Chapter 135:
Li Wei’s return home was suspicious, so she didn’t go to the field ditch to catch loaches that night.
And she privately instructed Miaomiao that whether catching loaches, picking mushrooms, or catching frogs, no matter where they went or what they did, they had to keep it secret, especially not telling anyone about going to Yumian Tower!
Many of Mother’s behaviors had to be kept secret, and she must not easily believe or casually tell anyone who inquired, including people from their own home.
Miaomiao nodded seriously, “Mother, you told Miaomiao last time, so Miaomiao always keeps it in mind every time!”
“Good girl Miaomiao!” Fortunately, this girl Miaomiao was smart and quick-witted, and her mouth was very tight.
When Li Wei inquired, she had sensed something was off and didn’t say anything carelessly.
That night, Luo Zhi’er got some pork skin, washed it clean, blanched it, cut it and stir-fried it with green peppers to eat, to replenish collagen!
The rest was simmered in the pot to make skin jelly tomorrow! With the door closed, red-braised eggplant, green peppers stir-fried with pork skin, rice.
Mother and daughter ate a hearty dinner, checked her bread kiln which was drying some, and went to bed early.
The next day, as soon as the sun rose over the mountain peak in the morning, after eating breakfast, she took Miaomiao up the mountain to pick firewood.
Li Wei secretly observed the specific movements of her and her daughter. Yesterday afternoon when they returned home, mother and daughter closed the door and didn’t know what they were doing?
He sent his mother to check, but his mother said she saw her looking angry and awkward, and stubbornly refused to go.
Zhao Xiaomei had been carrying a bowl in the yard early in the morning, chatting idly with villagers passing by the door, her eyes drifting toward Luo Zhi’er’s direction.
Seeing her and her daughter carrying a cleaver and bamboo basket passing by their door, nose in the air, eyes slanted, looking very smug!
Luo Zhi’er enthusiastically greeted Grandma Zhao not far away.
“Miaomiao, so early in the morning, where are you and your mother going?”
“Grandma Zhao, Mother and I are going woodcutting!”
Hearing they were going woodcutting
Zhao Xiaomei, who had been listening with ears perked up nearby, finally felt relieved.
She secretly cursed this mother and daughter for cozying up to that lonely old woman Zhao!
Miaomiao this dead girl, seeing her standing here, didn’t even greet her this great-aunt!
“I told you that little hoof doesn’t know anything about the vegetable recipe at all, she knows jack shit! You didn’t believe it was just a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse, now do you believe it?”
Deep down, Li Wei still felt a bit disappointed.
He had originally thought that catching the person selling the vegetable recipe would earn him the head chef and steward’s admiration!
It seemed there was no chance. After eating breakfast at home, he returned to the town.
Luo Zhi’er and Miaomiao went up the mountain where they had picked pine nuts before, standing on the mountain peak overlooking the area.
Her gaze fell on Ma Huang Gou.
It was almost early autumn, and on the mountain besides the evergreen pine trees, there were patches of maple leaves, with red leaves embedded in the dense forest.
Very pleasing to the eyes, she gazed for a while, feeling refreshed and open-minded, then began woodcutting.
This mountain forest was undivided, and every household in Zhao Li Village could cut there.
In no time she cut a bundle of firewood. She planned to use it to fire the bread kiln, so she cut thicker Chinese hornbeam trees and water acorn trees, which burned slower.
Miaomiao carried a small bamboo basket and picked some firewood and pine needles as tinder.
She found vines to bundle the firewood, took out a bamboo tube to drink some water, rested a bit, and prepared to go home.
From afar, she could see people like ants walking on the main road of Zhao Li Village at the foot of the mountain.
Her gaze once again fell on the plot of land she bought in Ma Huang Gou, and the more she looked, the more she felt something was off?
Hmm.
Why was the surrounding vegetation barren, but the vegetation in the sunken wasteland in the middle more lush and greener?
Those cogongrass were more conspicuous than the vegetation on both sides of the mountain, and she remembered that the deeper down she went, the fatter the leeches!
Logically, vegetation crawled and bitten by leeches should be even more barren!
