Wang Xiaofa came over and delivered the things, then didn't want to leave. He eagerly followed along, hoping to get a free meal.
Xing Zhaozhao disliked his slip of the tongue and couldn't be bothered to talk to him.
Gao Mingcheng agreed, and took the opportunity to ask him a lot of questions.
Xing Zhaozhao immediately regretted not having sent the person away, but it was too late.
After having dinner at the former principal's house and sitting there for a while, Xing Zhaozhao and Gao Mingcheng took the children home.
After Ying Hongyi's family left, a room became available, and Gao Mingcheng offered to let the two little ones move in.
Hongyu was unhappy. His father had just come home, and he wanted to sleep in with his parents for a couple more days.
Hongfei has always been on the same side as his younger brother.
Gao Mingcheng disagreed. Although the newly made bed was large enough for their family of five, who wouldn't want to sleep in more space? The child sleeping next to them was in the way.
The two little ones just looked at their mother pitifully for help.
Xing Zhaozhao didn't care and tried to plead with Gao Mingcheng on behalf of the two little ones.
Gao Mingcheng looked at her with a deep gaze, his expression saying, "I haven't settled your score with you yet."
Xing Zhaozhao immediately calmed down and helplessly shrugged at her two sons. She couldn't change her father's decision.
Gao Mingcheng coaxed and tricked the two little ones, telling them that a man should have his own room instead of sharing a bed with his parents. He successfully convinced them, and they took their little pillows and moved to the next room to sleep.
That evening, after Gao Mingcheng had put his little daughter to sleep, he pulled Xing Zhaozhao into his arms, looking intently at her: "With the little one in the way, you can relax a bit tonight..."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." I didn't expect him to have this idea.
That night, Xing Zhaozhao didn't sleep a wink. By the time Gao Mingcheng calmed down and she finally drifted off to sleep, it was already dawn.
Before falling asleep, she strained her heavy eyelids to take one last look at the gray sky outside the window. Only one thought flashed through her mind: It's over, we can't go into the mountains today. Could he have done it on purpose?
When Xing Zhaozhao woke up, it was already noon. She got up and went outside, and saw the two little ones sitting obediently at the table eating.
Hearing the noise, the two little ones turned to look at Xing Zhaozhao at the same time, their cheeks still puffing out: "Mommy's awake?"
Xing Zhaozhao responded with an "Mmm," went over to take a look, and found that they were eating fried rice with eggs, which also contained diced sausage, diced carrots, and diced mushrooms. It smelled quite delicious.
Having skipped breakfast, Xing Zhaozhao was starving and couldn't help but swallow hard: "Dad made this?"
"Mmm." The two little ones nodded in unison and ate their food heartily.
"Where are Dad and my sister?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
The two little ones turned their heads to look at the kitchen.
Just then, Gao Mingcheng came out of the kitchen carrying Xiao Hongling and a bottle of freshly prepared baby formula.
"Awake?" Gao Mingcheng asked with a smile when he saw Xing Zhaozhao, while handing the prepared baby bottle to Xiao Hongling.
Little Hongling immediately grabbed the milk bottle and started drinking it down.
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Gao Mingcheng and snorted, "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"What?" Gao Mingcheng pretended not to know anything.
Xing Zhaozhao ignored him. Did he think that would stop her from going out? He was dreaming.
Gao Mingcheng's eyes flickered, but he didn't say anything more.
After washing up, Xing Zhaozhao went to the kitchen and served herself some rice.
The two little ones had finished eating. Under Gao Mingcheng's supervision, they washed the dishes themselves, played for a while, and then Gao Mingcheng sent them back to their room for a nap.
While Gao Mingcheng was putting the child to sleep inside, Xing Zhaozhao quickly finished her meal, went back inside to change her clothes, and prepared to sneak out.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I opened the door, I saw Hao Xiuning standing outside.
Hao Xiuning had just arrived and was about to knock on the door when it opened by itself. She paused for a moment, then quickly broke into a smile, looked at Xing Zhaozhao, and called out, "Sister-in-law."
Xing Zhaozhao was stunned. After a moment of shock, she came to her senses and asked in surprise, "Xiuning? What brings you here?"
