"Grandma, eldest uncle, aunt."
The village chief's wife and mother-in-law were kneading dough in the kitchen when they heard a familiar voice. Looking at the mother-in-law, they exclaimed, "Why does that voice sound so much like Aheng's?"
Grandma Xiao shook her head, "Impossible, Ah Heng is in the army. It's not a holiday, how could he have time to come back?"
When talking about her grandson, the old lady's face was full of longing. However, she was also happy that her child was doing well, and she couldn't let her reluctance hinder his development.
"That's right. Ah Heng is a capable person and also filial. The military overcoat he sent back before the New Year is so warm."
Grandma Xiao nodded, "It's just that I haven't found a partner yet. I don't know if I'll live to see the day I meet my granddaughter-in-law."
Grandma Xiao felt a pang of regret when she thought of Gu An'an. She was indeed a good girl, but her grandson never came back. How could a girl wait for him?
The village chief's wife wanted to say something to comfort the old lady, but then the sounds outside started again, followed by the sound of bicycles being parked.
"Grandma, Uncle, Aunt."
After taking the package off the back seat, Xiao Yuheng strode into the house, where he met his mother and daughter-in-law, who were excitedly heading out, at the door.
"Aheng!"
When the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law saw Xiao Yuheng, who was still handsome after three years, they were so excited that they didn't know what to say. They just kept repeating, "Good, good, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
Seeing their tearful faces, Xiao Yuheng's nose tingled slightly. "Grandma, Aunt, why are you crying? I'm back, aren't I?"
A few minutes later, the two calmed down and then welcomed Xiao Yuheng into the house, one on each side.
After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finished inquiring about Xiao Yuheng's life over the past few years, they exchanged a glance and changed the subject at the same time.
"Did you come back this time to see Gu Zhiqing?"
It's no wonder the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law asked that question. Although Xiao Yuheng and his uncle's family were very close, according to their usual habits, he should not arrive in Xiaowang Village until tomorrow, which made them worry.
Xiao Yuheng had just been teased by his mother, and now he was being teased by his aunt and grandmother. Even though he was thick-skinned, he felt a little embarrassed.
"Grandma, Aunt, I..."
He wanted to explain a few more words, but Grandma Xiao's rough and old hand touched the back of his hand.
"Men should marry when they are of age and women should marry when they are of age. It's a good thing to have a girl you like, so what's there to be shy about?"
"That's right. Gu Zhiqing is a good girl. Someone will eventually discover her good qualities. If you don't work hard now, you'll be crying when someone else takes her away."
Seeing that her grandson was still silent, Grandma Xiao rolled her eyes and said to the village chief's wife, "Qiuju, since Aheng doesn't like Gu Zhiqing, you should keep an eye on him and introduce him to good boys."
It has to be said that Xiao Ma's personality is just like Xiao Ma's.
However, this tactic worked very well; Xiao Yuheng's expression was no longer as calm as before.
"Gu, the educated youth, was indeed quite special..."
With such an attitude, what was there not to understand? The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law smiled like cats that had just stolen some fish.
"Gu Zhiqing is definitely special, Aheng, you should make the most of this opportunity."
When Zhang Cuicui returned, the three of them were already chatting excitedly. Seeing that she hadn't brought Gu An'an back, the village chief's wife impatiently asked, "Where's Gu Zhiqing? Didn't you invite her over for dumplings?"
After greeting Xiao Yuheng, Zhang Cuicui gulped down a glass of water. "I called, but Gu Zhiqing and Zhou Zhiqing had made plans to come up the mountain, so they didn't agree to come."
Xiao Yuheng was somewhat disappointed, but even more worried. "They've gone into the mountains? Will there be any danger?"
The village chief's wife shook her head. "Our village went hunting in the mountains before the Lunar New Year. There weren't any big animals in the surrounding area. Gu, the educated youth, often goes into the mountains, so don't worry!"
Even so, Xiao Yuheng was still a little worried. He asked Gu An'an which mountain she was probably going to before he went out.
"Wow, once you get the hang of it, things are so different."
Grandma Xiao smiled contentedly, "We can rest assured now."
Hearing Zhang Cuicui mention dandelion dumplings, Gu An'an also got a bit of a craving and dug up quite a few along the way. However, this wasn't their purpose for today, so the group paused briefly before continuing their journey.
The greenery on the mountain is much more pleasing to the eye than the white expanse before.
The group first checked Zhao Hu's traps, but there were too many, and it was getting late, so they had to split into two groups.
Zhao Hu and Zhou Yue were naturally on the same team. Chen Jianguo wanted to go with Gu An'an, but Gu An'an was worried that Zhao Hu wouldn't be able to protect Zhou Yue in case of an emergency, so she put the three of them together.
“Gu Zhiqing, let me go with you. If anything happens, I can protect you.”
Gu An'an found it amusing, "How do you stop it? Let the big cat bite you to give me time to escape?"
Chen Jianguo: ...He doesn't want to be eaten by the big cat.
"Don't worry, I may not be good at anything else, but I'm a master at escaping. Big Cat can't catch me."
You know, she used to run around with a bunch of zombies all the time. How else could she train herself and survive one crisis after another?
Now she's just a big cat or a big bear. If things get really bad, she can just hide in her space. That way, going it alone is safer than joining a group.
At her strong suggestion, Gu An'an agreed on a meeting place with the three of them and then disappeared in another direction.
Along the way, Gu An'an put any good things she saw into her spatial storage. After checking several traps, she had two pheasants in her hands. She tied the pheasants' legs and wings with rope and threw them into her basket. Gu An'an then continued to venture deeper into the area.
The deeper they went, the more good things they found. Gu An'an not only caught two more pheasants and a rabbit and put them into her space, but also encountered a silly roe deer that was out foraging for food.
Calling it a silly roe deer is really not an exaggeration. Even though Gu An'an was already very close to it, the silly roe deer stared at Gu An'an as if it had never seen a person before.
Having satisfied its curiosity, the silly roe deer tried to run away, but after only two steps, it was taken into Gu An'an's spatial storage.
After walking a while longer, Gu An'an spotted a small patch of green on the sunny slope, and her eyes lit up immediately.
She recognized it; it was a yellow chrysanthemum, belonging to the fern family, and in later generations it might sell for over ten yuan per kilogram.
Nowadays, some people still eat it, but they mostly gather what they need for their own consumption.
Thinking of her plan, Gu An'an put down her basket, took out a knife, and began to harvest the tender buds of the daylily.
She worked quickly and soon had collected a large bagful, while the rest she tossed into her spatial storage.
After picking all the yellow flowers, Gu An'an looked at the sun and prepared to go outside when a sudden scream startled the birds that were resting in the woods.
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