Chapter 168: An Anxious Wait

Chapter 168: An Anxious Wait

Seeing He Guixiang still with a slight frown, Lin Shu deftly changed the subject, redirecting her attention to Aunt Lin’s move to a new home. She then accompanied her to Aunt Lin’s house to help prepare supper.

The supper was a lavish housewarming feast. Lin Zhaodi prepared all the wild delicacies she had learned from Lin Shu over the past few days, filling the table with dishes. She even specifically asked Old Man Liao to bring back a few ounces of huangjiu from town.

Lin Dashan, Old Man Liao, and Zhao Laosan—the three men gathered together—each drank a little. After drinking, their chatter grew much louder than usual.

While the men chatted, Lin Zhaodi also discussed the ice jelly business with Lin Shu, finalizing all the details.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the housewarming meal.

Lin Dashan had a low alcohol tolerance; even a little huangjiu made his face flush. When they returned home, his cheeks and neck were red, making it seem as if he’d had strong liquor.

Fortunately, Lin Shu had prepared kudzu flower tea at home, which could help sober him up. She quickly brewed a bowl.

After He Guixiang fed Lin Dashan the kudzu flower tea, she helped him lie down in the room.

"If you can’t handle alcohol, then don’t drink. Why did you even bother joining in?" He Guixiang scolded him verbally but carefully wiped him down.

"Hehe, I’m just in a good mood. Zhao San and Brother Liao are both loyal friends. Our families must stay close from now on. And A Ye, hehe—once A Ye and A Shu get married, we’ll have half a son. There’s no more reliable kid than A Ye. We’ll have someone to take care of us in our old age."

He Guixiang laughed and chided, "Why are you still thinking about that? Even if A Ye doesn’t marry A Shu, he’s still like half a son to us."

As she said this, she thought of something and her eyes welled up. She blamed herself for not giving her husband a son, something he had longed for all these years.

Though she felt guilty, she was content. Having two thoughtful daughters like A Shu and Xiao Pu was enough—she was already luckier than many families. Like Old Man Liao and Lin Zhaodi, everyone had their own hardships, yet they were still getting on with their lives. What more could she ask for?

While the two of them chatted, Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu were also talking. But by the time Lin Xiaopu fell asleep, Lin Shu was still wide awake, her mind filled with thoughts of A Ye.

This was the second night without A Ye. These past two days, since she was alone, she hadn’t gone to the river to bathe. Instead, she had resorted to her old habit of wiping herself down with warm water.

Lin Shu sighed softly. She suspected she might have a romantic streak.

Perhaps she just hadn’t had the chance to realize it before. How else could she explain missing A Ye so much after just two days that she couldn’t sleep?

She missed him not only at night but during the day as well.

Even the next day, while teaching at her third aunt’s house, Lin Shu found herself spacing out several times.

However, that only happened during breaks. When she was lecturing or when Lin Yushu asked questions, she didn’t have the chance to drift off. The boy’s questions were so insightful that sometimes Lin Shu had to rack her brains to come up with an answer.

After teaching Lin Yushu, Lin Shu didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she chatted with Zhang Qiaohua for a while.

"Now that your mother has someone to chat with, she doesn’t come to see me as often," Zhang Qiaohua muttered, though she didn’t actually mean it as a complaint.

Lin Shu couldn't help but laugh. "These days, Mom has been helping Aunt Lin prepare meals. It wouldn’t be right to leave Aunt Lin and come see you. After all, no matter how nice Aunt Lin is, she’s still an outsider. She can’t compare to how close we are. Our families share a bond that others can’t match."

A few kind words could make everyone happy, and Lin Shu was never stingy in that regard.

Sure enough, Zhang Qiaohua felt greatly comforted by this.

Truth be told, being alone wasn’t so bad aside from the loneliness. Since her sister-in-law hadn’t been visiting, she had focused solely on her work, without distractions from chatting. She had woven several more pairs of straw sandals and embroidered quite a few handkerchiefs. She could sell them at the market at the end of the month, earning a tidy sum.

"A Shu, is A Ye supposed to return today?" Zhang Qiaohua asked. She knew A Ye had gone into the mountains. A Shu’s distractedness today was likely because of that.

Lin Shu replied, "If nothing unexpected happened, he should return sometime today."

Zhang Qiaohua quickly agreed, "Then nothing must have happened! Before you came to our village, A Ye often went into the mountains. I know his skills, and so does everyone else."

However, nothing is certain. Even after the sun set, A Ye still hadn’t returned.

This time, even Lin Dashan grew anxious.

The last time A Ye returned late was because he had hunted a wild boar, which delayed him. A wild boar could weigh four to five hundred pounds, and even a small one was two to three hundred pounds. The mountain paths were difficult, so the return journey naturally took longer. Had A Ye hunted another wild boar this time?

Lin Shu also frowned slightly. If he didn’t return before dark, A Ye likely wouldn’t come back today. Traveling through the mountains at night was extremely dangerous—a misstep could lead to a broken leg, and that was no joking matter.

She trusted that A Ye wouldn’t let anything happen to himself, at least nothing life-threatening. He must have been delayed by something.

"Dad, I want to go to the edge of the deep mountains to take a look. Just the outskirts, not going deep inside," Lin Shu suddenly said.

Lin Dashan thought for a moment and said, "Daughter, you stay home. I’ll gather a few people to go with me."

