Chapter 81 – Tian Dazhuang Gets Angry
Yan Xiaosi carried the basket on her back, cautiously following behind Tian Dazhuang, walking forward while looking around for medicinal herbs.
Before they even reached Big Sister Peak, she had already picked many common herbs.
Her basket was half full with herbs like snake gourd, Eucommia, Perilla, Motherwort, and Rat’s Thorn.
These common herbs weren’t worth much on their own, but after she prepared them into medicine to cure people, they would become very valuable.
As Tian Dazhuang searched for game, he watched her happily picking weeds and couldn’t help but ask, “Xiaosi, can these weeds you’re picking really cure diseases?”
“Of course.”
Yan Xiaosi was serious about finding medicinal herbs, and didn’t even lift her head when answering him, “Every plant in nature can be a good medicine to cure people, Dazhuang. You just focus on finding your game, don’t worry about me.”
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound not far away, like the sound of a bird flapping its wings.
Tian Dazhuang often went hunting in the mountains, and as soon as he heard the sound, he knew what was hiding in the bushes ahead.
He stared at the bushes in front of him, his eyes lit up, and he whispered to Yan Xiaosi, “Xiaosi, be quiet. There’s a wild chicken ahead.”
Hearing this, Yan Xiaosi quickly stopped picking herbs, raised her head, and looked in the direction of Tian Dazhuang’s gaze. Sure enough, she saw the bushes in front of them trembling slightly.
Tian Dazhuang took the bow off his shoulder, pulled an arrow from the quiver, and placed it on the bowstring, preparing to draw.
Yan Xiaosi hid behind him and whispered, “Brother Dazhuang, take your time aiming.”
“Okay.”
Tian Dazhuang nodded, squinted his eyes, and aimed. In a short while, with a whoosh, the arrow shot straight out and pierced through the bushes ahead.
The wild chicken hiding in the bushes jumped a few times after being hit by the arrow, and then stopped moving.
Just as Tian Dazhuang was about to go pick up the lifeless wild chicken, another rustling sound came from the bushes in front.
Yan Xiaosi widened her eyes and saw a grayish-brown, long-tailed wild chicken trying to take flight.
She excitedly patted Tian Dazhuang’s arm, reminding him, “Brother Dazhuang, there’s another one. Hurry up and shoot it down.”
Seeing another wild chicken in the bushes, Tian Dazhuang was also excited. He quickly pulled out another arrow, aimed, and shot.
Whoosh! Another arrow flew out, accurately shooting down the grayish-brown wild chicken that was about to take off. The chicken struggled for a few moments after being hit by the arrow, then lay motionless.
Tian Dazhuang then went to pick up the two wild chickens and brought them to Yan Xiaosi.
Yan Xiaosi stared at the two plump wild chickens in his hands and gave him a thumbs up, “Brother Dazhuang, I didn’t expect your archery skills to be so accurate. Teach me sometime.”
Tian Dazhuang, feeling a little embarrassed by her praise, blushed and replied, “Sure, Xiaosi. Whenever you want to learn.”
Yan Xiaosi, now as thin as a stick, had no energy to learn archery when even doing a little work made her tired.
“Let’s talk about it later. For now, I want to study medicine first.”
“Alright, when you want to learn, I’ll teach you.”
Tian Dazhuang peeled off the tree bark, tied up the two wild chickens, hung them on his shoulder, and then the two continued towards Big Sister Peak.
Upon climbing up Big Sister Peak, Yan Xiaosi’s basket on her back was already filled with medicinal materials. Although these materials were not very heavy, she was still tired from carrying them while climbing the mountain.
Tian Dazhuang also had two wild chickens and a hare hanging on his shoulder, but he still walked swiftly like the wind, as if on flat ground, in front of Yan Xiaosi.
Yan Xiaosi panted, hunched over, and barely managed to keep up with him.
“Brother Dazhuang, can we go back now and come back another day?”
Along the way, until they reached Big Sister Peak, she only saw some ordinary medicinal materials. She realized that she was unlikely to find precious materials like ginseng, Tianqi, and Sanqi on Big Sister Peak.
Tian Dazhuang had come up the mountain today just to accompany her to gather medicine. When she said she wanted to go back, he naturally stopped and turned around to look at her, who was tired with a red face.
“Xiaosi, it’s still early, aren’t you going to gather medicine anymore?”
Yan Xiaosi was exhausted at this moment and just wanted to return home and lie down on her old wooden bed for a while. “No more gathering, I’ve already collected a full basket. If I continue, there will be no more room, and I can’t carry it anymore.”
Tian Dazhuang then noticed that her basket was already filled with herbs.
Seeing Yan Xiaosi so tired, he felt a little distressed. “Xiaosi, put down the basket. I’ll help you carry it back.”
“Thank you, Brother Dazhuang.”
Yan Xiaosi couldn’t be happier and quickly agreed. She put the basket on the ground, then straightened her back and looked at Tian Dazhuang.
“Brother Dazhuang, you really are a great man. When I meet a good girl, I’ll definitely introduce her to you.”
“I… I don’t need any good girl.”
For some reason, Tian Dazhuang felt a little unhappy when he heard Yan Xiaosi say she would introduce someone to him.
After answering Yan Xiaosi with a heavy tone, he took down the game hanging on his shoulder, put it into her basket filled with herbs, picked up the basket, and strode down the mountain without paying any attention to Yan Xiaosi.
Yan Xiaosi didn’t understand why he suddenly acted so strangely, so she had no choice but to follow him.
As she followed, she called out, “Brother Dazhuang, what’s wrong? Brother Dazhuang, wait for me.”
Tian Dazhuang still ignored her, kept his head down, and continued to walk down the mountain, causing Yan Xiaosi to chase after him, panting.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Tian Dazhuang finally stopped.
Yan Xiaosi jogged down the mountain and almost couldn’t stop in time, nearly crashing into him.
She finally managed to stop and looked at Tian Dazhuang, panting, and asked, “Brother Dazhuang, why are you angry? I didn’t do anything to you.”
“I…”
Tian Dazhuang didn’t know why he was angry with Yan Xiaosi either, and couldn’t make any sense of it, so he simply stopped talking. After a pause, he asked Yan Xiaosi, “Xiaosi, can the Dragon and Phoenix Soup you mentioned be made with these two wild chickens instead?”
Wild chickens are still chickens, and their meat is even more delicious than domestic chickens. Using wild chickens to replace domestic ones in making Dragon and Phoenix Soup would certainly work.
Yan Xiaosi nodded without hesitation, “Yes, now that we have the chickens, we can make a pot of Dragon and Phoenix Soup for lunch today. When I get back, I’ll slaughter that Black-tailed snake.”
Tian Dazhuang breathed a sigh of relief.
He finally didn’t have to beg his mother to kill a laying hen or a rooster.
“Xiaosi, should we make the Dragon and Phoenix Soup at your house or at mine?”
Seeing Tian Dazhuang’s sudden nervousness, Yan Xiaosi could tell he was worried about something.
Whichever house they made the Dragon and Phoenix Soup in would have to provide firewood, oil, salt, and rice. With five mouths to feed in her family, Ms. Zhong would surely be heartbroken. She patted Tian Dazhuang’s arm and laughed, “Don’t worry, we’ll make it at my house. My family will provide the firewood, oil, salt, and rice. Brother Dazhuang, just go back and bring Aunt Tian with you.”
