Chapter 21: Mingze, she couldn’t have taken a liking to you, could she…

Chapter 21: Mingze, she couldn’t have taken a liking to you, could she...

Wang Jinbao didn’t understand at first, but after a moment, he finally realized that these people were saying he wasn’t good-looking. This was nonsense; no one had ever told him he wasn’t good-looking in his life. His grandparents, parents, and even his three sisters always said he was handsome.

"No, who are you calling ugly and sneaky-looking? Are you blind? I’m so handsome, and you’re calling me ugly?"

He looked fierce and spoke with righteous indignation.

"..."

Everyone present had a moment of confusion on their faces.

What on earth?

The old ladies were even more convinced they were going deaf with age, otherwise how could they hear such absurd words?

Shen Moer was very precise: "I said you have a rat-faced and shifty-eyed appearance, not sneaky-looking."

Wang Jinbao: "What’s the difference? Aren’t you just calling me ugly?!"

Shen Moer: "It’s good that you’re so self-aware."

Wang Jinbao was so angry he felt his blood boiling: "You, you, you must be doing this on purpose, right? Deliberately belittling me to ask for more bride price later. I’m telling you, no way! You should be happy to marry me, don’t even think about getting a bride price, I won’t give a single penny! With my excellent qualifications, many people want to marry me, I won’t pay a bride price to marry a wife!"

He didn’t think people would look down on him; with his excellent qualifications, how could they? Clearly, this woman was cunning, wanting to marry him and also ask for more bride price. Hmph, he wouldn’t fall for it.

Shen Moer: "..."

She had seen a lot, sneaking into the Qionglin Banquet every year to check out the latest trends. She had seen many arrogant and pedantic people, but none as self-assured and confident as this guy, so ordinary yet so confident, talking to himself to such an extent that it left her speechless.

Others also had indescribable expressions, the old ladies couldn’t help but look at Tian Fang, curious about where she had found such a character.

Aunt Chen couldn’t help but pull Shen Moer aside and whisper: "When I said that earlier, I didn’t mean for you to consider this guy. Oh my, having a messed-up brain is worse than being ugly."

Tian Fang was also speechless. She knew her nephew wasn’t reliable, but she didn’t know he could be this unreliable. After all, they only met during holidays, and she had never seen him act so absurd before.

She was now full of regret, having put so much effort into this plan, only to see it fall apart: "Jinbao, why talk about this now? When it comes to marriage, bride price and dowry can be discussed later. Besides, you’re the only son in your family, and Moer is the only daughter in hers. Whatever is in the family will eventually be yours."

She was desperately hinting, hoping Wang Jinbao would understand her meaning and say a few nice words to stabilize the situation.

Wang Jinbao was not someone who could be persuaded: "Of course, her family’s things will be converted into dowry. I think the house isn’t worth much anyway, so let’s sell it for whatever we can get."

"..."

Thinking his previous statements were shocking enough, but no, there was always something more shocking.

It was truly deafening.

The old ladies, in their sixties, were also stunned. They had seen people scheming to take advantage of a girl’s dowry before, but never so brazenly and righteously. This was truly eye-opening.

Tian Fang’s face turned pale. She just hoped this matter would end here. She wanted to drag him away immediately, but was afraid he might say something even more shocking. If he revealed the hundred taels she had agreed with his mother, it would be a disaster!

Just as Tian Fang was anxiously worrying, Shen Moer glanced at her and said to Wang Jinbao: "Stop talking nonsense. I’m not interested in you, go with your sister."

Wang Jinbao immediately widened his eyes and angrily said: "This is my aunt, my real aunt! You stupid woman, what’s wrong with your eyes? You dare say you’re not interested in me!"

Shen Moer curled her lips, glanced at Tian Fang whose face had turned even paler, and nodded: "Oh, so it’s your real aunt. Now that it’s clear, get lost with your real aunt!"

She had agreed to come with Tian Fang to see what she was up to, and as expected, she was scheming with her family to take her family’s money and house.

Shen Moer had actually guessed it long ago, so she deliberately brought a few old ladies along to avoid being alone with Tian Fang, who might later resort to spreading rumors and slandering her.

She had heard of such things in Great Liang, where some would stop at nothing to marry into nobility, using slander and dirty tricks to force a woman into marriage. The moral code was especially tough on women, who sometimes had to either marry against their will or hang themselves.

Shen Moer believed that Tian Fang was capable of such actions. Some people don’t kill or set fires, but they do things that are morally reprehensible and can still ruin others' lives.

