Chapter 20: Did I Just Get Lucky?

When they finally set out, it was three adults leading three children.

Looking at the man who had inexplicably followed them, Xu Jiaojiao was speechless.

Not wanting to walk with him, she trailed behind slowly.

Having grown up in the mountains, they were naturally familiar with them.

A long line formed, with Qin Shuo at the front and Xu Jiaojiao at the back.

They didn’t see many mushrooms along the way, probably because they had been picked by others.

The firewood the children had collected had already been discarded by Qin Sheng.

This trip was purely a gamble.

The Red Flag Brigade was short of food and supplies, and the villagers had already searched the mountains several times.

How easy could it be to find anything?

But instead of being disappointed, Xu Jiaojiao’s eyes grew brighter as she explored.

She would occasionally bend down, pluck a few herbs, and put them in the backpack behind her.

“What are you pulling that stuff for?”

Seeing her slow pace, Ding Xiujing turned her head and saw her pulling herbs.

“These are medicinal herbs.”

Xu Jiaojiao was overjoyed to find so many medicinal herbs in this mountain, like a rat that had stumbled into a rice bin.

She was almost lost in the moment.

Hearing that she was collecting herbs, Ding Xiujing lost interest.

She didn’t know anything about them, so she might as well focus on finding something edible.

Maybe she could find a wild…

“There are eggs here!”

Suddenly, Erni exclaimed excitedly.

Hearing this, everyone was stunned. Eggs could be found here?

Following the sound, Dani and Dahu couldn’t help but exclaim.

“A nest of eggs!”

Indeed, a nest of eggs in various colors was hidden in the bushes, covered with grass.

It was hard to spot unless you looked closely.

“I saw them while I was picking mushrooms,” Erni’s face was flushed.

She was clearly excited.

“Come on, be careful, put them in the backpack.”

Thinking about having egg soup for dinner, everyone couldn’t help but swallow.

Even Xu Jiaojiao, who had just eaten an egg, was craving it.

They were too poor and lacked oil and water.

Suddenly, a “cluck” came from not far away.

Everyone turned their heads and saw Qin Shuo holding a brightly colored chicken.

“It’s a wild chicken!”

Xu Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up as she looked at the chicken in his hand.

It was as if he was holding a piece of meat, not a chicken.

Spicy chicken, roasted chicken, fried chicken pieces…

The children cheered and surrounded him.

“Third Uncle, you’re so amazing!”

“Third Uncle, how did you catch it!”

…

It has to be said that the allure of meat was too great, and the children overcame their fear of their Third Uncle.

They chirped and chattered around him, asking questions.

This was the first time he had been surrounded by children like this, and Qin Shuo’s hands were a little stiff.

He was holding the chicken in his hand, which made a series of pitiful cries.

Xu Jiaojiao: …

“Kill the chicken and let Dahu and the others take it back first,” Ding Xiujing said.

Although they could now freely go up the mountain to collect things, they couldn’t be sure if someone would be jealous and cause trouble.

It was better to have them take it back.

Besides, killing it directly would also save the old lady from being reluctant to eat it.

Xu Jiaojiao silently gave her a thumbs up.

Brilliant!

Hearing this, Qin Shuo didn’t hesitate. He turned around, and the next moment, the chicken stopped making any noise.

When he turned back, the chicken in his hand was already dead. He didn’t know how he did it.

Xu Jiaojiao curiously took a few more glances.

She met the man’s deep eyes.

Xu Jiaojiao: …

Thinking about the -50 favorability, she silently turned her head away, pretending not to see him.

Xu Jiaojiao continued to search for medicinal herbs.

There were really medicinal herbs all over the mountain, some of them quite precious.

Xu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but sigh, it was such a waste.

While collecting herbs, Xu Jiaojiao’s desire to go to the county town grew stronger.

She wondered if the pharmacies there would buy herbs?

She often saw in period dramas that when the protagonist was short of money, they would trade a ginseng root for some.

Xu Jiaojiao felt that she probably didn’t have the luck to find ginseng.

She wondered if ordinary pharmacies would do?

On the other side, Ding Xiujing had carefully packed the chicken that Qin Shuo had killed in the backpack.

She made sure that no one could even see a single feather before she felt relieved.

“Hurry back, don’t play around on the way, you hear me?”

Ding Xiujing was worried, after all, such a large piece of meat, plus the eggs, was left with a few little kids.

What if they lost it…

“Forget it, I’ll carry it, I’ll come back to pick tea later.”

The children looked at the backpack with longing eyes, refusing to leave.

Wherever Ding Xiujing went, they followed.

That was meat, and eggs!

Gulp…

The sound of swallowing could be heard one after another, following Ding Xiujing’s footsteps as she slowly walked away.

Only this awkward couple was left in the woods.

“That… I have something to do, you…”

Xu Jiaojiao didn’t want to stay with him. Who knew when he would drop her favorability again?

It was already -50.

Thinking back to that night, she couldn’t help but feel a chill.

Fortunately, there was no prompt saying the mission failed.

A man’s heart is like the bottom of the sea!

Qin Shuo didn’t say anything, but he didn’t leave either. He just stood there watching her.

Xu Jiaojiao: …

This was putting a lot of pressure on her, okay?

Turning around, Xu Jiaojiao wanted to go back to the tea garden directly, not wanting to collect herbs anymore.

But she stopped in her tracks after taking two steps.

In the sparse grass, a string of red fruits stood out.

They flaunted themselves, as if saying: Come pick me!

Xu Jiaojiao was speechless.

How did you, a ginseng, manage to escape everyone’s eyes and grow so casually here?

She cautiously walked forward and squatted down.

Xu Jiaojiao pushed aside the grass that was blocking her view, and sure enough, it was ginseng.

Qin Shuo, who was behind her, also walked over.

He squatted down and watched her break off a branch and carefully dig up a herb.

It looked very precious.

The woman’s long eyelashes were half-closed, covering her bright and clear eyes.

Her slender hands, although careful, were nimble and agile.

It was as if she often did this kind of digging.

Thinking back to the herbs she had collected along the way, the inquiry in Qin Shuo’s eyes grew stronger.

Xu Jiaojiao had no idea what the man was thinking.

She didn’t even know how she had offended him, so it was better to ignore him.

The branch in her hand had already cleared away the soil above, slowly revealing the ginseng below.

The ginseng’s roots needed to be dug up intact to be valuable.

If they were broken, their value would be much lower.

Therefore, Xu Jiaojiao dug with great care, even forgetting the man beside her completely.

The ginseng in the soil was probably about twenty to thirty years old.

It wasn’t worth much money.

But every little bit helps—

But as the ginseng slowly revealed its full form, Xu Jiaojiao’s face flushed with excitement.

It was actually about fifty years old!

It’s true that luck is also a part of skill!

Overjoyed, Xu Jiaojiao held the ginseng and stood up.

But she didn’t know if it was because she had been squatting for too long, but as soon as she stood up, she felt dizzy.

Her feet stumbled, and she was about to bump into the man.

Xu Jiaojiao twisted her body and somehow avoided that muscular chest.

Qin Shuo: …