With the Fengshou Fu in hand, Yu Hongdou finally felt a glimmer of anticipation for that Night-Luminous Pearl. However, it was clear that the system knew how to toy with people.
In Yu Hongdou’s memory, so-called night-luminous pearls were all the color of greenish duck eggs. They were commonplace at Panjiayuan street stalls in the capital, available in both duck-egg and round shapes. After being exposed to sunlight or illuminated by a lamp, they would emit a faint fluorescent green when covered. But the glow was too dim to be of any practical use—they were merely decorative.
Her gaze fell upon the white, egg-sized sphere in her backpack. This was the first time she had seen a white one; it looked like a ping-pong ball carved from white jade. Could this thing be radioactive?
[Night-Luminous Pearl: An ordinary night-luminous pearl. Its only advantage is that it glows without needing light exposure and shines even brighter when illuminated. (No radiation, Host can use it with peace of mind.)]
…Yu Hongdou’s little face fell, her inner complaints and resentment nearly bubbling out from the top of her head.
“Hongdou, do you need to use the outhouse?” Seeing her daughter’s expression shift from sunny to stormy in an instant, Xu Shi couldn’t help but jump to conclusions.
“No, I don’t. Dad, where are the rabbits?” Hongdou shook her head and, noticing Xu Shi’s persistent worry that she might need to relieve herself, quickly changed the subject to divert her attention.
“Patience is a virtue. The rabbits will come,” Yu Sanlang said unhurriedly. After all, he needed to settle his wife and daughter safely before he could start hunting.
“We just passed a rabbit burrow,” Hongdou murmured. Though she had never caught a rabbit herself, with the system’s help, she was confident no one knew the distribution of rabbit burrows in the mountains better than she did.
“I know. When I was a kid, I relied on wild game from these mountains for occasional feasts. Pheasants are easy to catch, but rabbits are cunning. Hongdou, do you know what ‘a wily hare has three burrows’ means? It means…” Yu Sanlang’s explanation soon veered off track.
Perhaps the rabbit, like Hongdou, was irritated by Yu Sanlang’s chattering, as it suddenly darted out of its burrow and vanished into the small grove on the right.
“Rabbit!” Hongdou belatedly pointed toward the grove and looked up at her father. That cunning rabbit indeed had multiple burrows—and it had escaped.
“…” Yu Sanlang rubbed his forehead, smiled wryly at his wife, then picked up his daughter and quickened his pace until they reached a small stream on the other side of the grove.
“Wait here. I’ll bring back a rabbit for our meal soon.” If he didn’t catch one now, his daughter would think he was all talk. Gritting his teeth, Yu Sanlang lightly flicked his daughter’s forehead—a father’s dignity must be upheld.
Hongdou pouted. “Men remain boys until the day they die”—how true that was. Her father usually seemed shrewd and mature, the epitome of steady and calculating. Who would have thought he could be so childish at times?
The stream was shallow, barely reaching Hongdou’s ankles. Xu Shi, reassured, instructed her daughter not to get her shoes and socks wet before gathering dry grass and branches nearby for firewood. If her husband intended to roast a rabbit, a fire would be needed.
After wandering a few steps, Hongdou sighed at the endless expanse of green surrounding her.
That feeling of going to the supermarket at the end of the month, seeing everything looking good and wanting to buy it all, yet having no money in your pocket, is truly awful. She wondered if there were other ways to obtain Sign-in Points besides leveling up skills.
Turning to look at her mother, who was bending over with her back turned, gathering grass, Yu Hongdou checked her account balance of 8 points and decided to splurge 1 point. She would save the rest to visit Hunter Wu Chenggong’s house and see what 3 points could sign out, keeping the remaining points for emergencies.
【Sign-in Location: Taoyuan Village Dongshan Stream. Consume 1 point to sign in?】
【Sign-in Location: Taoyuan Village Dongshan Stream Wormwood Thicket. Consume 1 point to sign in?】
The two nearest locations didn’t seem particularly promising. Yu Hongdou hesitated for a moment before finally choosing the wormwood thicket. She was curious about what a bare patch of grass like that could yield.
