Chapter 19: Hunting Wild Boars in the Mountains

Chen Shuilian didn’t like seeing the hesitant look on her children’s faces, so she quickly spoke up, “Alright, were there any leftover pancakes from yesterday? If so, bring them over.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll get them now. There are a few left. I was planning to save them for tonight,” Li Xiaoxing quickly responded, jumping up to retrieve them.

Within moments, she returned with a few pancakes.

As soon as the pancakes were brought out, Zhao Maizhou and Zhao Fengtian’s eyes didn’t leave them.

The two of them, thinking no one noticed, secretly swallowed their saliva.

Chen Shuilian was right; this was the perfect moment for them to eat.

That watery porridge, barely with a few grains of rice, no matter how much they drank, could only fill their stomachs with water, but it didn’t truly satisfy their hunger.

The two brothers, who had never been able to have a full breakfast, couldn’t help but salivate at the sight of the pancakes.

It was just an ordinary pancake, but seeing it at breakfast made it feel like a luxury.

“Stop staring, each of you take half a pancake, hurry up and eat,” Chen Shuilian said as she began to divide the pancakes.

When Zhao Maizhou and Zhao Fengtian got their hands on the pancakes, they felt a sense of relief.

Was this the kind of treatment only the older brother could enjoy?

It felt so wonderful~

Sigh, they really hoped their mother would keep this up for a bit longer!

After a joyful breakfast, Chen Shuilian spoke, “Maizhou, bring a shovel and a machete, and come with me. Let’s go up the mountain and see if there are any new mushrooms growing.”

Zhao Maizhou, knowing the mountain paths were difficult to walk on in this weather, quickly advised, “Mom, there was heavy rain yesterday, the mountain paths must be really slippery today. Why don’t we go tomorrow instead? I’m worried your health still isn’t fully recovered. What if you fall again?”

Zhao Fengtian also hastily added, “Yes, yes, let me and Maizhou go up the mountain instead. You stay home and rest.”

Rest was not an option for Chen Shuilian today. She had important matters to attend to in the mountains.

Though she couldn’t guarantee success, she had to give it a try, given such a great opportunity to earn money.

Chen Shuilian waved her hand, “No need. You stay home. Maizhou and I will go up the mountain and take a look.”

“But…” Zhao Fengtian was still uneasy.

“It’s fine. We’ll just take a casual stroll. If the path’s too difficult, we’ll come back,” she reassured.

Chen Shuilian didn’t want to bring too many people along. In case of any trouble, she’d rather be able to run quickly.

Maizhou had some hunting experience, and if something went wrong, she could protect him. But Fengtian was still too young and might not remain calm in a difficult situation. It was safer not to bring him.

Since Chen Shuilian said so, no one dared to insist further.

Zhao Maizhou nodded, “Alright, we’ll listen to you, Mom. You wait here; I’ll get ready, and we’ll leave soon.”

“Okay, go ahead.” Chen Shuilian nodded, then instructed, “Xiaoxing, I saw there’s still one pancake left from earlier. Wrap it up for me with a cloth. I’ll take it up the mountain.”

“Ah, okay.” Li Xiaoxing hurried into the kitchen.

Green Forest Village and the neighboring Big Stone Village shared the same mountain peak.

As the saying goes, “Live off the mountain,” the two villages had clashed several times over this mountain in the past.

After all, this mountain stood right between the two villages, and neither could claim it entirely for themselves.

The conflict eventually escalated to the county office…

The magistrate, upon hearing of this matter, offered no assistance but advised both villages to be more magnanimous.

The Big Green Mountain was common property, and anyone could go up to gather herbs or hunt.

Upon hearing the magistrate’s words, the villagers from both sides, who had been at odds, fell silent.

What did the magistrate mean by this?

Why did it suddenly become open for everyone to go up?

This couldn’t be!

Instead of letting everyone go up, it was better for the two villages to guard the mountain together. At least if only the two villages could go up, they would have a greater chance of harvesting something.

Thus, the two villages came to a truce and decided to protect the thriving Big Green Mountain together.

But if they thought about it carefully, who would go up that mountain just for the sake of gathering wild vegetables or fruits? Following the principle of convenience, everyone would choose the area closest to them.

Apart from these two villages, there were no other villages near Big Green Mountain.

In the years of disputes, no outsiders had ventured into the mountain.

Now, because of the magistrate’s few words, they had so easily come to an agreement. This just showed how skilled the magistrate was at convincing people.

After the rain, the mountain looked especially fresh and beautiful. The young shoots on the trees were dripping with rainwater, and the air was crisp and refreshing. A deep breath of the fragrance of grass and trees felt like it instantly cleansed the soul.

This scene, which Chen Shuilian hadn’t experienced in a long time, made her feel relaxed.

No!

This was not the time to relax.

Thanks to her memories from her past life, she vaguely recalled someone mentioning the spot where that unlucky boy had been gored to death by a wild boar. That place was marked by a giant pine tree, which stood out and was well-known to both villages.

After the rain, the ground had not yet dried, and as Zhao Maizhou had said, the path was difficult to navigate. The muddy ground made walking a challenge, with each step deep and shallow, causing Zhao Maizhou to look at Chen Shuilian with concern.

After walking for a while, he couldn’t hold back anymore. “Mom, why don’t you head back? It’s just mushroom picking. I can handle it on my own.”

“Head back? We’ve come this far. Come on, let’s go to the big locust tree over there,” Chen Shuilian waved her hand firmly.

“Alright…” Zhao Maizhou reluctantly agreed, shrinking his neck.

They had arrived early, so the area around the big locust tree was still quiet.

Zhao Maizhou, knowing that his mother was looking for mushrooms, placed the basket down and began to search the nearby grass.

As she had predicted, mushrooms were plentiful after the rain. After just a short search, he found a large patch.

Excited, Zhao Maizhou called out, “Mom, there are mushrooms… here?”

“???”

Wait… What was his mother doing with a knife, cutting bamboo?

Chen Shuilian also turned around and called out, “Maizhou, come over here and dig some holes. Make sure they’re big ones.”

But as soon as she turned around, where was her son?

How was it that her grown-up son had disappeared?

When Chen Shuilian took a closer look, she realized that the silly boy was now earnestly digging for mushrooms…

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

This child was too honest! She said to dig for mushrooms, and he literally started digging for mushrooms?

The two of them exchanged a look, unsure how to react.