Chapter 46: The Red Date Tree, Ambush on the Little Lamb Family!

To reach Wild Boar Ridge, one had to pass through the wheat field at the village entrance. Before even stepping in, Mingdai heard the muffled, sobbing cries of a woman, carried far by the wind. Curious, she glanced over—it seemed the people from the Educated Youth Center were quarreling. Song Lanlan, hands on her hips, was shouting fiercely, while a woman, likely Liu Yan, sat collapsed on the ground, unable to speak through her tears. A crowd of villagers watched, but not a single one stepped forward to intervene.

Mingdai looked only once, then paid no further attention, keeping her head down as she walked onward. Zhou Sinian, clutching the new olive-green satchel Mingdai had given him, trailed beside her, completely indifferent to the commotion in the wheat field.

Wild Boar Ridge was home to herds of wild boars, and villagers generally avoided it out of fear. But Zhou Sinian, notorious for his wild temperament, treated it as his backyard, coming and going as he pleased.

This time, they had come mainly to seek jujubes. After tasting Mingdai’s medicinal stew, Zhou Sinian remarked that the red fruit could also be found in the mountains.

Once inside, the familiar hollow creaked beneath them as Mingdai adjusted herself for comfort, clamped tightly under Zhou Sinian’s arm as he ran into the mountains—his speed far outstripping her short legs.

They ran for a long while, circling the mountain, before finally arriving at their destination. Unlike the pine and chestnut groves, here stood only three jujube trees, clinging to the edge of the cliff, half their trunks jutting out precariously. Yet, the branches were laden with red jujubes—wild and small, dried and shriveled by the sun.

For safety, Mingdai instructed Zhou Sinian to find two long branches. She took a bedsheet from her storage and fashioned a net, securing it beneath the outstretched branches.

Lying on the cliff’s edge, Mingdai pressed down on the net while Zhou Sinian bounced atop the jujube tree. The dried, brittle fruits rained down in a rustle, most landing in the net.

Zhou Sinian climbed down, gathered up the net, and poured the jujubes onto the open ground. In no time, they had collected all the fruit hanging beyond the cliff.

For the remaining jujubes still on the tree, Zhou Sinian shook the branches, while Mingdai picked them up below. Soon, they had filled two burlap sacks with red jujubes.

Mingdai gazed contentedly at their haul, imagining the culinary delights she could create by combining them with the chestnuts and pine nuts from her storage. Her mood soared.

Zhou Sinian watched her inexplicable smile, wiped sweat from his brow, and took a chestnut from his satchel to eat.

He was now remarkably skilled at eating chestnuts: pinching the nut between thumb and forefinger, cracking the shell effortlessly, and popping the flesh into his mouth in one bite, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Mingdai made no attempt to stop him. She took out a cup of hot milk from her storage and handed it to him, urging him to eat sheltered from the wind.

While Zhou Sinian snacked, Mingdai stood up to observe the surroundings.

At this time of year, the mountains were awash in gold, the wind howling, swirling fallen leaves between the cliffs like dancing butterflies—a truly beautiful sight.

Suddenly, a few animals on the opposite hillside caught Mingdai’s attention. She took a pair of binoculars from her storage, raised them to her eyes, and peered across.

“Oh! Aren’t those wild goats?” she exclaimed.

Sure enough, on the opposite slope, the animals stretching their necks to nibble at the low shrubs were the yellowish wild goats.

Mingdai called out excitedly to Zhou Sinian, “Zhou Sinian! Want some mutton?”

“Meat?!”

Though unfamiliar with goats, Zhou Sinian understood the concept of meat. Cradling his chestnuts, he dashed over and, without the binoculars, saw the herd across the way.

Upon realizing they were goats, he wrinkled his nose in disdain. “Not tasty, they stink!”

Mingdai knew he meant the gaminess of goat meat. “It’s delicious, you just don’t know how to cook it. If you catch one, I’ll make mutton stew for you—it’s even better than chicken soup!”

Zhou Sinian regarded her skeptically, glanced at the goats, and saw the lambs finishing their leaves and preparing to move on. Mingdai grew anxious.

Only then did he carefully pack his chestnuts away and, with obvious reluctance, scoop Mingdai up. With a running start, he leapt off the cliff as Mingdai screamed.

“Aaaaah!”

Mingdai had thought he would circle the mountain, but to her shock, he jumped straight down the cliff! Just when she thought her life was over, Zhou Sinian landed steadily on a crooked tree jutting from the cliff, then used it to leap down further, each step landing firmly on protruding rocks, until they reached the bottom.

Standing at the cliff’s base, Mingdai’s soul had yet to return to her body. She looked up at the steep wall, then at Zhou Sinian’s impatient, frowning face, and swallowed hard.

She resolved to treat him better from now on.

Zhou Sinian glanced at the nearby slope, where the goats were shifting to find fresh tender leaves. He looked at Mingdai’s pale face, then lifted her by the scruff like a kitten.

Mingdai felt herself suffocating, and by the time she realized what was happening, she was already astride an old locust tree beneath the cliff.

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she watched Zhou Sinian bend low, advancing toward the slope, inwardly cursing.

Damn it! That’s a locust tree, full of sharp thorns!

Enduring the pain, she remained motionless, watching Zhou Sinian recede. Pricked she may be, but she was determined to have goat meat.

At worst, she would add an extra dose of bitter herbs to Zhou Sinian’s medicine tomorrow!

Zhou Sinian, crouched behind a rock, shivered and looked back alertly. After checking, he found nothing amiss and assumed it was another hallucination, so he turned his attention to hunting.

Though he doubted such smelly creatures were edible, he still wanted Mingdai to make pine nut candy, so he had to comply.

Taking advantage of the herd’s movement, he crawled after them.

It was a small group: seven adult goats and three lambs.

Zhou Sinian carefully suppressed his presence, trailing behind. When a playful lamb wandered out of its mother’s sight, he grabbed its mouth with one hand and its legs with the other, dragging it behind a rock.

With a gentle press to its neck, the lamb’s head drooped instantly.

He hid the lamb and repeated the process, capturing each stray lamb in turn.

Eventually, the mother goat sensed something was wrong—all three lambs had vanished! She was about to call out when Zhou Sinian struck her, rendering her limp, and tucked her away.

He subdued two more adult goats by the same method, and only then did the herd leader realize the crisis.

Oh no! My wife and children are gone!

It ran frantically across the slope, calling for them, followed by the remaining three goats.

But the more it searched, the fewer goats remained. In the end, only the leader was left, circling in panic and bleating fearfully.

Zhou Sinian finally appeared. Without giving it a chance to react, he hurled a rock and knocked it out cold.

He counted—one, two, three, four, five, six, seven adults plus three lambs—all present. Satisfied, he strode toward the base of the cliff.

Mingdai was astounded by Zhou Sinian’s efficiency. She had thought, with just one person, catching a single goat would be impressive, but he had captured the whole family.

Truly a soldier, skilled in taking down targets one by one—he deserved praise!