Chapter 563: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 563: Hunting in the Mountains (2)
Da Bai and Mao Tuan, who were temporarily hidden in Mo Yan’s space, looked at Xiao Hua's pathetic reaction with disapproval, feeling embarrassed for having such a foolish companion.
Mo Yan also felt a bit embarrassed. Xiao Hua, having gained intelligence from the spiritual spring water, could be considered enchanted, but his IQ was clearly lacking.
Facing Liu Tinglan’s doubtful gaze, Mo Yan calmly explained, “The books say that dogs are descendants of wolves. Xiao Hua looking like a wolf is nothing special. Although it seems clever, it’s only a bit smarter than an ordinary dog. If it were truly enchanted, it wouldn’t be begging for meat.”
Liu Tinglan, after observing Xiao Hua for a while, agreed, “Hmm, this one is much larger than ordinary dogs. If it weren’t for its silly appearance, one might indeed mistake it for a wolf at first glance.”
Mo Yan, with a hint of a smile, looked at Xiao Hua’s disgruntled face and said mischievously, “It’s just a glutton. It grew so fat because it eats too much. I’ll have to feed it less in the future, or it might turn into a big, fat dog that can’t even walk.”
Xiao Hua, scolded as a silly "dog" and a glutton, and threatened with reduced food, felt a thousand points of damage.
Once the food and water were prepared, and the time was getting late, everyone eagerly picked up their hunting tools and followed Mo Yan's lead towards the southern part of Yuhua Mountain.
The southern part of Yuhua Mountain has gentle terrain with small hills where many small animals are active, making it a perfect spot for hunting.
Mo Yan, accompanied by Xiao Hua and Liu Tinglan, led the way to a mountain stream they were familiar with. Behind them followed seven young children.
Normally, children weren’t allowed in the mountains for hunting. However, Han family's six-year-old son cried so much that he refused to stay behind. Madam Han couldn’t persuade him, and seeing him cry to the point of exhaustion, Han Zhiyun gave in but stipulated that the child could only wait at the base of the mountain.
Seeing this, Yun Sheng, Shi Tou, and Han family’s four-year-old daughter looked longingly at the adults. Their adorable expressions made it hard for anyone to refuse them, so they ended up bringing all the children along.
...This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://www.eternalnovelhits.com....
Since Mo Yan and Liu Tinglan were going into the mountains and couldn’t stay behind to look after the children, and the Han family didn’t bring any attendants, Liu Mother and Madam Han, who also wanted to stroll around the base of the mountain, decided to look after the kids together with Xin'er and Li Xiu.
Out of the more than a hundred people, only a few were skilled at archery. Han Zhiyun, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, was the best. He accurately shot wild chickens and rabbits, catching two wild chickens and one rabbit within half an hour.
Among Master Lu's group, four were former hunters. Though their accuracy didn’t match Han Zhiyun’s, they soon made some catches thanks to their experience and teamwork.
The worst performers were Mo Qingze and Master Liu. Although they could draw their bows, their shots lacked precision. They were often slow to react, missing their targets before the arrows even flew. After wandering around the mountain for a while, they hadn’t seen a single rabbit.
Though they enjoyed the process of hunting, they were bothered by their lack of results. Seeing Han Zhiyun flaunting his third rabbit in front of them made them feel a bit disgruntled. They decided to try their luck on another mountain peak, determined not to return empty-handed.
Mo Yan was most familiar with the Yuhua Mountain area. She let Xiao Hua roam freely and led Liu Tinglan to a familiar mountain stream with a small waterfall. The stream had small fish and shrimp, and the surrounding trees bore edible wild fruits, providing plenty of fun and food.
After eating some delicious and exotic wild fruits, Liu Tinglan lay on the grass, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds through the sparse leaves, and said with a sigh, “This place is wonderful. I don’t want to leave.”
Mo Yan, having finished eating a hawthorn fruit and washing her hands, lay down next to Liu Tinglan and said lazily, “You can come often in the future. I’ll show you all the beautiful sights in the mountains.”
“Alas,” Liu Tinglan sighed, adding a note of sadness to her voice as she thought about her impending engagement. “I would love to come often, but you know how my mother is. She rarely lets me out. After the last incident, she’s even stricter, afraid of any more trouble or gossip.”
Previously, Liu Tinglan had been considered for a match with a family that seemed satisfactory. However, Liu’s parents, concerned because they only had one daughter, discreetly investigated and found numerous issues with the prospective groom’s family, making them unsuitable for marriage.
Even though the groom would have been joining the Liu family, any problems with his family could impact the Liu family. After careful consideration, Liu’s parents rejected the match.
The rejected family, however, caused a scandal, accusing the Liu family of breaking the engagement and demanding compensation of 500 taels of silver. Liu’s parents, understanding that paying would validate the accusation and tarnish their reputation, refused to comply. The scandalous family continued to cause trouble, and only with Mo Yan's intervention was the Liu family's reputation restored.
Mo Yan nodded in understanding, then remembered something and asked with concern, “It was too crowded to ask earlier. How is the current match? Have your parents looked into the family thoroughly?”
Liu Tinglan nodded, her face showing little joy. “My parents have sent someone to investigate Master Du’s family… They have many siblings and live modestly, but their character seems fine…”
Mo Yan listened and felt increasingly uneasy. The description seemed to fit the “phoenix man” stereotype from her past life.
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