Chapter 82: Wild Pheasant

Having a truck ride made things much more convenient, but the truck was a government vehicle.

Gu Cheng asked, “Will this cause any trouble?”

“What trouble could there be? I’ll just have a word with the driver,” Zhao Jianguo waved it off. “I’ve worked here for years—they’ll do me this small favor.”

Since they had a truck for transport, Liu Yinyin didn’t hold back and continued picking fruit.

She picked more figs, peaches, and plums, along with a couple more large watermelons. Even if they couldn’t finish eating everything, they could dry some fruit and store it for later. It would be perfect for Gu Yanyan to use for teething.

Zhao Jianguo watched in amazement and couldn’t help but whisper to Gu Cheng, “Your wife… sure is generous.”

What he actually meant was that Liu Yinyin was spending money quite freely.

Prices were rising everywhere, and fruit was no exception. While it hadn’t increased as dramatically as grain, it was still selling for nearly two yuan per jin in town. Even with the lowest price he could offer, it was still one yuan per jin. The couple had already picked close to three hundred jin of fruit.

That was two to three hundred yuan!

Almost as much as an average county worker’s entire yearly salary.

Just watching them spend like this made Zhao Jianguo’s heart ache. Even though his wife was from the city, she had never dared to buy fruit so extravagantly.

Gu Cheng, however, was unfazed. “Earning money is for spending on my wife and child.”

Zhao Jianguo sighed in admiration. “You’re really something.”

Providing for one’s family was expected of a man, but not many could do it to this extent.

By ten o’clock, they were ready to head back down the mountain. The heat at the top was unbearable, and they were worried Gu Yanyan might get heatstroke if they stayed any longer.

Gu Cheng and Zhao Jianguo, being strong men, carried the baskets of fruit down the mountain using shoulder poles.

Liu Yinyin carried Gu Yanyan.

The little one was probably getting hungry. He had lost interest in his drool-covered apple and kept burrowing his head into Liu Yinyin’s chest.

Once they reached the foot of the mountain, they found an empty room. Liu Yinyin closed the door, unbuttoned her blouse, and nursed Gu Yanyan.

By now, it was almost noon, and the heat was at its peak—not ideal for traveling back.

The truck was also scheduled to leave at around four in the afternoon.

So, the family had to stay a few more hours.

Zhao Jianguo discussed lunch plans with Gu Cheng. “There’s a village nearby where I provide grain to the communal kitchen each month, so they prepare extra food for me. We can get our lunch there.”

The orchard only had ten official workers, while the rest were local villagers hired to help out.

With just ten people, it wasn’t worth hiring a dedicated cook, so they all contributed grain and ate at the village’s communal kitchen.

However, since they hadn’t known in advance that Gu Cheng’s family would be visiting, no extra food had been arranged. The meals were prepared based on headcount, so there wouldn’t be any leftovers.

Besides, Gu Cheng’s family were guests—it wouldn’t be appropriate to have them eat from the communal kitchen.

Zhao Jianguo thought for a moment. “How about going to the state-owned restaurant?”

But the restaurant was in the county, a bit too far away.

Gu Cheng shook his head. “No need to go through all that trouble. Let’s just have something simple.”

After a brief pause, he asked, “Are you familiar with the mountains nearby? How about we catch a wild pheasant?”

Zhao Jianguo: “……”

Good heavens, this is what you call ‘something simple’?!

No wonder Liu Yinyin was such a big spender—it turned out both husband and wife were generous with their money.

Still, the idea of hunting piqued Zhao Jianguo’s interest, and he eagerly agreed, “Let’s go take a look.”

If they could catch a couple of wild pheasants, it would be a great way to improve their meal.

Working at the orchard, Zhao Jianguo never lacked fruit, but he only got to eat meat two or three times a month. His body was craving some real sustenance.

So, when Liu Yinyin came out after feeding Gu Yanyan, she overheard the two men discussing a hunting trip.

Liu Yinyin: “……”

With this heat outside, and they still weren’t deterred?

Zhao Jianguo left his office space for Liu Yinyin to rest in, then set off for the mountains with Gu Cheng.

Since Zhao Jianguo often worked late at the orchard, he sometimes slept in the office, where he had a small wooden bed.

The weather was hot, and there were no blankets on the bed, only a mosquito net.

Liu Yinyin coaxed Gu Yanyan to sleep, then took off his shoes and let him lie down for a while.

She then turned to organize the fruit they had picked that day. Fruits were delicate and could easily get bruised, so she needed to place a thick layer of dry grass at the bottom and sides of the baskets to cushion them.

The orchard had no shortage of dry grass or fruit baskets.

Liu Yinyin selected a few smaller baskets. They were sturdy, and each one could hold around fifty to sixty jin of fruit.

Apples were the most abundant, filling one entire basket.

Peaches and red dates shared another basket, while figs and plums filled a third. There was also half a basket of grapes and four large watermelons, each weighing over ten jin.

She estimated that all the fruit together weighed around two hundred sixty to seventy jin.

After organizing everything, Liu Yinyin felt bored. She wandered around for a bit and then washed an apple to eat.

Glancing at the time, she saw that it was nearly noon, but the two men still hadn’t returned.

She had no idea how long it had been when Gu Cheng and Zhao Jianguo finally came back.

They were carrying three wild pheasants, two wild rabbits, and a bag full of wild pheasant eggs.

It was midday, and both men were drenched in sweat, but their expressions were filled with excitement.

“You must have been getting impatient, sister-in-law,” Zhao Jianguo said, his sun-reddened face glistening as he wiped his sweat. “Come on, I’ll take you to the village secretary’s house. We’ll borrow his kitchen for cooking, and I have something to discuss with him.”

Liu Yinyin was a bit confused but obediently held Gu Yanyan and got on the bicycle.

On the way, Gu Cheng explained, “We found traces of wild boars in the mountains. We need to inform the villagers.”

If wild boars came down from the mountains, they would ruin the crops. Worse, if someone were unlucky enough to encounter one, it could be dangerous.

As Gu Cheng spoke, a gleam flashed in his eyes.

After spending so much time with him, Liu Yinyin couldn’t say she fully understood Gu Cheng’s personality, but she had a pretty good grasp of it.

She blinked and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you thinking about joining the hunt for the wild boar?”

Gu Cheng glanced back at her. “Would that be okay?”

Liu Yinyin sighed. “Then when will you be back? We still have to get home.”

She realized that Gu Cheng really enjoyed hunting. Or rather, deep down, he had a bold and adventurous spirit.

A man like him should have loved life in the military. She still didn’t understand why he had chosen to leave the army.

Hunting a wild boar was unpredictable in terms of time.

Gu Cheng thought for a moment and said, “If it gets too late, we can stay overnight in the village.”

Liu Yinyin’s mouth twitched. “…Fine, go if you want to.”

Since he was interested, she didn’t want to dampen his spirits. Besides, if he went with the villagers, the risk shouldn’t be too great.

The village wasn’t far away, just a few minutes by bike.

They arrived at Wangjia Village. It was quite large, with endless fields stretching as far as the eye could see.