Chapter 173: Preparing to Go Back

After Xu Ning finished lunch and had just lulled the Niu Pi Tang to sleep, Xu Yang and Li Na returned.

“Brother, weren’t you supposed to take Sister-in-law to have a good time in the city for the day? Why are you back so early?”

Xu Yang glanced helplessly at Li Na and smiled, “I took her around the city for a bit, but she said it wasn’t interesting and that she’d rather go up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables.”

Li Na laughed and said, “Xiao Ning, don’t blame your brother; it was me who wanted to come back. I think there are so many wild vegetables on Daqing Mountain, and it would be a shame not to dig some. This afternoon, I’ll go with your brother to the mountain for a stroll and dig up some wild vegetables to bring back to eat.”

Xu Ning chuckled, “Alright, then I’ll go prepare dinner for you. You can eat before heading out again.”

Xu Yang said, “No need to rush; we’ve already eaten in the city.”

Xu Ning provided them with baskets and tools for digging wild vegetables, and the two headed up the mountain.

Li Na was like someone addicted; she wanted to go up the mountain twice a day. Sometimes, they would dig for wild vegetables and hunt for a few wild chickens and rabbits.

Xu Ning wanted them to take all the wild chickens and rabbits back with them when they left, but the weather was just too hot, and the journey would take four or five days, which meant the meat would spoil for sure.

Li Na had her parents and two older brothers at home; she couldn’t let them go back empty-handed. However, there wasn’t much mountain produce available in this season.

So, she decided to cure the wild rabbits with salt, cutting them into thin strips before slowly drying them. Although it was a bit troublesome, this way, the meat wouldn’t spoil on the journey.

As for the wild chickens, she decided to cure them whole, making them a bit saltier, then letting them sun-dry for a couple of days. They should be fine even after four or five days.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and the two were set to return to the army the next day. That evening, the family sat together chatting.

Xu Ning and Xu An prepared items for them to take back.

They packed mushrooms and dried wild vegetables collected in the spring, along with the eggplant and green bean strips Xu Ning had sun-dried. She made sure to give them extra so they could share some when they got back.

Also, when Xu Yang first arrived, Aunt Dashuan knew he liked to eat soybean paste, so she specifically had Jianmin send a jar for him, which he was also taking back with him.

After packing various items, they ended up with two large bags. Noticing some empty spaces, Xu Ning decided to add two pounds of brown sugar and two pounds of rock sugar to the bags.

Xu Mo and Li Na were playing with the little ones while Father Xu and Mother Xu reminded Xu Yang to treat Li Na well when he got back and to be filial to his in-laws.

Xu Ning walked over and sat down next to Li Na, smiling as she said, “Sister-in-law, make sure to come and visit us whenever you have time.”

“My brother is a bit straightforward. If he does anything wrong, don’t take it to heart; otherwise, you’ll just end up getting upset,” Xu Ning added.

Xu Mo chimed in, “Sister-in-law, my brother isn’t very good with words. If he makes you angry, just write to us. I’m still young and can’t fight him, but I’ll make sure Mom and Dad take care of him.”

Li Na looked at the two with amusement.

“Do you two have some misunderstanding about your brother? He’s very composed in the army and quite articulate too. The leaders value him a lot, and he has a good temperament; he never gets angry with me.”

Xu Ning and Xu Mo exchanged glances, realizing how ridiculous the situation was. What do they call this? Meddling in other people’s business?

Noticing their expressions, Li Na suddenly realized that her earlier words might have come off as inappropriate, as if she were misunderstanding their good intentions. To lighten the mood, she smiled and added, “Alright, I get it. If I ever have a quarrel with him, I’ll let you know so you can help me get back at him.”

Xu Ning chuckled, “Hehe!”

Xu Mo laughed heartily, “Hehehe!”

When they returned to the house, Li Na smiled and shared what Xu Ning and Xu Mo had just told her.

She then asked with a laugh, “How do you usually act as an older brother at home? Why do they all seem to think you’re unreliable?”

Xu Yang smiled helplessly, “I just like to joke around with them at home. Who knew they’d think of me as a blunt person with no filter?

No wonder Xiao Mo wrote to me like an old lady, giving me all that advice. I thought he was just a worrywart who loved to chatter, but it turns out he’s genuinely afraid I’ll make mistakes.”

Li Na said, “Your younger siblings are all very good. They are loyal and affectionate, which is rare.”

Xu Yang smiled and replied, “Yes, we’ve always been close since we were young. Before I joined the army, Xiao An and Xiao Ning were like my little shadows, following me wherever I went.

At that time, Xiao Mo was only two years old, and none of us liked bringing him along. But that little guy was clever. Whenever he saw us going out, he’d cling to my leg and refuse to let go.

He’d call us ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ so sweetly and was great at tattling. If we didn’t take him along, the three of us would definitely get scolded when we returned.”

Li Na sighed, “Xiao Mo really is clever. When I was little, I wanted to follow my brothers to play, but they never took me. Why didn’t I think of that trick? If I had known Xiao Mo earlier, I could’ve learned from him.”

Xu Yang glanced at her with amusement. “You don’t even realize, huh? How old are you compared to Xiao Mo? Do you really think you two are the same age?”

Li Na chuckled, realizing how silly her comment had been.