After being repeatedly mocked, Wang Jinbao was about to lose his temper.

He had never suffered such humiliation before. Originally, when he was in another brigade and came for a blind date, he had held back somewhat. But now, Shen Moer's words had completely broken his composure, and his expression twisted with rage: "Damn it, you shrew, I'll kill you!"

He lunged forward, aiming to strike Shen Moer.

Shen Moer, having deliberately provoked him with her words, had already anticipated his violent reaction. She was prepared to pretend to be frightened and then "accidentally" kick him. But just as she was about to do so, a figure flashed by her side and delivered a powerful kick to Wang Jinbao, sending him sprawling to the ground.

It was swift and decisive.

The figure was Fu Mingze.

Fu Mingze had come to return a basket. Upon arriving, he noticed a crowd and stood aside to wait. He overheard Wang Jinbao's outrageous remarks and found the idiot quite annoying. For some reason, he felt a surge of annoyance. To his surprise, the fool not only spoke rudely but also attempted to hit someone.

Seeing Wang Jinbao charge at Shen Moer, Fu Mingze's heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, he stepped forward and kicked him.

In a flash, the panicking old ladies shouted as Wang Jinbao tried to hit someone, "What are you doing? Don't cause trouble here! You're from Shada Brigade, what are you doing causing trouble in our Willow Brigade..."

Before they could finish, Wang Jinbao was already on the ground.

The old ladies reacted quickly. After a brief pause, they continued, "Nice one! Hah, you think you can mess with our Willow Brigade? We'll beat up anyone who dares to mess with us, one by one!"

Wang Jinbao lay on the ground, howling, "Damn it, you dare hit me? You bitches, you bastards, I'm telling you, you're done for, all of you!"

Tian Fang rushed to help him up, "Oh my, let's talk this out. Jinbao was just talking, Fu Zhiqing, how could you actually hit him?"

Wang Jinbao cursed and tried to get up, but just as he was halfway up, another kick sent him back to the ground.

This time, it wasn’t Fu Mingze who kicked him, but Shen Shaoyuan, who had just returned from work.

Shen Shaoyuan had seen a crowd gathered at his doorstep from a distance. At first, he thought it was just the old ladies visiting. But when he noticed Tian Fang and a strange man, he immediately sensed something was wrong and quickened his pace. As he approached, he saw the man seemingly trying to hit his daughter, Moer.

Shen Shaoyuan was furious. Who was this scoundrel daring to bully his daughter?

Unfortunately, he was a bit too far away. By the time he ran over, Fu Mingze had already kicked the man down. But the scoundrel was still cursing, and Shen Shaoyuan, filled with rage, delivered another kick.

Even then, Shen Shaoyuan wasn’t satisfied and raised his foot to kick again. Tian Fang desperately grabbed him, "Lao Qi, stop, don't hit him anymore. It's just a childish argument, a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding."

Shen Shaoyuan glanced at Wang Jinbao and sneered, "He doesn't look much younger than you, does he? And you call him a child?"

Like father, like daughter. Their sarcasm was strikingly similar.

Tian Fang was now completely overwhelmed. No matter what, she couldn’t let Wang Jinbao get beaten up here. If word got back to the Wang family, not to mention her sister Tian Cui, they would tear her apart. She was utterly exhausted but had to muster the strength to smooth things over, "Yes, yes, he doesn't look like a child, but he is still a child, not very mature. I'll take him away, I'll take him away right now."

She clumsily tried to help Wang Jinbao up, but he pushed her away, "What nonsense are you talking? Who's a child? Who's immature? I'll damn well show you what I'm made of..."

As he struggled to his feet, clenching his fists and ready to fight back, he suddenly noticed that there were six people facing him, including two men, and the older one was holding a stick, "Come on, step right up, let's see what you've got."

Wang Jinbao: "..."

He immediately backed down, instinctively taking a few steps back, "You, you, don't you dare mess with me!"

Tian Fang quickly tried to mediate: "Let it go, let it go, just drop this matter. I'll introduce you to a better match later. Dinner should be ready at home, let's head back and eat. I got half a pound of meat for your visit, let's go eat."

Tian Fang wanted to quickly take him away, fearing that he might say something shameless and provoke Shen Shaoyuan, who might then strangle him with a rope.

Wang Jinbao looked at the others, then at Shen Moer. He was actually quite taken with Shen Moer. Not just in their brigade, but in the surrounding villages, he had never seen such a beautiful girl!

