Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Passionate Lady

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"Go, go, go back!"

"Take the axe with you and forget about the other stuff. Come on, get down the mountain first!"

"Watch your step, ugh, don't fall."

…

Less than an hour after we climbed the mountain, the drizzle turned into heavy rain, as if someone had poked a hole in the sky, and torrential rain poured down from the sky to the ground, shrouding the entire forest in a rustling sound.

The rainstorm was fierce, and the bean-sized raindrops hit people painfully. There was no work to do. A group of people just climbed up the mountain and hurried down the slope with axes in their hands. One of them slipped and returned to the village covered in mud.

In front of the stone house, next to the stone washing table of the villagers, the people who hurried down the mountain did not rush back to the house. Everyone stood together in the rain that covered the sky and the ground, using the rain to wash the filthy mud off their bodies.

"Oh my god, what kind of weather is this? It really makes me soaked like a chicken in a bath."

"That's right. It would be fine if it rained earlier. Why do we have to let people go up the mountain to get wet?"

"Oh! It's getting heavier again. I really don't know how long this rain will last."

The ground was a pool, the sky was a shower, and a group of burly men stood shirtless in the natural bathhouse and began to take a bath. Everyone was upset by the sudden rainstorm, and there were cries of grief. Some people complained about the weather, and some complained that God was playing tricks on them and made them all muddy.

Just two minutes later, a surprised cry broke the sad wailing.

"Look what that is? Is it... a person?"

White mist filled the air, visibility gradually decreased, and on the cobblestone road, two tightly wrapped figures, one tall and one short, slowly approached.

From a distance, they looked like human figures; from close up, they were still human figures. It seemed as if the two of them had rolled in the mud, with their heads, faces, and bodies all covered in a thick layer of mud.

Okay, it’s confirmed that it’s a person, but... I can’t see who it is at all.

Judging from the heights of the two men and the long skirts of their clothes, Luo Yuan tentatively called out, "Gu Mengran?"

"Hey, Brother Luo." The clay man blinked in response.

"What are you doing—" Luo Yuan tried to hold back, but the two of them looked so funny that he couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Hahahaha, my God, what's wrong with you two?"

Gu Mengran wiped his face helplessly, staring with two dark eyes, "My left foot tripped and my right foot tripped, and I fell. In order to pull me up, Liang Zhao ended up rolling around with me for a few rounds."

"Hahahaha...it's wrapped so tightly. Who would recognize it if I didn't say anything?"

"I was wondering where the person went. After all this time, he went to take a bath in the mud?"

“Hahahahaha…you’re not hurt, right?”

The haze was swept away, and there was a burst of laughter in the open space in front of the door. Everyone had the same goal and laughed at Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao without sparing any effort.

It seemed like they were treating people to a monkey show? Gu Mengran, who was covered in mud, also laughed along. Even though he was the monkey, the mockery without malice did not offend him at all.

They came back in the pouring rain, with the mud on their bodies still wet. Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao took off their shirts and scrubbed them in the rain. It took them a while to clean themselves up.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier. I thought I could get off work early today, but unexpectedly, just as Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao had just finished taking a shower and walked under the eaves, Xiaodong came over with two sets of dry clothes.

When Gu Mengran saw the dry clothes, he immediately understood that there was work waiting for them.

As expected, they found an empty house nearby and changed their clothes. When Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao came out together, Xiaodong was still standing under the eaves and had not left.

His eyes wandered between Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao. Finally, he raised his chin slightly and said to Liang Zhao, "It's raining too hard. We won't go out today. Liang Zhao, go to the sundeck to chop firewood. Just walk under the eaves and you won't get wet."

Liang Zhao hummed, but remained standing there without moving.

Xiaodong frowned and said, "Go ahead."

"Oh, let's go." Gu Mengran grabbed Liang Zhao's arm, pulled him and turned away.

"Hey! Gu Mengran, where are you going?" Xiaodong hurriedly called them.

Gu Mengran paused and turned back in confusion, "Aren't you chopping wood?"

"Who asked you to go?" Xiaodong took two steps forward and grabbed Gu Mengran's other arm. "Liang Zhao will go chop wood. You and I will stay in the village and help."

As expected, he still couldn't get away with it. Gu Mengran sighed and let go of Liang Zhao's hand, "Then——"

Just as he said a word, Gu Mengran's wrist suddenly tightened. He looked down and saw Liang Zhao holding his hand.

Facing Liang Zhao's worried gaze, Gu Mengran pulled his arm out of Xiaodong's hand, gently patted Liang Zhao's hand twice, and gave him a look that said there was no need to worry, "It's okay, I'm not going anywhere, I'm in the village."

Liang Zhao tried to persuade her, but he let her go and left despite being extremely reluctant.

The figure disappeared around the corner along the eaves. Gu Mengran withdrew his gaze and raised his chin towards Xiaodong, "Where are you going? Let's go."

They separated them on purpose and kept him in a roundabout way, definitely not for work.

Gu Mengran was ready for a new round of lobbying, but Xiaodong took him under the eaves and walked around for more than ten minutes before arriving at a slightly old stone house.

