Chapter 21: Oh, Poor Thing! Salted Duck Egg

At the base of the cliff, she stopped, but Zhou Si-nian did not.

Ming Dai watched Zhou Si-nian move across the cliff face as if he were strolling on flat ground, and suddenly felt her teeth ache. Did this guy always climb up and down the mountain by scaling cliffs? Sure, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but that’s for exams! Brother, no one actually does this in real life!

Zhou Si-nian vanished in a flash, leaving behind one person and one cart below, gazing up at the cliff in frustration.

Perhaps because no one followed him for a while, Zhou Si-nian slid back down again. His movements were nimble, even more agile than a monkey—was he part mountain goat? The man glanced at her and turned to climb upward again, disappearing once more, then came back down to look for her.

This time, he was clearly angry, his brows furrowed.

Ming Dai hurried to explain, “I can’t climb up, and neither can the cart.”

Zhou Si-nian looked at her and the cart with suspicion, then at the cliff wall, as if to say: It’s not that high—why can’t you get up?

Ming Dai’s mouth twitched. “I’m small and short, the cart doesn’t have legs—it can’t climb.”

Zhou Si-nian assessed the cart and her for a while, then finally showed a look of disdain.

Hey! Ming Dai felt underestimated—so infuriating!

Zhou Si-nian realized that these two (to him, the cart was as much a person as she was) were like the others: weak, and could only take the long way around.

So he turned and led Ming Dai up the path that villagers often used to climb the mountain.

Along the way, they encountered many people, but the two hurried ahead and behind, dragging the flatbed cart with a clattering sound, too busy to answer anyone’s questions.

Fortunately, the villagers had already worn a path for gathering firewood.

Soon they reached the foot of the mountain, where the path was no longer suitable for pulling the cart.

Ming Dai called Zhou Si-nian to stop. Under his impatient gaze, she took the axe, saw, and rope for chopping wood, and placed the cart where it wouldn’t be in the way.

There weren’t many flatbed carts in the whole Liu Family Bay—she wasn’t worried about anyone messing with it.

Carrying her tools, she followed Zhou Si-nian as they climbed upward.

Halfway up, some people had staked out their territory and were collecting firewood. The two didn’t stop until they reached a deeper part of the forest, where there were fewer people. Ming Dai finally called a halt.

She looked around at the messy branches and half-dry state, satisfied, and nodded.

“No further. We’ll collect firewood here.”

Without waiting for his response, Ming Dai set down her tools, picked up the axe, and found a fallen, dead tree.

She planted her feet apart, gripped the axe with both hands, and put her back into it.

“Yah!”

The axe got stuck in the wood and couldn’t be pulled out.

Awkward!

Ming Dai stuck her rear out to pull, and with a mighty tug, fell right onto her backside—but at least the axe came out.

Then the cycle repeated:

“Yah!”—fall on her rear;

“Yah!”—fall on her rear;

She found herself trapped in an awkward loop.

After several rounds, she finally managed to pry off a piece.

Ming Dai picked up the chunk of wood with great satisfaction, admiring it.

Wasn’t this the first step toward success!

“Pfft!”

Ming Dai turned her head—Zhou Si-nian was still watching her expressionlessly.

She continued her work.

Every time she fell on her rear, there was always a “pfft” sound.

She tried to catch Zhou Si-nian in the act several times, but never succeeded.

This guy was just too sharp!

But she didn’t mind. In her eyes, Zhou Si-nian at this moment lacked both human behavior and understanding—he might as well be a small animal.

Labor is honorable, nothing to be embarrassed about.

After half an hour battling the axe and earning a blister, Ming Dai chose to give up.

Why chop wood? Gathering firewood is much easier!

So she put the tools back and started collecting firewood nearby.

She bent over, picking steadily, while Zhou Si-nian perched upright atop the dead tree she’d just chopped, watching her like a supervisor.

This scene happened to be spotted by Auntie Loudmouth climbing the mountain. She ran all the way downhill, covering her mouth.

In no time, everyone in Liu Family Bay, inside and out, knew:

Poor little educated youth, gathering firewood alone, while the madman sits by supervising.

By the time the news reached Liu Da-zhu, Ming Dai was already being whipped by Zhou Si-nian with a little leather whip, tufts of cotton falling from her clothes—so pitiful!

