Chapter 34 Autumn Hunt The autumn hunt begins; tents are pitched.
Time passed quickly with practice and preparation, and soon it was the third day of the autumn hunt.
As dawn broke, after the two brothers finished breakfast, Lai led the mule cart to the threshing ground.
Lamb and George had arrived and were chatting animatedly, with their belongings laid out on the ground.
Upon hearing the jingling of mule bells, the two of them simultaneously looked toward the main road.
Sure enough, Ray and Neil arrived, and Lamb waved frantically to indicate their location.
Rye stopped the mule cart, tied it to a place where it wouldn't get in the way, and made room for the others. Then he helped Lamb and George tidy up the things and put them in the cart bed.
The hunting party wasn't complete yet, so Lai and his group had to wait until everyone was there before setting off together.
There was another group in the village with the same goal, but they didn't know each other. Lai nodded to the group and said hello, but they didn't have any further contact.
George gave Rye and Neil two pieces of homemade jerky each. That's the good thing about homemade jerky—it's plentiful, packed with ingredients, and tastes great.
Lamb voluntarily helped Ray take care of Neil to keep him occupied and give him time to do other things.
"Brother, Reese and my sister are in the team too, they'll be coming along."
Lai looked at the autumn hunting party, and sure enough, Rhys and Vivian were among them, chatting in a circle with a few other people.
With Vivian around, it seems the safety of this autumn hunt is assured.
Lei looked away.
"Little Neil, have you had breakfast yet?"
Lamb asked Neil.
"I've already eaten. My brother cooked hot noodle soup."
"Wow, my brother made something delicious again!"
Lamb now gets eager to try anything Rye cooks whenever he hears about it.
Lamb was delighted at the thought of enjoying Lai's cooking for the next two days.
George was also looking forward to it. Before Ray and the others arrived, Lamb had praised Ray's cooking skills to him countless times.
The four of them didn't wait long before the rest of the autumn hunting party arrived.
The clan elder gave a few words of encouragement, and the group lined up and set off in an orderly manner.
Rye followed a dozen meters behind them in his mule cart. Lamb and Neil sat on the left side of the cart, while George sat opposite them.
The road to the mountain doesn't require going through a tunnel; just follow the main road northeast after leaving the village.
The caravan was filled with laughter and chatter throughout the journey. Perhaps it was because of the presence of the mage Vivian that everyone seemed exceptionally relaxed during this autumn hunt compared to previous ones.
Once Lamb got in the car, he didn't stop talking. He was either teasing Neil or telling adventure stories to scare George and Neil. No one knew where he heard them from.
As they drove along, the convoy in front suddenly stopped, and Ray quickly tightened the reins.
Vivian jumped off the convoy and walked to the front of Ray's car, straddling it with her long legs.
She pulled Neil to her side, and George immediately and tactfully sat down next to Lamb.
"Don't worry about me, Lai, let's keep going."
"Okay. Neil, take out the small bag I prepared."
"It's too stuffy up here, I've come to sit here for a while."
Ray drove the mule cart back on the road, and Neil, as instructed, rummaged through his small bag, taking out the snacks inside and sharing them with everyone.
There are small pieces of brown sugar, roasted pumpkin seeds, and small sugar triangles filled with sugar and sesame seeds.
The slightly awkward atmosphere instantly dissipated after Vivian sat down, and the four of them chatted while cracking pumpkin seeds in each hand.
"Sis, how many days are you going to stay in the mountains this time?"
"It's hard to say."
Snap, the sound of cracking a pumpkin seed.
"This time we have to catch at least a fifth-tier magical beast, otherwise the elders won't be able to enjoy their meat during the harvest festival."
"Fifth-tier is so hard to come by, it looks like it'll be several days before we find one."
Lamb interface.
Click, another sound.
Neil was as quiet as a chicken, sitting there eating candy and listening to the adults chat.
"Your Excellency Vivian, what does the City Lord's Mansion look like?"
George asked.
"Your Excellency" is a respectful form of address, and it would be perfectly acceptable for George to call Vivian "Your Excellency."
"You must be George, Lamb's little friend. No need to call me 'Sir,' just call me 'sister' like Lamb does."
"Yes, sir."
George's ears turned slightly red.
Ever since he missed Lamb and the others when they caught the goblins last time, he had been feeling guilty.
This time, instead of looking down on his clumsy hands, the lamb picker even took him along, and he even met his idol. George felt grateful and a little excited.
"Sister, please tell me, I want to hear it too."
Neil, too, pricked up his ears, eager to hear the story.
"I want to eat sunflower seeds."
Vivian raised an eyebrow at Lamb, who immediately understood.
"I'll peel it for you!"
Vivian began to speak.
"The Eton City Lord's Mansion is built entirely of marble, imitating the style of Speth Castle, but it is much smaller in scale and can only be considered a small castle."
"The outer wall of the city lord's mansion is very high, with sentry posts and drainage holes on top. Many acacia trees are planted along the inner edge of the outer wall, and further in is a large garden. The city lord's family and servants live here. Every once in a while, the city lord will hold a grand ball, and the nobles living in the surrounding area will be invited to attend."
Listening to Vivian's description, Lai thought of the lives of ancient European nobles and their castles.
