Chapter 29 Running Away First

"You're telling me I shouldn't suspect someone so easily?"

Fu Lian spoke, his voice much lower than usual.

"Then you should be more honest with me."

"Where did I lie?"

Qiao Wanyin gently raised her head, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Without her noticing, her gaze fell on his Adam's apple.

Her ears suddenly felt hot, and her heart pounded even harder.

"Those two southern merchants simply do not exist."

"You made that up to get everyone's attention, didn't you?"

Qiao Wanyin fell silent, her lips slightly pursed, as if unwilling to admit it easily.

Indeed, those so-called "two southern merchants"...

Actually, she just made it all up after she let it slip.

She thought no one would investigate, but Fu Li'an kept it in mind.

But the way he spoke, his tone of voice...

It sounds a little strange, doesn't it?

It's not blame, nor is it disappointment.

Instead, it subtly reveals a different kind of emotion?

She took a gentle breath and raised her fair and delicate little hand.

“Comrade Fu Li’an, you need to provide evidence. If you’re going to question me, you can’t just make empty promises, can you? If you’re going to accuse me of fabricating stories and trying to mislead others, that’s no small matter.”

Fu Li'an's expression changed slightly for a moment, but his eyebrows remained unchanged.

But my fingers unconsciously tightened their grip a little.

What's wrong with this woman?

Why don't you seem panicked at all?

He had thought she would at least feel a little guilty.

What if it were someone else?

They must have been itching to get back to work by now, right?

They either rush to explain, saying they never said such a thing.

Either apologize and beg for leniency, and that's it.

But why her of all people?

Instead of admitting her mistake, she spoke those words with a self-righteous attitude, appearing neither humble nor arrogant, and even questioned him about the evidence!

It's simply...

That's outrageous!

"Can't produce it, huh?"

Qiao Wanyin's lips curled up slightly, and she spoke with a hint of unyielding arrogance.

"Then it won't stop me from going to dig for wild vegetables! I absolutely have to take a trip to the foot of the mountain behind the village today."

The wind rustled through the forest, making the leaves whisper in the breeze.

Fu Lian stood there, looking at the girl in front of him, but a sense of defeat he had never felt before rose in his heart.

After speaking, Qiao Wanyin lowered her head, not daring to look at the man's reaction.

She carefully slipped past the man.

She walked quickly along the sidewalk for a few steps and eventually disappeared around the street corner.

Fu Li'an remained standing in the same spot, his hands in his pockets, not moving an inch for a long time.

At that moment, his eyes darkened, his emotions a complex mix that defied description.

He finally made up his mind...

Next time we meet, I must give her a copy of "Selected Works of ***" so I can "study" it properly!

—Whether it's knowledge or attitude, she needs to seriously improve!

At the village entrance, Qiao Wanyin ran while muttering to herself, "I almost gave myself away just now... No, no, I need to be more careful with my words in the future."

After returning home, she did nothing but hurriedly slung an old bamboo basket over her shoulder, picked up her shovel and rope, and headed straight up the mountain.

The family's basic needs for food and clothing are far more important than those things.

Yuwei Village is nestled among mountains and beside a river.

Logically speaking, the natural resources here should be very abundant.

It has not only fertile soil, but also clear springs, forests, and streams.

However, in recent years, the weather has changed abnormally, and crops have often failed. In order to make a living, the villagers have almost completely plundered the mountains, forests and ditches for food and anything usable.

However, some of the wild herbs that the herbalists only occasionally collect are still left.

However, to find truly valuable varieties, one must venture deeper and into more remote areas.

Qiao Wanyin walked along the overgrown path.

Along the way, he muttered the names of several valuable herbs: "Gastrodia elata, Polygonatum sibiricum, Aesculus hippocastanum... These are all popular medicinal herbs that are bought at high prices. If we can pick one more plant, we can have a few more meals."

She pushed aside a patch of bushes blocking her way with her hand.

In that instant, her eyes suddenly lit up.

A healthy horse chestnut tree is swaying its branches and leaves gently in the breeze.

The moment she saw it, a surge of joy welled up inside her. She quickly took out her small shovel, squatted down, and prepared to dig it up.

But just as she inserted the tool into the soil...

Suddenly, a piercing yet crisp sound rang in my ears.

The sound was like the snapping sound of a tree branch breaking.

"Clang—"

Qiao Wanyin suddenly stopped.

My heart skipped a beat.

She quickly stopped what she was doing, slowly raised her head, and looked in the direction of the sound.

Looking out through the gaps in the layers of branches and leaves.

Not far away, in an open space, stood an unusually large wild boar.

It nudged the soil with its nose while looking down to search for decaying leaves on the ground.

They look like they're looking for food.

In an instant, Qiao Wanyin's blood seemed to freeze.

I originally thought that I might encounter deer or foxes when I went into the mountains.

But who would have thought that their first encounter would be with a wild boar?

That's incredibly "lucky"!

Her lips twitched, and she couldn't even manage a bitter smile.

If you could buy lottery tickets these days, she'd probably win a big prize!

But you must stay calm and not get agitated!

You must calm down and think about how to get out of this situation!

The most important thing is to get out of there first!

Qiao Wanyin gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, clenched her hands tightly, and carefully lifted her toes, moving her feet lightly and slowly.

Trying not to make a sound, I wanted to slip away from the wild boar's vicinity silently.

However, things didn't go as smoothly as expected—a crisp "crack" sounded.

Her left foot landed on some tree branch, and the broken branch snapped in two with a piercing sound.

The wild boar, which had been burying its head in grass and rooting at the ground, suddenly raised its head.

A pair of small, dark eyes stared fiercely ahead.

The fangs around its mouth were stark white and exposed to the air.

what to do?

What should we do?

She was feeling very uneasy, and her mind went completely blank.

I had to keep my nerves on edge and control my breathing with extreme care.

The wild boar nervously pawed at the ground with its front hooves, emitting a heavy, low growl.

The whole body began to lean forward.

Just as it was about to rush over, a sudden inspiration flashed through her mind.

When I was running for my life, I think I saw a very deep pit not far ahead!

If we could lure that beast over there...

Then it won't be the other way around, it will be the other way around!

Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth, decisively turned around, and ran away as fast as she could.

Wild boars are not to be trifled with.

Seeing that this human dared to provoke it, it immediately growled and chased after it.