Being pulled by Tian Fang, he wanted to leave but was reluctant, mumbling, "Do you want a dowry? I can offer a bit, but the bride price should be more..."

Shen Shaoyuan was furious: "How dare you! You ugly toad, how dare you dream of swan meat! Just watch, uh, just watch me beat you to death!"

He almost slipped up and said "watch me, your king," and swung the stick with all his might.

"You, you, how can you hit someone!"

Wang Jinbao was hit by the stick and howled in pain. Tian Fang tried to intervene, but Shen Shaoyuan didn't care, hitting Tian Fang as well.

After all, this conniving sister-in-law brought such a person to their door, clearly with ill intentions.

"Ouch, Lao Qi, stop hitting! Oh my, let's go, Jinbao, let's get out of here—"

Tian Fang screamed, Wang Jinbao wailed, and even in this moment, Wang Jinbao didn't forget to blame his aunt, cursing while howling: "It's all your fault, what kind of lousy matchmaking is this? I'll tell my mom, my grandma, and my great-grandma. And you still want to extort a hundred yuan from my family? Damn it, you're dreaming, you're dreaming!"

Tian Fang was going crazy, and only then did she realize that if they couldn't avoid the stick, they could at least run.

What she really wanted to do was shut Wang Jinbao's mouth, but she couldn't reach his height. Helpless, she could only drag Wang Jinbao away with all her might: "Damn it, kid, stop spouting nonsense. If it weren't for your mom begging me to find you a match, I wouldn't bother with your mess!"

She quickly distanced herself and then used all her strength to pull Wang Jinbao away.

Only after the two had run far away did Shen Shaoyuan leisurely put the stick back by the door.

The scene fell quiet for a moment. The old ladies looked at each other, their hearts filled with complex emotions.

Today's incident was downright disgraceful.

They were all seasoned gossips from Dongting Lake. Although Wang Jinbao's words weren't very clear, just a sentence or two was enough for them to piece together the cause and effect.

Clearly, Tian Fang was eyeing Shen Laoqi's three hundred yuan and house, thinking to keep the benefits within her own family... And then there was the hundred yuan Wang Jinbao mentioned. Although Tian Fang denied it, everyone had their own judgment.

Tian Fang had a good reputation in the brigade, but the old ladies weren't as easily fooled as the men. They always thought she was good at putting on a show, but they never expected her to do such a thing. Thinking about it, the grain incident might not have been entirely Cao Mei's idea as she claimed.

The old ladies secretly decided to gossip about this with their old friends and excused themselves, saying it was getting late.

Fu Mingze, having returned the basket, was also ready to leave when Shen Moer called out to him: "Fu, you left something behind."

Shen Moer went inside, carefully wrapped the previously cooked half rabbit in clean vegetable leaves, and brought it out to Fu Mingze: "As agreed, half a rabbit. If you hadn't come, I was planning to send it to you after things settled. The other half still needs to be dried and roasted, I'll bring it to you later."

It was all prearranged, so Fu Mingze didn't refuse: "Thank you, Shen."

Shen Moer smiled gently: "Thanks to you earlier, or I might have been hit."

Fu Mingze shook his head: "It was nothing."

At that moment, it was a reflex out of urgency. But later, seeing how swiftly Shen Shaoyuan dealt with the situation and recalling how quickly Shen Moer had caught the rabbit, Fu Mingze had a strange intuition that even without his intervention, Shen Moer might not have been at a disadvantage.

Fu Mingze bid farewell to Shen Shaoyuan and left with the half rabbit.

Watching Fu Mingze's retreating figure, Shen Shaoyuan narrowed his eyes and turned to ask Shen Moer: "Little Moer, when did you get so close with Fu?"

Shen Moer replied: "I had him draw up some blueprints, and today I went mushroom picking in the mountains with Aunt Chen and the others. Fu came too, and we caught the rabbit together."

Shen Shaoyuan said with a hint of jealousy, "How did it become the two of you?"

Shen Moer laughed. Her father had always been this way, worrying about her marriage, wanting to find her a good husband early, yet always finding fault with every young man, never satisfied with any of them.

"Ah, if it weren't for the sudden changes, your marriage should have been settled by now," Shen Shaoyuan sighed, then turned serious. "You can pick whoever you like, but there's one rule: he has to be a live-in son-in-law. I need to keep an eye on you to feel at ease."

In the past, when they were in the capital, even if his daughter married, as an idle prince, he could visit her every day, and who would dare stop him? But now it's different. If she married within the village, it would be easier to manage, but if she married far away, could he really travel there every day?