This vegetation recovered quickly after being bitten, so magical.
The mountains on both sides were slightly shallower, but still more lush than on the neighboring mountain range, with thicker and larger leaves, why?
Could something be nourishing them?
The more Luo Zhi’er thought, the more possible it seemed!
Tomorrow when picking mushrooms, she had to go check the situation.
“Mother, come quick, there’s a wild egg here!”
Miaomiao shouted excitedly.
Luo Zhi’er patted her butt, stood up and walked over. Sure enough, behind where Miaomiao was sitting, there was a wild egg lying in the grass.
Luo Zhi’er picked up a branch, parted the surrounding cogongrass, and found a few more, plus harvested dozens of quail eggs!
Mother and daughter also picked up some matsutake mushrooms and chicken feces yellow mushrooms under the pine tree, put them in a cloth bag. With firewood on their backs and Miaomiao carrying the bamboo basket, mother and daughter slowly went down the mountain.
Back home, they discovered a figure running out from their yard. Judging by the silhouette, it looked a bit like Zhao Er’s Wife.
Luo Zhi’er carried the firewood to the door, but the person had already run far away, no longer visible.
Luo Zhi’er dropped the firewood from her back and quickly checked around. The empty pen next to her abandoned pigsty housed the mule, hoping no mischief was done!
Fortunately, the mule was obediently eating grass in the pen, swinging its tail contentedly, should be fine.
She circled around the yard. The door was locked, and the lock was intact, so she probably didn’t enter. Then, the woodshed.
Then she picked two eggs and one duck egg in the chicken coop.
These past few days, she had picked over ten, and kept them without eating!
Finally she thought of the fish pond. Sure enough, there was a dung scooping ladle inside, and on the small stone slab on the ground nearby for stepping, there were a few small fish scattered, with some water stains on the ground.
Probably scooped them up to look.
Her eyes scanned around and saw that the kiln she built had been damaged—the chimney had been pushed over, and the stove cavity inside the wooden door had several holes poked in it!
Luo Zhi’er was half dead with anger. This Aunt Huaihua had gone too far.
Luo Zhi’er washed her hands, rested a bit. Just count it as bad luck, encountered a thief!
She mixed mud again, patched the holes, and fixed the chimney.
Miaomiao was also furious, “Second Grandmother is always smiling at Miaomiao, how could she do this?”
“One thing on the surface, another behind the back!”
“Hmph! People are like that. Miaomiao must see through them and not be fooled by some people’s superficial acts.”
This also served as a reminder to Luo Zhi’er: with things at home, she had to worry about people causing trouble.
Villagers were very good at superficial acts, but who knows how they harm people in private. Some even poison others’ crops when they see them doing well!
Thinking about it made her fearful, her mule.
It could also be that Aunt Huaihua just hadn’t had time to take those things yet.
This incident reminded her that she was often not home, and with no one at home, should she get a few fierce dogs like Li Ergou’s house to guard the door?
That same day, she started inquiring where to buy trained fierce dogs.
After asking around, the fiercest dog in the village was the mixed mongrel at Li Ergou’s house.
She sighed. It seemed she could only buy one at the dog market in town next time.
In the afternoon, she made spicy hot pot with chili powder to eat. Luo Zhi’er took Miaomiao to a deserted place and caught frogs all afternoon.
At night, after Miaomiao fell asleep, she went alone to catch eels again.
It would be false to say it wasn’t tiring, but it was better than idling at home. In a few more days, it would be delivery time again.
She always felt she couldn’t manage alone. Business was good, and the restaurant’s demand was growing.
She didn’t want others in the village to know about this yet, or at least delivering eels and frogs was already a considerable income.
If the restaurant acquired from elsewhere, she felt she could still deliver for now. If she really couldn’t handle it later, she’d talk to the restaurant then.
It seemed she needed to find a suitable helper, but who would be appropriate?
After thinking it over, only oldest brother Li Daqiang was suitable, but he was in prison.
Better to persist a bit longer.
The next morning, as she prepared to go out, she glanced around, eyes rolling.
She went to her room and fetched the somewhat rusty animal trap that Li Sanmao used for hunting, her eyes flickering.
