si-mexico Chapter 661 Becomes a Five-Person Group
Chapter 661 Becomes a Five-Person Group
"Once, Daddy didn't come home for several days, and Mom was a little worried, so I went up the mountain to look for him myself." Ah Kuan's eyes sparkled with pride in the morning light as he spoke. His rough little hands unconsciously stroked the homemade wooden sword at his waist, which he had used for self-defense the last time he went up the mountain alone.
Jing Chunxi noticed that the edges of the cloth shoes on his feet were worn out, revealing a few black toes, probably because of frequent running.
When Ah Kuan arrived and knew that they were asked to lead the way, he immediately straightened his thin body and patted his chest to assure that there would be absolutely no problem.
His sun-tanned little face was full of confidence, and his voice was clear and loud: "I know every path, even the path of wild boars! Last time, Dad got lost while picking herbs in the old pine forest in the southwest, and it was me who brought him back by following the sound of the stream." As he spoke, he stood on tiptoe, as if this would make him look taller and more reliable, but it was a bit funny to see.
These words were like a reassurance to Jing Chunxi and Xu Zize. Xu Zize's tense shoulders visibly relaxed, and his slender fingers no longer tapped the jade pendant around his waist unconsciously. Instead, he gently adjusted his sleeves that were wet with morning dew.
The cloudy expression on his face finally turned sunny, and he turned to Ling Bo and said, "Ling Bo, you don't have to go. It's just the two of them. We will protect them. Don't worry." There was a rare lightness in his voice, and the corners of his eyes were slightly curved, appearing particularly bright in the morning light.
Jing Chunxi turned to A Kuan and asked, "Does mother know that you came out?" Her eyes fell on A Kuan's messy bun, which had not been combed in time and was still stuck with a few pieces of straw. She must have just crawled out of the quilt and rushed over in a hurry.
Ah Kuan nodded quickly, a few strands of his hair bouncing up and down with his movements. "I know, I know. She just got up to wash up and prepare to go to the kitchen to cook porridge. She feels relieved knowing I'm going with you." He imitated his mother's finger movements as he spoke. "Mom said it's safer to be with the young lady and the young master than with daddy!"
It is not kind of them to call other people's children out before dawn without telling them where they are going. It is rare that other people's parents are so open-minded.
Jing Chunxi pondered this, glancing at the sky. The sky in the east was just beginning to turn pale, and the mountain mist clung to the treetops like a veil. In the distance, the first rooster crowed, its long, drawn-out sound piercing the stillness of dawn.
In this way, the original plan of three people going up the mountain has now been changed to a trip of five people.
Jing Chunxi went into the house and came out with two big meat buns and a water bag filled with water for each of them. Xiaoman carried the rest of the lunch.
After getting the big meat buns, A Kuan and Daniu smiled so much that their eyebrows were not visible. They took a big bite and then both of them had oil dripping from their mouths. Then they ran ahead excitedly.
The reason Xiao Man came with them up the mountain was, firstly, to protect the two children on the return trip. While there weren't many ferocious beasts in the mountains, there were plenty of snakes, insects, and rats, so having him escort them all the way down would provide some protection. Secondly, it was to prevent Daniu and A Kuan from getting naughty and not returning immediately without supervision. If they wandered around the mountain a few more times and discovered something strange about Jing Chunxi, or the sudden appearance of so many mines, it would be bad if they got scared and spread rumors after returning.
I don’t know if it was because Ah Kuan and his friends took a shortcut, or because they were all teenagers and children, and were agile and ran fast, but it felt like they went up the mountain much faster than the last time.
A Kuan was the fastest, jumping up and down as he reached the front, turning back every now and then to wait for them. Not to be outdone, Daniu followed closely behind A Kuan.
Xiao Man and Xu Zize protected Jing Chunxi from the front and back, and occasionally helped her when they were not in a good position.
After daybreak, Jing Chunxi discovered that many rubber trees along the road had been cut. Each tree had been cut near the roots and in the middle three feet above the ground. The flowing sap was caught by bamboo shells and then collected in a bamboo tube more than half a foot long that was also tied to the tree.
The cuts were neat and uniform, the depths just right. Some of the sap, too much for the bamboo husk to catch, continued to flow, glistening amber in the morning light, and slowly dripping, forming long, thin threads. The air was filled with a faint resinous aroma, a blend of morning dew and earth, invigorating.
"Brother Xiaokang, have you started cutting the trees?" Jing Chunxi looked at Xu Zize excitedly, her eyes sparkling, as if she had discovered some incredible treasure. She reached out and gently touched a recently opened wound, and her fingertips were immediately stained with sticky tree sap.
Seeing this, Xu Zize hurriedly took out a white handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe her, with a helpless yet doting smile in his eyes.
"Before we left last time, I arranged that there were still many uncut trees. They were all cutting trees close to the roadside. Maybe we should just follow the path where the cut trees are." Xu Zize pointed to the mountains in the distance. His voice was particularly clear in the morning breeze. "We only cut down one or two hundred trees, but we harvested more than a dozen sacks of pulp. I thought we could try firing it right away once the craftsmen arrived."
As he spoke, his slender fingers drew a graceful arc in the air, pointing to the lush forest in the distance. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves onto his face, outlining his angular profile.
Jing Chunxi had no idea when it all started, but Xu Zize had already been quietly making preparations without her noticing. Everything was ready, only waiting for the east wind.
She looked at the handsome young man in front of her with approval, and was immediately met with a pair of gentle eyes.
"Master, after you left, we burned the sap again."
Ah Kuan heard them talking about the sap and suddenly interrupted. He hadn't noticed before, but had already climbed up a short tree, legs dangling in the air, waiting for them leisurely.
"We put the burned tree pulp into a clean cloth bag and use it as a pillow. It's much better than the hard wooden pillow." As he spoke, he pretended to use the pillow as a sleeping pillow and almost slipped off the tree. Xiaoman, who was quick-eyed and quick-handed, caught him.
Seeing them approaching, A Kuan also jumped down.
"We tried letting Sanniu sleep with a pillow, and he slept very soundly." This was said by Da Niu, who was squatting on the ground watching a group of ants carrying food. He raised his head and smiled with two missing front teeth.
They were afraid of being scolded by their parents, so they gave Sanniu the pillow when he was taking a nap. Sanniu was snoring at the time and didn't say where it hurt when he woke up.
As Da Niu spoke, he gestured to illustrate the situation at that time. He drew a big circle in the air with his little hand and made a gesture of resting his head on the pillow to show how comfortable it was.
"Brother Xiaokang, children are very clever. If you take them with you when you're testing the fire, you might discover something new," Jing Chunxi said, bending down to brush the dirt off Daniu's knees. She recalled her own wild ideas as a child, which often made her mother laugh and cry, but she had to admit that they were indeed useful.
When Xu Zize first heard that the ball could be used as a pillow, he was surprised and impressed by the children's cleverness. He recalled the feeling of the ball in his hand and thought that whether it was used as a pillow or to cushion his back while sleeping, it would be much better than a hard wooden bed made of straw. Maybe it could even cure illnesses.
His gaze lingered on the two children for a moment, as if he was weighing something. Finally, he smiled with relief, "Would you like to follow?"
"willing!"
"and!"