Chapter 143: Wild Boar (1)

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: Wild Boar (1)

Lunch was mainly fish. They didn’t even have time to roast the rabbit meat that had already been cleaned and skinned, instead just wrapping it in large leaves to take home. The meal featured not only grilled fish but also fish fillet congee as the main course, accompanied by a cold dish of mixed wild vegetables tossed with wild garlic. The three of them ate with great gusto, exclaiming how satisfying it was.

Only after taking a bite did they realize the fish was not only tender and flavorful but also had very few bones. This discovery made Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen incredibly excited, and they started discussing how to manage this spot and sun-dry fish as they ate.

Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t join the discussion this time. She had already learned from Cao Cao that the fish would be delicious, so she was already mentally prepared. Her mind was completely preoccupied with figuring out how to convince her grandfather and mother to let her take part in the "scouting trip."

She wracked her brain for a long time but couldn’t come up with a plan, and her pout grew more and more pronounced. Seeing this, Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen pretended not to notice, and neither of them paid her any mind. It wasn’t that they didn’t know why she was unhappy, but some things were simply non-negotiable.

Before heading back, Zhang Dazhuang wasn’t greedy; he just casually caught three more fish and said to Zhang Minzhen, "We have rabbit meat and these fish today. When we get back, have your mom cook it all. We’ll invite a few of the kids over for dinner."

"Shouldn’t we catch a few more? Third Sister-in-law is pregnant; she’ll probably want to come over for a bite. If she comes, Third Brother will definitely tag along. And if Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law see that, how could they not join in? In that case, you and Mom might as well just invite both their families to eat with us," Zhang Minzhen said worriedly, knowing full well what those two families were like.

"No need. It’s not a special occasion. If we have something good to eat, inviting the children is enough. If we invited everyone, how could this possibly be enough food? We’re all separate households now. I’ve only ever heard of the younger ones bringing tasty food over for us two old folks to eat, never that the elders are responsible for sending it to them or inviting them over." Zhang Dazhuang snorted. "It’s a pity your eldest brother and his wife are coming back late. Otherwise, it would’ve been great to say they brought this fish back. Ah, well. Now we’ll just have to say we caught them in the waters over at Wild Grape Valley."

"Pfft, who would believe you caught them there?" Zhang Minzhen burst out laughing. "Since when are there fish in the waters of Wild Grape Valley?"

"They can believe it or not," Zhang Dazhuang said, not caring in the least. "Anyway, on our way back, we’ll stop there for a bit and pick some grapes. Wasn’t Nuannuan just thinking about using those grapes to make wine? When the time comes, tell your mom not to be stingy with the sugar. You never know, the wine might actually turn out drinkable."

"Dad, aren’t you afraid Mom will go on about how expensive sugar is?" Zhang Minzhen snickered.

"After the huge contribution Nuannuan has made, your mom wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of heartache even if Nuannuan asked for two full jars of sugar to make wine," Zhang Dazhuang said, laughing along.

Gu Nuan Nuan huffed. "Then can I skip making wine and go with you to scout the path instead?"

"No," Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen said in unison.

"Hmph—"

"Let’s drop it. When it’s time to scout the path, I won’t even let your mother go, let alone you," Zhang Dazhuang told Gu Nuan Nuan, his face uncharacteristically stern.

"No, Dad, why can’t I go? I want to go..." This time, it was Zhang Minzhen’s turn to protest. She tried to persuade Zhang Dazhuang the entire way back, but alas, once he had truly made a decision, he could not be easily swayed.

"Heh heh." Now it was Gu Nuan Nuan’s turn to gloat from the side.

’Master, what do we do?’ Cao Cao communicated sadly with Gu Nuan Nuan. ’I thought there was a glimmer of hope, but it was just a false alarm. This is so depressing.’

’Where there’s a will, there’s a way,’ Gu Nuan Nuan replied to Cao Cao, clenching her fists. ’Didn’t Grandpa just say that nothing is impossible if you want it badly enough? We’ll definitely figure something out. If we really can’t, we’ll find a way to stall Grandpa. Our last resort will be to wait until I’m on vacation, and then we’ll secretly follow them.’

’Yay, yay! Master, you’re the best!’ Cao Cao’s gloom instantly turned to joy.

After they had walked a good distance and reached a fork in the path, Zhang Dazhuang suddenly stopped. "Look, not far ahead. Around that bend is where I found the watermelons before. Come take another look with me. Besides the watermelons, there’s a large patch of honeysuckle there. This is a good chance for me to see if the flowers have bloomed yet."

"Let’s go see. But isn’t it better to pick honeysuckle in the morning? Dad, why didn’t you take us then?" Zhang Minzhen asked doubtfully.

"Uh, I just forgot for a moment, didn’t I?" Zhang Dazhuang chuckled sheepishly. "It’s still a bit early to pick honeysuckle anyway. The peak season is in July and August. We live by the mountain and live off the mountain. This mountain of ours is a treasure trove; back during the famine, countless people survived because of it."

’You can’t go! Master, quickly tell your grandfather and mother to stop!’ In its space, Cao Cao was so anxious it was practically jumping up and down.

’Is there something wrong up ahead?’

’There are two wild boars there.’

’What?!’ Gu Nuan Nuan was so frightened she nearly froze. She quickly called out to her grandfather and mother, "Wait!"

"What is it?" Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen stopped and turned around. Zhang Minzhen raised an eyebrow. "Tired of walking?"

"I think I hear wild boars up ahead. More than one, it sounds like. They’re being very noisy. I think there are at least two of them," Gu Nuan Nuan said with a completely serious expression.

"Are you sure?" Zhang Minzhen was startled. She quickly grabbed Zhang Dazhuang. "Dad, let’s stop. We should turn back."

"Be quiet, you two." Zhang Dazhuang stopped, cocking his head to listen intently for a long moment. Then he shook his head, puzzled. "I don’t hear anything at all. Nuannuan, are you sure you didn’t hear wrong?"

"I’m not mistaken," Gu Nuan Nuan replied firmly.

"Dad, Nuannuan has sharp hearing. If she says she isn’t mistaken, then she isn’t. We should really get going," Zhang Minzhen urged, nervously tugging at Zhang Dazhuang’s clothes.

"Alright... fine." Zhang Dazhuang glanced skeptically from his daughter to his granddaughter. Seeing that his daughter’s expression wasn’t faked, he nodded despite his doubts, and the three of them began to head back. Gu Nuan Nuan instantly breathed a sigh of relief. But before she could completely relax, Cao Cao’s tense voice came through again. ’Master, those two wild boars are charging in your direction! You need to get out of the way, quick!’

’Why would the wild boars suddenly charge over here?’ Gu Nuan Nuan’s mind went blank for a second. A wild boar’s aggression was something even lions and tigers were wary of, and the three of them only had the wood chopping knife in her grandfather’s hand... Despair began to wash over her.

’They’re not coming for you, they’re chasing a wild pheasant! Master, hurry! Just get off the path so you’re not in their way! They’re almost here!’ Cao Cao itself sounded exasperated to the point of tears.

"The wild boars are charging this way! We have to get aside!" With no time to think, Gu Nuan Nuan yanked on her grandfather and mother. She felt like she was about to cry, because she could already make out the boars’ figures in the distance.

Zhang Dazhuang’s expression instantly turned grim, because he too had spotted the black specks in the distance.