Chapter 15

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Chen Xiaosang carefully counted the arrows one by one, and there were a total of twenty-two. Each arrow had taken down one quail.

With both hands, she held ten arrows, while the rest were placed in the quiver on Shen Dalang’s back.

Seeing her excitement, Shen Dalang felt a sense of relief, “There’s blood here, which can attract beasts. We should get down from the mountain.”

Though they hadn’t found any valuable herbs, Chen Xiaosang was content with the many quails that they got. They could stay a bit longer on the mountain, but despite Shen Dalang’s accurate archery skills, he was still just ten years old. Encountering a ferocious beast would be too dangerous.

Chen Xiaosang shook the arrow in her hand. Just as she was about to speak, her peripheral vision caught sight of a serrated leaf.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately turned her head to examine it closely. Recognizing the leaf’s distinctive shape, she exclaimed silently, “Tianma!”

This was a precious medicinal herb, which was much more valuable than honeysuckle!

During the apocalypse, she had spent two whole years searching for two taels of Tianma to refine medicine. Never did she imagine finding it in this small mountain village.

Chen Xiaosang swiftly untied the knot around her waist and slid it down Shen Dalang’s waist to his calf. However, before she could escape, two large hands lifted her up from under her armpits. She struggled, swinging her legs, only to find herself back in Shen Dalang’s arms.

Becoming increasingly anxious, Chen Xiaosang gripped Shen Dalang’s arm and turned to him, “I want to get down. I want to dig the herb!”

Shen Dalang, infuriated and embarrassed, blushed and retorted, “You’re not allowed to get down. I’ll dig whatever herb you want.”

The ground was filled with all sorts of bugs. What if she got bitten? Did he think he was a tree, letting her untie the rope and slide down herself?

The more Shen Dalang thought about it, the angrier he became. Then, Chen Xiaosang pointed behind him and said in a childish voice, “I want the roots of that herb.”

Suppressing his anger, he picked up a flat stone and dug out the roots of similar weeds nearby. Handing them to Chen Xiaosang, he joyfully descended the mountain with her.

With both hands occupied by the arrows, Chen Xiaosang could only bend her arms to carry the six pieces of tianma.

Gazing at the abundance of tianma, she couldn’t help but feel ecstatic. This was easily three catties! How much money could she earn by selling it in town after processing it?

“Tomorrow, when I sell it in town, I’ll share half of the money with you. Wait for me at home in the afternoon,” Chen Xiaosang instructed Shen Dalang as she stood at her doorstep.

After Shen Dalang coldly replied, “No need,” he turned around and walked away.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Xiaosang couldn’t see his figure anymore. She hurriedly stood on her tiptoes and shouted toward the empty corner of the room, “We made a deal! I’ll find you tomorrow afternoon!”

Chen Xiaosang assumed he had heard her and happily returned to her room to keep herself busy. Even in her dreams, she delightedly imagined sharing the money with Shen Dalang.

When Chen Xiaosang woke up early in the morning, she was greeted by the bustling noises outside. Without hesitation, she jumped out of bed and hurried outside.

Upon reaching the courtyard, she noticed Old Chen, her father, loading several wicker baskets onto the ox cart. Wushu, her cousin, was assisting him. Smoke continued to billow from the kitchen chimney.

Feeling displeased, Chen Xiaosang dashed over and tugged at her father’s clothes, voicing her complaint, “Father, why didn’t you wake me up?”

Old Chen gently pulled her back and nonchalantly responded, “You were sleeping so soundly. I didn’t have the heart to disturb you.”

He had many places to go that day and couldn’t possibly manage taking a child along.

Pouting, Chen Xiaosang grasped her father’s clothes with both hands and pressed herself against his leg, expressing her dissatisfaction, “Father, you didn’t keep your promise. You said last night that you would take me to town, but now you want to sneak away.”

Wasn’t she driving him to the point of helplessness?

Old Chen muttered to himself, realizing he had no choice, and proceeded to deceive her, “You’re still young. If you sleep well and behave, you’ll grow taller. How about I bring some meat for you tonight?”

Once again, he was trying to fool her.

Last night, he told her mother that he intended to buy meat for Dazhu, Erzhu, and herself to improve their health. And now he was using that as an excuse to make her go to sleep?

Would she fall for it?

Chen Xiaosang clutched her father’s clothes and swayed them back and forth, circling around with him. Old Chen was being dragged along and unable to work, so he reluctantly agreed, “Hurry to the kitchen and let your mother wash you. If you’re not clean, I won’t take you to town.”

With a joyful expression, Chen Xiaosang hugged her father’s leg and happily skipped into the kitchen, seeking assistance from Madam Li to wash her face.

Worried that her father might slip away unnoticed, she urged Madam Li to hurry. Once she finished grooming, she quickly stowed the prepared Tianma herb into a small cloth pouch concealed in the cupboard and rushed out.

Madam Li followed from behind and slipped a boiled egg into her pocket.

Old Chen glanced at his daughter and carried Xiaosang onto the ox cart.

Finally realizing the situation, Chen Xiaosang questioned her father, “Where did the ox cart come from?”

Immediately after asking, she heard a burst of hearty laughter. She followed the sound and spotted a tall man walking towards the ox cart.

“Little girl, haven’t you seen me in a long time?”

As he spoke, he climbed onto the ox cart, grabbed the reins, and began driving away.

Chen Xiaosang was startled. Having experienced the apocalypse, her vigilance remained intact. However, while she was running around the yard, she had failed to notice his presence at all.

Considering his towering stature, she shouldn’t have overlooked him.

“Why aren’t you saying anything, little girl?” the man cheerfully inquired.

“I don’t know you,” Chen Xiaosang feigned ignorance. “How should I address you?”

Old Chen sighed and hurriedly explained, “I forgot to mention, he’s Uncle Xingyi, your older brother Dalang’s father. When we moved to the village last year, you went to see him. Don’t you remember?”

After her father’s reminder, Chen Xiaosang finally recalled.

Shen Xingyi appeared to be in his thirties, a tall and robust man with a full beard. His booming voice was so loud that it had made her eardrums ache when she first heard him. Little did she expect to see him again today.

She nodded eagerly and exclaimed, “I remember now, Uncle Xingyi, the one who sells pork!”

Shen Xingyi was amused and turned to look at the young girl behind him. He smiled and said, “Seems like you’ve got a craving. I’ll give you a few pounds of unsold meat to taste later.”

Old Chen hastily interjected, “I was just planning to buy a pound of fatty meat from you today.”

A pound of fatty meat cost seventeen wen, and Old couldn’t just let Shen Xingyi give it to him for free.

Shen Xingyi remained composed and glanced at Xiaosang. He replied frankly, “Big Brother Bao Lai also introduced me to a profitable business. Giving two pounds of meat is just a token of gratitude. I’m not going to just charge for everything now, am I?”

Chen Xiaosang argued, “Brother Dalang has also helped me a lot. We can’t take advantage of you.”

Shen Xingyi’s eyes brightened when he heard his son’s name, and he inquired further.

Chen Xiaosang selectively recounted how Shen Dalang had assisted her, and Shen Xingyi listened with great enthusiasm. Even when they arrived at the wedding venue, he was still reminiscing.

“I’ll trouble Brother Bao Lai to keep an eye on the ox cart. I’ll come out after delivering the meat and vegetables.”

Shen Xingyi jumped off the ox cart and grabbed a carrying pole. He hung six baskets on either side of the pole and effortlessly carried them to the backyard.

Old Chen was left dumbfounded and murmured, “He can even lift three to four hundred catties. He’s as strong as my two sons combined.”