Hao Xiuning opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Xing Zhaozhao heard Gao Mingcheng's voice behind her: "I'm looking for Xiuning."
A chill ran down my spine.
Oh no, we've been caught.
"Second Brother Gao," Hao Xiuning greeted Gao Mingcheng with a smile.
"Hmm." Gao Mingcheng nodded and walked straight out.
Caught red-handed, Xing Zhaozhao pouted, looking utterly defeated. She turned to Gao Mingcheng and asked, "What did you call Xiuning here for?"
Gao Mingcheng walked to her side and gently tapped her head: "If we don't ask Xiuning for help, and we all go out, who will look after the child?"
Xing Zhaozhao was stunned: "We all..."
"Aren't you going into the mountains?" Gao Mingcheng asked.
Xing Zhaozhao looked awkward: "You knew all that?"
"Do you think I can't see through your little schemes?" Gao Mingcheng chuckled.
Xing Zhaozhao puffed out her cheeks: "..." She felt mocked.
Gao Mingcheng was already prepared. Carrying a bulging backpack, he looked at Hao Xiuning and said, "I'm entrusting the family to you, Xiuning."
Hao Xiuning smiled and nodded: "Second Brother Gao, you can go out with your sister-in-law without worry."
Gao Mingcheng pulled Xing Zhaozhao out the door, and General Hei followed.
Black General has grown to more than twice its original size since it arrived. Its previous injuries have completely healed, and it's lively and energetic. The food at home is good, and it benefits from that, its fur becoming jet black and shiny. The whole dog looks incredibly smart.
"Why did you bring General Black along?" Xing Zhaozhao asked curiously.
Gao Mingcheng patted Black General's head: "It's definitely more convenient to bring a dog when going into the mountains, otherwise you really are planning to search all over the mountains on your own."
Xing Zhaozhao retorted, "Who said I was just randomly searching all over the mountains?"
"Come with me." She beckoned to Gao Mingcheng and ran into the mountains first.
Black General followed closely behind and darted out.
Gao Mingcheng raised an eyebrow and followed.
Xing Zhaozhao led Gao Mingcheng directly to the abandoned wild boar den that they had previously visited with Ying Hongyi's family.
"Why are you here again?" Gao Mingcheng asked.
Xing Zhaozhao circled around the wild boar's den and quickly found the mark she had made last time on a tree. She looked at Gao Mingcheng triumphantly and said, "Come and take a look."
Gao Mingcheng curiously leaned closer: "This is..."
“The first time I met Liu Feiyue and his group, they came from that area. I noticed they had come all the way to the mountains empty-handed, without bringing anything, which I found strange, so I made a mark,” Xing Zhaozhao said.
Gao Mingcheng looked at Xing Zhaozhao approvingly and nodded: "Not bad, you're quite clever."
Xing Zhaozhao proudly raised her chin: "Of course."
The two people and the dog quickly followed the marker and continued walking into the mountains.
As they walked, Xing Zhaozhao began to feel overwhelmed. Although they had a general direction, the mountains were indeed too vast and interconnected, making it impossible to pinpoint where Liu Feiyue and his group might suddenly change direction. Finding their hiding place in the vast mountains was like searching for a needle in a haystack—it was all too much a matter of luck.
Gao Mingcheng, on the other hand, became more optimistic after entering the mountains. He figured they couldn't have deliberately hidden the items there; they couldn't have just buried them anywhere. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if they couldn't even find them themselves? The hiding place must have some distinctive features, and they might have even left some easily identifiable markers. Although finding it would still be difficult, it was better than being completely clueless.
Gao Mingcheng began searching for possible markings on the tree trunks he passed.
Black General followed closely at his feet, sniffing around.
Time passed slowly, and the sun began to set.
Xing Zhaozhao glanced at the sky and discussed with Gao Mingcheng whether they should go back first and come back to continue tomorrow.
General Black sniffed at the roots of a tree, then suddenly took off running in one direction.
"Black General?" Xing Zhaozhao was startled. She turned and exchanged a glance with Gao Mingcheng before immediately chasing after him.
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