Chapter 311 Villagers
Meanwhile, Xiao Ran and the other three had already entered the mountains and forests.
The forest is small, mainly composed of wild pear, wild jujube, hawthorn and chestnut trees, with some late-ripening peach and plum trees interspersed.
The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of ripe fruit and the fresh scent of grass and trees.
"Wow! So many fruits!" Xiao Ran excitedly ran to a pear tree laden with fruit.
The pears were small, yellowish-green, with some rough spots on the skin, but they had a rich aroma.
"Be careful, don't climb too high." Zhao Shuo followed closely behind, giving instructions as he picked a wild pear, wiped the dust off the skin on his clothes, and took a big bite.
"Ouch—that's so sour!"
He grimaced, but then nodded, "It's quite sour, but the aftertaste is sweet and it quenches thirst."
Wang Hu and Li Qing were more interested in the chestnut tree, tapping the thorny buds with branches to collect the plump chestnuts that had fallen. "These are delicious roasted or stewed with meat!"
The group split up, chatting and laughing as they picked fruit.
Xiao Ran was quick and agile, picking only the sun-facing and large fruits, and soon filled half a basket.
Just as they were focused on the fruit tree branches, a rustling sound and a suppressed cough suddenly came from the bushes not far away.
"Who?" Zhao Shuo immediately became alert and gripped the hilt of his knife. Wang Hu and Li Qing also quickly gathered around.
The bushes rustled a few times, and two boys emerged.
He looked not much older than Xiao Ran, around thirteen or fourteen years old. He was also dressed in tattered clothes and looked pale, but his eyes were still bright.
Each of them carried a worn-out bamboo basket on their backs, filled with some dried mushrooms and a few other mountain produce, suggesting they had gone into the mountains to gather wild game.
One of the boys, with wispy bangs on his forehead, glared at Xiao Ran's basket of pears and said with a hint of hostility, "Where did you brats come from! You don't look like you're from our village, how dare you steal our pears!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran immediately became displeased and stood up to retort, "What nonsense are you talking about! These wild pears grow in the mountains and are obviously wild. How could they belong to you!"
"This entire hillside belongs to our Xiahe Village. Anything that grows on our hillside naturally belongs to our village!" the boy said defiantly.
The two groups suddenly met and both were a little nervous.
Xiao Ran fell silent. In the countryside, there was indeed a saying that "mountains belong to the village collective."
If this hill truly belongs to their village, then what he said isn't wrong.
Seeing Xiao Ran speechless, the older boy became even more arrogant and pointed at Xiao Ran's bamboo basket:
"Since you've picked our fruit, you have to pay! One penny per fruit, not a penny less!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran immediately became furious: "Are you robbing me?! These sour fruits cost a penny each! You're outrageous!"
Just as the boy was about to retort, his gaze inadvertently swept over the military uniforms of Zhao Shuo, Wang Hu, and Li Qing, as well as the long swords at their waists. His eyes dimmed instantly, and his tone softened.
"What, you want to haggle now! Where were you when you were picking them!"
The boy behind him tugged at his sleeve, speaking in a muffled voice, intermittently coughing:
"Brother, we...we should leave quickly, they're carrying knives, let's not cause trouble. Cough cough cough..."
"Where are you going!" The older boy turned around and glared at his younger brother, his tone tinged with helplessness. "We came here to pick fruit so we could exchange it in town for money to buy you medicine! Now that they've picked all the fruit, how are we going to buy medicine?"
He spoke softly, but Xiao Ran and Zhao Shuo's group still heard him.
The wariness on the faces of the four people vanished instantly.
Xiao Ran finally understood that he urgently needed money to buy medicine for his younger brother.
Xiao Ran quickly put down the bamboo basket in her hand, stepped forward, and softened her tone: "Hey, is your brother sick? He seems to be coughing quite badly."
The boy snapped, "Mind your own business!"
He looked at his younger brother coughing uncomfortably, then glanced at the soldier with a sword behind him, and finally lost his nerve. He gritted his teeth, took his brother's hand,
"Forget it, consider it bad luck, let's go!"
Xiao Ran remembered that there was also a military doctor accompanying the marriage alliance.
"Wait! Some of the people in our camp know a little about medicine and have brought some. Why don't you... come back with us? Maybe we can get some medicine for your brother."
The two boys looked at each other, their eyes filled with hesitation. The older boy was worried about his younger brother's condition, but also wary of their identities.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Xiao Ran gave him a helpless look: "We came all this way just to trick you! Your brother's illness hasn't been going on for just a day or two, it'll get serious if we delay any longer!"
Seeing his younger brother coughing so hard he couldn't straighten up, the boy finally made up his mind.
He gritted his teeth and nodded: "Then... then consider these fruits as payment for the medicine... If that's not enough, you can have all the mushrooms and wild yams in this basket!"
Xiao Ran waved her hand. "Let's go, it's more important to see a doctor first. Our camp is right by the river, not far away."
Zhao Shuo also spoke up, "Don't worry, we're not bad people, we won't make things difficult for you."
The older boy was relieved and, supporting his younger brother, followed Xiao Ran and the others out of the forest.
At the camp, Jiang Ling and Cheng Jiaojiao had already cooked a large pot of fragrant cured meat and vegetable porridge using the rice and cured meat they had brought with them, along with some fresh vegetables given to them by the villagers. They were distributing it to the delegation members and the village children who had helped with some odd jobs.
At first there were only a few children, but one of them leaked the news that two pretty older sisters would give them cakes and candies.
As a result, a swarm of children gathered around, numbering a dozen or twenty.
The villagers were very hospitable. When they saw that guests from afar were giving food to their children, they quickly picked the fruits and vegetables from their homes and insisted on bringing them over.
Zhao Jingxing couldn't refuse the villagers' enthusiasm, so he decided to stay and set up camp as he watched the sun about to disappear into the mountains.
Before long, Xiao Ran and his friends returned with a full load of wild fruits, and two unfamiliar boys followed behind them.
As the two boys approached, they were greeted by the rich aroma of vegetables and meat. Their stomachs, which had been surviving on thin porridge and wild vegetables for days, began to rumble involuntarily.
Fortunately, the surroundings were noisy, and no one noticed the sound.
Upon seeing Xiao Ran and the others bring back two unfamiliar teenagers, Jiang Ling immediately stepped forward to inquire.
Through conversations along the way, Xiao Ran learned the names of the two brothers. The older brother was called Amu, and the younger brother was called Alin.
Xiao Ran quickly walked over to Jiang Ling, who was distributing porridge, and briefly explained in a low voice how she had met the Amu brothers and how A Lin was sick and needed medicine.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com