The stone houses in the village have similar structures. Two old wooden doors are wide open, and the main room is the most spacious part of the house. However, this main room is too crowded. Half-person-high bamboo racks are lined up in rows, so densely packed that people have no place to step.

The smoked and roasted ones are strung together with hemp ropes, like strings of beaded curtains, and hung neatly on bamboo racks, while the dried and roasted potato chips and sweet potato strips are placed in a winnowing basket and placed between two bamboo racks to dry.

The smell of fish and smoke was not pleasant in the room. Gu Mengran followed Xiaodong and squeezed into the room through the gap between the bamboo frames. Before he could catch his breath, he received the snakeskin bag handed to him by Xiaodong.

"Put them in bags, separate them. Oh, yes, touch them before you pack them, make sure they are thoroughly dry before you pack them, otherwise they will get moldy." Xiaodong arranged in an orderly manner.

Are you really here to work? Gu Mengran was stunned for a moment, and when he saw Xiaodong had already picked up the bag and put it away, he hurried to move as well.

After careful baking and sufficient airing, the dried goods in the bag have completely lost their moisture. As long as they are not placed in a cool and humid place, these dried goods can be stored for a long time.

When enemies come, we will stop them with soldiers; when water comes, we will block it with earth. This is probably the wisdom of the working people. Even if it is rainy outside, they can still store a lot of food in such a difficult situation.

While feeling around and packing the goods, most of the dry goods on the bamboo racks were collected, and more than an hour had passed.

Without any intention of taking a break, Xiaodong took Gu Mengran to move the packed dried goods outside the door, and gathered the smoked fish that were scattered on the bamboo rack and not completely dried together. Then he waved his hand and said, "Let's go, take out the ones inside and hang them up."

Gu Mengran exhaled a breath of hot air and said, “Let’s go. What’s the big deal?”

Xiaodong immediately took him around to the right side of the main room and pushed open the wooden door at the corner of the wall.

When he passed by the window on his way in, he saw smoke coming out. Gu Mengran knew that there was someone in the room, but he didn't expect that there were so many people in the room.

As the wooden door opened, thick smoke blew in his face, with a fishy smell mixed with the smell of firewood. Gu Mengran took a big breath without any preparation and started coughing non-stop.

After finally recovering from the shock, Gu Mengran raised his hand and rubbed his eyes. The white smoke dissipated through the doors and windows, and four pairs of dark eyes were staring at him, their faces full of curiosity.

The fire was burning brightly, the fish on the grill were sizzling, and four middle-aged women in their fifties were sitting around the fire, staring at this outsider without blinking.

Gu Mengran looked at them out of pure curiosity and inquiry. For some reason, he had the illusion that he was passing by the village entrance during the New Year and was surrounded by a group of gossipy old men and women.

...Well, it must be just an illusion.

Under the gazes of four burning eyes, Gu Mengran followed Xiaodong into the house. At this moment, a gray-haired aunt called out "Xiaodong" and turned her gaze to Gu Mengran, "Dong, who is this boy? Why haven't I seen him before?"

"Ms. Wang, his name is Gu Mengran, and he just arrived a few days ago." Xiaodong answered every question and moved aside a little to make it easier for the aunts to see Gu Mengran clearly.

"Meng Ran? That's a good name."

"He's handsome, and looks similar to Xiaoyan."

"Is your temper better than Xiaoyan's?"

Not treating Gu Mengran as an outsider, several aunts started discussing him in front of him.

Xiaodong didn't leave, and just stood there. Gu Mengran couldn't play dumb, so he forced a dry laugh, "Hello, aunties, are you busy?"

It would have been fine if she hadn't spoken. Once she did, the aunts' enthusiasm was so overwhelming.

Miss Wang, who spoke first, smiled even more and waved at him, "Don't worry, don't worry. Come on, young man, sit here and have a rest."

"Mengran, have you eaten? Come, let me get you a roasted sweet potato." Another auntie in red clothes immediately picked up the fire tongs and rummaged around in the fire pit.

Gu Mengran was a little overwhelmed and turned to give Xiaodong a look for help.

Who would have thought that when Xiaodong heard about roasted sweet potatoes, he was like a cat seeing cat noodles. He completely forgot about the business and jumped in front of the fire pit, pulled a stool and sat down, "Give me one too, Miss Wu, I'm a little hungry."

After saying that, he patted the empty stool next to him and turned to look at Gu Mengran. "Why are you standing there? Come sit here and rest for a while. Have you ever eaten authentic roasted sweet potatoes? The kind buried in wood ashes, guaranteed to be sweet."

Gu Mengran really wanted to say that he was not hungry, but a casual glance revealed that he was met with several pairs of eyes that were filled with expectation. The words of rejection got stuck in his throat, and he silently pulled out a stool and sat down.

The roasted sweet potatoes just dug out from the fire pit were still a little hot, so the aunt used the fire pit to move them to the side to cool down. During this period, no one was idle, except for an aunt with gray hair and a sad face. The other three all pulled Gu Mengran to chat.

How old are you? Where are you from? Are you studying or working? Are you married?

The aunties asked questions one after another, just like checking my household registration. But they didn't have any bad intentions, they were just out of pure curiosity and casual chat.

Gu Mengran who was stuck in the middle: ...The Chinese New Year is so early this year!