The Hongxin Brigade was surrounded by mountains on all sides. In summer, the vegetation covering the mountains was lush and thriving. Looking out, all one could see was a sea of green. The air was exceptionally fresh, making people feel relaxed and refreshed.
Yingzi led Lin Wanwan and Xu Wen up the mountain. After walking for about ten minutes, they finally stopped at a flat clearing.
The mountains in the north were tall and rugged.
“These, these, and these kinds can all be fed to pigs.” Yingzi pointed at several plants growing on the ground. “There’s plenty in this area. Just cut them here. Don’t wander around. The mountain is dangerous.”
“I’m going to cut grass on the other side. Call me if something happens.”
After saying that, Yingzi left. She clearly had little interest in interacting or communicating with them.
The clearing was left with only Lin Wanwan and Xu Wen staring at each other.
“Hmph!”
Xu Wen rolled her eyes, picked up her basket, and walked toward a more distant area. She had no desire to stay in the same place as Lin Wanwan.
Just looking at her made Xu Wen angry.
“Good riddance~”
Lin Wanwan watched Xu Wen leave. Once the other girl was out of sight, she hid behind a large boulder nearby and silently wished in her heart:
I want two custard buns!
The next second, two steaming hot custard buns appeared out of thin air in her hands, their fragrance instantly spreading through the air.
That morning, Lin Wanwan had only drunk a little sour rice soup. She was already starving, but even so, she ate the custard buns slowly and gracefully.
Her movements were refined and elegant, her back straight as she lowered her head to take bites.
Her fair and slender swan-like neck looked exceptionally beautiful.
After finishing both buns, Lin Wanwan drank a small bottle of yogurt and rested for a while before coming out from behind the boulder.
Mm, very good. There was still no one around.
She picked up the sickle from her basket and carefully began cutting the pig grass Yingzi had pointed out.
The sickle was extremely sharp. Lin Wanwan worked slowly, afraid that one careless movement would leave a cut on her delicate arms or legs.
After cutting for quite some time, both her arms and waist were beginning to ache.
Lin Wanwan stopped and turned to look at her basket.
The large basket, which almost reached her hips when placed on the ground, contained only a thin layer of grass.
“So tiring…” Lin Wanwan tossed the sickle aside, rubbed her sore arms, and sat on a nearby rock in distress.
She had thought cutting grass would be easy.
Who knew it would be this exhausting?
It felt awful.
“Don’t move.”
Suddenly, a somewhat familiar male voice came from behind her. It was low and cold.
Lin Wanwan froze.
Just as she was about to turn around to see who it was, the corner of her eye caught sight of a snake only a short distance away in the grass.
The snake had raised the front half of its body and was flicking its tongue as it stared directly at her.
A snake?
A snake?
THERE WAS A SNAKE!!!
Her mind instantly went blank.
She screamed instinctively.
“Ah! A snake!”
The snake seemed startled by the sound and immediately lunged toward her.
Only four words remained in Lin Wanwan’s mind:
My life is over!
In that critical moment, a small stone shot out from behind her and struck the snake, knocking it down.
Immediately afterward, a tall figure arrived like a ray of light.
He grabbed the snake by the head, pulled the dagger from his waistband, and plunged it into the snake’s vital spot.
The entire sequence of movements was smooth and effortless, handsome and decisive.
“It’s fine now.”
Looking at the blood flowing onto the ground, Lu Ye secretly felt it was a pity. He had not brought any container to collect the blood and had wasted something valuable.
He tossed the thoroughly dead snake into the small bamboo basket hanging from his waist and turned to look at the girl sitting motionless on the rock, apparently frightened senseless.
The girl was wearing a red shirt tucked into a pair of bell-bottom pants, making her waist look slim and her legs long.
That tiny waist looked so slender that he could probably wrap both hands around it and still have room left over.
Lu Ye suddenly recalled how she had felt when he touched her yesterday.
His eyes darkened slightly.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
His voice came out a little hoarse.
“You—”
“Waaah! That scared me to death!”
Lin Wanwan burst into tears.
Even her voice trembled as she spoke.
“The snake! It was such a huge snake!”
Wuwuwu…
It was too terrifying.
For a moment, she had truly thought she was about to say goodbye to this world.
Although she had constantly complained about this era, there was an old saying:
A miserable life was still better than a good death.
As long as one could live, who wanted to die?
Wuwuwu…
She was scared to death.
While wiping away her tears, Lin Wanwan looked at the man who had saved her.
It was actually the same man who had squeezed her arm painfully yesterday.
He wore a white cloth shirt patched in several places. His exposed arms were strong and muscular, with smooth, defined lines. There was even some snake blood splattered on them.
Apparently not expecting her to cry, a trace of panic appeared in the man’s long, cold eyes.
“Don’t cry.” Lu Ye frowned tightly. “The snake is already dead. Look.”
As he spoke, he reached into the bamboo basket, took out the dead snake, and held it in front of her.
“…”
Lin Wanwan’s face instantly turned even paler.
Her voice shook.
“Take it away! Hurry and take it away!”
Wuwuwu!
It was still terrifying even if it was dead!
Lu Ye, who had only made things worse: “…”
The girl cried miserably.
Her eyes were as red as a little rabbit’s. Her body trembled with sobs. Large tears fell one after another like pearls from a broken string.
She looked pitiful and delicate.
Lu Ye became so flustered that his entire body stiffened.
His thin lips pressed into a straight line.
Then he noticed the basket and sickle nearby, along with the pig grass inside the basket.
He spoke again.
“Don’t cry anymore. I’ll help you cut the pig grass.”
“!!!”
“Really?”
Lin Wanwan raised her fair, delicate fingers and gently wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
“You’re really going to help me cut pig grass?”
“Mm.”
Seeing her stop crying, Lu Ye pressed his lips together again.
He picked up the sickle, bent over, and started cutting grass.
In no time at all, he had already cut more than half of what was needed.
As he pulled up the grass, the muscles in his arms flexed slightly with exertion.
Sweat trickled down his jawline, passed over the prominent Adam’s apple on his neck, and hung there trembling, not quite falling.
Under the sunlight, it reflected a faint glow.
Lin Wanwan’s gaze was inevitably drawn to it.
Tsk—
This man’s body was really something…
Broad shoulders.
A narrow waist.
Every movement radiated an intense masculine presence.
“Done.”
“Oh, done… huh? Done!?”
Lin Wanwan blinked and finally came back to her senses.
Her gaze shifted from the man to the basket beside him.
The basket that had previously contained only a thin layer of grass was now completely filled.
A whole basket full!
So fast?
How long had it even been?
It was already full?
Lin Wanwan blinked again.
Her eyes, still moist from crying, sparkled brightly as she exclaimed in amazement,
“You’re so fast!”
She had spent so much time cutting only a tiny amount.
Yet this man had filled an entire basket in barely ten minutes!
So amazing!
“Thank you~”
Not having to do the work herself put Lin Wanwan in an excellent mood.
Her watery eyes curved into crescents as she revealed a dazzlingly sweet smile.
Her voice was soft and delicate.
Lu Ye paused.
His heart suddenly skipped two beats.
A faint blush quietly crept up to his ears.
He softly replied: “You’re welcome.”
Then he turned around and strode away with the bamboo basket containing the snake hanging from his waist.
For some reason, his retreating figure seemed a little flustered.
Lin Wanwan did not notice any of that.
Her bright eyes were fixed on the basket of pig grass.
Now she could openly and honestly spend the rest of the time resting~