"Where did Yin Zhiqing go?" Xu Minghui wrapped an arm around Yin Yang's shoulder; after all, he was the savior of his own sister, making Xu Minghui very enthusiastic.
"He went to the city to buy some things. Are you gathering firewood again?" Yin Yang asked with a smile, his gaze sweeping briefly over Xu Mumu. The girl looked completely recovered now, with a rosy complexion. Before, when he had just pulled her from the water, she looked as pale as paper.
"Yes, and we're also hoping to improve our meals. Is the firewood at your Zhiqing point used up? Would you like to join us?" Xu Minghui warmly invited Yin Yang.
"Sure, but could you wait a moment? I'll just go and put my things down and come right away." Yin Yang nodded. It wasn't far from here to the Zhiqing point — just a few minutes to go back and forth.
Seeing her own brother pulling Yin Yang into the group, Xu Mumu felt a slight headache.
To be honest, Xu Mumu, thinking about the content of the book, wasn't really averse to Yin Yang but felt a bit complicated.
The Yin Yang in the book was a green tea boy who could get along well with everyone. Quite a few girls in the village liked him, although he didn't have any rumors about him.
The book focused quite a bit on Yin Yang, particularly in connection with her.
In the book, Xu Mumu really liked Yin Yang, as he had saved her, but Yin Yang's mind wasn't in this village at all. With connections, he knew the high-stakes exams would be reinstated, so he quietly studied, planning to return to the city once the exams resumed.
Yin Yang indeed scored well, but just before leaving, Xu Mumu tricked him by drugging him, forcing him to marry her.
On the surface, Yin Yang agreed nicely, but he left unnoticed by the Xu Family. When Old Xu Family tried to find him, he was nowhere to be found.
Yin Yang didn't take much time to put his things away. He also carried a new basket out, likely exchanged for something with the villagers — most people in the village had a knack for weaving baskets and wicker hampers.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Yin Yang said with a gentle smile; he didn't quite look like someone coming to work, presenting the demeanor of a refined prince.
Xu Mumu seriously studied Yin Yang for the first time. This man was quite handsome, with short, clean hair, fresh features, standing before them in the dappled sunlight filtering through the elm trees, quietly picturesque as if stepped out of a painting.
"What are you staring at? Let's go." Yin Yang looked at Xu Mumu, who was staring at him, and slightly raised his brow. He was confident in his looks. Thankfully, Xu Mumu's gaze contained no ulterior motives, just appreciation, which didn't bother him.
"Coming." Xu Mumu snapped back to reality, her face a bit flushed. This man was indeed a troublemaker, leaving her momentarily dazzled.
Along the way, Xu Mumu wanted to ignore Yin Yang, so she chatted with Zhao Qian. Xu Minghui, on the other hand, stayed active by asking Yin Yang many questions, most of which were about places outside the county. Since Yin Yang came from the Imperial City, Xu Minghui was equally curious about it.
Xu Minghui yearned for the outside world, even though he didn't have much ability himself.
Yin Yang was patient, sharing much of what he knew with Xu Minghui.
The Xu Family wanted to forge good relations; Yin Yang thought similarly. It's tough to buy grain outside, and the black market isn't reliable, so finding ways within the village is still better.
Once they reached the mountain, a group of kids dashed around like freed birds, full of joy.
"So many mushrooms!" Zhao Qian exclaimed excitedly. With the recent rains, the mushrooms had grown quite well. Everyone efficiently gathered the mushrooms — having grown up in this village, they were familiar with edible items and could instantly distinguish poisonous mushrooms.
Xu Mumu and the others picked half a basketful, even Yin Yang gathered a considerable amount.
At the Zhiqing point, there were seven or eight Zhiqing. Meals were divided into two groups: the men ate together and the women together.
"Minghui, how do you catch rabbits?" Yin Yang curiously asked Xu Minghui. By now, his relationship with Xu Minghui was quite good, both eager to befriend each other, with the same goal in mind, leading to a fast-developing bond.
Seeing Xu Minghui preparing to catch rabbits, Yin Yang, having heard of Xu Minghui's skill at this, planned to learn a thing or two.
Xu Mumu sat on a stone, watching the two fiddle with the traps, and it indeed seemed quite genuine.
Her eyes fell once again on Yin Yang — this guy really had quite the mind.
"Minglei, lend me your slingshot to play with." Xu Mumu saw Xu Minglei showing off his slingshot to Tiedan, and she couldn't help but chuckle.
This slingshot was made by Xu Hai, yet the kid bragged about it as if it were some treasure.
"Mumu, you can even play with a slingshot?" Zhao Qian curiously looked at Xu Mumu, who seemed to have changed quite a bit.
"Sure, I'm just passing the time since all the firewood was collected by my brother and the others," Xu Mumu said with a cheerful smile.
"Sis, are you going to use the slingshot to shoot a pheasant?" Xu Minglei's eyes sparkled. Ever since Xu Mumu displayed her skills yesterday, Xu Minglei firmly believed his sister was exceptionally talented and could easily shoot pheasants, even better than the eldest brother.
"Stop daydreaming; I'm just trying my luck with birds," Xu Mumu glanced calmly at Xu Minglei. Since food was scarce for people, pheasants and rabbits weren't abundant.
Although their area was close to the deep mountains, where the wildlife wasn't lacking, frequent hunters made the animals quite cunning and not easy to catch.
Xu Mumu tried the slingshot, its rubber bands made of two hollow tubes, offering decent elasticity but not great range.
The most common birds on this mountain were sparrows — small and tricky to hit, not easy to catch.
Xu Mumu picked up a stone, aiming at a sparrow flapping its wings on a branch. It was the closest sparrow to them.
Seeing Xu Mumu about to shoot a bird, Xu Minglei and the others fell silent, fearing they'd scare the bird away. They held their breath as if ready for action.
Their expressions nearly made Xu Mumu laugh, even Zhao Qian beside her became tense.
With a precise aim honed over half a year of training during the apocalypse, Xu Mumu had good accuracy with straightforward weapons.
Sure enough, Xu Mumu hit the target, and the sparrow fell, sending the remaining sparrows fluttering away.