But Lin Shu insisted, "Dad, I’m going. Besides, let’s not alarm too many people. Just ask Zhao San to come with us."

In the end, unable to persuade Lin Shu, Lin Dashan agreed.

They hurriedly ate their supper, then called Zhao San and headed toward the deep mountains.

Though they said they wouldn’t alarm the villagers, both Lin Dashan and Zhao Laosan carried torches. Though it wasn’t dark yet and the torches weren’t lit, they still drew attention. Plus, they were heading toward the mountains—how could they not be noticed?

The villagers who saw them tactfully didn’t ask questions, but they couldn’t help speculating the worst.

Come to think of it, Lin Laoer’s Zhou Ye hadn’t been seen for several days. Had something happened to him in the mountains?

Three or four concerned villagers picked up torches and followed. "Dashan, we’ll come along to see."

"Did Zhou Ye say when he’d be back? Has it been longer than expected?"

Lin Dashan sighed, knowing they meant well, and didn’t hide the truth. "He said he’d spend two nights in the mountains, but if he doesn’t return tonight, it’ll be the third night."

The man who asked offered a few words of comfort, but he had a bad feeling. Even two nights seemed dangerous, let alone three. Had something really happened to Zhou Ye in the deep mountains?

If Zhou Ye were in trouble, the village head would organize a larger search party at daybreak. Tonight, they could only shout a few times at the outskirts of the mountains—they couldn’t venture deep inside.

Lin Shu, who had been silent the whole way, suddenly spoke up. "Uncles, don’t worry. A Ye must have been delayed by something. Dad and I are just going to the outskirts to see if we’re lucky enough to run into him. We’re not going into the mountains to search." Her tone was calm and measured, sounding quite composed.

The uncles who had followed along agreed verbally, but inwardly they sighed. They could only hope Zhou Ye was fortunate enough, just as Lin Shu said.

He had returned safely from the mountains so many times before—why would this time be any different?

But who could say for sure?

As they talked, they reached the outskirts of the deep mountains. The sky had darkened.

One person lit a torch, and the others used it to light theirs. Soon, five or six torches were burning brightly.

"Dashan, let’s go a little farther in," suggested an older man.

Lin Dashan was grateful. "Alright, but let’s not go too deep. We’ll just shout a few times in the area where Ping Er usually goes. If A Ye can hear us, that’s good. If he doesn’t respond, then… we’ll leave it at that."

Now he regretted it. He shouldn’t have agreed to let A Ye stay in the mountains for two nights. If something really happened to A Ye, he would regret it for the rest of his life!

"Dad, don’t worry. A Ye is fine," Lin Shu reassured him.

Lin Dashan, seeing how confident she was, asked curiously, "How do you know he’s fine?"

Lin Shu replied, "I can’t explain it, but I just know he’s fine."

Lin Dashan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but his mood wasn't as heavy as before.

Lin Shu added, "Maybe A Ye hunted two large wild boars this time and couldn't carry them both at once, so he had to make two trips back? That's what held him up?"

She didn't lower her voice intentionally, and Uncle Zhao San and the other uncles all heard her. They were left speechless by Lin Shu's naive and blunt comment.

Lin Shu was really letting her imagination run wild—if wild boars were so easy to hunt, then Zhou Ye could just spend all day, every day, hunting wild boars in the mountains.

A single wild boar could weigh several hundred pounds. At market prices, one wild boar could sell for over a dozen strings of coins! Even if the price was bargained down, it would still bring in several strings of coins!

If the wild boar he hunted last time wasn't just luck but because Zhou Ye had the skill and know-how for hunting wild boars, why wouldn't he make a living from it? Selling a few wild boars would make him one of the richest men in the village.

But considering Lin Shu's background as a refined young lady from a well-to-do family, the men simply put it down to her being young and naive.

When they were deep enough into the woods, the group did not go further. Lin Dashan just cupped his hands and yelled, "A Ye—"

The others joined in.

They hadn't really expected a response, but after just a few shouts, a familiar voice suddenly called back from deep within the forest, "Uncle, I'm here—"

At the sound of his voice, Lin Shu's eyes instantly lit up, and she shouted loudly, "A Ye, A Ye!!!"

On the other end, there was a brief pause before the voice responded, louder than before, "A Shu, stay where you are! I'll be right there!"

The group was astonished—they never expected their shouts to actually get a response!

Just from the sound of Zhou Ye's voice, they could tell he was alive and kicking, completely unharmed.

However, although his voice was clear, the more experienced among them knew that there was at least a mountain between them, and Zhou Ye wouldn't be able to get to them for a while.

They weren't Zhou Ye and lacked his skills, so they followed his instruction and waited where they were. During this time, they called back and forth every so often, and Zhou Ye's voice grew steadily closer.

About half an hour later, sharp-eyed Lin Shu spotted flickering torchlight ahead in the forest.

It was A Ye!

A Ye was actually holding a torch in one hand!

Because he was carrying the torch with one hand and shouldering an astonishingly large load on his back, it had really slowed him down.

When they clearly saw what he was carrying on his shoulder, the entire group stared wide-eyed in shock. Someone let out a sharp gasp after realizing what it was.

"Is that… is that a black bear?!"

"Underneath the black bear, there seems to be a wild boar stacked on top!"

"My God, Zhou Ye actually hunted a wild boar and a black bear!!!"