Chapter 173: Return
The night sky along the cliff wall and valley was like a thin starry ribbon, the fireplace crackling with the sound of withered branches and dry leaves burning, gray smoke rising slowly.
Chestnuts burst one by one, emitting a tempting sweet fragrance, plus the fish meat already roasted golden brown on both sides and sizzling with oil. Although without salt, adding wild seasonings gave it a unique flavor.
“Smells so good!”
Sitting in a circle around the fireplace, clearly full but unable to resist, they still occasionally pulled out roasted cracked chestnuts to satisfy their cravings.
This rare leisure and ease gave Su Ning, who had been busy non-stop since autumn began with one thing after another, nerves taut, a slight sense of tranquility and relief.
As night deepened, wolf howls occasionally came from above.
Swallowing the last bit of chestnut meat, Fu Jiaming shook himself, still finding those calls chilling. To dispel the uneasy feeling, he looked at them and started the conversation.
“Could this be Treasure Mountain peak up there?”
“Perhaps.”
The height where Yan Xi picked that lingzhi mushroom was not even half the cliff wall at most, so it really seemed possible.
No time to climb up specifically to check it out.
Tossing the small wooden stick he had been fiddling with into the fireplace, Su Ning glanced back at the wooden boxes piled in three spots not far away. “You should think about what to do with your treasure.”
Having to come specifically each time to use them, trekking over mountains to fetch was really too much trouble.
Her own share could be secretly moved entirely into Peach Blossom Spring before leaving. Even if they came back later and found hers missing, she could say she had reliable people transport it out ahead.
At the mention, Fu Jiaming and Yan Xi couldn’t help but look at each other, unable to think of any good solution right away.
Perhaps leaving them here wasn’t bad. Besides the inconvenience of access, it was safe and secure enough.
“I have a few very reliable people. If you trust me, I can have them transport it out bit by bit.”
“What’s there to trust or not!”
“Right, who else can we trust if not you!”
Hearing she had a way, besides being happy, the two really had no other ideas.
After all, as they themselves said, they trusted Su Ning completely.
“If it works, Ning Ning, I don’t need to take it all out. Two boxes will do!”
“Me too, me too. Even if I take it all out, nowhere to hide it. Two or three boxes are enough for a lifetime. The rest later.”
Fu Jiaming nodded in agreement, thinking Yan Xi made sense.
Home was not like before. Though the old man still held a nominal job with some salary, allowance, and subsidies each month.
But Mom retired early, Older Brother lost his job. Relying only on savings and their father’s meager earnings, how could they support two families?
Especially Uncle Yan and Uncle Yan’s families far away at the farm—no constant relief, and they would really starve!
Thinking of this, Fu Jiaming felt two boxes might not be enough. If like the past two years when gold and silver couldn’t buy much grain, they’d be in real trouble.
Yan Qi had trouble hiding things with constant checks from above, but he could use building a house as cover to make a small secret room. Hiding two more boxes… shouldn’t be a problem.
“Su Ning, I want six boxes. Take six boxes out!”
“Once decided, mark the ones to take in a way you can recognize and pile them here. That way my people can transport them together easily.”
“Okay!” “Sure!”
Stuffed from overeating with nothing to do, Fu Jiaming and Yan Xi stood up right away to sort and see what to take out.
Emptying two boxes first, Yan Xi thought of his only niece You You marrying soon, and his two boys needing to marry in two or three years. He immediately had a plan.
One box filled entirely with gold and silver jewelry women liked, especially that particularly beautiful ancient bridal headwear set—definitely stuff it in!
The other box had two layers of gold ingots at the bottom, topped with gold in various shapes and sizes—peanuts and melon seeds, Chinese Zodiac. Soon it was packed full.
Drawing an arrow shape in the lower left corner of the two boxes, Yan Xi turned to her. “Ning Ning, I’m done. Just these two.”
“Okay, Maternal Uncle Yan.”
“I’m done too, Su Ning!”
Nodding, Su Ning saw both had clearly marked their boxes and placed them next to hers to avoid mix-up.
The next day at first dawn, the three woke one after another.
Handling the still-smoldering fireplace, taking their belongings, once everything was ready, they prepared to head back.
Deliberately last, Su Ning quickly stored the pile of boxes into Peach Blossom Spring as the two were about to turn into the cave, then hurried to catch up without giving them a chance to call back.
Until out the stone door, restoring the bumps as when opening, the door slowly closed. The three smiled at each other and climbed out of the pit one by one along the rope.
……
The three hadn’t returned all night, so Luo Shuangshuang and the Yan family naturally worried the whole time.
Until work time without her husband back, Qian Hongmei had no choice but to go heavily to the field, asking the team leader for a day off for him.
“Granny, I want to wait at the mountain entrance for them.”
Knowing she couldn’t sit still—if not for her old arms and legs, Granny Yan would want to go too. So she didn’t persuade much, just told her two grandsons to go with her. After all, those work points weren’t as important as her niece.
Yan Wen and Yan Wu said nothing, grabbed their tools, and went with her to the mountain entrance.
While waiting for Dad, they could gather firewood, pig grass, etc., killing two birds with one stone.
When the sun neared overhead, they finally spotted the somewhat disheveled three in the distance.
Jumping down from the big rock, Luo Shuangshuang quickly called her two brothers and happily ran toward them.
“Maternal Uncle, Ning Bao Gai, you’re finally back…”
Up close, besides the grass scraps and mud, there was actually blood?
“You’re injured? Where? Serious?”
“Rest assured You You, minor wounds. Rub some medicine later and fine!”
Looking at Maternal Uncle then her friend, seeing her nod too, Luo Shuangshuang reluctantly eased her worry.
“Cough, cough cough!”
Fu Jiaming discontentedly raised his hand to his lips, coughing loudly twice to remind: I’m a big partner here, and you don’t see me?
Recalling the unlucky encounter with a lone wolf on the way out—that near-fatal carelessness still gave chills thinking back.
For this, a bit of partner concern not too much, right?
“Maternal Uncle, Ning Bao Gai, let’s hurry back. I’ll apply medicine for you!”
“Hey, hey, Shuang Shuang, what about me? Me too!”
Seeing her tug their arms left and right, turning to dash off, Fu Jiaming was stunned, hurriedly chasing despite leg pain.
“Almost forgot I have a partner too!”
“Pfft~”
“Hahaha, You You, you’re still so cheeky!”
Actually Luo Shuangshuang was just joking. How could she not notice him? Just compared, Fu Jiaming was only dirty, no glaring blood like the two, so she trusted he was fine.
The group quickly returned to Yan family home. Granny Yan, waiting like ants on a hot pan, saw all three back safe, clasped hands thanking Buddha for blessings.
Due to the wolf surprise, Yan Xi’s hand was injured from urgently using bow and arrow.
Su Ning’s arm scratched not running fast enough, Fu Jiaming kicked the wolf’s head hard regardless.
Copper head, iron teeth, tofu body—that kick nearly fractured his leg, swelling huge.
Good thing Yan Xi’s two arrows timely, piercing its eyes. Otherwise facing the ferocious wolf turning back with bloody maw to pounce, Fu Jiaming wouldn’t have just leg injury.
Treating the three’s wounds, Luo Shuangshuang’s eyes still reddened uncontrollably.
But seeing them act calm saying no big deal, she couldn’t cry and turn nothing into something.
After hasty lunch, the three prepared to depart immediately.
With Su Ning’s medicine, Luo Shuangshuang and Fu Jiaming were very rest assured about the injuries. Since the lingzhi was obtained, fresh, they naturally needed to rush back for Old Man Liu to extract the medicinal ingredient.
