Chapter 12 : Lucky

The three of them didn’t waste any time. Xiao Lanlan reminded Xiao Hechuan not to wander too far and to make sure he answered if she called out.

Xiao Hechuan nodded obediently

“I’ll stay close to my wife. I won’t get lost.”

He was also very clingy, always sticking by his wife’s side. Xiao Lanlan thought of her fourth brother in the past, he used to be cold and only cared about reading. Now, he was nothing like that.

Jiang Sui took Xiao Hechuan along to gather mushrooms. Before long, her basket was nearly full, and Xiao Hechuan’s backpack was about one-third filled.

By the afternoon, a light sheen of sweat formed on Xiao Hechuan’s forehead. Jiang Sui pulled a small handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped the sweat from his brow. The handkerchief was still new, it had been given to her by Mother Xiao before she left the house.

He was tall, so Jiang Sui had to stretch her arms up with some effort. Xiao Hechuan stood still, letting her wipe his sweat. Sunlight filtered through the branches of the chestnut trees, creating dappled patterns of light and shadow. In that light, the two of them stood together, wiping sweat off each other like a loving couple, a scene that would make anyone envious.

After a short rest, the two continued forward, with Xiao Lanlan calling out from behind from time to time, and the couple responding to let her know where they were.

As they walked, they noticed a ravine ahead and began to hear faint noises coming from it, there seemed to be the sounds of animals.

Xiao Hechuan and Jiang Sui heard the sounds at the same time, and Jiang Sui immediately became alert, worried it might be a dangerous wild animal.

Xiao Hechuan, on the other hand, looked excited. He left his backpack where it was and started walking toward the edge of the ravine.

Jiang Sui quickly grabbed him

“Hechuan, don’t go! It’s dangerous!”

But Xiao Hechuan was too curious. He gave her a sheepish look and said

“Wife, I’ll just take a peek, just a quick look, okay?” He really wanted to know what was down there.

Jiang Sui listened more closely and realized the noises didn’t sound like those of a large predator.

To be honest, Jiang Sui was curious too. From where they stood, the ravine seemed fairly deep. They were at the top, and even if there was a wild animal below, it wouldn’t be able to reach them quickly.

So, driven by curiosity, Jiang Sui grabbed Xiao Hechuan’s hand and agreed to check it out

“Alright, just a look. If anything feels wrong, we run immediately,” she said seriously.

Xiao Hechuan nodded eagerly in agreement.

The two of them approached the edge of the ravine, pushed aside some greenery, and looked down.

What they saw took them by surprise. Both their eyes lit up, especially Xiao Hechuan, who grabbed Jiang Sui’s hand tightly in excitement:

“Look, wife…there’s a roe deer and a wild boar down there! They look hurt!”

Jiang Sui quickly nodded. Sure enough, there was a confused-looking roe deer and a wild boar lying at the bottom of the ravine. The roe deer was still alive, whimpering softly. Its leg seemed to be broken and it couldn’t move. The wild boar, on the other hand, wasn’t moving at all. It wasn’t clear whether it was dead or alive, but a pool of blood had gathered beneath it.

Jiang Sui’s heart skipped a beat. What luck! If they could somehow bring back the roe deer and wild boar, it could feed the family for quite some time.

She immediately turned to Xiao Hechuan and said

“Hechuan, go get Lanlan. I’ll stay here and keep watch. Hurry!”

Seeing his wife’s anxious expression, Xiao Hechuan didn’t bother questioning her. He just thought that she wanted Lanlan to come take a look and never imagined it had anything to do with eating meat.

Xiao Hechuan turned around to look for Xiao Lanlan, and Jiang Sui reminded him to watch his step on the way.

Soon, the siblings came over. Xiao Hechuan had already told Xiao Lanlan what was going on on the way there. Lanlan was equally excited and came running, out of breath.

She immediately looked down into the ravine and saw the roe deer and the wild boar. A smile of surprise instantly appeared on her face.

“Oh my God, what luck we have! Something this good happened to us. Brother and sister-in-law, looks like we’ll have meat to eat every day for the next few months!”

When Xiao Hechuan heard that they could eat meat every day, he was overjoyed.

“Really? How do you know?”

This silly guy hadn’t caught on yet.

“Isn’t there meat already lying there? Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, you two keep watch here and don’t let anyone else find out. I’ll go down the mountain right now to get Dad and the others to come bring the roe deer and the wild boar back. Those two unlucky animals must’ve fallen in by accident while fighting. Who knows how long they’ve been there, no one’s found them till now.”

Xiao Lanlan felt today was truly her lucky day, and her face was lit up with joy.

“Alright, go ahead. We’ll stay and keep watch. Be careful.”

Jiang Sui was just as excited and anxious as Xiao Lanlan. Who wouldn’t be excited over such a good stroke of luck?

Xiao Lanlan nodded and hurried down the mountain without delay. On the way, she ran into two villagers who were out digging for kudzu roots. They asked if she’d seen any kudzu vines. Xiao Lanlan, being clever, directed them to a spot far away from the ravine to avoid anyone else finding the animals and trying to split the meat. After all, the rule is whoever finds it gets it.

The four Xiao family men were working in the fields when they saw Lanlan coming from afar. When she told them about the wild boar and roe deer, the four of them were thrilled. They rushed home to grab knives and hemp ropes without wasting a second.

You’d be a fool not to hurry when something this good happens!

Mother Xiao had some free time that afternoon, so she was in her room mending Jiang Sui’s clothes just like she’d promised that morning. Zhou, who had received a piece of floral cloth, planned to make two pairs of underwear, so she joined Mother Xiao in the room. The two of them chatted while sewing.

While they were busy, a loud clatter suddenly erupted in the courtyard. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quickly put down their needlework and stepped outside. Liu, who had been sulking, also opened her door quietly to see what was happening.

All the men of the household had come back, tossing their hoes and shovels all over the ground, then began rushing through the house. Xiao Lanlan had returned alone, but there was no sign of Jiang Sui or Xiao Hechuan.

Mother Xiao first thought was that something had happened to the couple. Her heart started pounding, and her face turned pale from the fright.

“What’s going on? Did something happen? Lanlan, why did you come back alone? Where are your fourth brother and his wife?”

Mother Xiao rushed to the center of the courtyard and grabbed her daughter, shaking her anxiously. Xiao Lanlan, still catching her breath, felt a wave of dizziness and nausea.

“Mom, stop shaking me! I’m about to throw up. Fourth Brother and Sister-in-law are fine. Just listen and I’ll tell you quietly.”

Lanlan noticed that the third sister-in-law was sneaking peeks through the door crack. Knowing she was a nosy one, Lanlan decided to tease her a bit and keep her guessing.

She leaned in and whispered in Mother Xiao ear. Zhou, full of curiosity, pulled her husband aside and asked

“What happened? Why is everyone in such a rush?”

“You’ll find out tonight. It’s good news,” Second Brother Xiao Mian replied with a mysterious smile.