Chapter 5: Wishes Come True, This Cheat Code Is Pretty Good, Isn't it?
Zhou Mujiao's expression changed, and she was about to make a scene when she heard Zhao Yunjing say in a low voice, "There are two chickens next to you."
The two chickens were right next to Zhou Mujiao's right. Zhao Yunjing could grab them with a simple reach, but because he had someone on his back, he wasn't sure if he could catch both chickens in one go. If he wasn't careful, or if bad luck suddenly struck, both chickens might fly away.
While he hesitated, Zhou Mujiao's claws had already reached out, striking with lightning speed, one in each hand!
The two chickens folded their wings, behaving obediently, as if they had lived all this time just to wait for Zhou Mujiao to catch them.
She smiled and said, "Brother Zhao, we're having chicken tonight!"
Zhou Mujiao held the chicken, and Zhao Yunjing held her. The two of them got up together. He casually tore off two vines and tied the chicken's two feet together. Looking at Zhou Mujiao, whose eyes were crinkling with laughter, he suddenly reached out his hand.
Zhou Mujiao paused: "Brother Zhao?"
Zhao Yunjing moved his hand on her head, took off a few chicken feathers, and said in a deep voice, "Kill one of these chickens tonight, and keep the other to incubate its eggs. As for the old hen at home, save it for tomorrow night. What do you think?"
"Brother Zhao, you can arrange it."
The vegetation here is so lush, mushrooms must be growing here. Zhou Mujiao pulled Zhao Yunjing: "Brother Zhao, let's go look for more mushrooms. Mushroom stewed with chicken is the best!"
Ahead was a pine forest, lush and green in the middle of summer.
When Zhou Mujiao was a child, she spent her summer vacations in the countryside. Every summer, she would go up the mountain with her grandfather before dawn to find mushrooms. There was a kind of mushroom that only grew in pine forests and was particularly delicious, called sesame mushroom. It tasted best when it was in its bud stage; once the cap opened, the taste was not as good.
However, after her grandfather passed away, the taste of sesame mushrooms and her longing for him were also sealed away. Now, standing in the pine forest, she felt as if she had returned to those summers, remembering that kind old man, and suddenly felt a little sad.
Zhao Yunjing sensed her low spirits and assumed she was worried about Xiao Wu, so he said, "Your brother will be fine."
Zhou Mujiao turned around and smiled slightly at him: "Yes, my brother will be fine."
Having entered the pine forest, Zhou Mujiao pointed to a large tree nearby: "Brother Zhao, let's split up and search. We'll meet back here in about 15 minutes."
This grove of trees was relatively close to the village, and there were no wild animals around, so Zhao Yunjing agreed. He casually picked a large bunch of wildflowers and handed them to her: "Here, take these and use them as markers along the way. Don't go too far. If you get lost, just stay where you are, and I'll come find you."
Zhou Mujiao took the flowers: "Then I'll go this way."
Zhao Yunjing carried the basket on his back and walked to the other side, taking large and steady steps. He stepped on the thick pine needles, which snapped and crackled. Zhou Mujiao looked at the two chickens hanging on his back, swaying back and forth, and chuckled softly.
After walking for about 15 minutes, Zhou Mujiao discovered a large clump of mushrooms, and they were the sesame mushrooms she had just remembered!
Eggs come when you want them, pheasants come when you want them, and now mushrooms have appeared too. Zhou Mujiao is certain that her golden finger is blessed with mystical power, making her wishes come true!
After breaking off a pine branch, Zhou Mujiao huffed and puffed as she picked mushrooms. There were just too many to pick them all!
On the other side, Zhao Yunjing searched for a while but found nothing. He didn't go any further and turned back. Anyway, he already had forty eggs and two chickens, so there wouldn't be any problem with dinner tonight. Although there were no wild animals in this forest, it was still a bit unsafe to leave a young girl like Zhou Mujiao in the forest.
When I met Zhou Mujiao, wasn't she being chased and killed?
Zhao Yunjing became increasingly remorseful; he shouldn't have left her alone!
He hurried back to the meeting place, but Zhou Mujiao was nowhere to be seen. He was so anxious that his face changed color. He quickly went to look for her, following the flowers she had left behind. Finally, he found her.
She was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree trunk, fanning herself with her hand to rest, looking completely relaxed.
Zhao Yunjing strode over: "Miss Zhou, did you sprain your ankle? Let me take a look."