As the father and daughter chatted, they went to the kitchen to serve the meal.

The rabbit, braised earlier with mushrooms, was rich and fragrant. The wild vegetables were served cold, refreshing in the hot weather.

Over dinner, Shen Moer filled Shen Shaoyuan in on the day's events, and Shen Shaoyuan, in turn, shared what he had seen and heard at the commune.

Lately, they had been doing this, keeping each other informed and learning more about the world.

Shen Moer also mentioned Liu Yingshuang, and both father and daughter felt that there might be something strange about her.

*

Meanwhile, Fu Mingze returned to the Educated Youth Group, where the others were already eating in the main room.

They had gathered a lot of mushrooms and wild vegetables today, so the group had cooked two dishes and even made rice. Of course, each person only got a small bowl of rice, so no one could eat their fill.

Zheng Jiamin had already dished out Fu Mingze's portion. As soon as Fu Mingze sat down, Zheng started whispering, "It took you so long just to return a basket. If I hadn't served your food, you'd be eating the burnt rice at the bottom of the pot."

He also shot a glance in Zhang Zhiqiang's direction.

Although he lowered his voice, the table was small, and Zhang Zhiqiang couldn't help but hear.

Zhang Zhiqiang couldn't resist saying, "I forgot there was one more person to serve."

Zheng Jiamin pursed his lips, giving a look that said, "Fine, whatever you say," and Zhang Zhiqiang had to grit his teeth and bear it.

After dinner, Fu Mingze invited Zheng Jiamin for a walk. Once they were a distance from the Educated Youth Group, Zheng whispered, "I think Yang Qingqing might have stolen your soap. I saw her washing clothes today, and the soap looked new but was only half a bar."

He sneakily looked back a few times and continued, "She often comes to see Shi Wei, so she might have taken it then. Also, I noticed just now that when we left, Yang Qingqing was peeking out from the kitchen. Hmm, come to think of it, she seems quite interested in you."

Shi Wei and Yang Qingqing were from the same hometown and were quite close.

Fu Mingze looked at him and couldn't help but say, "If you keep acting so sneaky, I might start thinking you're the thief."

Zheng Jiamin immediately straightened up, scratching his head, "I'm just afraid someone might hear. After all, there's no solid evidence, and it wouldn't be good to wrongly accuse someone."

As they talked, they reached the yard of Old Zhang, a widower. Outside his yard was a tree that had been half-struck by lightning, half-dead. Fu Mingze reached into a hollow in the tree and pulled out half a rabbit wrapped in vegetable leaves, splitting it in two and handing half to Zheng Jiamin.

Zheng Jiamin was shocked, "You, you, you hid food here?"

Fu Mingze calmly explained, "This place is remote, no one comes here. Old Zhang is hard of hearing and usually doesn't notice. It's not easy to be discovered." Even if it were discovered, Old Zhang was kind-hearted and would just laugh, not spread the word.

Zheng Jiamin gave a thumbs up, took a big bite of the meat, and said with his mouth full, "Mmm, this is really delicious!"

Fu Mingze shot him a look of disdain, took a bite, and slowly chewed. It was indeed delicious, with no grassy taste. Shen Moer's cooking skills were excellent.

Zheng Jiamin ate most of his portion before slowing down and asking curiously, "Did you catch the rabbit when you went up the mountain today? You're amazing, getting along with the villagers. Even though we all go up the mountain, the villagers know where the good stuff is." He noted that Fu Mingze had brought back more mushrooms and wild vegetables than anyone else, not to mention catching a rabbit.

In the night, Fu Mingze looked towards the village entrance, unconsciously smiling, then turned back and reminded, "It was just luck that we caught it. Enjoy it, but don't go around talking about it."

Zheng Jiamin patted his chest with his greasy hand, "Don't worry, it's all gone down with the meat."

As he spoke, he nudged Fu Mingze with his elbow, his voice tinged with teasing: "Who made the rabbit? Was it Shen Moer? Tsk tsk, Shen Moer's cooking is really good. Hey, Mingze, I noticed she treats you quite well. Is she into you?"

Fu Mingze kicked him: "Hurry up and finish eating, then let's go back."

Zheng Jiamin: "Hold on, let me finish gnawing on this bone... Hey, I'm just making casual conversation. Speaking of which, Shen Moer has been looking much better lately, like she's really come into her own, looking prettier every day. You know, some of the guys have been saying behind her back that she's prettier than Shen Lingling. Tsk, the same ones who used to talk about her behind her back, a bunch of fence-sitters."