"If they don't have a vegetable garden, how do they usually get vegetables?"
Lamb asked.
“My silly brother, city lords and nobles all have their own fiefdoms and manors. Their stewards will rent out the land or send their servants to cultivate it. They will not lack food sources.”
"Oh my god, this is so wonderful!"
George exclaimed.
The life of the aristocracy exists only in the imagination of young people in small towns, or rather, it is something they cannot even imagine.
"Then they must have a lot of money."
Yes, I think so.
...
Vivian answered all sorts of strange and unusual questions posed by Lamb, George, and Neil along the way.
To keep her talking, the three of them kept offering her all sorts of snacks and melon seeds, until Vivian was so full she started burping.
After walking all morning, we finally arrived at the foot of the mountain before lunch.
The teams from the other two villages had already arrived. The three autumn hunting teams met up, pitched tents at the foot of the mountain, started a fire, and cooked. Vivian also rejoined the team.
Lai drove his mule cart to a suitable spot in a nearby open area to pitch his tent. He could see the main group from a distance, and they could look out for each other and stay safe.
Lamb cut down several straight, thick tree branches, trimmed the leaves, and together with George, cleaned the ground and set up the tent.
Lamb is very strong; with a single effort, he drove the stick nearly a meter into the ground. This time, there's absolutely no need to worry about the wind blowing the tent down at night.
The two young men were incredibly efficient and set up the tent in no time.
Lai brought the hay he had brought and laid it at the bottom of the tent, then covered it with thick canvas and large pieces of animal hide.
Finally, insect repellent powder was sprinkled inside and outside the tent to prevent insects from crawling into the ears in the middle of the night.
After setting up the tent, Lamb followed Lai's instructions and built a frame two meters away from the tent, placing the iron pot for cooking on it. A campfire could then be lit below, and they could cook with the pot.
The three of them had eaten quite a few snacks in the car during their morning journey, so they weren't very hungry. Lai planned to just grab something quick and easy for lunch and wouldn't bother cooking. After getting ready, the group headed straight to the mountain to pick chestnuts.
In addition, Lai also brought a steamer. The steamer is large and lightweight, perfect for filling with water and storing food.
Lamb volunteered to go fetch water with George, leaving Neil and Rye to continue tidying up the camp.
Lai unloaded the mule's cargo bed and fed it some hay. It must be tired after traveling for hours and pulling so much load.
The fodder bag was filled with shriveled, broken wheat grains, which Lei had specially brought for it.
These grains of wheat were actually edible, but Lai left them all for the livestock. The red-billed ravens lay more eggs with more grain, and the young mules, being in their growth period, would grow better with more.
If the villagers saw him feeding livestock with wheat grains, they would inevitably say behind his back that he was wasteful and didn't know how to manage money, squandering all the grain.
Lai also brought a lot of semi-finished food. Since it's not as convenient to be outdoors as it is at home, he prepared everything he could at home.
"Brother, we're back!"
Lamb and George each carried a handle of the steamer, returning with a large pot full of water. The main group had also returned from hunting and were starting to prepare lunch.
After lunch, everyone except those who stayed at the foot of the mountain went up the mountain.
The two carefully placed the water next to Lai so that he could easily take it.
"Leigh, Lamb and I will go and gather some more firewood."
"OK."
"I want to go too."
Neil said weakly.
Since arriving here, he had been watching his older brothers busy themselves, without being able to help at all. Neil was a little disappointed.
“Okay, Neil, come with us. I’ll take good care of him.”
Lamb agreed with Rye and then led the two of them to collect dry firewood, while Rye continued to tidy up the camp.
This area is a desolate wilderness, with plenty of trees.
Lamb casually chopped down two dead trees nearby and dragged them back for firewood. These two dead trees would be enough to keep several people burning for at least five days.
"Ray! Lamb!"
Reese called out the two men's names from a distance, and Lamb raised his arm and waved to him.
"Here, we're here!"
Rhys spotted the group's tent and walked over carrying two cleaned wild birds.
"I brought you extra food, so eat it all today. Leaving it will attract wild animals."
"good."
Reese handed the wild bird to Ray.
"I've already spoken with the people who are staying behind. If you need anything, just go to them. They'll protect your safety."
Reese and Rye gave instructions, making sure everything was arranged perfectly for them. Rye hadn't been taken care of like this in a long time.
"Okay, okay! Go ahead and do your thing."
Lamb said impatiently, only to be flicked hard on the forehead by Rhys and leap up like a monkey.
"You better listen to Ray and don't run around causing him trouble."
"Mmm, mmm."
After giving his instructions, Rhys left a few animal traps for Ray and the others before leaving.
The two wild birds were cleaned very well. Lai placed them in his basket, lined with grass, to eat later that evening.
After the basket was covered, stones were placed on top to prevent wild animals from taking it away while they went out to collect chestnuts.
After tidying up everything, the four of them each took a bag and went up the mountain.
The main group had just finished lunch, so they probably wouldn't see the four of them when they returned from picking.
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Author's Note: It's been a while since I wrote a short skit. I've received so many comments lately, I'm so happy!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-07-07 22:20:41 and 2023-07-08 22:11:49!
Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Rain (20 bottles); Chuchuchurua (10 bottles); Xiao Yuqing (5 bottles); Luoning (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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