Zhao Xiaoxiu's last memory of going into the mountains was in April. Since then, the lords have been busy with planting tasks, and they have been busy ever since.
If it weren't for the help of the Meng family, mother and her two children, Zhao Xiaoxiu's family would still be unable to finish their farm work.
The lords of the other two major planting areas are currently taking turns renting tractors to clear land under the scorching sun.
Thinking about going into the mountains tomorrow, Zhao Xiaoxiu was very excited. She immediately ran to the storage room and packed ammunition, guns, and other items that might be needed into her multi-functional vest.
While I'm at it, I'll take out the twin swords my master gave me and sharpen them again to make sure they're sharp enough.
Zhao Gang was much more casual. He was still not used to using human tools. When they went into the mountains and there were no outsiders, his tentacles would be more useful than any other tool.
Throughout the afternoon, Zhao Xiaoxiu was overwhelmed by the excitement of going into the mountains with her father the next day, and her inexplicable unease and anxiety were suppressed.
"So... people really can't be too idle." Zhao Xiaoxiu muttered to herself as she watered the Green Fairy with a watering can.
After watering the plants, I approached the Green Fairy and told it to give me a flower bracelet for protection the next morning. Only then, at my father's call, did it happily run to the pavilion for dinner.
Today, the two families ate together. Grandma Meng personally cooked bone broth, sliced two large plates of unsold mutated animal meat, and prepared Zhao Xiaoxiu's favorite chili dipping sauce.
Zhao Gang also used the fresh ingredients that had recently been harvested from the fields to make a bowl of cucumber salad and a pot of pumpkin soup.
The soup was cooked in advance and chilled in the refrigerator. It's absolutely delicious when eaten with hot pot in the summer.
Before dinner, Zhao Xiaoxiu drank half a bowl of sweet pumpkin soup to quench her thirst.
The chilled pumpkin soup was refreshingly cool, and the pumpkin flesh inside was stewed until it was soft and tender, melting in your mouth.
"It's so delicious!" Zhao Xiaoxiu swung her little feet and smiled brightly at her father.
Zhao Gang took the empty bowl and filled it to the brim for her.
Seeing the little guy's satisfied expression, everyone couldn't resist picking up their bowls and taking a sip of the chilled pumpkin soup.
The eyes of the Meng family mother and her two children lit up simultaneously, and they nodded repeatedly in praise.
The little boy squatted on the side, holding half a bowl in his hands, sipping it slowly, occasionally letting out a satisfied sigh, his expression rather exaggerated.
Meng Er had always disliked him. They had been working together for several months, but he still couldn't stand him. He always felt that Xiwa was such a fickle person that he might betray his teammates at any time.
Pshaw, that's the wrong word. They're not teammates at all!
Meng Er gulped down a mouthful of the icy sweet soup, glanced at the stingy little boy, picked up his chopsticks, and snatched away most of the meat slices from the meat plate in front of the little boy.
Xiwa dared not speak out in anger, but she knew her own status in the family, so she could only give Zhao Gang and his daughter a sheepish smile and pretend to be pitiful.
Zhao Xiaoxiu ate meat and drank soup heartily. Full and satisfied, she patted her bulging belly and leaned against a pavilion pillar, saying expectantly:
"If I could live like this every day, that would be wonderful."
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but show expectant expressions, feeling that the days of living like this every day were not far off.
"Now we're just waiting for the research base to develop the SHASI virus vaccine. Then we won't have to be afraid of any mutant White Walkers or anything like that," Meng said with a determined look in his eyes.
Grandma Meng smiled kindly, "Our lives are getting better and better."
“Who says otherwise?” Meng Er chimed in.
Only Xiwa buried his head in his food, devouring it. As someone struggling to survive on the edge of basic needs, he felt that things were already quite good, and he dared not think any further.
After dinner, it was completely dark, and the oval moon peeked out from the clouds, casting a silvery glow on the earth.
Everyone cleaned up the dishes and went home to sleep.
Zhao Xiaoxiu, wearing a vest, pajamas, and shorts made by her father, lay on the clean and soft bed. The bedsheets she was holding no longer smelled of her mother; instead, she held a small pillow that Zhao Gang had made from his own clothes.
The small pillow was just the right size for a four-year-old girl to hug. She looked down and sniffed it; it smelled of rose soap, and there was also a faint, unique scent that belonged to her father.
The tentacles curiously leaned closer to sniff, then tilted their tips in confusion, unable to detect the unique scent of the father in the cub's mouth.
Human children are masters of self-deception; the father's scent simply doesn't exist. That's what the tentacles think.
Zhao Xiaoxiu didn't care about them; she hugged her small pillow and quickly fell asleep.
After a good night's sleep, Zhao Xiaoxiu excitedly got up before the alarm clock even rang.
Zhao Gang got up even earlier than her and was downstairs in the kitchen making some portable snacks for his baby.
Sweet potato chips, French fries, tomato sauce, sunflower seeds, yogurt, and other snacks were all packed into a small backpack.
This setup doesn't look like they're going into the mountains to teach and find edible mutants; it looks more like they're going on a picnic.
Grandma Meng clicked her tongue enviously and said, "Xiaoxiu, be careful on the road. Follow your father closely and don't run around."
"Okay, Grandma Meng." Zhao Xiaoxiu happily replied, having already put on her multi-functional vest, just waiting for Zhao Gang to come out.
Monkey Sister also wanted to go, but Zhao Xiaoxiu didn't want to take her this time and refused.
Monkey Sister angrily scratched her bun and quickly slipped away before Zhao Gang arrived.
"Let's go." Zhao Gang had a small bag of snacks hanging on his chest and car keys in his hand. He gestured for the cub to follow, then nodded to the Meng family members. The father and daughter drove off in their modified SUV, leaving the territory.
Zhao Xiaoxiu was sitting in the passenger seat, humming a song by the window, when her phone suddenly rang.
Zhao Xiaoxiu pulled out her phone from her vest with a puzzled look. It turned out to be Youyou calling.
She answered happily.
"Xiaoxiu, it's my birthday tomorrow. Will you come to my house and eat cake with me?" Youyou's tone was a little smug. He eats cake on his birthday too.
Zhao Xiaoxiu was overjoyed and almost agreed.
But then she suddenly remembered that Youyou had said his father was also coming to Block B to celebrate his birthday. Her round eyes quickly swept over Zhao Gang in the driver's seat, and she said tactfully:
"Well, I'll see how things go tomorrow. But I've already prepared a gift for you, I'm sure you'll like it."
Two heterochromatic gray rabbits. The two rabbits we brought back earlier had just given birth to a litter, but only the two baby rabbits had heterochromia.
Youyou wanted to ask what it was, but Zhao Xiaoxiu refused to tell her.
"Xiaoxiu, aren't you home?" Youyou asked curiously. He heard the howling wind, like it was coming from inside a car.
Zhao Xiaoxiu: "Um, my dad and I are going hunting in the mountains today. Oh, and we'll also be looking for delicious fruits and vegetables..."
She was about to subtly ask Youyou if his father had arrived when the other end of the phone suddenly went silent.
The call was disconnected in less than two seconds.
This often happens when the signal is bad. Zhao Xiaoxiu called back, but the other end stopped answering.
Never mind, she didn't take it to heart. She put away her phone, continued humming a song, and went with her father to the foot of the mountain to the north.
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