They were referring to the other male educated youths, of course, excluding Zhang Zhiqiang, Shen Lingling's ultimate fan.

After finally finishing his meal, Zheng Jiamin remembered something else: "But, Shen Moer isn't really suitable for you. Not to mention that getting married in the countryside would likely mean no hope of returning to the city, I heard that Shen Moer's family is looking for a son-in-law who moves in with the bride's family. I don't see you as the type to do that."

Fu Mingze was truly annoyed this time and kicked him again: "Come on, let's get going!" With that, he took long strides and walked ahead.

Zheng Jiamin brushed off his pants and muttered: "What's the big deal about long legs? Tsk, why are you suddenly so angry?"

He quickly caught up.

What Fu Mingze and Zheng Jiamin didn't know was that while they were talking about Yang Qingqing, Yang Qingqing was also talking about them.

In the vegetable garden behind the educated youth group, Yang Qingqing and Shi Wei were squatting in a corner. Yang Qingqing slapped at mosquitoes while whispering.

"They must have gone off to have a feast. They must be hiding somewhere eating meat right now. I've said it before, Fu Mingze is just pretending. With his soft skin and delicate features, does he look like a child from a poor family? And he keeps running off to the commune every now and then, but I've never seen him bring anything back. What does he go to the commune for? I've followed him a few times, but as soon as there's a crowd, he ditches me. If he's not up to something, why would he ditch me? And look at him, spending so freely, buying such a big bar of soap for laundry. Is that something a poor kid would do?"

Shi Wei was getting impatient, having heard Yang Qingqing say these things so many times that his ears were almost calloused.

At first, he was half-convinced, but after months of observation, he found no evidence. Either Fu Mingze was too good at hiding his tracks, or the idea that Fu Mingze was actually rich and pretending to be poor was just Yang Qingqing's delusion.

"Even if they did go off to have a feast, how do you know it was Fu Mingze who paid for it? Why couldn't it be Zheng Jiamin? He's the one who keeps running off to the commune. He even mentioned that he knows someone from the textile factory who occasionally invites him over for a meal and asks him to help write letters. That's not strange, is it? As for the soap, didn't Zheng Jiamin give him the soap coupon? Besides, who buys half a bar of soap? The salesperson wouldn't agree to that!"

Shi Wei couldn't help but say: "Zheng Jiamin's family is clearly well-off. If you're looking for someone to take care of you, why not go for Zheng Jiamin?"

Yang Qingqing: "What do you mean by that? I'm looking for a partner! If Fu Mingze is rich, why should I settle for Zheng Jiamin, that short guy? Wouldn't it be better to have both wealth and looks?"

In the darkness, Shi Wei couldn't help but roll his eyes. As if Zheng Jiamin would even consider you.

Shi Wei slapped another mosquito and said: "We can talk about this tomorrow. It's stupid to squat here feeding mosquitoes."

Yang Qingqing grabbed him: "I've decided. Whether Fu Mingze is rich or not, I'll start a relationship with him first. If he turns out to be poor, I can always dump him later. He keeps avoiding me, so you have to help me!"

They whispered for a while longer before finally slapping at the mosquitoes and leaving.

Long after they left, a very faint voice came from the other side of the vegetable garden: "Ouch, my legs are numb. I almost got carried away by the mosquitoes."

After a while, the person staggered to their feet, not daring to go directly back to the educated youth group. Instead, they clumsily climbed over the garden fence and deliberately took a long detour before entering the educated youth group from another direction.

As soon as they entered, they ran into Yang Qingqing: "Qiutong, where have you been at this hour? Why is your face so red? Did the mosquitoes bite you?"

Indeed, the unlucky person who had been squatting in the vegetable garden for so long, not even daring to swat a mosquito, was the female educated youth Wang Qiutong.

Wang Qiutong had once gotten into a dispute with Shen Lingling at the county department store over a beautiful dress, which showed that her family was quite well-off.

So she often sneaked out to have extra meals. Unfortunately, today the village held a big meeting, so dinner was late. By the time she found a chance to go out, it was already dark. Wang Qiutong didn't dare to go far, so she hid in the vegetable garden.

The vegetable garden was fenced and had broomcorn planted in the four corners, making it hard to spot anyone hiding there at night.

The problem was that everyone thought the same way, so Wang Qiutong ended up running into Yang Qingqing and Shi Wei.

