu Lianhe and Zhao Pan. There was some commotion outside. He got up to look and saw the returning men. His eyes couldn't help but widen a little.

The men had quite a harvest. Zhao Pan held two pheasants in one hand. The feathers of the colorful pheasants were glossy and much prettier than the free-range chickens raised at home. They were still flapping in his hand, surprisingly still alive.

"These chickens are alive; we need something to confine them."

Yuan Huiru quickly fetched two large baskets: "Cover them with the baskets for now."

Xiao Yong and Huo Shu came in right behind them. One was carrying a deer on his shoulder, the other a wild boar with stiff bristles. These two wild animals were already dead, blood covering their bodies, and quite a bit of bloodstains had also gotten on the two men.

Only Huang Yinsheng came in leisurely behind them. He had gone up the mountain with a bamboo basket to dig for herbs but ended up finding their hunting very exciting. So he simply followed them to watch the fun and didn't manage to dig up more than a couple of herbs.

His basket was also occupied by the wild rabbits they had hunted.

"To have such a harvest after only being gone for half a day!"

Ji Yangzong heard villagers outside saying the group had gotten things from the mountains and hurried back to take a look. As soon as he entered the gate, he saw the large wild boar, weighing at least one to two hundred catties, thrown in the courtyard.

Xiao Yong was scooping water to wash his hands by the water vat: "Yuchang has vast forests. The northern part is sparsely populated. The goods in the mountains are much more plentiful than imagined. We didn't even go far, just hunted in the surrounding forests."

Yuchang might not excel in other things, many aspects couldn't compare to Tongzhou, but when it came to hunting mountain game, it was much easier than in Tongzhou.

Tongzhou was prosperous and densely populated. It didn't have as many forests as Yuchang. People who enjoyed mountain delicacies and could afford them were everywhere. Therefore, mountain goods fetched high prices, and there were also quite a few hunters.

A harvest like today's—Xiao Yong, guarding in the mountains back then, might not have gotten this much even in ten days or half a month.

Going up the mountain today was truly an exhilarating hunt. He once again witnessed Huo Shu's prowess.

Such a fierce large wild boar, and they didn't even dig a trap—he actually subdued it alive and brought it down the mountain.

Everyone looked at the bountiful harvest. While happy, they couldn't help but worry: "If the surrounding woods have so many wild animals, isn't it dangerous? What if they charge down the mountain and hurt people?"

Huo Shu said: "Xiao Yong has set some traps in the nearby woods. We will frequently go up the mountain to hunt recently. Eventually, the wild animals in the nearby woods will learn to be cautious and retreat deeper into the mountains, and won't come out often."

"Everyone should also be more careful. Keep an eye on your children and don't let them run around recklessly. If you must go up the mountain, go in groups."

The farmers who came to watch the excitement nodded.

Some looked enviously at the wild game lying in the Ji family's courtyard—this was all meat, fresh meat.