TATLC Chapter 8

 

Chen Xiao Mi asked Lu Lin that night if he wanted to stay home for more rest or go to the mountain with him the next day.

Lu Lin thought the way Chen Xiao Mi talked to him wasn’t like he was his husband, Chen Xiao Mi saw him more like a coworker.

Lu Lin considered it and decided he would go to the mountains with Chen Xiao Mi.  He thought it was time to gain authority and change the way Chen Xiao Cai saw him, he was a grown man.

Lu Lin woke up early the next morning, he followed Chen Xiao Mi to the mountains. Lu Lin was a country boy in his last life, but his village was located on a boundless plain with no mountains around, so he was very excited about the mountains and the adventure.

“Stay close to me, don’t be anything but a help.”  Chen Xiao Mi turned around and said that in a serious tone.

Lu Lin nodded: “Okay.”

Chen Xiao Mi who was armed with a bow and arrow led the way, Lu Lin followed him with a bamboo stick in hand.

Lu Lin looked at the bow and arrow in Chen Xiao Mi’s hand and sighed when he saw his bamboo stick. ‘How lame is this bamboo stick, is it my weapon? It’s fine, I didn’t get a bow and arrow, I know they are expensive, but shouldn’t I at least get a hacking knife?’

Chen Xiao Mi was a great hunter, indeed, it was all to do with his strength, but ‘good tools are a prerequisite for the successful execution of a job’. A bow and arrow were very useful tools to have in hunting.

“Ha! Look what I found! It’s Chinese Yam!” Lu Lin exclaimed, then he dug it up in a hurry.

Chen Xiao Mi looked at Lu Lin and the Chinese Yam in his hand with confusion: “Why did you bother digging up this muddy stick?”

“It’s food, not muddy sticks.” Lu Lin answered easily.

Chinese Yam was rich in nutrients, containing many vitamins and minerals. It would be beneficial for the children at home.

Chen Xiao Mi frowned: “Really? It’s not tasty, and the skin of that thing will make you itchy, maybe even give you a rash.”

It seemed like Chen Xiao Mi had discovered this a long time ago, it was likely that he did not handle it properly when cooking it or he had an allergy to the skin, it was common, but it was fine after boiling.

Lu Lin smiled: “You can add this chinese yam into the porridge, don’t worry, it’s normal if it makes you itchy, just pay attention when you cook it. I’ll show you.”

Chen Xiao Mi did not touch the chinese yam with his hands, he found some large leaves and wrapped the chinese yam in them Then he put it in the basket on his back.

“These muddy sticks are everywhere, you can dig as much as you want.” Chen Xiao Mi said casually.

“Sure.” Lu Lin smiled.

There were a decent amount of snacks in the convenience store, but there were not enough staple foods, plus Lu Lin did not want to just sit back and consume what he had in the store, he wanted to find more resources and contribute to the family.

Chen Xiao Mi went further into the mountain to check on the traps he had set, leaving Lu Lin to dig for Chinese yam, considering the place Lu Lin was at was quite safe.

Chen Xiao Mi thought Lu Lin was lying about how delicious the muddy sticks were, he thought Lu Lin was just making excuses not to go further into the mountains.  Chen Xiao Mi didn’t say it bluntly because it was Lu Lin’s first time venturing into the mountains, naturally he would have some fear.

Lu Lin noticed that the way Chen Xiao Mi looked at him was a bit strange, but he didn’t say anything either.

Chen Xiao Mi found two pheasants in the trap, he gave one pheasant to Lu Lin and he left with the other.

Chen Xiao Mi had only few friends in the village, perhaps the one remaining old hunter.

Chen Xiao Mi had ventured into the mountains a few years ago without telling the bloodsucking family. The old hunter appreciated Chen Xiao Mi’s bravery, teaching the poor boy the basics of hunting, such as setting traps and disguising himself in the forest. Chen Xiao Mi was very grateful for the bow and arrow the old hunter gave him, otherwise he would not have successfully hunted the tiger two years ago.

Unfortunately, the old hunter broke his leg about a year ago, he has been living a miserable life ever since.

Chen Xiao Mi was a grateful person by nature, he had helped the old hunter whenever he could. But he had two younger brothers to feed himself, so he could not help as much as he would like.

Chen Xiao Cai frowned when he saw the Chinese yam: “Why did you bring that home. Watch out, it’ll make you sick.”

Lu Lin smiled subtly when he heard that: ‘The Chen brothers must hate Chinese Yam.’

“They’re actually quite delicious.” Lu Lin explained.

“You idiot.” Chen Xiao Cai snorted.

Lu Lin did not take it to heart: “You can mind your business now, I’ll cook these muddy sticks now, and I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

Chen Xiao Cai got up and said: “Keep everything to yourself, I won’t eat anything.”

Lu Lin looked around and sighed with emotion again, they were indeed really poor. He couldn’t even find a knife to peel the yam. They usually used a piece of tile to cut vegetables, and for meat, they usually used a knife, but the knife was so rusty that Lu Lin didn’t even want to touch at all.

‘I’ll take forever if I use that tile!’ Lu Lin thought. Then he sneaked into a shop and found a small knife that cost about two Yuan.

‘It’s a cheap knife in modern times that you can find everywhere, but perhaps it’s a divine artifact in this time and space.’

 

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