While Yang Qingqing and Shi Wei were talking, Wang Qiutong didn't dare to move, especially when they started discussing how to harm someone. She was even more afraid to move.

Wang Qiutong had always thought Yang Qingqing seemed friendly but not easy to get along with. After hearing her conversation with Shi Wei, she realized she had underestimated her. Yang Qingqing wasn't just hard to get along with—she was downright bad!

So now, when she suddenly saw Yang Qingqing, she was so startled that her whole body trembled.

Fortunately, Fu Mingze and Zheng Jiamin also returned at that moment, and Yang Qingqing's attention was immediately diverted. Wang Qiutong secretly breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Fu Mingze, her eyes showing a hint of sympathy.

Being targeted by someone like Yang Qingqing, Fu Mingze is really unlucky.

*

The next day, word spread across the village that Tian Fang had set up a blind date between her nephew and Shen Moer, even charging a hundred yuan as an introduction fee.

There was no stopping it—those old ladies were gossip-spreading machines.

Another factor was that Tian Fang's hapless nephew was just too bizarre, with his words and actions being downright outrageous. When the old ladies vividly imitated him, it immediately shocked everyone.

Especially those living near Tian Fang's house—some had seen her escorting the young man back yesterday, while others saw her sending him off this morning. In short, they saw how plain he looked, making his over-the-top confidence even more ridiculous.

Of course, Tian Fang helping her nephew connect with Shen Moer, who was her own niece, and even charging a hefty hundred yuan as an introduction fee, was also extremely outrageous.

Tian Fang's reputation tanked, and the whole second branch of the Shen family couldn't show their faces in the village anymore. They avoided crowded places altogether.

As the weather grew hotter, Shen Moer finally gathered enough materials to build a new house. Coincidentally, her father had just finished a stint at the kiln factory, and the factory had given him several days off. So, after discussing it, the father and daughter decided to start construction.

The main reason was that the house had to be built before the autumn harvest began; otherwise, once the harvest started, there would be no one available to help with the work.

The day before construction began.

Shen Moer, carrying a bamboo basket for foraging, met up with Fu Mingze and Zheng Jiamin at the foot of the mountain.

Back then, when you asked for help building a house, you didn’t pay wages—just provided meals. Shen Shaoyuan had only been working for less than two months, so he could still scrape together some ration tickets for oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar from Xu Weiguo, but meat tickets were truly out of reach.

Shen Moer figured it was worth a shot to head up the mountain and see if they could snag a pheasant or rabbit. If they did, they'd have some meat for the meals.

If they came up empty, no big deal. They could gather some mushrooms, dig up some wild vegetables, or collect bamboo shoots to add a couple of dishes.

Although she had only been in this world for about two months, Shen Moer had already mastered the survival skills of the poor. As the old ladies liked to say, "You won’t go broke from eating or dressing, but poor planning will leave you struggling." Poor people had to calculate every aspect of life.

As for why she invited Fu Mingze, well, if they did catch a pheasant or rabbit, they'd need someone to carry it back, right?

She was, after all, a delicate woman with no strength to speak of.

Fu Mingze had this good quality—if you asked him to carry something, he would do it without asking why.

Zheng Jiamin tagged along as a bonus—he’d insisted on coming, and Shen Moer and Fu Mingze figured it’d be better not to go alone.

"Just the three of us? Comrade Shen Moer, shouldn't we call a few more people? Like someone who knows the terrain really well, or someone who's particularly agile, or maybe someone with really good aim?"

Zheng Jiamin was heavily hinting.

Ever since he had tasted the rabbit meat that Fu Mingze shared with him, he had been craving the flavor of braised rabbit. As soon as he heard Fu Mingze mention going up the mountain, he eagerly followed along.

Of course, he didn't think Fu Mingze or Shen Moer had the skills to catch a rabbit—they didn't seem like the type. As for himself, he was even less likely to succeed.

So, he was hoping Shen Moer would invite the person who had helped them catch rabbits last time, so they could all benefit from it.

Shen Moer smiled at Zheng Jiamin, easily seeing that the guy was just craving meat: "No need, let's just the three of us try our luck."

Zheng Jiamin looked to Fu Mingze for help: "Mingze?"

Fu Mingze smirked: "Nah, it's fine."

Zheng Jiamin: "..."

Lust really messes with your head!

I can’t believe you’re like this, Fu Mingze!

But soon enough, Zheng Jiamin realized the truth. The one who was "out of his mind" was him all along! Who would’ve thought?