After Wu Qiaoqiao finished dealing with things, she took Feng Mingran out of the courtyard. Zhao Xiuxiang was about to follow, but Wu Qiaoqiao pushed her back and told her to go back to the kang (heated brick bed) and sleep for a while. After all, it was only a little past 3 o'clock, not even 4 o'clock yet. Why not go back to sleep?
After leaving the courtyard and arriving at the meeting point, Wu Qiaoqiao saw that there were only about 20 people there. She knew it was because they were going to be split into two groups. After all, even the tractor couldn't fit everyone, and even with the old horse from the village pulling the cart, it would be the same. The reason Wu Qiaoqiao brought Feng Mingran first was simply because everyone in the village knew that Wu Qiaoqiao wasn't a weak, delicate wife. After all, what young wife could go hunting in the mountains alone?
Later, Liu Mingfeng also joined the army. Before the snow came, when they went up the mountain to look for wild game, they saw that Wu Qiaoqiao was also carrying a bow. They thought that Wu Qiaoqiao's bow was just for show, and that she was definitely not as good at hunting as Lin Yuwei. After all, every time they had a good hunt, they were with Liu Mingfeng.
Who knew that such bad luck would happen? The aunties and older women who went into the mountains to find wild produce that day didn't venture deep into the mountains; they were just searching outside. Who knew that a snake would fall from a tree while they were searching? They all saw it clearly. If it weren't for Wu Qiaoqiao's arrow, the snake would definitely have landed on the neck of an old woman in the village. Later, they all went to see the snake, and a sense of relief washed over them, because it was a venomous snake. If it had bitten their necks, they would have been killed.
At first, they were all very curious about Wu Qiaoqiao's skills. They knew that every time Wu Qiaoqiao went into the mountains with Liu Mingfeng, although they always managed to get something, they assumed that Liu Mingfeng was the main force, and Wu Qiaoqiao was just there to carry things. Of course, in the eyes of those aunties and older women, it was probably just that the couple wanted to spend some time alone, since there were children and a pregnant woman at home, which made things a bit inconvenient.
However, after hearing Zhao Xiuxiang's explanation, they learned that Wu Qiaoqiao had practiced martial arts with her grandfather since childhood. She had fallen into the water and fallen ill when she first came to their village, and hadn't recovered since. That's why they didn't know she possessed such skills. Knowing this, some people felt envious, but could only admire Liu Mingfeng from afar. After all, who would have known that this seemingly weak and unassuming young educated youth possessed such abilities? Some even thought that if their child had saved Wu Qiaoqiao, they would be the ones eating meat right now.
This time, Liu Yougen had his eye on Wu Qiaoqiao's skills, mainly hoping she could protect everyone on the way there. Of course, a few members of their village militia would also be going with them, including Wu Qiaoqiao's third uncle, Liu Sanqian. The reason for this preparation was that they were setting off before dawn, and the only side of the road they were going on was free of mountains; both sides of the road were surrounded by mountains. They were worried that wild animals might come from those mountains, so it was always better to be cautious.
That's why Wu Qiaoqiao was in the first batch. You see, when Feng Mingran went winter fishing those two years, he was always in the second group, just picking up fish on the shore. So, the people waiting here saw Wu Qiaoqiao carrying a longbow on her back, while Feng Mingran was carrying a quiver with about 20 arrows in it.
As Wu Qiaoqiao approached, she saw Old Man Liu Dinghai, the head fisherman of Liujiatun. Ever since the winter fishing season was set, Wu Qiaoqiao had been hearing about the old man's many achievements, and the more she heard, the more excited she became. She was mainly interested in the old man's skills, and this time she decided to take a good look and see if she could learn anything. Even a little bit would be helpful in the future.
Besides the old man and his two sons, Uncle Liu was also present, along with about ten strong villagers. The first group consisted of these people because they would be working with the old man, while the second group would help haul the fish from the lake, sort them by size, and load them onto the cart. The second group also included a few women who would use the iron pots and firewood they had brought to build a stove and prepare hot soup for the villagers.
This time, it was still the team leader Liu Yougen who led the team. He looked at the people present, counted the number of people present, and saw that almost everyone had arrived. He then called out and signaled everyone to get on the bus.
So everyone got on the bus one by one. Of course, the old man and Liu Yougen were pulled up by the others. As for Wu Qiaoqiao and Feng Mingran, Feng Mingran originally intended to go up first and then help his cousin-in-law. Who knew that Wu Qiaoqiao, who was standing next to him, would jump up and grab the edge of the garbage truck, and then dart up. After getting on, Wu Qiaoqiao even turned around and reached out her hand to Feng Mingran. Feng Mingran was caught off guard by his cousin-in-law's quick movements and, seeing Wu Qiaoqiao reach out her hand, he also reached out in a daze, only to be pulled up by Wu Qiaoqiao with a strong pull.
After being pulled up and seated, he was still a little dazed. The villagers who were already seated next to him burst into laughter at his appearance. Wu Qiaoqiao didn't pay attention to his reaction. After getting on the vehicle, Wu Qiaoqiao and Liu Sanqian adjusted their positions, both moving to either side of the tractor. After all, they knew there might be danger coming down from the mountain. One of them took off his bow and slung his quiver over his back, while Liu Sanqian gripped his gun tightly.
After Liu Mancang shouted for everyone to sit and stand properly, he started the tractor and headed towards Huluze. At this time, some women who had come out with their husbands saw the tractor getting further and further away until they could no longer see its taillights. They pulled their thick cotton-padded coats tighter around them, shivering, and went home to close the door and warm up on the kang (a heated brick bed). After all, it was freezing cold at this time of year.
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