Chapter 546: Happiness From The Heart
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The days pa.s.sed and the weather became colder.
Winter was coming.
After the teams split up, everyone’s harvest was not bad. They were more efficient than before. However, it was a little troublesome when they encountered powerful and profitable prey.
It was either they were not its match or they were not able to keep it.
Everything went well for Jiang Lan and the other two. They gained something every day, but they could only keep a respectful distance from large prey. Liu Dazhu would always share what he got with the other two before giving the rest to the other team.
When the other team caught a prey, they naturally didn’t want it. But when there wasn’t, they had to brace themselves and accept it.
Of course, Jiang Lan and the others didn’t gain anything every day. Sometimes, the other party’s gains were more abundant.
If this happened, the other party would only give their party two portions, with none for Jiang Lan.
But every time, Liu Dazhu and the lad from the Yang family would give him a third of theirs.
Actually, for Jiang Lan, it wasn’t a big deal if he didn’t gain anything over a few days because he had stored sufficient preserved meat already.
It should be enough for the winter.
The two of them ate and used little.
The others had a lot of family members and they even had children and elders.
Xiao Yu looked at the extra meat she had left. She wanted to help others.
After her husband agreed, she distributed some meat to the others.
However, she would always see these pieces of meat in the trash by the village entrance.
She would then quietly pick them up again.
The weather was good today, but it suddenly snowed in the afternoon.
Gulp!
Jiang Lan drank a bowl of meat soup and felt that Xiao Yu’s cooking had improved a lot.
“It’s delicious, right? The girl from the Yang family secretly taught me this,” Xiao Yu said happily.
The only adult who dared to approach her now was the young lady from the Yang family. However, she only dared to approach her secretly.
If others found out, they would reject the Yang family’s young lady and curse her.
She was afraid.
If her husband was at home, she would not dare to go out. Hence, she only dared to teach Xiao Yu secretly.
Jiang Lan nodded and smiled.
“Delicious.”
It was cooked from the fresh meat he had gotten from hunting today. It tasted pretty good.
“Then don’t finish it. I want to leave some for Sisi and the rest tomorrow. They are very greedy.” Xiao Yu happily distributed the meat in the soup.
She distributed a little more for Liu Dahu. He was a boy after all, so he had a bigger appet.i.te.
Dong dong!
Suddenly, there was a hurried knock on the door.
Jiang Lan was puzzled.
“Who is it?”
“Little Brother Jiang, it’s me.” It was Liu Dazhu’s voice.
His voice contained some anxiety.
Something had happened. This thought flashed across Jiang Lan’s mind.
Creak! The door opened. It was indeed Liu Dazhu, who was extremely anxious.
“Big Brother Liu, what happened?” Jiang Lan asked.
Sister-in-law Liu was also anxious. She seemed to have something to say, but she held it in.
“Are Xiao Hu and the other two with you?” Liu Dazhu asked.
“No.” Jiang Lan shook his head and asked.
“They’re gone?”
“He’s gone. I thought he was playing at his Second Uncle’s house, but it turns out he didn’t.” Liu Dazhu did not know where to look.
“I saw them this morning. They said they were going to Aunt Zhang’s house to play with Gou Dan,” Xiao Yu immediately said.
Jiang Lan didn’t hesitate to put on his clothes.
“Brother Liu, don’t be too anxious. It’s not dark yet. He must have been trapped or lost in the snow.”
At this moment, Liu Erzhu ran over.
“I have already asked. Gou Dan from the Zhang family said that he saw them at noon. He said that the three of them went to pluck wild fruits.”
Hearing this, Sister-in-law Liu immediately asked.
“Did he say which direction they headed?”
“No, Gou Dan doesn’t know.” Liu Erzhu shook his head and said.
“They might be trapped in the heavy snow.”
Sister-in-law Liu didn’t say anything and immediately started searching.
“Little Brother Jiang, if you have time, I hope you can help me search for them,” pleaded Liu Dazhu.
“Of course.” Jiang Lan nodded.
He could tell that Sister-in-law Liu was actually suspecting Xiao Yu, but she had held it in and did not say it out loud.
After Liu Dazhu and company left, Xiao Yu immediately said.
“The fruits are usually at the south and north of the village. I’ll go north and darling, you will go south.”
“Alright.” Jiang Lan nodded slightly.
These three children were very important to Xiao Yu, so she naturally would not sit idly by.
After that, they split up.
Jiang Lan greeted Liu Dazhu and the others before heading south. Most of the people were checking the surroundings.
The snow was very heavy and continued to fall.
Acting alone was extremely dangerous. This time, Jiang Lan didn’t walk bit by bit. Instead, he disappeared into the snow.
He looked down at the forest in front of him, then up at the mountain.
Finally, he shook his head.
“If it’s not here, it should be on Xiao Yu’s side.”
What was the most bitter thing in the mortal world?
It was when one owed others a favor and when one wanted to make up for it and repay the other party’s kindness, only to realize that the other party was no longer around. No matter what one did, it was useless.
