Chapter 20

Chen Suihuan’s journey of exploring the mountains would not stop here, so she wanted to ask about the more dangerous areas in the mountains—places she should avoid in the future.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xingyan glanced at her and said: “Normally, wild boars and wolves won’t come near the foot of the mountain, so this area down here is quite safe.

But it’s a different story once you go deeper into the mountains. Especially in places like the fruit forest, the jujube grove, and the chestnut forest. Those places are best avoided all year round.

A lot of wild boars go to those forests in search of food, so the chances of running into them are pretty high.

If it’s winter, it’s best not to even enter the mountains at all. During winter, food is scarce in the mountains, so wolves and wild boars might come down in search of something to eat.”

Chen Suihuan nodded and carefully memorized everything Lu Xingyan said.

“There are many fruit forests in the mountains? Jujube trees? And chestnut trees too? Are they far from here? Which direction are they in?” she asked.

“If you want to go to those places, I can take you.” Lu Xingyan replied. “But normally, you really shouldn’t go alone. Even if you’re strong, if you run into a pack of wolves or a group of wild boars, it’s still extremely dangerous.” His face clearly showed disapproval.

Chen Suihuan said: “I can bring more people with me. Most of the educated youth who just arrived don’t have any work points yet, and that little bit of grain we get won’t last us more than a few months.

Plus, the winters here in the northeast are so long—four or five months at least. We have to store some food, don’t you think?

Jujubes and chestnuts can be stored for a long time. Every little bit helps. Otherwise, we’re going to end up starving.”

Among this group of educated youth, only four or five came from well-off families. The rest were in similar financial situations.

Once the grain supplied by the village ran out, they would have to pay out of pocket to buy more from the grain station or from the local villagers. That would be a huge expense.

Without the resources from the mountains to rely on, Chen Suihuan feared that some of the newly arrived youth might not make it through.

After listening, Lu Xingyan remained silent for a moment. Then he said: “If that’s the case, I’ll take you around these next few days and help you learn the terrain. I’ll show you how to walk through the forest without getting lost.

In about a month, the jujubes and chestnuts in the mountains will be ripe. By then, you can go harvest them—but you must be careful. Extremely careful.”

Chen Suihuan nodded happily. “Okay, thank you.”

Lu Xingyan gave a small smile and continued roasting the wild pheasant in his hands.

The pheasant was soon cooked. Once he sprinkled on the seasoning, the aroma became even stronger. Chen Suihuan’s eyes were practically glued to the roasted bird.

Once it was done, Lu Xingyan tore off the meatiest drumstick and handed it to Chen Suihuan. She didn’t hold back—she took it and immediately took a bite.

Then she gave Lu Xingyan a thumbs up. “Delicious. Seriously, this is so delicious!”

Seeing how happily she was eating, a smile flashed in Lu Xingyan’s eyes. “I’m not just good at roasting chicken. I can cook a lot of other dishes too. I’ll let you try them sometime.”

Chen Suihuan nodded. “I really envy people like you who can cook well and make tasty food. I’m just not good at it. My cooking never tastes like anything.”

Cooking, she felt, required a bit of talent. And in that area, Chen Suihuan’s talent was nearly zero.

Lu Xingyan raised his eyebrows slightly, as if something had occurred to him. Then he tore off the other drumstick and handed it to Chen Suihuan.

From the whole roast chicken, Chen Suihuan ate about half. The rest ended up in Lu Xingyan’s stomach.

“It’s getting late. If we wait any longer, it’ll be dark soon. Let’s hurry down the mountain.” Chen Suihuan said, looking up at the sky, then turning to Lu Xingyan.

The mountain at night always filled Chen Suihuan with a sense of dread.

After Lu Xingyan used dirt to extinguish the fire, he followed Chen Suihuan down the mountain together.

“Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll still be on the mountain. Didn’t you want me to take you to see those fruit forests? Are you coming tomorrow?” Lu Xingyan asked Chen Suihuan on the way.

Chen Suihuan thought for a moment and nodded. She did have plenty of food supplies at her place, but since she was still living with the other educated youth at the site, it was a problem how to get those supplies out.

So, on the surface, Chen Suihuan had to come up with an excuse to bring those things out.

Everyone was in the same situation. When the jujubes ripened, they would all go to pick them together. By then, if she had more food on hand, no one would pay any attention.

“You just said you’re on the mountain all day, and you’ll be there again tomorrow? Didn’t you come back to visit family and stay with your father?” Chen Suihuan asked Lu Xingyan, somewhat puzzled.

Lu Xingyan looked at her with a half-smile, half-smirk. “My father and the others are in good health. The only reason I came back to visit was because they tricked me into it.

That’s why I stay on the mountain every day and don’t go home—because they want to set me up on blind dates. I get annoyed, so I hide up on the mountain.”

“Oh, that’s not so bad. You’re not getting any younger. At your age, most people already have children. You should get married too.” Chen Suihuan advised.

Lu Xingyan’s already dark expression grew even darker after hearing her words. “You’re saying I’m too old?”

Chen Suihuan was at a loss for words. That wasn’t what she meant! How did he only hear that one sentence?

“Isn’t age important? You’re six or seven years older than me.” Chen Suihuan said confidently.

Lu Xingyan looked at her for a long moment, then said: “People from the military unit say older ones take better care of you.”

Chen Suihuan clamped her mouth shut like a clam, not wanting to respond to him.

Seeing they were about to get off the mountain, Lu Xingyan asked once again: “Are you really not going to consider me?”

Chen Suihuan hesitated, looked back at him for a long moment, then turned and walked away.

Actually, Lu Xingyan was quite nice. He looked like the kind of tough, masculine man she liked, and he was a soldier.

Most importantly, Lu Xingyan cooked really well, and Chen Suihuan had always wanted to find a partner who was a great cook.

Should she consider it? Chen Suihuan thought to herself.

The sun was already half below the horizon, the light growing dimmer and dimmer. Chen Suihuan quickened her pace, ready to return to the Educated Youth’s Yard.

The Educated Youth’s Yard was on the far east side of the village, somewhat separated from the village itself. As Chen Suihuan passed by the village and was about to turn a corner, she suddenly heard a noise coming from a nearby haystack.

With her sharp senses, Chen Suihuan immediately recognized it as a cry of pain, and she was very familiar with the voice behind it.

It was Gao Yue.

Chen Suihuan immediately sprinted toward the sound. The closer she got, the louder the voices became, as if two people were struggling together and one was struggling to get free.

Rounding a large haystack, Chen Suihuan saw two sneaky men working together to hold down Gao Yue.

“What are you doing?” Chen Suihuan shouted loudly. She immediately threw the machete in her hand, the blade narrowly scraping one man’s cheek before embedding itself deeply in the ground nearby.

The two men were shocked and quickly released their grip. Gao Yue immediately struggled free and ran toward Chen Suihuan, tears streaming down her face.