Chapter 21: Is Chen Shuilian a Fairy Sister?

Chen Shuilian said, “It sounds like the footsteps of a beast chasing someone. If it’s really chasing someone, we can’t keep walking like this. What if that person runs into this trap? What should we do then? Maizhou, you go ahead and run first. I’ll take a quick look at the situation and catch up.”

“No!” Zhao Maizhou immediately refused, “You go first, I’ll stay here. After all, I’m young and strong, and I can run faster.”

“Being young and strong doesn’t matter; I can’t rest easy,” Chen Shuilian immediately rejected his suggestion.

Zhao Maizhou was touched by her words, but this wasn’t the time to get emotional.

Just as he was about to speak again, Chen Shuilian interrupted him.

“From the sound, it seems to be still a bit far. Why don’t we both go take a look? If something’s off, we’ll run right away. But before we run, at least warn the person about the trap. We can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

“You’re right.” Zhao Maizhou, who was honest and kind-hearted, immediately agreed when Chen Shuilian said this.

However, despite his kindness, he wasn’t someone without principles.

Zhao Maizhou earnestly reminded her, “Mother, we can’t risk getting hurt for someone else. To put it bluntly, if it’s a big wild animal, you should just ignore it and we’ll run as fast as we can.”

“I think the same,” Chen Shuilian said, though she was also worried about the soft-hearted boy.

She grabbed his hand and reminded him firmly, “Listen to me closely. If I tell you to run, you better not try to help anyone. If you do, don’t blame me for turning my back on you. Think about your big brother’s fate, keep your ears open, and stay alert! Understand?”

“Got it!” Zhao Maizhou responded quickly.

His treatment was already less favorable than his big brother’s, so if his mother sent him away, the consequences were unimaginable.

As the footsteps grew louder, both of them tensed up.

Chen Shuilian pulled Zhao Maizhou back while carefully observing the situation.

She might want that wild boar, but her life was far more important.

If the danger was extreme, she wouldn’t hesitate to let that unlucky boy sacrifice himself so they could escape safely.

After all, she was already known as the wicked woman of the village. One more bad reputation wouldn’t matter.

Compared to her own and her son’s safety, her reputation wasn’t worth considering.

While these thoughts flashed through her mind, a stumbling figure appeared in the distant woods.

Behind him was a majestic wild boar.

Zhao Maizhou relaxed when he saw it was just a wild boar. Thank goodness it wasn’t a jackal or tiger.

Although the wild boar was fierce, at this distance, they could still escape. If it had been a large predator, he would have had to pull his mother to safety immediately.

However, it had been many years since any large predators had appeared in the front mountains, and even this wild boar was unusually rare.

Zhao Maizhou observed the boar’s frenzied behavior and guessed it must have been startled by last night’s storm.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have lost its way and ended up in the front mountains.

Chen Shuilian narrowed her eyes to take a closer look. It seemed alright—the man in front of the wild boar was disheveled but unharmed.

She then shouted loudly, “Hey! The person over there, running this way, there’s a trap here! Watch your step, don’t fall in!!”

The man being chased by the wild boar had already resigned himself to death, but he suddenly heard a ray of hope.

How wonderful that voice sounded—like a fairy’s blessing.

Fairy sister, here I come!!!

The exhausted man, who had long since run out of energy, suddenly found a surge of strength.

All he could think of now was one thing:

He didn’t want to die!

His mother was still waiting for him at home!

With that thought, the man gathered his strength and ran toward Chen Shuilian, who was getting closer and closer.

Zhao Maizhou, standing by, appeared ready to retreat at any moment.

At that moment, the wild boar let out a miserable cry.

Chen Shuilian sighed inwardly. It seemed that the young man’s luck was truly on his side—he had managed to escape the wild boar.

Focused solely on chasing him, the boar didn’t pay attention to where it was going and charged straight into the trap.

Though the traps were small, they were filled with bamboo spikes, which caused the boar’s hooves to be torn open by several wounds.

The immense pain made the boar roar in anger, its voice echoing through the woods, lingering for a long time.

But all of this was simply the boar’s helpless fury.

Despite the traps being small and not capable of inflicting fatal injuries, they had already sealed the boar’s fate.

The boar struggled in the trap, its wounds increasing, but it couldn’t escape the painful area.

As for the man who had narrowly escaped, he was now leaning against a nearby tree, gasping for breath.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and the heavy weight in his chest finally lifted.

Thank goodness, he was saved!

Now, he was eager to see what his “fairy sister” looked like!

She was his savior, his second chance at life!

But when he looked up, he was stunned.

Fairy sister…?

He couldn’t say she wasn’t an “older sister”—she was indeed older, and while she was beautiful, she looked about the same age as his own mother.

Chen Shuilian: “?”

Why was he staring at her?

Had he been scared into a stupor???

Don’t expect any sympathy from her; she wasn’t the comforting type.

The man snapped out of his daze when he met her gaze, immediately giving a formal bow to both of them.

“Thank you both for saving my life.”

“It’s nothing. Are you alright?” Zhao Maizhou asked, looking at him with concern.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. If it weren’t for you, I’d be a goner,” the man sighed with relief. “But what are all these pits for? This area is frequented by villagers—what if someone steps into one by accident?”

Zhao Maizhou scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. “My mother figured that since the road is slippery today and no one would be coming up the mountain, I should dig some traps to see if we can catch some wild chickens or rabbits. We’ll cover the traps up when we leave, so there’s no danger.”

When the man heard the word “mother,” he nodded knowingly. It made sense now—he had wondered why the “fairy sister” seemed to be about the same age as his mother.

After reflecting, he glanced at Chen Shuilian, and when he saw that she wasn’t looking, he quietly asked, “But brother, there aren’t really any small animals around here, are there…?”

Zhao Maizhou leaned in and whispered, “I know, I’ve been hunting in these mountains for almost half a year. I know there aren’t any small animals here. But, you know, it’s all to make my mother happy. You’ve got to understand, some things are better left unsaid for family harmony. Just get the job done.”

The man, who was inherently filial, couldn’t help but admire the level of devotion Zhao Maizhou showed.

To make his mother happy, he’d do all this labor without a single complaint.

This kind of mentality and selflessness were a great example to follow.

No wonder this boy turned out so well—he was just like his “fairy sister,” an outstanding person!

Thinking about it, the man couldn’t help but show a look of admiration. “Brother, you’re a true model.”

Zhao Maizhou smiled at the compliment and said, “Don’t joke around. Today’s luck was on your side—if it weren’t for my mother’s creativity, you’d really be in big trouble.”

“You’re right. A life-saving grace is beyond words,” the man said solemnly, before turning to Chen Shuilian and calling out loudly, “I haven’t even asked which family from the neighboring village you’re from. I will definitely visit after I return!”