Chapter 283

Chapter 283

Suddenly, they had four wild mountain sheep in their hands. A few of them discussed heading down the mountain immediately, thinking they could hunt other prey and still come back here later. However, if anyone were to see these sheep, it would definitely draw too much attention.

Team captain Chen Zhuangshi hoisted one of the wild mountain sheep onto his shoulders. Although he was quite strong, this was about his limit.

If he had to carry any more, he would really start to struggle.

Chen Jinhua considered helping out, but before she could say anything, Wang Qinghe had already shouldered the remaining three sheep.

"Uncle Chen, Aunt Jinhua, let's hurry up and go," Bai Xiuxiu said, noticing Aunt Jinhua's shocked expression. She picked up the other items and reminded her.

"Ah? Yes, let's go," Chen Jinhua quickly helped carry the bow Wang Qinghe had used during the hunt. It was quite heavy, and if Xiuxiu, with her small build, had to carry it, she would be exhausted on the way.

The four of them had already set off, heading around toward the county.

After they left, it took Zhou Jiaojiao some time to follow their footprints and arrive at the scene.

When she got there, all she saw were the bloodstains from the injured wild mountain sheep and some messy hoof prints.

Other than that, there was nothing left.

This made everyone's faces turn grim.

"Someone got ahead of us!" Chen Fang was already tired from the journey, and on top of that, the mountain sheep that were almost within their grasp had escaped because of Zhou Jiaojiao. She was holding in a lot of anger.

Seeing the situation, she couldn't help but speak sarcastically, "What a huge loss! Everyone says you, Fifth Brother's Wife, have good luck. If your luck is so good, why did the mountain sheep run away? Why didn't they just drop dead in front of you?

And it was you who let them escape.

I think your luck is just a coincidence."

Chen Fang's words hit Zhou Jiaojiao like a stab to the heart.

Her face flushed red with anger. "Fourth Sister-in-law, if you don't trust me, then why did you follow me up the mountain? Besides, no one knew we were going up the mountain. If someone got ahead of us, I'm starting to wonder if one of you told your family about it."

"Third Sister-in-law didn't go out yesterday, and Second Sister-in-law didn't go out either.

It was only you, Fourth Sister-in-law, who went out yesterday. Who knows? Maybe you told your family, and they came to snatch it from us.

Just look at these bloodstains; clearly, someone else took the sheep.

And yet you still have the nerve to blame me."

How could Chen Fang admit to such an accusation?

She sneered in anger. "You need evidence to make accusations. What proof do you have that it was my family? My family is from the county; do you think they would care about these few things? Besides, if you were afraid of leaking information, why didn't you just keep it to yourself?

You didn't have to tell any of us, right?

Isn't it because you needed us?

Without this family, you can't do anything on your own."

"Pfft! If you weren't living together as a family, just watch me. I can do it alone," Zhou Jiaojiao grew angrier. How dare this family of leeches talk back to her?

She was their ticket to a good life.

"Enough, both of you stop arguing. Instead of fighting, why don't we see if we can still find some wild mountain sheep? If there's nothing left, wouldn't all our efforts be for nothing? And all the pain I've endured would be in vain," Liu Xiaoe, in pain and on the verge of losing her rationality, shouted.

She had been relying on the hope of finding the wild sheep to keep going, but now her spirit was broken.

Her legs and feet hurt terribly.

Even her waist ached more than ever.

The constant bickering from the two finally pushed the usually quiet Liu Xiaoe over the edge.

Her shout startled the other three.

Zhao Cuihua, who had been watching the scene, was surprised to see Liu Xiaoe lose her temper.

Zhou Jiaojiao couldn't believe it either; even Liu Xiaoe dared to shout at her?

"I... why are you all looking at me? I'm just worried we won't be able to bring any meat home. We've come all the way to the mountain, and when the holiday ends, we'll have to return to the county," Liu Xiaoe, still timid, tried to explain why she was angry.

Zhou Jiaojiao looked down on her for it.

"Enough, Second Sister-in-law, there's no need to explain. We should really look around. I've been up here before, and sometimes things just felt off.

I feel like there should be more here than there is."

As Zhou Jiaojiao spoke, she began to follow the messy footprints.

This reminded Zhao Cuihua that every time Zhou Jiaojiao felt something was off, it was usually because the eldest sister-in-law had led her to intercept them.

But right now, Zhou Jiaojiao wasn't thinking about that. She was thinking about the large chest she had seen in the lake. How could it have disappeared when she went back to look for it?

Someone must have taken what belonged to her!

The group began to follow the footprints to search for the wild mountain sheep again.

As it turned out, Zhou Jiaojiao still had some luck left.

Not far from where they walked, they found another sheep that had been startled and had run straight into something and died on the spot.

"Fifth Brother's Wife, is this real?" Liu Xiaoe was excited when she saw it.

Zhou Jiaojiao was also happy. At this point, she had given up on hoping for a big haul.

After all, it’s very likely that someone has already intercepted it.

Next time we come to the mountains, we still need to bring reliable people along.

Chen Fang won’t do. This Fourth Sister-in-law usually stays away from any trouble and avoids bad situations, but she never misses out on any benefits.

It’s very likely that she and her relatives were behind this.

"Let's carry this back to the village," Zhou Jiaojiao said proudly. No matter what, she had gotten this.

Her status in Old Wang’s household would be higher by then.

As this group headed back, on the other side, Wang Qinghe and the others had already arrived home.

As soon as they entered the door, Wei Pozi saw them return, and her son-in-law was carrying something covered by three people’s clothes. From a distance, she could smell the gamey smell.

Startled, she asked, “What happened? Has someone been injured?”

Wei Pozi looked deeply concerned.

“Mom, let’s talk inside,” Bai Xiuxiu said, checking that the neighbors didn’t seem to be around, which put her a bit more at ease.

She quickly pulled her mother inside, then opened the door to the house.

Inside, Wang Qinghe lifted the clothes to reveal three wild mountain goats folded inside, which startled Wei Pozi.

“How did you get so many? These things are very cautious. If you catch one, the rest will run away. How did you manage this many?” Wei Pozi found it incredible.

At that moment, Chen Zhuangshi also uncovered the one he had carried over.

“Where did you all go?” Wei Pozi was astonished.

“Mom, we went hunting back in the village. You should know these two people…” Bai Xiuxiu was about to introduce them.

Wei Pozi laughed and interrupted, “How could I not know them? This is our team captain and his wife. When Mom left, it was the team captain’s ox cart that took us to the train station. I haven’t gone to visit them since we returned this year.”