Chapter 40 Zhu Mingyue had finished breakfast and it was already late afternoon…
By the time Zhu Mingyue finished breakfast, it was already midday.
The sun was high in the sky, dazzling and very hot. He broke out in a thin layer of sweat after walking just a few steps in the courtyard.
It must be over thirty degrees Celsius, he thought.
Since the shop opening time has already passed, I might as well not go to town today and give myself a day off from the heat.
He washed the pots and pans, slung his small basket over his shoulder, and went out. The only vegetable patch left in the house, no bigger than the palm of his hand, had been planted with cucumbers last month. Since it was the only plot of land, he and Xie Pei took extra care of it, and the cucumbers had already started to bear fruit at the beginning of this month.
Today, I noticed that the number of plants seems to have increased significantly, with many roots growing on each plant, and the lush green color is very pleasing to the eye.
Zhu Mingyue felt reassured about the cucumbers he grew himself. He casually picked one and popped it into his mouth. It was slightly astringent at first, but mostly sweet and refreshing like a cucumber. It was crunchy and juicy, and he thought it tasted better than the expensive fruits sold outside.
He glanced again at the tomatoes huddled together in the corner, his face full of regret.
This is supposed to be the season when tomatoes are ripe. He used to often buy a couple, slice them, mix them with two spoonfuls of sugar, and eat them as dessert. They tasted quite good.
So after acquiring the land, Zhu Mingyue's first thought was to plant more tomato seedlings, but unfortunately, even after bearing fruit for many days, they still showed no signs of turning red.
Every time he saw these fruits, which were bigger than an adult man's fist, he couldn't help but fantasize about the day they would ripen and become tomato and egg soup or tomatoes with sugar. Later, after realizing something was wrong, he inquired a little and found out that the tomatoes here were completely different from the traditional tomatoes he knew!
This type of tomato is similar to the Gaoqing tomato; it won't turn red even if it rots on the ground. Although it's non-toxic, it doesn't taste good when eaten raw and can only be cooked.
He thought for a moment, then picked two from the branch and put them in the basket.
Although it didn't turn out as expected, since we've already planted it, we can't just not eat it. We can take it home and make a simple stir-fried tomato dish for lunch.
When Zhu Mingyue returned home, Xie Pei was still nowhere to be seen. She looked at the distant mountaintop and frowned slightly, thinking that he must have gone hunting on the mountain early.
Although animals frequently appear in the mountains during spring and summer, the vegetation is more lush than in autumn and winter, making prey easier to conceal, and there are also poisonous insects, making the conditions more difficult.
A few days ago, Xie Pei lost his axe while hunting. It got tangled in thorns, and when he went to retrieve it, he accidentally cut his arm in several bloody cuts, which looked rather gruesome.
Xie Pei didn't take his wounds seriously, but the hot weather caused them to become inflamed and slow to heal after being soaked in sweat. They even started to swell and ooze fluid. Zhu Mingyue was alarmed and went to the pharmacy to get some medicine for Xie Pei.
Before his injury had even healed, Xie Pei turned and ran up the mountain. Zhu Mingyue was both angry and heartbroken.
Xie Pei doesn't take care of his body at all.
He tried several times to persuade Xie Pei to stop hunting in the mountains and instead run the dumpling shop peacefully with him.
But he swallowed the words back. He didn't know what position or stance he had to speak, so he could only let him continue hunting.
He didn't have to go to town today, so he rarely had enough time to cook lunch. Previously, he and Xie Pei would just grab some dumplings or noodles at the shop; they were nice to eat once or twice, but he couldn't stand eating them every day. Today, he absolutely refused to eat noodles. Since Xie Pei wasn't back, he leisurely began preparing three dishes and a soup.
It's hot, and we can't keep fresh meat at home. We still have some cured pork from the winter, so we sliced some up and stir-fried it with dried chili peppers. The cured pork is the kind with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and it's sliced very thinly. After stir-frying it until the oil is rendered, we served it with rice. Even Zhu Mingyue, who doesn't like fatty meat, could eat a few slices.
The rest were all freshly picked vegetables from our own garden; one was for smashed cucumber, and the other was for stir-fried tomatoes.
This was the first time he had ever made stir-fried tomatoes. When they were done cooking, he put a slice in his mouth to taste them, and the flavor was surprisingly good.
The soup was a simple scallion and egg soup. He was busy in the kitchen when a noise suddenly came from the front yard.
Zhu Mingyue's ears twitched. She ladled out the soup, extinguished the fire in the stove, and ran to the front yard. Sure enough, Xie Pei had returned.
When his gaze inadvertently swept over Xie Pei's upper body, his breath caught in his throat, and his mind went blank. There was a small patch of blood on Xie Pei's abdomen.
"You're injured!" Zhu Mingyue's voice trembled indescribably.
"Don't be nervous," Xie Pei reassured her, "It's not my blood."
That's a lie. Xie Pei would never tell you if he had any injuries unless he saw them.
At this moment, Zhu Mingyue didn't care about adhering to any nonsense about the proper etiquette between uncle and sister-in-law. Anyway, the villagers had already said everything they should or shouldn't have said. He stepped forward and lifted Xie Pei's clothes, revealing his bronze chest and below that, his abdomen, which was clearly defined and firm. Apart from some faint bloodstains, there were no wounds on his abdomen.
The taut muscles in Xie Pei's abdomen rose and fell with his breath... rising and falling...
Zhu Mingyue stared intently, when suddenly her nose felt warm, as if a warm current was slowly flowing down.
He looked away, noticing the astonishment in Xie Pei's eyes, and subconsciously wiped his nose.
Hmm? It's sticky.
