Chapter 14: Prey; Die to Survive
In the forest, heavy breathing and messy footsteps startled the birds to fly in all directions. The withered leaves lying on the ground were also driven up by airflow caused by the speedy run and swirled in midair.
The air was smothering. Yellow leaves flew up and down.
It seemed between the sky nad the earth, there were only two figures left, one chasing and the other being chased, one predator and the other prey! However, who was the prey was unknown.
Close at hand!
In the nick of time!
Li Kaishi bounced over!
Mo Qianxue suddenly sped up and tried her best to jump forward!
Li Kaishi’s fingers were only 0.1mm away from Mo Qianxue. With complacence, he was ready to take a leap again to grab the beauty into his arms when he suddenly stepped on emptiness, followed by a miserable scream echoing in the forest.
Hearing the scream, Mo Qianxue knew without looking back that it must be the rogue falling into the trap. Meanwhile, her heart settled down from her throat.
This move was called to die to survive.
She had no other choice. If she went down the mountain, with lower speed than his, she would definitely be caught up by him. The only way for her was to run up the hill. Leading the rat into the trap was her best defense and counterattack.
The moment she sprang up, she had calculated the position of the trap and the distance from it. She only needed to expect the pleasant miserable sound.
After the rogue got stuck in the trap, Mo Qianxue didn’t check him nor stop. She dashed right away down the mountain.
In one breath, she reached the village. With clothes were soaked up, she collapsed onto the ground and sat there still for quite a while before she groomed her clothes and hair to head for her home.
The incomparably elegant figure really stood at the door. Her eyes reddened at the sight and tears were ready to fall off.
Seeing the thin figure, Ning Shaoqing stepped forward in a hurry. Her messy clothes made him scold her with both anger and love, “Where have you been? Why do you come back so late?”
When he had woken up and didn’t see her around, he thought she went to visit others and didn’t care too much. Yet, he waited and waited before he, with burning worry, began to search for her all around the village. There was no shadow of her. His heart plunged.
Mo Qianxue never found the sound of his scolding so warm. At this moment, she really wished to dive into his graceful arms and cry as she wanted.
Just almost, she would feel shameful to face him!
Mo Qianxue wanted to tell him everything, but once she spoke, the words came out like this, “I went to collect mushrooms and got lost, so I came back late.”
Ning Shaoqing took a look at her back-basket, and the worry and anger turned into sadness. He helped her unshoulder the back-basket with one hand and held her into the door with the other.
historical
Only after a long while was he able to breath a long sigh of relief and asked calmly, “Didn’t they pay tuition fee? If you think the amount is too little, I’ll ask the Village Head (Bao Zhang) to set a higher one.”
How much his self-esteem had suffered to make a person proud like him to droop down for a higher tuition fee?
Mo Qianxue was stiffened on hearing the words. She looked up at him whose face was covered with a mist of sorrow. The look made her heart plummeting and her eyes red. With these words, she would sacrifice anything to make him happy.
How could she let her man who had hard back-bones droop down to vulgar people just for some food?
It was legitimate to agree to take tuition fee if others had proposed, but to set a higher standard would be a request and begging.
She didn’t beg people, neither would she allow him to beg. She had both hands and brain. As long as she worked hard, their life must get better.
As this thought occurred to her, