Chapter 61 Rest and Returning Home, Yilu's Educational Approach, the "Bomb"...
It was already dark outside, and Lai placed Tata in the warm spot by the fireplace to warm herself.
Although he had animal skins and a blanket that Blake lent him to keep warm, the temperature dropped again at night, and these things could only barely keep the little guy from the wind.
Ray's hands were freezing as he led the mule back. He took off his coat and boots and sat by the fireplace to warm them. Neil poured Ray a cup of hot water, which he took and held in his hands to warm them. When the water was at a comfortable temperature, he took a small sip to moisten his wind-chapped lips.
Have you had dinner yet?
"Ray asked."
Neil shook his head.
"Let me take my time before I do it."
"Brother, you rest, I'll do it!"
Compared to when he first started, Neil's cooking skills have improved significantly. He can now easily stir-fry a few simple home-style dishes.
"Just make some dumpling soup, no need to cook any other dishes."
"good."
Black used healing magic to relieve Tata's pain, helping him get through the most painful first night. He will give him a potion tomorrow morning, which will also have some pain-relieving effect.
The day's experiences were far too thrilling and exhausting for the cub. Back in its relatively familiar surroundings, Tata nestled in its fur and blanket and fell into a deep sleep, its right leg, splinted, draped motionless over the edge of the basket.
Ray sighed and grabbed a corner of the blanket, covering Tata's exposed right leg.
When they found the little guy, he was trapped in a rope net, protecting himself in an unusually wary posture. Seeing Ray and Neil, his eyes were filled with complex emotions—a fierce determination to fight to the death, but also helplessness and confusion.
At that moment, perhaps out of pity for the weak, Ray felt as if his heart had been touched.
The adorable little cub is looking at you with a pitiful expression, blinking its big, watery eyes...
It's just a pity for his parents, who left early and had their legs broken.
Lei told himself.
The little guy got hurt, and it's impossible to judge who's right or wrong in this matter.
To put it bluntly, it could be revenge from an enemy, or someone who doesn't like Ray and wants to sabotage him behind his back.
On the bright side, it's possible that this was just a misunderstanding, that the little guy accidentally fell into the trap, and that the person who set the trap just wanted to catch this smooth-furred prey.
In short, without knowing who did this, the matter cannot be fully investigated. We can only cautiously follow the faint clues to verify the truth, and it's possible that in the end we'll just have to accept our bad luck.
The firewood crackled and popped, warming the entire small building.
The fireplace extends upwards to a large chimney. The chimney on the second floor has a bend in its direction, which not only makes the second floor warm but also prevents heat from escaping too quickly.
People from different backgrounds and environments have different lifestyles, and the hardworking and simple working people often possess the greatest wisdom in life. They always find a suitable way out of hardship.
Currently, this is the only source of light in the entire house. Lai sat quietly by the fireplace, the flickering flames casting a long shadow of loneliness upon him.
"Oops, I put in too much noodles!"
Neil's small exclamation broke Ray's reverie, causing the somewhat oppressive atmosphere to burst like a bubble.
"It's alright, I'll eat the rest. I'm a bit hungry today anyway."
"good!"
The dumpling soup cooked quickly. Lai lit the candles on the table, and the two of them ate by candlelight, each holding a bowl of dumpling soup, with a few pieces of sweet and sour garlic and a small dish of pickled vegetables in the middle.
"Don't talk while eating or sleeping" is a life principle that Lai's grandparents instilled in him in modern times, and Lai has brought it here as well.
Unless they're eating barbecue or other meals with other guests, you rarely hear Ray and Neil talking at the dinner table.
After dinner, Neil insisted on clearing away the dishes.
When the child wants to perform, Ray is happy to let him do it.
After washing up, I slept soundly through the night, which I will not go into detail about.
On the other side, Iru noticed that three goblins were sneaking back from outside.
Lately, they've been going out a lot, saying it's because they've found a good place to catch lots of prey without being discovered by the villagers.
