Chapter 84 Discussing Concealment, Discussion Results, Plants
Fearing that Neil would worry, Ray and Hagrid had discussed it beforehand and said that his injuries were caused by falling into someone's trap while fishing.
The clothes were also damaged by the dry branches in the trap and could not be worn, so I asked Aunt Linda to mend them and left the clothes with her.
Whether Neil will believe it or not is unknown, but it's enough to simply fool him for a few days.
"I will send breakfast and dinner to Guge these next few days. You should rest well at home."
Linda volunteered to deliver food to Gugge, hoping that Lai could relax and get some rest recently.
Linda cooks breakfast and dinner every day as usual, so delivering food to Guge is just another way to make a living, no big deal.
"Thank you, Aunt Linda."
“Silly child, don’t thank me. Lamb has caused you trouble again. I should be thanking you. I don’t know if he would have come back alive if it weren’t for you.”
Linda felt a chill run down her spine as she recalled this.
The group chatted for a while longer about what had happened in the woods. When it was time for dinner, Ray declined Linda's offer to stay several times and got up to leave Hagrid's house.
It was very dark. Rhys was driving Ray home. They were each carrying several fish.
Fortunately, in the short few hours that Lei and his group were out, the small net he had brought out and set in the ice hole actually caught more than a dozen fish.
Although they are not very big, according to Linda, these small fish have very delicious flesh and are suitable for making soup or fried fish.
I don't know which diligent villager helped pull out the fishing net while tidying up their things.
Fortunately, the fishing net was pulled back; otherwise, such a small net could easily have been washed away overnight.
"If there's anything I can help with, don't hesitate to let me know. Wait for me at home tomorrow. After we finish discussing things at the clan elder's house, we'll immediately set off to town to see a doctor."
"good."
The two walked for a while and then arrived at Lai's house.
By this time, Neil had already lit a fire, and the leaping flames illuminated the first floor.
The big yellow dog barked a few times when it heard the noise outside the wall, and after smelling the familiar scent, it wagged its tail and went back to its kennel.
The temperature was so low that even though it had a "fur coat" on its body, Da Huang didn't like its paw pads to have direct contact with the ground.
With a creak.
Neil opened the door after hearing a brief bark from a dog. Judging from the sound of the dog, he knew it must be his brother returning from fishing.
"elder brother!"
Neil was very excited to see Ray return, and he eagerly helped Ray take the things from his hands, like a little puppy wagging its tail.
"Brother, I remember you weren't wearing this outfit when you went out."
Lai and Reese exchanged a glance.
They've arrived.
"I accidentally got my clothes dirty while fishing today, and Rhys lent me a new one to wear."
"oh."
Neil was skeptical.
Although he was a boy, Neil had been through so much, and he was still very perceptive, not easily fooled. But when the person in question was Ray, he couldn't help but lower his guard.
Lai's excuse was reasonably plausible, and the two of them barely got away with it.
"Neil, go find a basin and help catch the fish. We caught quite a lot this afternoon, enough to feed us for a long time."
"Okay, brother, wait a moment, I'll get the basin right away."
Both Lei and Reese breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed the matter had been temporarily resolved.
"I'll be going now, see you tomorrow."
"good."
Ray took the things from Reese and saw him off at the door.
After a series of clanging and rummaging sounds, Neil found a small iron basin.
Ray picked out two fish the size of an adult's palm and handed them to Neil. He put the rest of the fish inside, covered them with a whole sheet of oil paper, and took them outside to the meat storage area to freeze.
"Brother, what should we do with these two fish?"
"Put it on a plate. I'll take some time to process it and marinate it with seasonings. We'll have pan-fried fish tomorrow."
"good!"
Nothing can ignite a foodie's passion more than new delicacies. Lately, Neil has been turned into a non-picky little foodie by Ray.
"Brother, can you smell a fishy odor on you?"
Neil's nose was like a cheat code, and Ray was annoyed that he had forgotten about it.
"What fishy smell? It must be the smell of fish. Rhys and I carried these fish all the way here."
"No, no, it's sweet, a bit like the taste of blood."
"..."
Is this a nose that a human could possibly have?
"It might be because I accidentally cut my palm."
Ray showed his hand to Neil, who immediately exclaimed in surprise.
"Ah! Brother, you're hurt."
What Ray feared most was this scene. If Neil knew he had vomited blood, who knew how he would react?
"It's nothing, just a minor injury, it's already been treated. Neil, have you eaten anything tonight?"
"Not yet, I want to wait for my brother to come back so we can eat together."
"Let's cook some noodles and have a bite to eat."
"Okay, brother, you don't need to do it, I'll cook it."
"good."
Since the hot pot base was invented, Neil quickly mastered its wonderful uses.
You can add it directly to boiled noodles, or to stir-fry vegetables. Although the resulting dishes all taste the same, it is definitely much more convenient.
