Anyway, going down the mountain was impossible. In both her past life and this one, she had never gone down to the fields. But she could add a little income for the family so they could eat better.
With that thought, she moved the entire patch of persimmons into her space and poured some spirit spring water to nourish them, planning to harvest them all before her parents returned home.
Since she was already here, Shen Qinghe poured some more spirit spring water and caught a few wild rabbits and a wild chicken, and this time, there even came a silly moose!
But things had to be done step by step. Bringing a silly moose home all of a sudden might scare her family, so she decided to take it slowly. This time, she would just bring one wild chicken home.
With that in mind, Shen Qinghe prepared to descend the mountain.
She had no idea how long she had been walking when she suddenly heard a loud noise, like the roar of a wild boar. She hadn’t planned to investigate and was about to head down, but soon, a familiar figure appeared in her sight.
“Comrade Shen?”
Huo Yanxiu was dragging a very large wild boar, his face and clothes splattered with blood. He seemed injured, his forearm bleeding heavily. Seeing Shen Qinghe here, he looked surprised, and then furrowed his brow.
A female comrade venturing alone into the mountains—and so deep—was far too dangerous. She was incredibly daring!
“Comrade Huo?” Shen Qinghe silently cursed her luck. At first, she hadn’t seen Huo Yanxiu. When she realized, it was too late to hide in her space; he had already spotted her. “Are you hurt?”
“Just a scratch.” Huo Yanxiu tossed the now-dead wild boar onto the ground and walked toward her, scanning her up and down before finally relaxing his brow. “What are you doing here?”
“…I came to see if I could find some mushrooms. Oh, Comrade Huo, I also picked some wild fruits. Do you want some?”
Huo Yanxiu shook his head, his expression serious. “It’s dangerous up this mountain. Don’t come alone again, and don’t go too deep.”
“I know. I’ve mostly stayed at the foot of the mountain. I just heard a noise and came up to check. I just arrived.”
“Next time, don’t come to investigate noises. It’s very dangerous.”
“I understand.” Shen Qinghe nodded earnestly, then added, “But—”
“Comrade Huo, could you not tell anyone that you ran into me here? I’m worried my parents will be anxious.”
“If someone is worried, then don’t go to such dangerous places next time.”
“I promise I won’t go up the mountain alone anymore. Thank you, Comrade Huo!” Shen Qinghe smiled at him.
A faint smile appeared on Huo Yanxiu’s face. It was subtle, but Shen Qinghe, standing close, caught it.
Huo Yanxiu looked so handsome when he smiled! He should smile more often!
Seeing Shen Qinghe staring straight at him, Huo Yanxiu felt a little uncomfortable. Shen Qinghe noticed too, immediately dropping her eyes and silently scolding herself: why are my eyes so bad, staring like that?
Still, she thought she couldn’t be blamed. Huo Yanxiu was just too good-looking. She had always liked attractive people. A large part of why she had liked Gu Linchuan before was because he had a decent face.
Neither of them spoke. An awkward yet slightly flirtatious atmosphere lingered in the air.
“Old Huo! You’re here!”
Xu Chenfeng was holding two wild chickens in his left hand and two wild rabbits in his right, panting as he shouted. Seeing the scene, he widened his eyes in shock. “Comrade Shen? What are you doing here?”
Huo Yanxiu let out a sigh of relief, but inexplicably, a faint sense of disappointment welled up inside him.
Shen Qinghe explained everything to him again, also asking him to keep it secret. Xu Chenfeng readily agreed, saying, “Comrade Shen, you’re really brave. Tiger Roar Mountain isn’t safe. We even ran into a bear earlier. Luckily, Old Huo and I are fast runners. Hey… Old Huo, you caught a wild boar?!”
Xu Chenfeng then noticed the dead wild boar on the ground. “Why didn’t you call me? Are you hurt?”
“No, just a scratch.”
“Awesome!” Xu Chenfeng gave a thumbs-up. “Let’s head down the mountain quickly.”
Shen Qinghe was curious and asked while walking, “Why did you catch so many animals? You won’t get much from the wild boar anyway.”
Xu Chenfeng scoffed. “Isn’t the funeral for Shen Hongwei tomorrow? His family doesn’t have much meat or vegetables, so Old Huo and I thought we’d try to hunt something. We asked your village chief before coming—he said we could use the game for the feast without giving it to the village.”
“I thought we’d come back empty-handed after running into the bear, but Old Huo was impressive.”
“…”
“Comrade Shen, what wild fruits did you pick? I’ve been wandering the mountain all afternoon and haven’t seen any edible ones.”
“Some wild chestnuts, tea berries, and wild jujubes. Do you want some?”
“Are they sour? I just ate a few, and they were very sour.”
“Tea berries are okay, jujubes are a bit sour, chestnuts aren’t sour.”
“Then give me some. Old Huo, do you want some?”
“…No.”
“Why didn’t you say a word all the way here?” Xu Chenfeng asked suspiciously. He felt Huo Yanxiu was acting a little strange.
Huo Yanxiu: “…Why do I suddenly feel this guy is so noisy?”
Near the bottom of the mountain, Huo Yanxiu took a wild rabbit from Xu Chenfeng and handed it to Shen Qinghe. “Old Xu ate a lot of your chestnuts. This is for you.”
Xu Chenfeng was momentarily stunned, then nodded. “Yes, Comrade Shen, take it. We soldiers can’t take even a thread from civilians.” He had intended to give it himself but Huo Yanxiu beat him to it. Since when did he get so proactive?
“This isn’t much…” Shen Qinghe wanted to refuse, but seeing their insistence, she accepted it. “Thank you, Comrade Huo and Comrade Xu.”
“I’ll head this way. Let’s split up here.”
Huo Yanxiu and Xu Chenfeng had dragged a large wild boar down the mountain. Soon, it would attract attention throughout Shenjiawan. Shen Qinghe didn’t want to walk with them and be seen as a spectacle. Besides, she had fallen into the water earlier and was saved by Huo Yanxiu; if people saw them together, rumors might spread. She didn’t mind herself but worried it might trouble Huo Yanxiu.
“Goodbye, Comrade Shen.”