The next morning, she woke up early and tiptoed out of bed. As soon as she opened the door, she saw her fourth aunt, Madam Yu, dressed in light clothes, carrying a bundle of rope and stuffing it into a basket on her back, with a simple bamboo bow in her hand, walking out.
Xiao Youran happily called out, "Good morning, Fourth Aunt!"
Ms. Yu asked in surprise, "Miss, you're up so early?"
Xiao Youran walked happily to Madam Yu and said, "Fourth cousin, you can call me Xiao Youran, or you can call me Xiao Ranran like my mother does?"
Mrs. Yu smiled and patted her head, not refusing, "Alright, I'll call you Xiao Ranran like your mother does, it sounds much more affectionate."
"Mmm," Xiao Youran nodded, then pointed to the things in her hands and asked, "Fourth Aunt, where are you going?"
Yu smiled and said, "We have enough food at home these past two days, but the clansmen have only brought us fruits and vegetables. I'd like to go up the mountain to see if I can hunt any animals so I can give my family a little extra food."
Xiao Youran immediately tugged at her aunt's sleeve, "Fourth Aunt, please take me with you."
Before Yu could nod, a voice came from behind, "You are not allowed to go."
Xiao You Ran turned her head and saw that it was actually her older brother.
She pouted, "Why won't my brother let me go?"
Jiang Youchen's face darkened. "The mountain path is slippery; it's easy to fall."
So he nodded in agreement, "Yes, young master... your brother is right, Xiao Ranran is prone to falling down when going up the mountain."
Xiao Youran ran over and tugged at Jiang Youchen's sleeve again, "If you're afraid I'll fall, can't you just hold my hand, brother?"
Jiang Youchen: ...
He found himself unable to refuse the offer.
Madam Yu also laughed and said, "This hill is now our own, so there's nothing wrong with going up for a stroll. My fourth cousin's wife knows there's a small path nearby that can avoid the side of the hill that's prone to landslides."
Under his sister's expectant gaze, Jiang Youchen ultimately didn't utter a word of refusal.
So the three of them set off for the eastern part of Sanyang Mountain in the morning mist.
The entire village is located on the western side of three mountains, so when the mudslide came down, it only affected the eastern part of the village, while the families in the central and western parts were unaffected.
When the brother and sister, led by Yu, were about to climb the mountain from the other side of the foot of the mountain, they were dumbfounded.
Because the path that Yu was familiar with was also blocked by large rocks that had rolled down from the mountain.
Yu led the two people around the big rock several times, but they couldn't find the way up the mountain, so they were ready to go home in disappointment.
Xiao Youran, however, walked around the bushes to the side and pointed to an extremely inconspicuous mountain path, saying, "There's a mountain path here."
Mr. Yu was quite taken aback. "I remember there used to be a huge rock here, and there was no path at all?"
Could it have been washed away as well? That's why this long-abandoned path was exposed?
She suddenly remembered the rocks blocking the road earlier—it was here! These rocks had been washed down by the water and blocked the familiar path.
Xiao Youran excitedly pulled her brother up the mountain.
Madam Yu quickly followed, saying, "Let Fourth Aunt clear the way."
This path was clearly untouched for a long time, with thick moss covering the stone steps.
The three of them walked for a while and were exhausted.
Little Youran stared brightly at the wood ear mushrooms growing on the ground and exclaimed, "This is edible!"
Ms. Yu was very vigilant. “Little Ranran, there are quite a few wild mushrooms in this forest, but many of them are poisonous and should not be eaten.”
Xiao Youran said very confidently, "These black ones are all edible. I heard the octopus guy say that."
Jiang Youchen: ...
He strongly suspected that Shen Zhangyu had become the new scapegoat for the "hearsayer" his sister had mentioned.
Ms. Yu, however, struck up a casual conversation with her out of curiosity, asking, "Who is Octopus Guy?"
"Oh, he's the Octopus Guy who runs a restaurant in the capital. He's a great cook." Little Youran explained simply. Anyway, I'm only four years old, who am I afraid of?
It's normal to not be able to grasp the key points when answering questions.
"Are you sure these black fungus are edible?" Madam Yu asked Xiao Youran again, but her eyes were fixed on Jiang Youchen.
Jiang Youchen spread his hands and said, "If my sister says it's okay, then it should be okay."
He felt he should learn from his mother and unconditionally believe his sister's words.
Xiao Youran nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, it's edible. It'll taste even better after it rains, as it grows even better. But, this black fungus has to be dried before you can eat it, otherwise you'll get poisoned."
Suddenly, Yu realized why the villagers used to say that the black fungus was poisonous; it turned out that it hadn't been dried properly.
She took off a cloth bag from her body and began picking the black fungus.
Xiao Youran also began picking them one by one.
Unknowingly, they arrived at a cave.
The floor of this cave was covered with black fungus.
Xiao Youran felt a bit of trypophobia, so she avoided the cave. Suddenly, she heard a low whimper coming from a corner.
Jiang Youchen was following behind her younger sister when she heard the sound. She suddenly grabbed her sister and pulled her behind her.
He whispered, "Who?"
The voice let out another soft "howl".
Jiang Youchen felt his palms were about to sweat, but Xiao Youran quickly squatted down and pulled aside a bunch of branches, then stared wide-eyed at him.
What an adorable little kitten!
But the little kitten was trapped under the thick branch, only able to whimper softly, unable to move its body.
Xiao Youran quickly went up and called to her brother to pull the thick branch apart. The kitten struggled to its feet, took two steps to the side, and then shook its body at them.
Xiao Youran touched its head in surprise, and the kitten licked and rubbed against her palm.
Xiao Youran looked at the cat. Although it was dirty, its eyes were really cute, so she picked it up with difficulty.
When I touched the bottom of my hand, it was covered in blood.
It turned out the kitten had scratches on its abdomen.
At this moment, Yu also wrapped the cloth bag full of wood ear fungus tightly around her body and came over.
She also saw the cat in Xiao Youran's arms and asked in surprise, "Where did this stray cat come from?"
Little Youran hugged it and showed it off to Madam Yu, "Fourth Aunt, look how cute it is! It will be even prettier after it's washed."
Mrs. Yu patted her head. "Well, let's take it back and give it a bath."
But the kitten suddenly struggled and jumped off Xiao You Ran's arms.
He walked in another direction, looking back every few steps.
Xiao Youran chuckled and asked, "Little kitten, where are you taking us?"
The kitten meowed at her and then walked on.
Xiao You Ran then pulled her brother along and followed.
Upon hearing the "cat's meow," Ms. Yu was taken aback.
That's not a cat meowing!
Instantly, every hair on her body stood on end!
She quickly reached out to pull Jiang Youchen, but her brothers had already run ahead with the kitten.
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