Su Qingran picked one and tasted it. It was so sour that her features twisted together. No wonder these berries grew in patches here without being eaten by birds or insects.
However, in her previous life, she had seen people selling blueberry jam. They would cook it with sugar and package it in glass jars, selling it at high prices.
Su Qingran suddenly thought she could try it too. After all, farming was out of the question—she had never farmed in either of her two lifetimes combined. But she could help increase the family’s income and let her family eat better.
Thinking this, she moved all these blueberry plants into her Space and watered them with some Spiritual Spring Water to nourish them. She planned to harvest them before her parents returned home.
With this plan in mind, Su Qingran prepared to descend the mountain.
She didn’t know how long she had been walking when she suddenly heard a loud commotion, like the roar of a wild boar. She wasn’t interested and intended to continue down the mountain. Unexpectedly, a familiar figure soon appeared in her view.
“Comrade Su?”
Sunlight pierced through layers of broad leaves, casting scattered golden spots on the damp humus soil. The dense wildflowers at her feet made the young girl appear even more delicate and charming.
Shi Yunxiao’s heart jolted violently, and he averted his gaze.
Su Qingran stared straight at him. She saw Shi Yunxiao dragging a large wild boar, with blood stains splattered on his face and clothes. He seemed injured too, with considerable blood flowing from his forearm.
“Comrade Shi.” Su Qingran frowned. “You’re injured?”
“Just a scratch.” Shi Yunxiao threw the dead wild boar on the ground and approached Su Qingran. He unconsciously took a few steps forward, and only relaxed slightly when he saw she was safe and sound. “Why are you here?”
“…I came to see if I could find some mushrooms. By the way, Comrade Shi, I picked some wild berries. Would you like some?”
Shi Yunxiao shook his head, his expression turning serious. “This mountain is dangerous. You shouldn’t come up here alone in the future, especially not deep into the mountains.”
“I know. I’ve only been wandering around the foothills before. I just came up when I heard the noise…”
Realizing he might have frightened the young girl, Shi Yunxiao instinctively softened his tone. “Next time you hear noises, don’t come to investigate. It’s very dangerous.”
“I understand.” Su Qingran nodded seriously, then changed the subject. “But—”
“Comrade Shi, could you please not tell anyone about meeting me here? I’m afraid my parents would worry.”
A faint smile flickered across Shi Yunxiao’s face.
Noticing Su Qingran staring directly at him, Shi Yunxiao felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Before he could speak, a carefree voice came from behind.
“Old Shi! I finally found you!”
Xie Jin’an appeared, holding two pheasants in his left hand and two rabbits in his right, breathing heavily. The next moment, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Comrade Su, what are you doing here?”
Shi Yunxiao felt relieved, yet a faint sense of disappointment welled up in his heart.
Su Qingran explained again and asked him to help keep the secret too. Xie Jin’an agreed immediately. “Comrade Su, you’re really too bold. Crouching Chicken Mountain isn’t safe. We just encountered a bear, and fortunately Old Shi and I ran fast. Hey… Old Shi, you caught a wild boar?!”
Xie Jin’an only then noticed the dead wild boar on the ground. “Why didn’t you call me? Are you injured?”
“It’s nothing, just a scratch.”
“Impressive!” Xie Jin’an gave a thumbs up. “Let’s hurry down the mountain.”
Su Qingran was somewhat curious and asked as they walked: “Why did you hunt so much game? With this wild boar, you won’t get to keep much after bringing it down the mountain.”
Xie Jin’an made a dismissive sound. “Isn’t Su Xiaoyong’s funeral tomorrow? His family doesn’t have much meat for the feast. Old Shi and I thought we’d come up the mountain to see if we could hunt something. We asked your team leader before coming, and he said any game we catch can be used for the funeral banquet and doesn’t need to be handed over to the village.”
“When we ran into that black bear earlier, I thought we’d return empty-handed today. But Old Shi here really came through.”
“…”
“Comrade Su, what wild fruits did you gather? I’ve been wandering around the mountain all afternoon and didn’t see any tasty wild fruits.”
“I picked some wild chestnuts, plus some blueberries and wild dates. Would you like some?”
“Are they sour? I just ate a few fruits earlier, and they were all very sour.”