Without thinking much, Zhou Mujiao squatted down and pulled her foot back: "I didn't sprain my ankle, it's just that there are too many things for me to carry, so I was waiting for you to come and find them."
Too much stuff?
Zhou Mujiao pointed to the side: "Look, that's all there is. I can only take a few pounds at most. Brother Zhao will have to work hard on the rest."
The bunch of mushrooms were so dark that they were hard to spot without a close look. Zhao Yunjing had been so focused on Zhou Mujiao that he hadn't noticed them at all. But now, following Zhou Mujiao's finger, he was surprised.
Because this grove is relatively close to the Zhao family's house, he would walk through it every morning or evening when he came back to see if there was anything to eat. Eighteen and his group would come several times a day, and they had just swept through it an hour ago, but found nothing.
But when Zhou Mujiao arrived, first came eggs, then chickens, and now a whole bunch of mushrooms…
Sure enough, their family was just too unlucky. All the edible things seemed to avoid them. Fortunately, bad luck didn't affect Zhou Mujiao, otherwise she and her siblings would have had to suffer from hunger like the Zhao family.
This was the first time in Zhao Yunjing's life that he had returned with a full load of loot.
On the way back, he had a smile on his face. He followed behind Zhou Mujiao, walking slowly to match her pace. Under the setting sun, their two figures, one tall and one short, were stretched long.
The path meandered, the grass was lush and green, and a layer of golden light shone from above. Zhou Mujiao hummed the tune of "Walking on the Country Road," and Zhao Yunjing listened, finding even the roadside weeds endearing.
In the Zhao family, the little girl carefully held three sweet potatoes, ate the smallest one, and then hid it in her bosom without eating any more. On the sixth and ninth days of the lunar month, she followed suit, carrying the remaining two sweet potatoes. The three siblings sat in a row under the porch, and no one spoke. Only the medicine pot in the kitchen was bubbling away.
Suddenly, a faint sound came from the left wing. Eighteen ran in and headed straight for the left wing: "Mother! Mother! We have something to eat! Look! Sweet potatoes! It's sweet potatoes! Brother found them!"
There were two beds in the left wing. Uncle Zhao was lying on one bed, probably asleep and not making a sound. A weak female voice came from the other bed: "If Mother won't eat, Shiba can eat by himself."
"Eighteen has already eaten! Mother, you eat, you eat!"
"Eighteen, Mother really isn't hungry..."
"I'm so hungry! Mother must be so hungry!" Eighteen cried anxiously. "That bad person said that if I fill my stomach, I'll get better. Mother, please eat quickly! Mother, I want to get better soon. Eighteen wants Mother to hug me, waaaah..."
Aunt Zhao sighed, but still ate half of it, then hugged her daughter and wept.
On the sixth and ninth days of the lunar month, they gently shook Uncle Zhao, saying, "Dad! Time to eat sweet potatoes! Time to eat sweet potatoes!"
Uncle Zhao struggled to open his eyes. He couldn't even turn over; only his left hand was mobile. Chu Liu shoved a sweet potato into his mouth, and he took a symbolic bite, waving his hand and saying, "Dad's full. Chu Liu and Chu Jiu, you eat."
"No! Daddy wants to eat! He can walk if he's full! Daddy, you eat! You eat!"
Uncle Zhao ate half of it and refused to eat any more: "Give it to your older brother."
"Dad, you eat! Eighteen saved some for Big Brother! Look!" Eighteen pulled one out of his pocket like a treasure, beaming with joy, "Nobody's hungry today!"
The couple wiped away their tears.
It's all their fault for being useless and dragging the children down. If they were dead, the children would have a better life!
Zhao Yunjing's voice rang out from outside: "The 18th, 6th, and 9th! Come out quickly!"
Eighteen little legs skipped out and immediately spotted the mushrooms on the ground. She cheered, "Mushrooms! It's mushrooms!"
Zhao Yunjing silently took out eggs, one, two, three... each one was white and plump.
Eighteen was going crazy, rushing over and screaming, "Eggs! Eggs!!"
"Guda guda guda..."
"Chicken! Ahh ...
This time, Shiba really went crazy. She hugged the two chickens and used her small body to shield them, along with the eggs and mushrooms, behind her: "The mushrooms are mine! The eggs are mine! The chickens are mine too! They're all mine!"
Zhao Yunjing patted her head: "My dear Shiba, the mushrooms, eggs, and chicken were all found by Miss Zhou."
At 18, his lips trembled, and he looked like he was about to cry.
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