Neil washed two potatoes, cut them into strips about the width of his little finger, and washed some vegetable leaves. He put them in the pot when the noodles were almost done cooking.
"Brother, the noodles will be ready soon. You can warm yourself up in front of the fireplace now."
"Um."
Tata awkwardly walked up to Lei, her eyes fixed on him.
Ha, human, you can fool that little fool, but you can't fool me.
The smell of blood and medicine on you is extremely pungent; it's definitely more than just the minor injury on your hand.
Lai thought Tata was hungry, which was why he was squatting in front of her asking for food.
"Hungry? Have some bird eggs and dried meat for dinner tonight. Your medication is almost gone, but I'm sure the splint on your leg will be removed soon."
Ray's words diverted Tata's attention, and he visibly became elated.
Finally, he can get rid of those two pieces of wood that are in his way! God knows how he's been getting through this whole time!
Because of Ray's conscious training, Neil's cooking skills have become better and better.
The noodles were cooked, making up about half a pot, enough for Lai and Neil to eat.
Eating freshly cooked noodles feels warm and comforting, especially after an afternoon of exertion.
"Neil, your skills are getting better and better."
"Thank you, brother. I learned all of these skills from you. And your cooking is the best!"
"Alright, hurry up and eat, or the noodles will get soggy."
"Um!"
After breakfast at daybreak, there was nothing to hide about going to the clan elder's house to discuss matters. Lai informed him and left, while Neil obediently stayed home to look after the house.
A few people were already seated in the living room on the first floor of the clan elder's house. When Hagrid arrived with his four younger relatives, they were seated in the front row.
Another ten minutes or so passed, and everyone had probably arrived. Barnett took his seat, and Kari closed the door. The once noisy living room gradually quieted down, and everyone looked up at Barnett, the elder sitting in the head seat.
"You all know more or less what happened yesterday, so I won't go into details. Ray and Lamb, tell everyone what happened."
Everyone turned to look at the two men, both of whom still had bruises on their faces. No one was more convincing than the people involved in the incident.
Lai felt this scene was somewhat familiar, as if it had happened similarly in the summer...
Lamb recounted the events, and Ray added to them. With the story explained, everyone present at the meeting fell into deep thought.
"Speak up if you have any ideas, and we can discuss them together."
Barnett, seeing that no one was speaking, continued to chair the meeting, breaking the silence.
Kari stood up and, as the captain of the village's guard, was chosen to speak first.
“This can’t just end like this. If that plant continues to grow in the forest, we’ll have to give up all the prey and food in that area. And in the long run, it will pose a danger to the villagers. We must eradicate it completely!”
Kari's words hit the nail on the head, and most people nodded in agreement.
A large area of forest and its crops cannot be abandoned so easily.
Many poor families could barely save a few silver coins at the end of the year, and in difficult times they relied on the woods near the village to survive.
"The danger posed by those mutated plants is no joke. They absolutely must be eradicated, but how should we do that?"
A middle-aged man asked. His words brought everyone back to a calm.
"How about we send a few quick-witted people to investigate the situation first, and then proceed with the next step?"
Kari made the suggestion again, and this time Barnett agreed with his idea.
After recounting what had happened, Ray sat in his chair and remained silent, treating himself as if he were invisible.
He has explained everything clearly, including the strange fragrance, the animal bones, and the power of the vines.
Whatever decisions the village makes from now on, he, as a member of the village, will fully cooperate.
The group discussed the details in detail, and the simple village meeting came to an end. Everyone went their separate ways to prepare for the afternoon's exploration.
Rye also got into Hagrid's oxcart to go to town for a medical check-up.
In the woods.
The plant, having had some of its energy drained, severed one of its vines and quickly retracted all the parts of its body that had been searching for prey outside, tightly coiling itself into a ball to protect its more vulnerable core.
This is the most dangerous thing it has ever encountered since its inception.
The terrifying feeling that seemed to drain all the energy from its body still makes it tremble to this day.
Due to the stress response, the petals of the main body, which had closed due to the cold, reopened, and the rich fragrance spread again, enveloping the entire forest within a radius of about 500 square kilometers.
The thing that it had carefully hidden under its body finally reacted a little, moving slightly as if to comfort the frightened giant.
The anxiety was gradually replaced by joy.
The day has finally come!
It transferred its precious energy to what lay beneath it, but it was quickly depleted.
It not only lost a vine, but also precious energy. A plant is just a plant; although it experiences subtle emotional fluctuations, it does not possess the ability to think independently.
It may remember the feeling of losing energy, but it cannot currently actively recognize and avoid it.
It knew what it had to do, and that was its sole motivation for survival. Something seemed to be urging it on from the depths of its being.
Hurry up, even faster.
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Author's Note: Keeping up with the rankings is so tiring, sob sob... My darlings, this chapter will be revised later. The previous chapter will also undergo some minor adjustments. (Revised)
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