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At the Bai residence, when Liao Guizhi heard that Bai Junwu was going to act as bait to lure the wild boar into a trap, she nearly fainted and had to be supported by Huang Xiuyun to stay upright.
She thought she must have misheard and clutched Huang Xiuyun’s arm. “Xiuyun, did I hear that right?”
Huang Xiuyun, supporting her, was clearly also furious. Through gritted teeth, she said, “Mom, you heard right. He’s going up the mountain to get himself killed!”
Liao Guizhi gasped, her head throbbing with anger.
She had mentally prepared herself for both Bai Fumin and Bai Junwu going up the mountain. As long as they were careful, they wouldn’t get hurt. But she never expected her second son to voluntarily take on the most dangerous task.
Bai Zhizhi, who had been reading inside, suddenly sensed Liao Guizhi’s distress and immediately rushed out to comfort her.
“Mom, don’t be angry. When Second Brother comes back, just give him a good beating,” Bai Zhizhi said without hesitation, throwing Bai Junwu under the bus. “If you can’t bring yourself to do it, I’ll beat him up for you!”
She knew exactly where to hit to make it hurt the most!
Even though Bai Junwu was her second brother, and even though he was always good to her and often gave her candy, he still had no right to make their mother angry.
But Second Brother had always been obedient—why would he suddenly provoke Liao Guizhi like this?
Remembering that he had gone out with Song Jing’an, Bai Zhizhi strongly suspected that the unlucky guy’s misfortune had rubbed off on her second brother.
It was no wonder Song Jing’an understood Bai Zhizhi so well—he had her all figured out.
This time, even Huang Xiuyun, who usually defended her husband, didn’t stand up for him. Instead, she added, “Mom, you hit him first to vent your anger. I’ll hit him after you.”
He really had a death wish.
Bai Junwu had no idea that three people at home were planning to teach him a lesson, but he knew he was in for a tough time. His steps grew slower and slower as he approached home, wishing the road would never end.
But no matter how long the road, it always comes to an end. Eventually, he found himself standing at the doorstep, too afraid to enter.
Song Jing’an, however, had no such reservations. Gloating, he said, “Go on in, why aren’t you going in?”
Then, under Bai Junwu’s resentful gaze, he walked inside, only to be met with three pairs of glaring eyes.
Despite the summer heat, a cold sweat broke out on his back. He immediately sidestepped to reveal Bai Junwu behind him, silently praying for him.
Bai Junwu shot him an angry look. Was there no brotherly loyalty left?
The moment Liao Guizhi saw him, she flew into a rage. Grabbing a broom, she started whacking him while scolding, “You fool! Think you’re so capable, don’t you? Is there no one else in the production brigade that you have to step up? If something happens to you, what will your wife do? What will I do?”
Bai Junwu didn’t try to dodge, taking the hits head-on until Liao Guizhi grew tired and stopped.
“I never expected this! I finally talked Little Four out of it, and now you give me this surprise!”
Liao Guizhi truly hadn’t seen it coming. Among all her children, the second son had always been the most obedient, quietly going about his work without a word. She genuinely doted on him, but in the end, he was the one who gave her the biggest scare.
Bai Junwu hung his head, letting Liao Guizhi vent.
Only after she had calmed down did he quietly explain, “Mom, don’t worry. With so many people around, there won’t be any danger.”
She knew that, but she couldn’t help worrying.
Liao Guizhi waved her hand. “It’s not that I want to stop you, but you should’ve at least told us beforehand so we could mentally prepare. And your wife—do you want to worry her to death?”
Bai Junwu looked at Huang Xiuyun, who had been silent all this time. Usually so strong-willed, she now had red-rimmed eyes.
“Xiuyun…”
Huang Xiuyun turned away and snorted. “I’m not worried.”
She was clearly putting on a brave face and just needed some coaxing, but Bai Junwu stood there frozen, unsure what to do.
Liao Guizhi shot him a frustrated look. Now he had nothing to say? She asked, “When are you going up the mountain?”
“Soon, after Uncle Xingping and the others finish setting up the traps,” Bai Junwu replied reflexively.
Liao Guizhi nodded slightly. Thankfully, she had held back earlier and hadn’t hurt him. She then signaled with her eyes for him to comfort Huang Xiuyun properly. She was very fond of her second daughter-in-law.
But Bai Junwu was clueless and didn’t get the hint. Even Song Jing’an couldn’t stand it anymore. He stepped forward, gave Bai Junwu a push, and shoved him toward Huang Xiuyun.
Finally catching on, Bai Junwu hurriedly led the displeased Huang Xiuyun into their room.
Liao Guizhi also went inside to rest. She had indeed been badly frightened.
With everyone gone, only Bai Zhizhi and a somewhat guilty Song Jing’an remained in the yard. Bai Zhizhi narrowed her eyes at Song Jing’an, highly suspicious.
Under her gaze, Song Jing’an instinctively raised his hands. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t tell Second Brother to go.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Song Jing’an mentally cursed himself for being so spineless. She hadn’t even asked anything yet, and he was already caving.
But he still told her everything that had happened earlier, then leaned in with a pitiful expression to defend himself: “I only asked Second Brother to come up with the ideas. I didn’t tell him to be the bait.”
Bai Zhizhi felt a rare pang of guilt. It was all because Song Jing’an’s reputation as an unlucky magnet was so deeply etched in her mind that she had instinctively assumed it was his fault.
She admitted her mistake. “I was wrong.”
Now it was Song Jing’an’s turn to be surprised. He looked at her with disbelief, then sighed after a moment and reached out to pat her head. “You can try to trust me a little more.”
Bai Zhizhi was too guarded against him. Although she had improved a lot since the beginning, she was still very wary. He hoped she could trust him as much as she trusted her family.