Ming Dai: I didn’t even know I was that miserable.

Her body had been transformed; though she still looked frail, she was actually healthier than most people.

Of course, she couldn’t compare to the humanoid weapon sitting nearby, but her stamina was decent.

She’d work for a while, rest, and then continue; by midday, she’d gathered quite a pile.

She tied the bundles with rope, planning to carry them down in the afternoon.

At noon, she decided to eat with Zhou Si-nian on the mountain instead of going down.

Dusting her hands, she wiped her sweat, sat atop the pile of firewood, and took out her crossbody bag.

First, she pulled out the water bottle, poured some to wash her hands, then took out her tea mug and drank a few mouthfuls.

Though the water was cool, it was refreshing!

Just as Zhou Si-nian, who had been sitting, suddenly appeared and reached for the water bottle.

Ming Dai poured some water for him to wash his hands.

She took out his tea mug, poured half a mug of water, and handed it to him.

This was also something Ming Dai had given him; before, he’d always used the cooking ladle, eating straight from the pot.

Watching him gulp down the water, clearly parched, she realized he’d been holding back from asking.

“We’re having lunch. Take out the cornmeal cake—the one we ate this morning.”

Zhou Si-nian’s gaze wandered, but he didn’t move.

Ming Dai exposed him directly: “It’s the one in your arms, in the cloth pouch I gave you.”

After being found out, Zhou Si-nian reluctantly took out the cake.

Watching him clutch it tightly, Ming Dai laughed incredulously.

“This is my food, I made it—you won’t let me have some?”

Zhou Si-nian frowned and pondered for a while, then reluctantly let go.

Ming Dai glared at him, took a piece, and shoved the pouch back.

Zhou Si-nian received it with delight, quickly tied it up and tucked it away again.

Ming Dai rolled her eyes: Pathetic!

Ignoring his protective clutch, as if wary of some thief, Ming Dai slyly pulled out two salted duck eggs from her bag.

Zhou Si-nian sniffed at the green-shelled duck eggs in her hands, but catching no scent, sat back on the dead tree, hugging his chest.

Watching him carefully untie the ribbon, take out the cold cake and bite into it heartily, Ming Dai could sense his joy from head to toe.

Though the cake was cold, it wasn’t hard; it was leavened, made that morning, soft and sweet.

Ming Dai took a bite and chewed, placing the rest in her tea mug.

She tapped the two green-shelled duck eggs together; one cracked.

She pressed gently on the crack, and the fissures spread.

Peeling the shell away carefully, she revealed a whole salted duck egg—perfect!

She took a bite; the bright red yolk appeared, oily drops spilling down. Ming Dai quickly grabbed her cornmeal cake from the mug and wiped it.

Whoosh! The foodie Zhou Si-nian appeared!

He stared with fervor at the salted duck egg in Ming Dai’s hand, wanting a taste.

Ming Dai held up the fragrant salted duck egg, “Want some?”

Zhou Si-nian’s gaze followed the egg.

“If you want some, you have to behave.”

Zhou Si-nian didn’t respond.

“If you want to eat, you must listen to me.”

He frowned.

“If you listen to me, I’ll let you have it.”

He frowned at her for a while, then turned away and sat back, munching his cake, clearly annoyed.

Hmph, spoiled!

Ming Dai wasn’t in the least anxious. She nibbled her cake, savoring the salty egg white and grainy yolk—delicious!

Just as she was about to finish her cake, Zhou Si-nian reluctantly returned.

Ming Dai’s lips curled into a smile; she peeled the egg and placed it in his tea mug.

Zhou Si-nian watched her hands, and as soon as the salted duck egg landed in the mug, he grabbed it and stuffed it in his mouth—half an egg in one bite.

Seeing him wince at the salty taste, Ming Dai laughed out loud.

She held up the cake and egg, demonstrating: a big bite of cake, a small bite of egg.

Soon Zhou Si-nian learned the trick, finishing his cake with the remaining half egg.

Satisfied, his mood improved greatly.

He folded up the cloth pouch, measured it against his pocket, and gently put it away.

Ming Dai finished eating, collected his tea mug, and went back to work.