“These are somewhat sour, but the chestnuts aren’t.”
“Then give me some. Old Shi, do you want any?”
“…No.”
“Why have you been so quiet the whole way?” Xie Jin’an looked suspiciously at Shi Yunxiao. Why did he feel like something was off about him today?
Shi Yunxiao: “…” Why did he suddenly find this guy so annoyingly chatty?
As they were about to reach the foot of the mountain, Shi Yunxiao took a wild rabbit from Xie Jin’an’s hands and offered it to Su Qingran. “Old Xie ate quite a few of your chestnuts. This is for you.”
Xie Jin’an was momentarily surprised, then nodded in agreement. “Yes, Comrade Su, please take it. We soldiers can’t take even a needle or thread from civilians.”
He had been planning to offer something too, but Shi Yunxiao had beaten him to it. Since when had this guy become so proactive?
“These things aren’t worth much…” Su Qingran initially tried to refuse, but as both men insisted, she finally accepted. “Then thank you, Comrade Shi and Comrade Xie.”
“I’ll go this way. Let’s part here.”
Shi Yunxiao and the others were dragging a large wild boar down the mountain, which would surely cause a stir throughout Su Family Village. She didn’t want to walk with them and be gawked at like monkeys.
Moreover, since Shi Yunxiao had saved her, if people saw them walking together, it might lead to unpleasant rumors. She didn’t care about herself, but she worried it might cause trouble for Shi Yunxiao.
“Goodbye, Comrade Su.”
…
“Comrade Shi and Comrade Xie hunted a wild boar!”
“A wild boar? Really?”
“Yes, they’re dragging it toward Xiaoyong’s house right now!”
“Xiaoyong’s house? Why are they going there? Shouldn’t the team leader distribute the boar among us?”
“Ah, I heard this wild boar was specifically hunted by Comrades Shi and Xie for Xiaoyong’s funeral. The team leader said it doesn’t need to be shared with the village.”
“Why should that be? Everything on Crouching Chicken Mountain belongs to the collective. Since when did it become their private property? And these two soldiers are making such a mistake too!”
“Oh, keep your voice down. Peifang lost her husband early and struggled to raise Xiaoyong on her own. Now… Xiaoyong left behind a wife and a two-year-old child. Their family is having a hard time. Comrades Shi and Xie are just trying to help them.”
“Exactly. Won’t we all end up eating the boar anyway?”
“That’s different… We were going to have this meal anyway, and that wild boar still needs to be shared!”
“If it weren’t for Xiaoyong, Comrades Shi and Xie wouldn’t have gone up the mountain to hunt the wild boar at all. Where would you get your share?”
“Exactly, enjoying the benefits and still pretending to be innocent.”
“You all!”
“……”
Those with such thoughts were in the minority. Most people were quite happy to hear the wild boar would be used for tomorrow’s feast. A whole wild boar! Judging by its size, the meat alone must weigh over a hundred jin, right?
In these times, whose family could procure so much meat for a feast?
It seemed they were in for a treat tomorrow.
The Su family, who had just returned from the fields, were also discussing this matter. Huang Cuicui clicked her tongue, “Comrades Shi and Xie are really something.”
“Aren’t they just?”
Zhao Lanzhi was growing fonder of Shi Yunxiao and Xie Jin’an the more she saw them. She felt pleased when others praised them. It was a pity the two comrades weren’t from their village, otherwise she would have mustered all her courage to matchmake her Ranran with one of them.
“Dad, Mom, look what I have!” Su Qingran stood there smiling brightly, holding two wild rabbits.
“My goodness!” Huang Cuicui was startled, then delighted upon realizing what they were. “Little sister, where did you get these? Did you catch them in the mountains again?”
Zhao Lanzhi and Su Hongshan also showed surprise on their faces. Could it be true what their second child said about Ranran’s luck returning?
“No, the smaller wild rabbit is the one I caught. The plumper one was given to me by Comrades Shi and Xie.”
When Zhao Lanzhi heard it involved Shi Yunxiao, her heart leapt with joy. “Why did Comrade Shi give you a wild rabbit?”
Su Qingran then recounted her encounter with the two men in the mountains, though she omitted the fact that she had ventured deep into Crouching Chicken Mountain.