Chapter 6: Parting Ways

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“Li Xing, the master has assigned you to keep an eye on and investigate this man named Chen Fan.”
“These are all the official files related to him from the government.”
“Advisor Cai, with just these documents, we know very little about him!”
“Why does the Inspector want me to investigate this person? Is he a spy from an enemy state?”
“Yesterday, he carried firewood alone and led his wife home.”
“From his demeanor, he clearly has the discipline of a senior apprentice!”
“Is he being groomed to serve the country?”
“You do realize that the young lady will come of age in a year and will be ready for marriage then.”
“As far as I know, he even severely beat someone who tried to harm his wife. This could lead to trouble.”
“Understood, I will not fail in my mission.”

While the two sisters were still asleep, Chen Fan went nearby to gather tools for climbing the mountain.

He found: dozens of slender wooden sticks, some stones, several seven-shaped wooden rods, some sturdy thin ropes, a hard wooden piece, and also grabbed a large wooden stick.

He sat on a stone in the courtyard, organizing these tools, unaware that Yue Rou and the others were already standing behind him.

“Master, aren’t we going up the mountain today? Why didn’t you bring the hunting bow and arrows?”
“Instead, you’re fiddling with these things here?”
“What? The family actually has bows and arrows? I thought it was just the two of you!”
“Hahaha, Master! Our family relies on my hunting for income. You were the one who prepared the bow and arrows for me!”
“Uh! Then let’s bring all the bow and arrows!”
“Do we have cloth bags?”
“Master, yes, we do.”
“Alright, then I’ll explain our plan for today!”
“Go ahead, Master, I’m listening.”
“On the way, Yue E will lead us to a place where we can collect grass seeds.”
“Master, gathering grass seeds all day might not be enough to feed us, and it’s very troublesome to collect.”
“No, I’m using them as bait.”
“Then we’ll set traps to catch wild chickens!”
“Really? Master! Wild chickens are very alert and hard to approach and shoot.”
“How do you hunt, Yue E?”
“Master, we usually stay in one place where there are many animals, hide our scent, and wait for the right moment to shoot.”
“Oh! No worries, I’ll teach you some new tricks later.”

Since the decree to have women hunt was issued, they’ve had little experience and naturally small yields.

Yue E felt puzzled—Master Chen Fan had never done physical work before, so how does he know about hunting?

But now she was willing to trust everything Chen Fan said.

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The three went to the remote mountains outside the city. Along the way, Chen Fan held Yue Rou’s hand, drawing many curious stares just as he did yesterday.

“Who is that guy?”
“Seems to be Chen Fan.”
“Wasn’t he bedridden injured a few days ago? Now he’s like a different person after waking up?”
“Men are all the same. Look at that girl with the headscarf—he’s the one who crippled her leg.”
“Hope he really has changed; those two sisters would be lucky then.”
“Could it be that the senior apprentice has possessed him?”
“I feel he’ll be back to his old self in a few days.”
“I don’t think so. Yesterday, when those three thugs tried to snatch that girl, he almost beat them to death!”

Among the crowd, Huang Ya and his gang silently observed everything.

Huang Ya was growing impatient.

They all had weapons in hand, cracking their knuckles.

But with so many people around and under broad daylight, they couldn’t act recklessly.

Li Xing, disguised, mingled within the crowd.

His eyes and ears were alert.

He had long noticed Huang Ya and his ill intentions.

Silently, he touched the standard-issue short knife hidden under his clothes.

Chen Fan and the others left the city and reached a deserted area. Chen Fan let go of Yue Rou’s hand and bent down in front of her.

“Master, what’s wrong?”
“Yue Rou! You must be tired. There’s no one around. Come, let me carry you. Don’t be shy.”

Yue Rou’s face flushed bright red but she still jumped onto Chen Fan’s back.

Her delicate hands wrapped around his neck, her head resting against his chest.

Chen Fan felt a great sense of accomplishment, feeling more manly than ever.

He suddenly thought of something he never understood back in the Earth military camp.

To prove he was the most manly in the squad, he had built his muscles to the max.

But compared to the captain and those comrades who were married and even a bit chubby, even though he was stronger than everyone, he never received the "Real Man" award.

He was the strongest fighter but the youngest and still unmarried.

He realized that being a man requires not only high moral character and strength but also having someone dear to fiercely protect.

That is the responsibility and duty of a man.

Now, he wanted to protect those he loved with his own strength.

At the same time, he felt Yue Rou’s chest pressed against his back, and it was truly comforting.

“I’ll carry her whenever I can. Yue E is too heavy!”

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The three reached a meadow and began collecting grass seeds together.

Grass seeds can be gathered year-round, usually twice in spring and autumn.

Four times in summer, and once in winter.

They are not a rare commodity.

But wild birds love them the most.

They make excellent bait.

The sun was starting to tilt, around three in the afternoon.

Chen Fan decided it was time to set the traps. Between five and six in the evening is when wild chickens forage.

After five or six hours of collecting, the three had filled three cloth bags.

“Yue Rou, Yue E, come on! Let’s go set the traps.”

At the wild chickens’ favorite spots, they began setting traps.

Chen Fan tied stones with ropes, dug pits, fashioned wooden supports, scattered grass seeds, set trigger mechanisms, and tied retractable knots in the ropes.

“Master, I think this knot is a sliding knot.”
“That’s right. Do you understand how this trap works?”
“Yes! Master, we get it. It’s really clever. How did you think of this?”

Yue Rou pursed her dry lips after speaking.

“As long as you understand, let’s set them up together but spread out a bit. Once done, we’ll go to the river for some water.”

After finishing, they went to the river to drink.

Yue E and Chen Fan drank deeply, while Yue Rou sipped slowly, cupping the water in her hands. They drank a lot.

They hadn’t eaten anything since morning. Drinking water helped them regain some strength.

Yue Rou’s previously dry lips regained their rosy color.

Chen Fan sat beside her, shoulder to shoulder, unable to resist the urge to seek her lips.

He turned and kissed Yue Rou gently, from one corner of her mouth to the other, then let her go.

“Oh! Master, not here! Let’s save it for home!”

Yue Rou’s fair face hadn’t regained its full color since last night.

Yue E wasn’t jealous—she was her only younger sister.

Besides, Chen Fan had been close and loving when he first married her.

“Ahem, I’ll teach you where to find wild vegetables!”
“Master, my sister and I often eat these wild vegetables. We know them well.”
“Uh, then let’s split up and search individually, alright?”
“Okay!”