When Xu Han woke up, it was already afternoon. However, she was surprised to find that there was still someone in the house when she woke up today.
Lu Chuan was lying motionless on the bed, it was unclear whether he was asleep or just pretending to sleep.
Just as she was about to get up to check on him, the person beside her stirred and said, "Wife, you're awake."
"Hmm, why didn't you go out today? Are you feeling unwell?" Xu Han said, reaching out to touch Lu Chuan's forehead, but he pulled her away.
"No, I'm waiting for you to wake up. It's been a long time since we've been to the mountains. The weather is nice today, it's cloudy outside and there's no bright sun. I was thinking of taking you for a walk in the mountains and picking some wild fruits to eat."
Upon hearing this, Xu Han immediately perked up, threw off the blanket, and said, "Okay, let's go quickly. It's been a long time since we picked wild fruits. There are so many wild fruits in the mountains this season. Let's pick some to make fruit wine."
"Okay, let's go."
After Lu Chuan finished speaking, he took Xu Han's hand and walked towards the door. However, as soon as they stepped outside, they saw their youngest son standing in the corridor, staring at the two of them as they came out of the house.
"Father, Mother, where are you going? I want to go too."
Lu Chuan refused without expression, saying, "You stay home and study hard. We'll be back in a bit."
Undeterred, Ze'er pressed on, "Can I go with you?"
Just as Lu Chuan was about to refuse, Xu Han tugged at his sleeve, interrupting him, "Daddy and Mommy are going to pick wild fruits in the mountains. Do you want to go? It's a very, very long way! If you want to go, you'll have to walk it yourself."
Sure enough, Ze'er's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. "I want to go, I want to go! Don't worry, Mother, I'm very strong, I can walk by myself."
"Okay, then go ask your brother if he wants to go. Mother will wait for you here."
Xu Han hadn't taken her two children to the mountains for a long time. She thought that since it was already afternoon, they wouldn't go very far even if they went to pick wild fruits. So she might as well take the children to the mountains for a stroll!
It's a good opportunity for them to enjoy some quality time together, and for the father and son to bond.
However, Xu Han knew that it was not good to make a decision on her own, since Lu Chuan had been waiting for her. So she said, "It's getting late. How about we take the children for a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon, and then go to the mountains tomorrow morning?"
Lu Chuan looked at her with a doting expression and said, "Listen to your wife."
Although Lu Chuan said that, he still disliked his two sons in his heart, thinking to himself, "They are such little shadows, following me everywhere, so annoying."
The two waited for a short while before the brothers Mu'er and Ze'er ran out from the backyard.
Mu'er asked excitedly, "Mother, Mother, are we going to pick wild fruits?"
"Yes, hurry up and get your little baskets, we're about to set off."
After Xu Han finished speaking, she turned around and went into the kitchen, took out some snacks and cookies, and also washed some fruit, intending to take them with her to eat when she got hungry while shopping.
They packed everything they had prepared into the basket on Lu Chuan's back, and the family of four walked out of the courtyard hand in hand.
Xu Han was in a good mood, humming an off-key tune as she walked, and said with a smile, "The weather is really nice this afternoon, not too hot or too cold, and there's no sun yet, so it's probably going to rain soon."
Lu Chuan looked up at the sky. "Hmm, it's about to rain. Let's not go too far, or we'll definitely get soaked when it rains."
"Okay, let's take a walk around the back mountain and see if there are any wild raspberries. If there are, we can pick some to make jam or fruit wine."
Lu Chuan pointed to a direction in the back mountain and said, "When I went up the mountain with the Taoist priest a while ago, we saw a lot of prickly pears over there. They should be ripe soon. Let's go over there and take a look."
"Okay." Xu Han replied, and said to Mu'er and Ze'er, who were running wildly ahead with the two dogs, "Mu'er, Ze'er, let's go this way. Don't run too fast, follow Daddy."
Upon hearing this, the two little ones quickly ran back, each grabbing one of Lu Chuan's arms, and began running towards the back mountain.
Lu Chuan turned around and glanced at Xu Han helplessly. Xu Han gave him a look that said she couldn't do anything about it either, and watched helplessly as her two sons dragged him away and ran around like crazy.
She herself walked slowly behind, accompanied by Black Wind and Black Spot, looking like she was out for a stroll to relax.
Soon after, Ze'er's chattering voice came from ahead: "Mommy, Mommy, come quick! There are such big prickly bubbles, they're so delicious!"
Xu Han smiled and ran a few steps forward. "I'm here. Let me see how big it is."
As soon as Xu Han arrived at the location, three men fed her a mouthful of thorny foam. The three men scrambled to stuff it into Xu Han's mouth, making it impossible for her to open it for a moment.
My mouth was stuffed full of blisters, and it looked like they would fall out if I moved even slightly.
After chewing for quite a while, Xu Han finally finished eating the prickly pear in her mouth. She quickly said, "This prickly pear is indeed quite sweet. Pick more, and Mother will make prickly pear jam for you later."
Mu'er held up her basket and said, "Okay, I want to fill my basket to the brim."
“I want to fill my basket too,” Ze’er said.
"Alright, alright, hurry up and pick them. Whoever picks the most will get a cookie as a reward from Mommy."
With Xu Han's words, the two brothers picked the thorny berries with even more enthusiasm, neither giving an inch. For a moment, even their voices fell silent, and only the faint sound of picking the thorny berries could be heard.
Lu Chuan and Xu Han watched the two children with smiles, and joined in picking wild rhizomes.
They are just kids, after all. You can't really expect the two of them to pick all the wild raspberries. If you want to make jam or fruit wine, you'll need two adults.
As Xu Han picked the thorns, she looked around. "This small patch of thorny vines can yield quite a few thorns for making wine. I wonder if there are any more around here. Let's look around and pick more to take back and make wine. If we pick too few, it won't be enough for one batch. We need to pick more, otherwise we won't be able to make any."
"I remember there are some here, but not as many as here. Let's pick them all and then go for a walk."
The family of four chatted as they picked the wild raspberries, and soon they had picked all of them, weighing about three pounds in total. However, they ate some of them while picking, and now only about half of them remained.
After picking the thorny berries, the group moved on to other places, and as they searched, it gradually got dark.
Xu Han looked at the thorny bushes in the basket and said, "It's going to rain. Let's go home first, or we'll definitely get wet if we get back late."
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