This was a pain that could not be erased in his life. He had to avoid this pain.
In an instant, Jiang Lan’s gaze looked towards the north and saw the three fallen children.
In the end, he retracted his gaze.
There was no need to go over.
They had been found.
…
Xiao Yu was not slow. After some time, she discovered that the three children were actually very close to the village.
However, no one looked over.
As the sky darkened, Xiao Yu walked into a dilapidated temple.
Three children were curled up on the ground under the temple.
“It’s not an ordinary cold.”
Xiao Yu squatted down and felt that they seemed possessed. There was a sinister aura swirling around them.
Although it was not a big deal, they would turn seriously ill.
Xiao Yu lit up and extended her hand. Her fingers began to dragonify.
Using her true dragon body to touch it could most effectively eliminate these evil spirits.
Her five claws looked terrifying under the illumination of the flames.
Xiao Yu did not notice anything. She only gently touched the three children.
Seeing that the expressions of the three people had relaxed and they were no longer huddled together, she retracted her hand.
Clang!
A voice suddenly came from outside. Xiao Yu jumped in shock and immediately looked outside.
However, she did not see anything except a messy snowfield.
Had she been… seen?
For a moment, she was worried.
“Wow, Brother Hu, I’m so cold.” Liu Xiaoxiao’s voice suddenly sounded.
“Brother Hu, I’m cold too,” Lin Sisi shouted.
“Don’t s.n.a.t.c.h my clothes. I’m cold too.” Liu Dahu shouted.
“Wow, Aunt Jiang, why are you here? It’s so cold. Quickly hug me.” Liu Xiaoxiao ran over and hugged Xiao Yu.
“Why are you guys running around? Why aren’t you going back so late?” Xiao Yu reprimanded them and asked if they were feeling uncomfortable.
“Remember to tell me if you feel uncomfortable.”
“We just wanted to pluck a fruit for Aunt Jiang to eat. Who knew that it would snow midway? We could only hide from the snow here and we accidentally fell asleep,” Liu Dahu explained.
“Next time you see snow, hurry home. And you can’t sleep in the snow,” Xiao Yu reminded them again.
“Alright, Aunt Jiang, you’re as long-winded as Mother,” Liu Dahu replied.
“Brother Hu is too rude. Next time, you don’t have to give him candy. Just give it to me,” Lin Sisi said immediately.
“Give it to me, give it to me!” Liu Xiaoxiao cheered.
“I don’t want to give it to you two.” Liu Dahu was about to cry from being bullied.
…
The three children had returned.
They were just trapped in the snow.
The moment they returned, they were beaten up and the three of them cried.
They felt wronged.
Xiao Yu returned and smiled at Jiang Lan, seemingly very happy.
“Do you still have the meat soup?” Jiang Lan asked.
“Of course.” Xiao Yu smiled.
“What if they can sneak over tomorrow?”
Jiang Lan didn’t say anything else. It was late and it was time to rest.
“Darling.” After her happiness subsided, Xiao Yu was worried.
“I showed my claws today. I might have been seen. Will it—”
The matter of the scales was already receding. Now that someone had even seen her claws, it would definitely cause panic.
Especially when she had touched the three children.
They might even say that she had sucked away their lifespan.
It was useless to explain, because no one knew about one’s longevity. It could not be explained.
“It’s snowing today. I’m not going into the mountains.
I’ll walk around with you to see if there are any more rumors.” Jiang Lan patted Xiao Yu’s head and consoled her.
“Yes.” Xiao Yu nodded immediately.
The next day.
Although they were still giving directions as they walked through the village, it was no different from before.
However, a single man said that he wanted to enter the city to work and left the village.
Xiao Yu wondered if it was that person.
Because she was afraid, she chose to leave quietly.
“Perhaps,” Jiang Lan said ambiguously.
In the next few days, the village’s att.i.tude towards Xiao Yu did not change, which relieved her a lot.
It did not have any more impact.
It was time for the flea market again. This time, everyone wanted to make sufficient preparations for winter.
Winter was coming in another month, and the next flea market would be the last.
At that time, it was snowing non-stop. All the roads were covered by heavy snow. It was difficult to hunt and enter the city.
“Should I buy candied fruits or candies?” Xiao Yu asked Jiang Lan during the gathering.
“Candied fruits. I think they haven’t eaten it in a long time,” Jiang Lan suggested.
“Four sticks of candied fruits.” Xiao Yu asked for four sticks.
Relatively speaking, it was very expensive.
On the way back, Xiao Yu pa.s.sed him the candied fruits and said.
“Darling, one for me and one for you.”
Jiang Lan: “…”
After returning to the village, Xiao Yu packed some dry food and rice and sat in the courtyard waiting for the three rascals to come.
However, after waiting for a while, she still did not see them.
She felt that she shouldn’t listen to her husband. The candied fruits would taste different if she kept them for too long.