For several days in a row, they returned with prey, which made the goblins, who were short of food, somewhat restless.
Today, as usual, Iru took Kaiyi outside to cut down trees to bring home. Although they had already prepared a lot of firewood, he wanted to take advantage of the good weather to cut some more.
The log cabin wasn't warm in winter, and he went to great lengths to obtain some canvas and old animal hides to nail up the walls around the bedroom. The living room only had one wall exposed to the wind, so his family needed a lot of firewood for heating to ensure they wouldn't survive the coldest part of winter.
As Iru was carrying the logs home, he spotted the three goblins. One of them was holding his left hand. The hand looked perfectly normal on the outside, but it remained completely still.
"Oh, Uncle Yilu is taking the kids out to chop wood."
A somewhat shabby goblin stepped forward to greet him.
Iru had connections with humans and knew how to earn food and silver coins, which earned him a great reputation within this small goblin community.
"Yes, let's stock up on firewood while the weather's good."
Iru disdained associating with these goblins who idled away their days and frequently stole from their own kind.
They were just pretending to agree with the other party.
"Did they go hunting again?"
"yes."
He was pleasantly surprised that Yiru initiated a conversation with him. It would be good to become acquainted with Yiru; perhaps he could even get a job when things got busy later…
Iru saw through his little scheme, but he pretended not to know anything.
"Went hunting?"
"Yes, he was injured, so he came back early."
The injured goblin hid his hands inside his sleeves.
"Then go back and rest."
"Okay, thank you, Uncle."
The goblin said respectfully, making way for Iru. Iru and Kai carried the logs and slowly walked home.
"Father, why are you paying attention to those goblins!"
"Kay asked angrily."
Among those goblins were the ones who had spied on Lai before, especially the injured goblin who often stole other people's food.
The victim confronted him, but he vehemently denied everything. They searched the place thoroughly but couldn't find anything. The reason? He ate the food as soon as he got his hands on it!
Everyone knew it was him and a few other goblins who did it, but since they couldn't find any evidence or catch them in the act, the case was eventually dropped. They could only accept their bad luck and become even more careful with their food.
The Yilu family was relatively well-off; they stored their grain in the cellar under their bed. In winter, the whole family slept in one bedroom, and even the slightest noise could wake several of them.
“There are only about thirty goblins on this mountain. They are all of the same kind. It’s not good to make things too awkward. If you don’t like them, just ignore them. But whatever you do, don’t cause trouble! Otherwise, don’t blame me for not advising you as their father.”
“I know I was wrong, Father.”
Iru held great authority in his household, and the little goblins both respected and feared him.
Kai is getting older, and his temper has picked up the impulsiveness of a young goblin. In a few years, he'll be old enough to go his own way, so Iru will have to mentor him, give him pointers, and teach him the ways of the world, otherwise he'll suffer a lot later.
Fortunately, despite his impulsiveness, Kai was still very obedient. He had seen how hard his father had worked to support the family over the years, and although food was scarce and they often went hungry, he had never thought of abandoning any member of the family.
"Alright, I know what I'm angry about. Every local magistrate here knows what's going on. Don't worry about it, they'll get their comeuppance sooner or later."
"Um!"
“Let’s go and carry the rest of the wood back. Tonight, have your mother roast an extra sweet potato for each of us.”
"good!"
Hearing that there would be an extra meal that evening, Kaiyi was overjoyed, and all her worries instantly vanished.
The injured goblin was named Soru. He was a loyal follower of the runaway goblin Hru and had previously caused a lot of trouble for his kind with Hru.
After returning to his cabin, Soru started to throw a tantrum, smashing everything in the living room.
Damn white-haired monster! Damn humans! I will avenge this a hundredfold, a thousandfold!
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:59:19 on August 13, 2023 and 08:40:38 on August 16, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Qingzhong Zhouzishu (40 bottles); Asan Yuesan; Yeyuan26293 (10 bottles); Yuanyuan (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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