Holy crap! He's got a nosebleed! Why is he getting a nosebleed?!
He swore he had only been observing the man's genitals for a while, and he really had no ulterior motives!
He was stunned by what he saw and couldn't recover for a long time. By the time he came to his senses, Xie Pei had already tied his clothes and handed him a handkerchief with a blank expression.
While frantically wiping away the bloodstains, Zhu Mingyue pressed her fingers lightly against her nose to stop the bleeding. After a flurry of activity, Zhu Mingyue closed her eyes, feeling utterly hopeless.
What to do! Xie Pei is a bit older than him, but he won't be an adult for another few months. And he's getting a nosebleed from looking at a minor!
That's so pathetic!
Zhu Mingyue blushed and turned her head away, not daring to look at him.
Xie Pei: "It's normal to have occasional nosebleeds when it's hot and you feel hot; there's no need to worry."
What? Getting a sore throat? Zhu Mingyue thought Xie Pei was too naive. Was his nosebleed caused by getting a sore throat? He was clearly dazzled by those bare abs! And yet, he was completely oblivious.
However, he still had to thank Xie Pei for finding such a reasonable and legitimate reason for him. He cleared his throat and pretended to be calm: "That's right, I tend to get nosebleeds when it's too hot."
Okay, actually, he has a problem where he gets nosebleeds whenever he sees a handsome guy. Zhu Mingyue silently added to herself, looking down.
"Mm," Xie Pei replied, a hint of a smile appearing in his previously cold and deep eyes.
Cluck cluck! Cluck cluck!
The sack at Xie Pei's feet made a short, sharp sound.
Zhu Mingyue's attention was drawn to the sack, and she cast a curious glance at it.
quack!
With another cry, accompanied by a slight flapping of its wings, the sack was instantly toppled to the ground.
Zhu Mingyue's tone was somewhat complicated: "You went hunting in the mountains and caught a duck?"
He got covered in blood? He hesitated for a moment before saying the last part.
In short, it's quite unbelievable.
"It's not a duck," Xie Pei explained, then untied the sack, pulled out a large bird, and threw it on the ground.
The large bird's claws were bound by cloth strips, making it difficult to move. When it was thrown to the ground, it rolled twice due to inertia, flapped its wings nervously a few times, and stirred up a cloud of dust.
Zhu Mingyue had just squatted down when she was immediately bitten in the face.
"Pah, pah," he stepped forward and picked up the bird with both hands.
Before he could even see what it looked like, the bird came up and tried to peck at his eyes. "Don't move!" he shouted, extending two fingers to lightly slap the bird's head.
Unexpectedly, it actually worked. The bird, which had never experienced being slapped before, stared at him blankly with its round eyes and its neck raised, and didn't move.
Zhu Mingyue laughed, turned her head to look at Xie Pei, and said happily, "He must have been intimidated by me."
"This bird looks so majestic and beautiful," he exclaimed.
Its front is entirely white, while its back is interspersed with irregular grayish-brown spots from head to tail. Its beak is curved into a hook shape; although short, it reveals a power that is far from ordinary.
He had been too busy examining the bird's appearance to notice its claws, but now that he saw them, he was even more surprised. He cast an admiring glance at Xie Pei, thinking to himself that it was a wise move for the other party to bind the bird's claws.
The claws were extremely sharp and curved, and once locked on, Zhu Mingyue doubted that it would be very difficult to return unscathed; at the very least, she would lose a piece of flesh.
He asked, "Did you hunt this bird?"
Xie Pei: "No, I was hunting in the forest when I saw it swooping down from the sky to catch a snake. Because it was so big, its wings got caught on thorns." As he spoke, he glanced at the large bird on the ground with a look of disgust.
The big bird seemed to understand human speech. At first, it stared at him with its round eyes and listened quietly, but after he finished speaking, it began to vehemently refute him.
Specifically, it constantly squawks, its voice hoarse and unpleasant, while its wings flap incessantly, clearing away all the dust and dirt within a one-meter radius of it.
Zhu Mingyue couldn't understand what the bird was trying to say, she only knew that this stinky bird was making a terrible racket, so she raised her hand and slapped it again.
Cluck cluck! Cluck cluck cluck!
Zhu Mingyue slapped him again, expressionless, this time using two fingers of her left hand.
Phew, finally it's quiet.
Wait a minute, why does this stinky bird look like it's about to cry?!
Zhu Mingyue's lips twitched uncontrollably. He didn't know anything about birds, so he helplessly looked at Xie Pei with a pleading look: "This bird seems to have become a spirit. Did I make it cry?"
Xie Pei shook his head: "Birds don't cry; its wing is injured."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Mingyue carefully lifted the wings and indeed found a bright red bloodstain at the base of the wing.
He blew on the bird from a distance, and the bird obediently let him spread its wings. This time, it didn't try to peck him, and he finally felt a little sorry for it.
A bird with an injured wing is like a person with a limp. Zhu Mingyue couldn't help but picture Li Zhu'er limping along, unable to even cultivate the fields. Li Zhu'er at least had his parents to help him, but the little bird could only rely on itself; with its injured wing, it couldn't catch food and would starve to death.
So pitiful...
Thinking of this, he lowered his eyes for a moment before speaking: "Xie Pei, do you prefer stewed or braised?"
Xie Peizhen seriously pondered for a few seconds before solemnly replying, "Braised."
Cluck cluck cluck! Cluck cluck cluck!
The bird seemed to be unable to bear the words "braised," and became agitated again, its cries becoming quite pitiful.
Zhu Mingyue: ...
So this guy really is a spirit, right?
Fine, considering its imposing appearance and somewhat human-like intelligence, I'll spare its life for now.
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