Bai Zhizhi wrinkled her nose, swatted his hand away, and then nodded seriously. Actually, the unlucky guy was quite decent. As long as he didn’t bring misfortune to the Bai family, she would try to treat him without prejudice from now on.
“Do you want to go take a look later? We can stay on the sidelines and avoid contact with others,” Song Jing’an suggested. If they kept their distance, it should be fine, right?
Bai Zhizhi wanted to go, mainly because she was worried about her second brother. If he got hurt, their mother would be devastated, and she didn’t want Liao Guizhi to be sad.
“Let’s go.”
So, Bai Zhizhi and Song Jing’an sneaked out first, both tacitly agreeing not to tell anyone.
Along the way, Song Jing’an kept reminding her, “When we get there, we’ll just watch from a distance. Don’t go any closer, okay?”
He was already starting to regret bringing her out, worried that he might not be able to protect her if something happened.
Bai Zhizhi remained expressionless, feeling utterly exasperated and conflicted. No one had told her the unlucky guy was this long-winded!
When they arrived, Zhao Xingping and the others had already set up the trap. They were gathered around it, discussing something, excitement evident on their faces.
As the group dispersed, Bai Zhizhi walked over. Song Jing’an followed behind, chattering incessantly, “Didn’t we agree to just watch from the side? What are you doing?”
“Hey, hey, be careful! Don’t go any farther!”
Bai Zhizhi ignored him completely. She walked to the edge of the trap and peered through a small opening in the dry grass covering it.
The trap was quite simple—just a deep pit covered with dry grass and branches. Once the wild boar fell in, it wouldn’t be able to climb out. The key was to lure the boar into the pit.
After glancing inside, Bai Zhizhi suddenly threw something into the pit before standing up.
Song Jing’an, who had witnessed it, couldn’t help but ask, “What did you throw in?”
“Wild ginseng.”
Song Jing’an: “…”
He didn’t believe it. Given how precious Bai Zhizhi was about medicinal herbs, there was no way she would throw wild ginseng into the pit. It would be a waste.
Bai Zhizhi fell silent. Why didn’t anyone believe her when she told the truth?
She didn’t dwell on it for long, because a large group led by Bai Junwu arrived. Everyone was armed and spread out to search for the wild boar.
Song Jing’an held Bai Zhizhi’s hand to keep her from wandering off. He found a spot with a clear view of the trap.
Seeing that Bai Zhizhi was bored, Song Jing’an started telling her stories. His voice was clear and pleasant, and the stories were so thrilling and captivating that she couldn’t help but get absorbed.
After what felt like an eternity, the sound of a wild boar’s roar and gunshots startled them both. Looking down, they saw Bai Junwu and a few others running ahead with the wild boar chasing close behind.
No matter how fast they ran, they couldn’t outpace the four-legged boar. As the boar closed in, the others ducked and dodged to the side. Meanwhile, Bai Junwu fired a shot to grab the boar’s attention.
The boar indeed ignored the others and charged straight at Bai Junwu. Just as it was about to ram into him, the trap was still quite a distance away. Everyone held their breath.
Song Jing’an’s heart was in his throat. He only knew that in his previous life, no one had been injured and the boar had been successfully killed. But he hadn’t realized how dangerous the actual situation was.
Seeing the boar right in front of him, Bai Junwu gritted his teeth, surged forward, and then rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the fatal charge.
Just as he was about to get up and continue luring the boar toward the trap, the boar ignored him and charged straight toward the trap instead.
With a loud “thud,” the boar stepped on the trap and fell in. The ground seemed to shake at the impact.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events. It wasn’t until the boar’s agonized cries echoed from the pit that they snapped back to reality.
No one cared why the boar had foolishly charged into the trap on its own. Success was all that mattered. Cheering, they rushed out and gathered around the pit, looking down at the trapped boar, ready to deliver the final blow.
Zhao Xingye cleared his throat, signaling for everyone to quiet down. He scanned the crowd, his eyes finally settling on Zhao Hu. “Tiger, come here.”
He knew how much Zhao Hu wanted to avenge his father, so he decided to give him this opportunity.
Zhao Hu nodded, took the gun from Zhao Xingye, and shakily raised it. He hesitated, unable to pull the trigger. Seeing this, Zhao Xingye steadied his hand and applied pressure. The bullet shot through the boar’s eye, killing it instantly.
Zhao Hu’s arms still felt weak as he looked at the dead boar.
Zhao Xingye praised him, “Good job, son. You did well.”
Then, everyone sprang into action, hauling the dead boar out of the pit and dragging it back to the production brigade to be divided.
While the brigade members were puzzled about why the boar had foolishly charged into the trap on its own, Song Jing’an grew suspicious. He recalled what Bai Zhizhi had thrown into the pit earlier.
He wanted to ask her what she had really thrown in, but when he turned around, Bai Zhizhi, who had been crouching beside him, was gone.
Song Jing’an shot to his feet, unaware of the branch scraping his cheek in his panic as he frantically searched for Bai Zhizhi.
The more he searched, the more terrified he became. The mountain was dangerous—what if Bai Zhizhi encountered another wild boar?
If something happened to her, what would he do?
He wanted to go to university with her, to see her shine brightly. He even realized he had fallen for her—not as a sibling, but as someone who wanted to marry her.
So, Bai Zhizhi absolutely could not be in danger!
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Dreamy Land[Translator]
Hey everyone! I hope you're enjoying what I'm translating. As an unemployed adult with way too much time on my hands and a borderline unhealthy obsession with novels, I’m here to share one of my all-time favorites. So, sit back, relax, and let's dive into this story together—because I’ve got nothing better to do!