Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 27 - 26 Danger on the Mountain

Chapter 27: Chapter 26: Danger on the Mountain

Chapter 27 -26: Danger on the Mountain

“Xiao’er, are you cooking?

What delicious food have you prepared?

It smells so good.” Mrs.

Li looked around and noticed that everything was covered in an iron pot.

The maid was cleaning the stove and tidying up the firewood; it was clear that the meal was ready.

Mrs.

Li was about to go and lift the pot lid to take a look, but Xiao’er immediately stopped her: “Auntie, it’s almost dark, shouldn’t you be home cooking?”

“You’ve cooked meat, haven’t you?

We’ll just make do here tonight.”

“I wouldn’t dare make Auntie make do.

We’ve separated households, and I don’t have over 20 taels of private silver to cook extra food and entertain you.” Xiao’er wouldn’t be polite to someone planning to sell her off.

“You’re quite resentful, aren’t you?

It’s been so long, and now you eat meat every day.

You bought a cartload of things yesterday, you must have spent quite a lot of silver.

Meanwhile, my family can barely afford to cook.”

Xiao’er looked at Mrs.

Li coldly: “With the speed at which Auntie saves private money, you’ll be living luxuriously soon, enjoying rare delicacies.

Just remember not to sell off nephews and nieces again, lest you suffer.

After all, with the ten taels of silver from the separation and the 23 taels from the private stash, you could buy several bullock carts of supplies, couldn’t you?”

“You little girl, such sharp words at such a young age.

I don’t know who you take after, your father was such a gentle and easy-going man.

You don’t look like your father at all; I wouldn’t be surprised if you were the product of Mrs.

Liu’s affair.” Mrs.

Li also got angry at Xiao’er’s words and spoke unfiltered.

Shen Chengyao walked in just in time to hear this and turned green with anger: “Get out, don’t spout filth here!”

“You’re the one having affairs, always running to your parents’ house for the night, who knows what you’re up to.

My mom works at home every day and only visits her parents once a year, with my dad accompanying her.” Xiao’er knew that the expectations for women were incredibly harsh, and if Mrs.

Li’s words were heard and believed by others, Mrs.

Liu would be ruined, so she had to clear her mother’s name.

“Xiao’er, a young girl shouldn’t speak recklessly.” Though Mrs.

Liu was upset about Mrs.

Li’s slander, she didn’t want her daughter to be seen as ill-mannered because of it.

Her reputation was important, but her daughter was more so.

Xiao’er wasn’t a real little girl, so she knew Mrs.

Liu was saying this for her benefit, and she stopped talking.

Just then, Mrs.

Shen’s shouting came from the courtyard: “Mrs.

Li, where have you gone?

It’s getting dark and you still haven’t cooked, are you trying to starve your father and me?”

Mrs.

Li’s face darkened when she heard this.

They had separated households, but Mrs.

Shen was still ordering her around.

She shouted discontentedly towards the courtyard: “Mom, I haven’t even cooked for my own family yet, Jinghua is already hungry.”

“What’s that?

Since we’ve separated households, I can’t order you around anymore?

Fine, if you don’t want to cook, bring out those 23 taels of private silver, and then I won’t ask you to cook.”

Mrs.

Li shrunk back after hearing this and dared not respond.

She glared at Xiao’er resentfully before leaving.

Xiao’er completely disregarded Mrs.

Li’s glare; it didn’t bother her at all.

She took the little sister away from Mrs.

Liu’s hands: “Mom, dinner is ready, you and Dad should go freshen up and get ready to eat.”

Hearing this, Jingrui also sprang into action: “I’ll bring some chicken soup to grandpa and grandma.”

“I am going to call Uncle Four’s family over for dinner.”

“Good children.”, Shen Chengyao felt very comforted.

His children were incredibly good, not only did they prepared the meal so they could eat as soon as they got home, but they also knew to share a portion of the delicious food with the already separated grandparents without being told to.

Shen Chengyao believed that his greatest achievement was marrying Mrs.

Liu and having such sensible kids.

Sometimes he felt useless and guilty for not being able to provide a life of plenty for them, but he was determined to try his best.

The two households gathered together, chatting and laughing over dinner.

Xiao’er’s cooking skills were praised once again; according to Jingjie: “The vegetables Xiao’er cooked are even more delicious than any meat I have eaten before.”

Mrs.

Lu jokingly questioned: “So why don’t you stop eating chicken then?”

“The vegetables that Xiao’er cooks taste good, but so does the meat she cooks!” Everyone laughed.

