With nothing much to do in the afternoon, Wenxi took the pig's trotters and ribs she bought when dividing the pork to the well, washed them with warm water, and then took them to the kitchen to stew radish and rib soup. As for the pig's trotters, she would save them for another day, because soybeans need to be soaked for a day before they can be cooked until tender. Soaking the soybeans now will allow her to make soybean and pig's trotter soup by this time tomorrow.
Afterwards, Wenxi went to her room to rest. Because there was enough water in the pork rib pot, it wouldn't boil dry when simmered over low heat. She also instructed Shen Jiaojiao and Jiang Yue to add some firewood every now and then, so she could rest for a while without worry.
After finishing her lessons with Zhao Yuanyuan and Zhao Huihui that evening, Wen Xi said to Zhao Yuanyuan, "Yuanyuan, go back and tell your father to catch more eels. I'll trade them for one cent per pound. Just have your father hide the eels behind the trees at the foot of the mountain. When you come to class tonight, I'll give you the money."
"Sister Xiaoxi, how many eels do you want?" Zhao Yuanyuan asked curiously.
"Take as many as you can!" Wen Xi said. She knew that Zhao Zhiping wouldn't be able to dig many eels by himself, so she could afford the cost.
Zhao Yuanyuan was very surprised when she heard Wen Xi's words, "Sister Xiaoxi, what do you need so many eels for?"
"Isn't it almost Chinese New Year? I plan to cook some for the New Year's Eve dinner, and then pickle and dry the rest before sending them home. That way, when food is scarce, we can have something to eat at home. Don't you think so?" When food is scarce, there aren't many vegetables to eat, not to mention in the city, even in the countryside.
However, the countryside is a little better than the city because there are wild vegetables and fish in the water, so there are more things to eat there than in the city.
Although Wenxi might not send any home, it didn't stop her from using this excuse to buy some eels. In the summer, it was very easy to catch eels at night, but in the winter, she had to dig in rice paddies and ditches, which she wasn't very good at. But in order to be able to eat eels during the New Year, she had no choice but to buy them from Zhao Zhiping.
Just like keeping the good stuff within the family, she naturally reserved this money-making opportunity for those who were kind and reliable to her. She wouldn't dare buy eels from other families in the village; what if she revealed this to the outside world?
"Yuanyuan, remember to tell your father that no one else should know about this except us, understand? Otherwise, if someone reports it, your family will be implicated," Wenxi instructed.
Zhao Yuanyuan nodded, "Sister Xiaoxi, don't worry, I'll tell my dad when I get back."
After seeing Zhao Yuanyuan and Zhao Huihui out of the courtyard gate, Wen Xi closed the gate and went back to her room to rest.
The next morning, Wenxi opened the courtyard gate and saw bundles of firewood piled up beside it. She was very puzzled. Who had secretly sent them so much firewood?
Jin Changfeng is not in the village at the moment, so he definitely didn't do this.
Xia Minglei and Lu Xiaoyun are people who only want to take advantage and not give anything in return, so it's even less likely that they would bring them firewood. They are people who wait to be taken care of and would never take the initiative to take care of others.
So, who exactly is being so kind?
Wen Xi turned back and added another sentence to the note, telling Shen Jiaojiao and Jiang Yue to move the firewood to the yard in the morning. She wondered who had delivered the firewood and whether it could be delivered to someone else.
Since someone kindly brought them firewood, they should use it. If the other party breaks down and jumps out, wouldn't that be a good opportunity to find out who put it there?
Wen Xi had just climbed the mountain and was heading towards the waterfall when the sign-in system's voice suddenly rang in her mind: "Host, a task is now being issued: Please follow the planned route to the destination."
Then a blue navigation arrow appeared in Wenxi's mind. After thinking about the fish at the waterfall and hesitating for a moment, Wenxi walked in the direction indicated by the arrow.
The sign-in system had given her so many benefits, so she really should do something for it. Besides, the tasks issued by the sign-in system weren't particularly difficult, and having this sign-in system would only bring her advantages and no disadvantages. In order to keep the sign-in system under her control, Wen Xi decided to accept the task.
Wenxi followed the arrow and walked forward. Unexpectedly, the route planned by the system was quite remote. She didn't see any trace of anyone having been there. It seemed that everyone was used to going in the same few directions when going up the mountain. No wonder no one had discovered the waterfall. She, a newcomer to the countryside, stumbled upon it by accident.
Wen Xi followed the arrow, paying close attention to her surroundings as she went. After all, she had never been in this direction before and was unfamiliar with it. She was also afraid of stepping into a trap set by someone else while hunting. There was no one else on the mountain, and if something really happened, she would be left helpless.
Although I spent two years in the countryside in my previous life, I spent most of that time working to earn work points, so I really didn't have time to get to know these mountains properly!
This life is different. Since she doesn't rely on work points for a living, she won't waste time going to work. She will apply to cut pig feed like other educated youth, so she will have most of her time to go up the mountain to explore its mysteries.
I don't know how long I walked, but it got deeper and deeper inside. Although it was just as desolate, it gave me a terrifying and eerie feeling.
A gust of cold wind blew by, and Wenxi suddenly smelled a bloody odor. Wenxi immediately stopped and quickly crouched down, trying to hide herself. Then, with a nervous heart, she observed the surrounding movements. After waiting for a while and not hearing any sound, Wenxi still dared not take another step forward.
Although she hadn't heard of any dangerous beasts like tigers, wolves, or wild boars in the mountains, no one knew what had happened or what was coming from the place where the fishy smell emanated, so Wenxi didn't dare to be careless.
However, the check-in system didn't give any notification. Does that mean there's no danger ahead?
After all, if you die, the sign-in system will have to find a new host and re-bind, which is very troublesome, isn't it?
Wenxi finally decided to go and see, so she squatted down and slowly moved towards the direction from which the smell of blood was coming.
Then they came to a forest that had never been trampled on; there wasn't a single trace of footsteps. However, the arrow from the check-in system kept pointing forward, so Wenxi had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue forward.
Because she didn't know what would happen if the mission failed, she still wanted to live a good life and have a wonderful and fulfilling life with her girlfriends!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
