The Farm Life Of a "Fool"

Chapter 28

The old saying "those who live on a mountain live off the mountain" was never just a cliche. It was, however, easier to live outside of the mountain. However, since there were so many travelers, most of the edible items had been taken away. They could only travel to higher and deeper mountains where no one else went and where they could find more edible plants.

Needless to say, they were able to find potatoes here. Although the leaves of its plants were withered now, Xu Ran still saw many of them. There were many herbs here too, as well as peppers that could be used for seasoning.

Xu Ran was ecstatic when he saw all of this. He was eager to begin picking right away. However, Liu Tong reminded him that he should simply pick them up when they returned, as they had nothing to pack at the time.

Xu Ran accepted and pursued Liu Tong deep into the mountains, obediently. They saw a lot of pheasants and hares along the way. Liu Tong even hunted a few of them so that they could have barbecue if they were hungry. Liu Tong led Xu Ran ahead until they reached a vast open field with nothing but red strewn across the mountains.

The entire area was completely covered in chili plants. Almost every nook and cranny had also grown. It was now time to reap the benefits of our labor. They'd all turned a brilliant shade of red. They could detect the perfume as they got closer. Xu Ran was giddy with delight as he stood in the midst of the blanketing chilies.

On the branches, there are collections of big, fresh chilies. However, several of them had already fallen to the ground because the best time to harvest had passed. Xu Ran felt sorry for them and took two steps forward to pick up one of them. "Tongtong, let's pick up the ones on the ground later!" he said to Liu Tong after noticing the falling chilies were still fresh except for some soil.

Seeing Xu Ran picking up the fallen chilies, Liu Tong naturally didn't object him, "Ran, let's go find a place to get settled first. We'll back to pick them later."

"Alright." Sure enough, now it was better to find a place to settle first as there might be some wild beasts in this place at night. Safety first was always the best policy.

The mountain was almost completely covered in primordial forest at the time. There were also a lot of caves, which was lucky. They discovered a small cave that was not humid after looking for a while. More significantly, there were no signs of beasts having stayed, suggesting that it was safe for them to do so.

Liu Tong looked at the surroundings again and said to Xu Ran, "Ran, how about just staying here? I think it is a good choice as there were many trees nearby. If it was dangerous at night, we can also climb up the trees to hide."

"Alright." As he was not familiar with this, he just listened to Liu Tong.

Liu Tong slid the pack basket aside and took a bag with him. Then he took a few steamed buns, water, and chili sauce from the bamboo tube that had been preserved. He went out with Xu Ran with his hands full. It was still early in the morning, and it was not particularly hot, so they could pick as much as they wanted. They could also return early if they finished.

As long as they thought of the two kids at home, both of them were highly motivated.

They would take a break to drink when they were tired. They even ate steamed buns with chili sauce when they were hungry. By the time the sun set, they'd selected two large sacks weighing around a hundred kilograms each.

Looking at the fruitful result of the day, Xu Ran chuckled happily.

Since it was too heavy for one man to carry alone, they carried it together and made their way to the cave. Despite the fact that they were not far from the chili area, two people were sweating profusely on their forehead when they arrived. Xu Ran flopped down on the ground and said, "I'm completely exhausted. It's much more tiring than harvesting chilies."

Liu Tong walked over to massage Xu Ran's shoulders, "You have worked hard all day. I know you must be tired. I'll go find some firewood. You just take a rest."

Xu Ran was so tired that he couldn't even talk, so he only let Liu Tong do what he wanted. Liu Tong seemed to be in good shape. He left away as if on wings. Xu Ran criticized himself for being too weak as he watched Liu Tong leave. He was a tough guy, but he was actually weaker than his own Ge'er.

It wasn't long before Liu Tong reappeared. He also brought back some wild pears, which looked delicious and juicy, in addition to the firewood. Xu Ran was overjoyed as soon as he saw the pear. He hadn't eaten any fruits despite having lived in this world for so long. It doesn't get any worse.

Xu Ran stood up and walked over to Liu Tong to take the firewood. Then he looked eagerly at the pears in his lap. Liu Tong smiled when he realized what Xu Ran was saying ,"I'll wash them first before eating. There are still some on the tree. Let's pick some when we get back."

"Alright," Xu Ran nodded repeatedly.

Liu Tong washed the pear and handed it to Xu Ran. And Xu Ran took it happily and bit a mouthful, "So sweet."

Yet, Liu Tong just held the pears and didn't eat. Confused, Xu Ran said, "You eat it too! I can't eat many by myself. "

"Alright." Liu Tong smiled and took a bite.

The pear was very little. It was easy to complete one in a matter of seconds. The majority of the pears Liu Tong had thrown away had almost made their way into Xu Ran's stomach. He couldn't eat because he was so loaded. Xu Ran was exhausted and only laid motionless on the ground, while Liu Tong got up to collect firewood and get ready to set up a fire.

He used his small knife to deal with the chicken and rabbit he had killed on the way while the fire was burning. He'd have to make do without water because there wasn't any. Xu Ran came over to assist with the roasting as well. The rabbit was being toasted, while the chicken was being toasted. They kept rolling their meat, and the aroma soon fills the air.

Liu Tong smothered the roast meat in chili sauce, intensifying the aroma and making it look even more delicious. Both of them were very happy this evening.

Xu Ran curled up Liu Tong in his arms after he was satisfied. They exchanged glances at the stars. Xu Ran also asked Liu Tong to tell him about his experiences as a fool during those seven years. Xu Ran was so insistent that Liu Tong eventually gave in and told him everything. The two fell asleep in each other's arms after that.

4.12.21