In the evening, Xiao Yu finally saw the three children.
“Aunt Jiang, we’re here,” Liu Xiaoxiao said excitedly.
“Guess what’s coming today.” Xiao Yu revealed a mysterious smile.
“Candied fruit.”
“Candied fruit.”
“Candied fruit.”
Xiao Yu: “…”
She looked crestfallen.
“How did you guys know?”
“Uncle Jiang told us secretly. It wasn’t easy for us to escape,” Liu Dahu said.
“Then I’ll give them to you.” Xiao Yu distributed a skewer of candied fruits to each of them.
The three of them cheered.
However, before they could eat it, Sister-in-law Liu finally realized that the three children had sneaked out again.
The moment she entered, she pulled them out.
“You guys are getting bolder.”
The three of them immediately hid the candied fruits, but they were discovered the moment they were dragged out.
“What are you guys eating?”
“It’s not candied fruits,” Liu Xiaoxiao immediately said.
“It’s not food,” said Liu Dahu.
“It wasn’t from Aunt Jiang,” Lin Sisi added.
“You guys only know how to eat every day. You guys are the ones who have a stomach ache again.” Sister-in-law Liu was furious and pulled the three of them back.
Xiao Yu watched this scene in a daze and was overjoyed.
When Jiang Lan returned from outside, he discovered that Xiao Yu was swaying around happily.
“What happened again?” Jiang Lan asked with a smile.
“Darling, I’ve discovered something exciting.” Xiao Yu ran to Jiang Lan, eager to share her joy.
“I gave Xiao Hu candied fruits to eat today, but I was discovered by Sister-in-law Liu. She dragged Xiaoxiao and the others away but she didn’t throw away the candied fruits.”
“Why are you so happy?” Jiang Lan asked.
“Of course you don’t understand. You have already become an immortal and you don’t understand human emotions anymore.” Xiao Yu remained happy.
Jiang Lan looked at Xiao Yu in amus.e.m.e.nt.
He did not say much.
Days pa.s.sed.
Because it snowed from time to time, hunting was not that easy.
Xiao Yu found a good opportunity to send some preserved meat to those people. Other families had to spend the winter too. The more food they had, the more warmth they could enjoy.
One day, someone would accept them.
She carefully arrived at the square. They seemed to be worried about this winter.
“Um, I… I have extra meat in my house,” Xiao Yu whispered.
The others were also shocked, but no one dared to approach. They only hoped that Xiao Yu would not come over.
“You, put it aside,” said Sister-in-law Liu.
This time, Xiao Yu also placed them aside and hid to peek.
“Quickly throw it away. Who knows if this demon thing can be eaten?” Someone said.
“That’s right, that’s right,” someone agreed.
The young lady from the Yang family did not dare to speak.
“Do you think she has hurt anyone?” Sister-in-law Liu suddenly asked.
“Are there any demons that don’t hurt people?” Aunt Zhang said decisively.
“Then what if she really isn’t a demon? I heard from a book teller last time that once, there was a female immortal who descended into the mortal world and fell in love with a mortal.
Have we misunderstood?
Otherwise, why would she save the Yang family’s young lady immediately?” Sister-in-law Liu looked puzzled, as though she could not understand.
“That’s right, that’s right. They’ve been here for months. If they had the intention to harm us, they wouldn’t have taken so long.
The scales on her arm were also discovered by us because she saved me.” The Yang family’s young lady immediately agreed.
“If you all dare to eat it, try taking it back.” Madam Wu still didn’t believe it.
“Think about how tough it is for men to hunt. It’s not easy to survive this winter. What if the meat can be eaten? It’s better than dying of hunger and cold,” said Sister-in-law Liu.
They hesitated for a moment. Winter was not easy. More meat meant a chance of survival.
When one was hungry to desperation, one would not care about what they ate.
Although no one took it in the end, Xiao Yu still smiled.
She was thinking if she should ask her husband to test ir for the presence of poison in front of everyone next time.
This was just a joke. She hadn’t poisoned it in the first place. She didn’t have to prove herself.
She just wanted these people to accept her, even if she was a demon.
She knew that it would be very difficult. A person’s prejudice would not change so easily. Furthermore, if something were to happen in the future, they would definitely suspect her immediately.
But she still wanted to do something.
As the days pa.s.sed, Xiao Yu realized that Sister-in-law Liu was no longer so strict with the three children. They could come to her openly.
Occasionally, Sister-in-law Liu would remind her of something she did not know.
Some people also took her meat. This was because one time, the meat was eaten by a dog and a few days later, they realized that the dog was still fine.
Some families had their own ideas.
Everything was going well.
Xiao Yu smiled every day.
Jiang Lan looked at it and felt indescribable happiness in his heart. It was as if he could see the winter sun, warming his life.
…
On the other side.
Liu Erzhu and his party sat in the forest. All of them had gloomy expressions as they discussed something.
“What should we do now? The women in the village seem to be accepting the couple.”