【Sign-in successful: Obtained 2 wild pheasants.】
Honestly, the sign-in system had a vibe of opening a blind box. Yu Hongdou looked at the two plump wild pheasants added to her backpack and grinned so wide her gums showed.
Since transmigrating, aside from the feast at the village chief’s house, the wild pheasant her brother brought her to eat in the mountains a few days ago, and last night’s reunion dinner, Yu Hongdou hadn’t seen any meat. She did get one egg every day, reportedly a benefit her parents had secured for her, but meat was truly scarce.
Back when Yu Sanlang and Yu Song were home, they would occasionally arrange some special treatment for the family, sometimes even benefiting the entire Yu Family. But lately, both father and son had been too busy to be seen, and the household had been devoid of meat.
As someone accustomed to eating meat regularly in modern society, enduring days of what felt like diet meals had left her practically green with craving.
Yu Hongdou glanced over at Xu Shi again and, seeing that she wasn’t paying any attention, decisively pulled a wild pheasant from her backpack, held it in her arms, closed her eyes, and prepared to shout.
“Mom! Mom, come quick!” The pheasant, which had been lifeless in the system backpack, started flapping wildly the moment it emerged, its wings smacking Yu Hongdou in the face. She didn’t need to pretend—she screamed in genuine fright.
“Hongdou!” Xu Shi was startled, dropping the grass in her hands and rushing to her daughter, only to find her being attacked by a wild pheasant…
It took some effort for Xu Shi to rescue her daughter from under the pheasant’s wings and knock the culprit unconscious. By then, Yu Hongdou’s hair was a mess, her face smudged with pheasant feathers and dust from the flapping wings—she looked utterly disheveled.
Just then, Yu Sanlang returned carrying two rabbits, one large and one small. Seeing his daughter’s state, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing: “Pfft~ Hahaha, Hongdou, you look like a little madwoman.”
Yu Hongdou silently rolled her eyes at him. Truly, her biological father.
Xu Shi couldn’t stand her husband’s smugness. She lifted the pheasant and waved it in front of him, standing up for their daughter: “This is our Hongdou’s achievement.”
“?” Yu Sanlang looked at the plump wild pheasant, which weighed about three or four jin, then at the large rabbit in his hand. The male rabbit, having just survived the winter, was so scrawny it appeared about the same size as the pheasant.
“Hahaha, Dad, let’s have roast pheasant today. We can raise the rabbit and eat it when it’s fatter—otherwise, I’m afraid it’ll get stuck in my teeth.” The tables had turned. Yu Hongdou, feeling triumphant, planted her hands on her hips and teased her father.
“Alright then, we can’t let our Hongdou take a beating for nothing. Let’s eat this plump chicken first.” Without further discussion, Yu Sanlang found a rope to tie up the rabbit and placed it in the backpack, covering it with a layer of grass before taking the pheasant to prepare.
The family of three enjoyed a satisfying meal together. Yu Hongdou greatly praised Yu Sanlang’s roasting skills. Compared to Yu Song’s previous attempt, Yu Sanlang had the advantage of seasonings this time – besides salt and honey, he had also brought pepper and chili powder.
“Dad, this red powder is delicious. What’s it made from?” Yu Hongdou asked curiously between burps. Chili already existed at this time? She hadn’t seen it in daily life.
“This is called chili, also a medicinal herb. It has a spicy flavor and can treat colds. I heard they commonly use chili in cooking in Shu region. But chili is an imported ingredient, quite precious like pepper. Our village will grow some this year. If the harvest is good, we can use chili in our cooking next year.”
Yu Sanlang hadn’t expected both his wife and daughter to like the taste of chili so much. He felt both pleased and proud. It had to be him – who else would have noticed so carefully that the Tian family girl used so many uncommon medicinal herbs in cooking, and made them taste so delicious!