Liu Ji’an said, “As for this thing, unless it’s absolutely necessary, you must not let anyone else know about it. Otherwise, it will bring you trouble.”
“…”
Listening to his nagging, like that of an old housewife, Shen Qingge suddenly felt a warmth in her heart.
Although they were only in a cooperative relationship for now, as her nominal husband, Liu Ji’an was still very responsible.
If…
A sudden, unbelievable thought popped into her mind. Shen Qingge quickly shook her head and pushed it away.
Men would only affect the speed at which she pulled the trigger.
Liu Ji’an had no idea what Shen Qingge was thinking at that moment. He was busy dealing with the gunshot wound on the silver-ringed snake.
He removed the bullet from the snake’s body, then used a dagger to stab it once more, disguising it as if the snake had been killed by the dagger.
After handling each of the silver-ringed snakes, they went to find the others.
Seeing them catch up, everyone immediately surrounded them. “Old Fifth, are you and your wife alright?”
Earlier, in their rush to escape, they had left Shen Qingge behind. Now that they saw her, they couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty and uneasy.
Liu Ji’an said, “Don’t worry, everyone. We’re fine. We killed quite a lot of those beasts.”
As he spoke, he lifted the basket in his hand.
Everyone looked and saw it was filled to the brim with snake meat.
For people who hadn’t eaten meat in a long time, this was a great source of nourishment. Naturally, they no longer cared about fear.
“These snakes are venomous—won’t eating them cause problems?” someone asked.
Liu Ji’an explained, “Don’t worry. Although the snakes are poisonous, their venom is in the head. As long as the head is removed, the meat is safe to eat.”
“With this much snake meat, it’s enough to share among everyone in the village.”
Everyone’s faces lit up with joy. Just thinking about the taste of meat made many of them start to swallow their saliva.
Early the next morning, a good amount of water had already collected in the large pit. They filled all the water bottles they had brought and drank deeply themselves.
After Gouwa woke up, they set off down the mountain.
This trip up the mountain not only brought them water, but also mushrooms, wild fruits, wild vegetables, and snake meat.
It could truly be said that they returned fully loaded.
On the way down the mountain, everyone was full of energy and smiling.
In less than two hours, they reunited with the rest of the villagers.
Since they hadn’t returned the previous night, the village chief had been extremely worried. Early in the morning, he brought people to wait at the foot of the mountain.
Only when he finally saw them returning did he feel relieved.
“Village Chief, we’re back!” everyone shouted happily.
Seeing how relaxed and joyful they looked, the village chief guessed that they must have gained a lot this time.
Smiling, he walked up to them and asked with concern, “How was it? No one got hurt along the way, right?”
Liu Ji’an said, “Don’t worry, Village Chief. Although there were some twists and turns, nothing serious happened. Only Gouwa got a minor injury—have the village doctor take a look at him later.”
The village chief looked at Gouwa, who was being carried on someone’s back, and quickly told someone to fetch the village doctor.
After returning to the shed outside the village chief’s home, Liu Ji’an and the others laid out all the things they had gathered.
Hearing the news of their return, Liu’s mother hurried over with Liu’s father.
When she saw Shen Qingge, Liu’s mother grabbed her and looked her over carefully. “Shen Qingge, let me see—are you alright? Did you get hurt?”
“I told you not to go. Leave this kind of thing to the men. Our Shen Qingge is so fair and delicate—what if something had happened? I would’ve caused a scene!”
Only then did Shen Qingge realize where Liu Ji’an got his nagging habit from.
But instead of feeling annoyed, she felt happy hearing these words.
Being cared for and worried about by others was truly a good feeling.
Shen Qingge replied, “Mother, I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”
Seeing that she was safe, Liu’s mother finally relaxed. She clasped her hands and prayed to the sky. “Thank heavens, thank heavens. It’s a blessing you’re not hurt. I was so worried I couldn’t sleep all night.”
Beside them, completely ignored, Liu Ji’an: “…”
From beginning to end, his mother hadn’t even given him a single glance, let alone shown concern.
Liu Ji’an lifted the basket of snake meat and waved it in front of his parents to draw their attention. “Father, Mother, look at what we brought back.”
Liu’s mother looked down and was so frightened that she hid behind Liu’s father. “Oh my! Why are there so many snakes? That’s terrifying!”
“You brat, are you trying to scare your mother to death?”
Like a child who had successfully pulled a prank, Liu Ji’an laughed loudly. “With your courage, how could I possibly scare you to death?”
“Where’s my broom? You naughty boy, you’re asking for a beating!” Liu’s mother grabbed a wooden stick and chased after him.
“Why are you hitting him? Stop it—give the child some face outside!” Liu’s father hurried to mediate.
But instead of truly stopping her, he simply held Liu Ji’an in place so his wife could hit him to her heart’s content.
Shen Qingge watched their warm family interaction with a smile, feeling a trace of envy in her heart.
She remembered how, in her childhood, her family used to joke and play together like this. She had even deliberately made her mother angry back then.
But after her parents sacrificed their lives, she no longer had any family and had never again experienced such warmth.
…
Soon, the other villagers gradually gathered around.
When they saw the large pile of food and the water bottles filled to the brim, they finally smiled.
“Wonderful! So much food—heaven has blessed us!”
“Exactly. We’ve long run out of grain at home. If we didn’t find food soon, we’d starve. Now we finally have something to eat.”
“Not only food, but also snake meat! It’s been so long since we’ve had meat, I almost forgot what it tastes like.”
“You useless fellow, haha…”
“Hahaha…”
No one touched the food.
They waited until the village chief returned after taking Gouwa to the doctor before distributing everything.
After the village chief came back, he weighed all the supplies and said, “These things are thanks to the dozen or so people who went out. I propose giving each of them an extra half jin of mushrooms. From now on, anyone who contributes to the village will be treated the same. What do you all think?”
Naturally, no one objected. After all, they were benefiting without doing anything. Without those who went out, they might not have gotten anything at all.
“Additionally, Ji’an and his wife will each receive an extra half jin of snake meat…”
Before the village chief could finish speaking, Old Madam Wang was the first to object.