Chapter 32: Finding, Finding Li Zi 

After picking a few plump and ripe goji berries and casually wiping them off, Xia Li popped one into her mouth. The unique sweetness flooded her palate, and a bright smile that she couldn’t hide appeared on her face. 

This really is high-quality! 

Wild goji berries are more nutritious than cultivated ones. 

The fruit she tasted can be considered top-notch; compared to it, the light red goji berries she often ate before were simply not worth mentioning. 

Looking at the vast expanse of greenery interspersed with red fruits, she no longer hesitated and began to diligently pick. 

She was busy for quite a while, and as the sun’s warmth gradually cooled, she realized several hours might have passed. 

The large bamboo basket was filled with bright red goji berries, and she had hardly covered a tenth of this thicket. 

Xia Li estimated that there must be around twenty pounds in the basket! 

The weight of the goji berries pressed down on the wild violets at the bottom, and she felt she couldn’t continue picking any longer. 

Xia Li remembered the terrain around here. 

Following the path she had taken to gather wild violets, it wasn’t difficult to retrace her steps, and she would be able to find her way back next time. 

As she walked out with the heavy bamboo basket, she realized she had ventured quite far into the mountains. 

Due to the terrain, that patch of hillside had no large trees for cover, providing ample sunlight, which had allowed a large wild goji berry forest to grow there. 

Because this was a remote area generally untouched by humans, it had gone unnoticed. 

This was truly a treasure gifted by the mountains. 

While walking and eating, she felt the strap of the bamboo basket pressing painfully against her shoulder. Her sleeves were stained with a mix of green plant juices and dirt, and her face was also smudged; she looked quite dirty. 

However, her fair complexion was adorned with two soft dimples, and her eyes sparkled with joy. 

It felt like she was playing a treasure hunt game and had truly found the most precious treasure, filling her with happiness. 

As she looked up, the sky was beginning to darken. 

She quickened her pace. After a while, she faintly heard voices nearby. 

Was that man looking for her? 

Xia Li moved swiftly, still being careful not to trip and drop the goji berries. Sweat began to bead on her forehead, and two dark strands of hair stuck to her ears. 

“Li Zi!!” 

“Li—Zi—” 

“Li~~~ Zi!” 

“Li Zi, Li Zi, Li…” 

The voices around her became clearer. 

Xia Li paused in surprise; why were so many different voices calling her? It even sounded like children’s voices. 

“Li Zi—” a crisp, childish voice rang in her ears. 

A chubby boy suddenly ran out in front of her, shouting with his mouth wide open. 

When he abruptly bumped into her, he froze, eyes wide open as if he had seen a ghost. 

Staring at her fluttering eyelashes, he finally spoke with more confidence than before: 

“Li, Li… sister.” He raised his pudgy face and shyly asked, “Do you have li zi (pear)?” 

Xia Li nearly laughed out loud and quickly nodded, “Yes, I do have li zi.” 

The boy, with his shoulders slumped like an old man, exaggeratedly pretended to catch his breath and eagerly tugged at her: “Come with me quickly! The whole team of the Red Star Brigade has been looking for you for a long time!” 

Huh? 

As Xia Li was being pulled along by the boy, she wondered what… the Red Star Brigade was? 

On the way, the chubby boy panting explained everything to her. 

It turned out that a group of kids from nearby villages had come up the mountain to play and encountered a strange uncle. 

The strange uncle was carrying a big basket of wild fruits and was shouting “li zi” everywhere. The kids thought it was fun and started shouting too. 

Then the strange uncle told them to help call for someone in the area; once they found the person, he would give each member of the Red Star Brigade a sweet big fruit. 

Xia Li found it amusing that this man would use fruit to bribe the kids into helping look for her, but it also tugged at her heartstrings, realizing he must have made them anxious waiting for her. 

Before long, the boy suddenly stopped and pointed at a large tree ahead: “He’s right up there!” 

Xia Li quickly looked up. 

At a glance, she saw a man’s half body perched on a thick branch at the top of a dense tree canopy! 

He was hidden among the branches and leaves, his tall figure almost blending in with the tree branch. 

His expression was hard to see, and his voice sounded hoarse and deep as it carried through the air: “…Li Zi!” 

She stared wide-eyed in astonishment, a sense of danger constricting her throat, unable to utter a word. 

She was also worried she might startle him; what if he fell? 

He was so high up! He had actually climbed that high into the tree! 

“Captain—Captain!” 

The chubby boy suddenly jumped up, his round eyes filled with admiration, “I found Li Zi! I found her, I found her!” 

The man suddenly looked down, seeing the familiar slender figure looking up at him from the tall tree, his eyes widening in surprise: “Li Zi!” 

In a flash, his tall, athletic body easily leaped down from the tree, and with his long legs, he jumped down smoothly. 

Xia Li felt like she barely saw how he got down; he was already standing in front of her, striding over with the force of the wind. 

The man’s sharp features carried a cold vibe, his brow furrowed and dark eyes fixed intensely on her, making Xia Li momentarily feel a bit dazed.