The next day, Shen Chengyao took the three kids and went to the mountains as soon as dawn broke.

He also brought a bow and arrows, hoping to perhaps catch some game.

They quickly reached their destination.

Looking at the wild fruit covered in hair-like thorns that the villagers often dared not pick, Shen Chengyao asked, “Xiao’er, can we eat these tiny things covered in hair?”

“Don’t worry, Dad, I’ve tried them before when I was here last time.

They’re sweet and delicious.” Xiao’er had a basket in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other.

She placed the basket under the golden cherry tree and started to clip the fruits one by one.

Jingrui and Hao’er followed suit, and Shen Chengyao did not ask anymore and started to help.

He was a man of few words and much action.

After about two hours, they had finished picking all the fruit, enough to fill up three large sacks.

Seeing that there was still plenty of time and knowing that they had packed dry food, Shen Chengyao suggested they roam around to see if they could find any game.

The three children didn’t object.

The two brothers were even keen on practicing how to stun a pheasant by hurling a stone at it.

The trio found a hidden spot to store the three sacks of golden cherries, covering them with branches and fallen leaves.

After winter, during the agricultural downtime, the people in the village would organize hunting trips to the mountains.

Groups were usually made up of close friends.

Shen Chengyao often went along, so he was familiar with the mountains and was aware that there were no ferocious animals nearby.

Therefore, he felt safe taking the children, although he generally did not allow them to venture as deeply as they had, for fear of unforeseen incidents.

After walking for 15 minutes without encountering any animals, they did find some herbs.

They were in no rush, so they continued their leisurely walk, digging up herbs when they found them.

As the group was engrossed in digging for herbs, they suddenly heard sounds from ahead – the howling of a wolf and a man’s voice.

Shen Chengyao turned pale and hurriedly told the children to climb up a tree, the only precaution he could think of.

Understanding the severity of the situation, the three quickly scrambled up a large tree.

“No matter what happens, do not come down, understood?”

After he had helped the three children up the tree, he himself hid away, drawing his bow and arrow, aiming ahead.

He planned to shoot as soon as an opportunity presented itself.

He initially thought that some villagers had encountered a wolf pack.

But to his surprise, he saw two adolescents engaged in a bloody fight with four wolves.

Both adolescents were holding swords and their bodies were stained with blood.

“Damn it, I’ll come back with a group and exterminate your whole clan, not even leaving a hair behind!” The boy in blue was exhausted.

Wolves are very alert and effective team fighters.

On the way here, the two boys had already killed four wolves, and these remaining four were relentlessly pursuing them.

From the tree, Xiao’er saw the two adolescents with their backs against each other, each fending off two wolves.

Two wolves charged at their heads; they parried with their swords.

As they did so, the other two wolves seized the opportunity and lunged at their feet.

The boy in purple slashed a wolf’s head with his sword.

Although the wolf evaded the attack, it got cut on its body.

He then kicked away another wolf that was lunging at him.

The boy in blue thrusted his sword towards a wolf’s belly, which missed the target; he then jumped, avoiding the wolf that was aiming for his feet.

Before they could regain balance, the wolves lunged again.

“Damn it, I just held your cub.

I didn’t kill your whole family.

Is it necessary to hunt us down like this?” The boy in blue was furious.

Shen Chengyao was well hidden and attentively watching the wolves.

When the opportunity presented itself, he fired an arrow.

However, it only hit a wolf’s front leg.

The wolf howled and charged crazily towards Shen Chengyao.

The two brothers on the tree cried out, “Father!”

Xiao’er’s heart raced.

She quickly assessed the situation.

Then with a powerful stroke, she threw the firewood knife which decapitated the oncoming wolf.

“Brother, Hao’er must not come down.” After saying this, she climbed down the tree.

The remaining wolves howled even louder and charged more fiercely after seeing another companion die.

Chengyao was ready to fight the wolf with his dagger.

However, he was surprised when the approaching wolf was sent flying by a blade stroke.

Xiao’er quickly reached Chengyao’s side: “Dad, are you okay?”

“Xiao’er, why did you come down?

Get back up the tree.” Seeing Xiao’er next to him, Chengyao’s face turned pale with fear.

“Dad, it’s okay.

They’ll take care of it soon.” She was actually more worried being up in the tree, she had no more items that could be used as a weapon.

The three remaining wolves were now occupied by the two youths, and one was soon killed by the boy in purple.

The two boys found it much easier to handle the remaining wolves and quickly dealt with them.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.