Volume One, Chapter 7: We Head Up the Mountain Tonight
“Xiaoshuang.” Song Qiuran suddenly whispered from behind, “The whole stealing sweet potatoes thing—was that planned by you all along?”
Shen Lingshuang’s heart skipped a beat.
This is bad.
She had picked a little clever one as her sister-in-law; nothing could be hidden from her!
Afu: [Master, we now have two options!]
[Option one: Tell the truth! Reward: 50 points of good fortune.]
[Option two: Deny it to the death! Reward: It depends!]
Shen Lingshuang couldn’t help but smile.
Opening a blind box?
She had been very fond of those in her past life.
So, she raised an eyebrow at Song Qiuran and said, “Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Song Qiuran looked at her with great interest, scrutinizing her carefully. “Then what did you mean just now when you said ‘done’… what’s done?”
Shen Lingshuang put her hands on her hips, pouting, “Gu Xianglin deliberately pretended to be a good guy and refused to admit those sweet potatoes because he wanted me to owe him a favor, to be his little follower from now on. I won’t have it!”
She grabbed Song Qiuran’s sleeve and shook it, turning her anger into joy.
“My brother didn’t realize it at first, but now he definitely understands. So, he went to settle accounts with Gu Xianglin!”
Song Qiuran was stunned. “Is that so?”
Shen Lingshuang spoke confidently, “Exactly! Sister-in-law, just wait and see! My brother will surely beat Gu Xianglin until he’s black and blue!”
Song Qiuran: “……”
Ding!
Afu: [Congratulations, Master! You chose ‘deny it to the death’ and achieved great success!]
[Master has gained Song Qiuran’s trust and joy, earning 200 points of good fortune!]
[Master’s total accumulated good fortune points: 1260!]
Wow.
Taking a gamble can turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!
But after accumulating so much good fortune, when would she get a chance to cash it in?
Shen Lingshuang and Song Qiuran both looked out the window, eagerly awaiting Shen Aodong’s return.
…
Later that evening, Shen Aodong came home.
He was carrying a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder!
Hearing the noise, Shen Aodong went straight to the kitchen to find Li Lanfang.
Song Qiuran was there too.
Shen Aodong glanced at Song Qiuran who was squatting by the fire, then placed the rifle in the corner and took the firewood from her hands. While tending the fire and feeding the stove, he explained to Li Lanfang:
“Mother, the team leader tested my marksmanship and agreed to let me take over Dad’s old position as a forest ranger!”
Li Lanfang, chopping cabbage, suddenly paused.
Her eyes reddened.
After a long moment, she nodded at Shen Aodong and choked up, “Good! Your father would be happy to see this!”
In the house just a wall away, Shen Lingshuang was doing her winter holiday homework with her younger sister, Shen Yingxue.
But in truth, she had been staring blankly for quite some time.
“Is big sister’s homework really that hard?” Shen Yingxue asked worriedly.
Shen Lingshuang gave an awkward smile and rubbed the back of her sister’s head, “It’s okay, I’ll think a little longer before I write.”
Just as she comforted her sister, a stern voice suddenly called from outside, “Shen Lingshuang! Come out!”
Both sisters were startled.
Shen Yingxue’s face turned pale as she grabbed Shen Lingshuang’s hand, “Sister! Why is brother so fierce? How about I go out with you?”
“No need.”
Shen Lingshuang stepped out confidently.
The first thing she noticed was the hunting rifle hanging over Shen Aodong’s right shoulder.
She was both surprised and delighted.
Her brother was incredibly efficient!
He was going hunting—tonight!
Just as Shen Lingshuang was happy, she suddenly met her brother’s icy glare and immediately put on a meek expression.
“Brother… what’s wrong?”
Shen Aodong frowned tightly. “Lingshuang, are you really that eager to go hunting?”
Shen Lingshuang nearly burst from holding her breath.
She wanted to go!
Wanted it so badly!
If she wasn’t allowed, she’d have Afu send a wild boar to crash into their house!
She felt so desperate that tears welled up in her eyes.
“Brother! Dad won the Hunter King title when he was young! I know you can do it too!”
Shen Aodong pinched her nose impatiently. “Why are you crying? I’ll take you with me tonight.”
Though he said this, before they left, Shen Aodong still laid down rules.
Shen Lingshuang nodded repeatedly, promising to follow them all.
At dinner, Shen Aodong ate less than usual, lost in thought.
Li Lanfang noticed but didn’t say anything. Before the two siblings left, she gave Shen Lingshuang two dry cakes and repeatedly reminded her:
“The night air is damp and cold, so bundle up well. Once you’re on the mountain, stay close to your brother. Don’t run off on your own, understand?”
“Mm!”
Among the five family members, Shen Lingshuang was the most excited.
Once on the mountain, she shivered, tucking her chin into her coat.
She scanned the surroundings, but except for bare branches and fallen leaves, there was no sign of any game.
The forest was barren; not even a bird could be seen.
The harvest was poor, and with the cold weather, no one wanted to patrol the mountain.
That was why her brother got the forest ranger position so easily.
But it was really freezing!
Since they weren’t really there to hunt, Shen Lingshuang seized the chance. While Shen Aodong wasn’t paying attention, she quietly summoned Afu.
Afu: [Wild boar, 250 jin, redemption value: 500 points of good fortune.]
Shen Lingshuang: “Confirm redemption!”
Boom!
A black-maned wild boar with long tusks, stinking and stomping loudly, charged out!
Shen Lingshuang was dumbfounded.
This thing was even bigger than she had imagined!
Moreover, its black-bean eyes were glaring at her angrily!
The distance between them was less than ten meters.
Suddenly, Shen Lingshuang’s legs went weak.
Did this good fortune system want her dead?!
“Lingshuang, be careful!”
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots exploded in quick succession, nearly deafening Shen Lingshuang.
Yet the wild boar only paused briefly, shook its head fiercely twice.
“Whoa!”
It howled to the sky, then charged even more fiercely!
“Lingshuang, get back!”
Shen Aodong took a few strides forward, standing between Shen Lingshuang and the boar.
He raised his gun, but his arms trembled uncontrollably.
Shen Lingshuang screamed silently in her heart: Afu! Quickly kill this boar! Use up all the good fortune points if you have to!
Bang!
A bullet flew from Shen Aodong’s rifle, passing through the wild boar’s wide-open mouth, piercing its throat and organs!
Thud!
The boar let out a miserable scream and collapsed. The forest shook twice.
“Brother! You hit it! The boar is dead!”
Shen Lingshuang jumped up and clung to Shen Aodong’s back. “Brother! We got the wild boar!”
“Yes, I know. I saw it…”
Shen Aodong was still shaken and out of breath.
But he still managed to free a hand to steady Shen Lingshuang, afraid she’d fall off.
The repeated gunshots on the mountain alarmed the villagers below.
Some villagers came up the mountain with torches, soon hearing Shen Lingshuang’s shout.
“This way! We’re over here!”
Shen Lingshuang waved to the crowd, shouting with all her might, “We got the wild boar!”
Before dawn, news that the Fifth Production Team had hunted a wild boar spread like wildfire.
“I heard it weighed over two hundred jin!”
“They took it to the commune for weighing overnight!”
“The commune leaders said the Fifth Production Team’s pig quota is short this year. The weight from the wild boar will count toward the quota, and the rest will be divided among the production team themselves!”