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Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: A Little Surprise

Yi Chichi looked down at the bewildered little girl in her arms, indeed she was quite small.

At that moment, the team leader and others approached, dragging Dun Dun and the others who were crying with snot and tears everywhere.

Seeing the snot hanging from her eldest grandson's nose, Aunt Niu was so angry that she slapped his buttocks twice.

"How many times have I told you, you can't come to this marsh, why are you so disobedient?"

"Catch fish, eat meat."

The little boy, wiping his tears, choked out a reply.

He looked thoroughly aggrieved.

Niu Niu and the others also started murmuring that they wanted to eat meat.

The faces of the team leader and the others fell, not out of anger but helplessness.

That deep sense of helplessness lingered in their eyes, making Yi Chichi feel somewhat heavy-hearted.

The children of later generations grew up with abundant resources, while the children now had to take risks just to taste some meat, venturing into dangerous places like the marsh.

In the end, they didn't get to eat meat and instead got beaten.

The children were in pain, and the team leader and other elders felt no better.

They wouldn't think the children were greedy, they would only feel useless.

If they were a bit more capable, a bit more useful, even if they couldn't let the children eat meat every day, letting them have it every now and then would be good enough.

Yi Chichi's gaze fell on the team leader and the others' faces, and she saw them turn their heads towards the marsh and then toward the forest southwest of it.

The orderly forest stretched, one hill after another.

The mountains were lush with vegetation, and as deep autumn approached, it was a splendid scenery of vibrant colors.

Vague greens mingled with reds, yellows, purples, and other colors, forming a kaleidoscope that filled the field of vision.

Beautiful like a painting.

Seeing the gaze of the team leader and others, Yi Chichi knew that the autumn hunt was being planned.

Sure enough, just as the thought crossed her mind, the team leader sighed, patted Dun Dun's little head, and said,

"Wait, when grandpa leads the team to hand over public grain and comes back, we'll organize people to go hunting in the mountains."

As soon as these words were spoken, the children's and Bai Chen's eyes lit up.

Aunt Ma and the others' expressions darkened.

Little Niu Niu clapped her hands excitedly, "Eat meat!"

"Yes, when we come back from hunting, there will be meat to eat."

We'll make this trip so the children can have a bite more meat.

"Better not go into the mountains, just catch some fish from the marsh."

Aunt Ma strongly advised against it, but Zhouzhou was having none of it, pulling his hoarse voice to shout, "Meat is delicious, I want to eat large pieces of meat."

"Alright, alright, large pieces of meat it is."

The team leader made a final decision, while Aunt Ma and the others hesitated to speak.

Yi Chichi felt their attitude was a bit strange, they didn't seem happy.

On the way back, she couldn't help but ask, "Is hunting in the mountains very dangerous?"

"Dangerous."

Aunt Niu sighed, "The mountains here are connected with Karon Mountain. Besides small animals like snow hares, foxes, foolish roe deer, and dragons, there are also large beasts like tigers, wolves, jackals, wild boars, and bears in the mountains."

"We actually don't like hunting because it implies casualties."

Aunt Ma took over, "You guys haven't been here long, but Wang Nan and the others know, every year when hunting, it wouldn't end without a few injuries."

Yi Chichi looked towards Wang Nan and the others, noticing that they nodded at her gaze.

It confirmed the truth.

"Can't Uncle Yaozi make medicine?"

If the medicine is well-made, it can drive away wild beasts, buying time for survival in dangerous moments.

Back when her uncle went to the countryside, it was through his mastery of making medicine that he could have a meal with meat now and then, and even send some back home.

He lived a better life than her father and them in the city.

"Little Yaozi can't, but Old Yaozi could."

Unfortunately, Old Yaozi passed away a few years ago.

Mentioning Old Yaozi, Aunt Ma looked regretful, "When Old Yaozi was around, the team leader and the others rarely had incidents hunting, and there was never any death."

"Little Yaozi..."

Sighing, she shook her head, "He's proficient in gathering herbs and preparing them, but he just learned the basics of treating and saving people by making medicine."

No matter what illness, if you went to him, it was either medicine applied for from above or some roots and leaves for you to boil at home.

If it cured you, great. If not, go to the commune, the county, or the city.

Yi Chichi was speechless, "..."

My goodness, she always thought Uncle Yaozi was a great doctor, given the quality of herbs he processed was really good.

His handling of herbs was also very well done.

Turns out he only mastered gathering and preparing herbs, and was good at nothing else.

No wonder when she went to get a prescription filled the first day, he glanced at it and just picked the herbs without concern.

Turns out he didn't even understand it.

This could be an opportunity for her.

Thinking about the large fields that needed clearing and planting after the thaw next year, she squinted, leaning next to the team leader and said, "Uncle, when do you plan to go hunting in the mountains?"

"Why, do you want to go?"

Liu Chengqi turned his head to look at her sharply.

Yi Chichi hesitated, "Can I go?"

Honestly, she was a bit tempted!

"No!"

He straightforwardly refused, "Going into the mountains is no fun. It takes at least seven or eight days, maybe ten days to a fortnight to return, freezing a person to death aside, it's also dangerous."

While speaking, his gaze swept over her, revealing slight disdain.

Yi Chichi understood, this was because he thought her slender limbs would be a hindrance.

Fine, if that's how you want to play!

"I won't go, but I can give you a surprise."

"A surprise?"

They all asked in unison, resounding.

She nodded, "Just let me know when you have set the time, I'll prepare a surprise for you."

She wasn't good at treating and saving lives, but she was skilled at this kind of side-road stuff.

In her original world, the Yi Family passed down Chinese medicine for generations, even producing several imperial doctors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It wasn't an exaggeration to call them an Imperial Doctor Family.

The accumulation over hundreds of years was daunting, and the greatest wealth of the Yi Family was heaps of medical texts, rare copies, and ancient prescriptions.

Even though those precious collections were partially destroyed in special times, what remained was still quite substantial.

She had read and memorized quite a few of those books and prescriptions since she was young.

Maintaining health, beauty care, even those with toxins, as long as it wasn't about prescribing and dispensing medicine, she could follow the texts precisely.

Making some medicine powder to drive away wild beasts was very much within her capabilities.

Seeing her upright and confident demeanor, the team leader paused, just about to speak but then remembered the medicinal scent he smelled passing by the Youth Corps Courtyard, causing his eyes to light up.

"Xiao Yi, do you know how to treat illnesses?"

"No!"

If she had that capability, she would have competed with Uncle Yaozi for the team doctor position of Kao Shantun Team long ago. Even though the benefits couldn't match those of city medical workers, not needing to work in the fields was very attractive.

"Are you sure you don't know?"

The team leader doubted her words, looking at her scrutinizingly, like she was a naughty little girl, advising earnestly, "If you do, don't keep it hidden, Little Yaozi is really overwhelmed on his own."

The implication: if you can, you can work in the medical room, help share Little Yaozi's workload.

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