Chapter 22

On her way back, she unexpectedly encountered the female lead, Zhou Mingyue. What a small world! Zhou Mingyue had also just come down from the mountain, choosing this small path for a break. She had gone up the mountain to gather mushrooms and some wild game. According to the book, Zhou Mingyue was supposed to be very lucky, and animals would collide with her as soon as she reached the mountain, allowing her to collect wild game easily. In addition, she would usually find various mushrooms, and sometimes even precious herbs like Lingzhi.

However, today, Zhou Mingyue had found nothing on the mountain. Not even a single mushroom. The mountain seemed barren, like an abandoned wasteland.

She was already angry because her luck had been terrible and she hadn’t found anything. Now, seeing that Lan Yun’er had two wild chickens and a rabbit, and her basket seemed to contain more valuable items, Zhou Mingyue’s face darkened. Her anger flared up immediately. Moreover, wasn’t Lan Yun’er supposed to be with her cousin, doing something illicit? Based on her cousin’s violent nature, how could he not have hurt Lan Yun’er severely? Why was Lan Yun’er still standing there, unharmed? What had her cousin been doing? Had he failed to find her?

Her eyes locked onto Lan Yun’er’s face as her fists clenched, her expression full of hostility. Lan Yun’er glanced at Zhou Mingyue, her brows furrowing slightly. Without saying anything, she simply bypassed her and continued on her way. There was no need to speak to Zhou Mingyue now that their relationship had already turned sour.

As Lan Yun’er’s figure grew more distant, Zhou Mingyue, who had been sitting on a stone, suddenly stood up. She kicked a small stone fiercely. “Damn it! Why is Lan Yun’er so lucky?! Why can she get wild game? The most infuriating part is that she really didn’t do anything with my cousin. What kind of useless fool is he?!”

Lan Yun’er arrived home around 2 p.m. Apart from Zhong Cuitao and her daughter, Huo Miaomiao, the only other person at home was the bedridden Huo Junli. When Zhong Cuitao saw the wild chickens, rabbit, and mushrooms Lan Yun’er had gathered, she was shocked. “Lan Yun’er, how did you get all these good things?”

Wild mushrooms were very rare in winter, and wild game was even harder to find.

Lan Yun’er smiled, “I just got lucky. The chickens and rabbit were caught in traps set by hunters, and I picked them up.”

She had made sure the wild chickens and rabbit had wounds on their feet, making it look like they had been caught in traps. After all, it would be strange for someone like her to be gathering wild game in the mountains.

Zhong Cuitao sighed in genuine admiration, “Your luck is truly amazing.”

“Fourth Aunt, does this mean we’ll have meat tonight?” Huo Miaomiao asked, her voice quiet as she looked up at Lan Yun’er.

Seeing Huo Miaomiao’s thin and pale face, Lan Yun’er felt a pang of sympathy. She gently patted Huo Miaomiao’s head and said softly, “Yes, we’ll have wild chicken tonight. We’ll eat as much as we want.”

Huo Miaomiao immediately smiled, “Great! We’ll have meat!”

But then she remembered that whenever there was meat, it was always served to Tianbao and Tianhe, while she only got some soup. Her smile faded, and her face showed a hint of sadness.

Lan Yun’er seemed to notice her thoughts and smiled as she patted her head again. “Don’t worry, Miaomiao. Tonight, you’ll be able to eat meat too. You’ll have as much as you want!”

Huo Miaomiao looked at Lan Yun’er’s smiling face, feeling inexplicably comforted, and smiled in return. “I believe Fourth Aunt.”

Lan Yun’er turned to Zhong Cuitao, “Second Aunt, let’s kill a wild chicken and stew it.”

Zhong Cuitao nodded, smiling. “Alright.”

After a busy afternoon, Lan Yun’er and Zhong Cuitao finally finished cooking a pot of wild chicken stew with mushrooms. The fragrant smell of meat and mushrooms filled the air, making everyone’s mouth water.

Lan Yun’er glanced at the sky. It was almost dark now, and Jing Chen and the others should be coming back soon.

Just then, she heard voices outside the yard. It was Huo Jingchen and the others returning. On their way back from work, they ran into Cao Yunxia and Huo Junda, who had gone to the town to get medicine, so they all came back together.

Huo Junda had tried several times to ask Huo Jingchen for money, but he had been rejected. Now, he was feeling some what angry and his expression was dark. Cao Yunxia was also upset; she thought that since they were siblings, Huo Jingchen should have been more generous. But now, both of them walked into the house with long faces.

However, as soon as they entered and smelled the delicious aroma of meat, their faces immediately lit up. They both looked toward the kitchen.

“What’s cooking?” Cao Yunxia asked as she walked toward the kitchen.

Zhong Cuitao, who was collecting clothes in the yard, glanced at Cao Yunxia and replied, “Lan Yun’er went to the mountain and got some wild chickens and a rabbit, plus she picked a lot of mushrooms. We killed one chicken this afternoon and made a wild chicken stew with mushrooms.”

Hearing that the wild chickens and rabbit were from Lan Yun’er, Cao Yunxia sneered inwardly. “Lan Yun’er, that lucky girl, she really has good fortune to get these things.”

But she didn’t praise Lan Yun’er. Instead, she walked straight into the kitchen. Upon seeing the wild chickens and rabbit, which were quite plump, she smiled and called to Huo Junda, “Junda, come in, come in!”

Huo Junda, also attracted by the smell, hurried into the kitchen. “Junda, look! There’s still a wild chicken and a rabbit here. I think we should send the chicken to my mother. She’s been sick lately, and the chicken will help her recover.”

“This rabbit, we should sell tomorrow. It’s so fat, it should fetch a good price.” Cao Yunxia’s voice was filled with excitement.

Outside in the yard, Lan Yun’er, who was preparing to greet Huo Jingchen, couldn’t help but sneer. “Cao Yunxia really dares to think she can take my wild chicken and rabbit!”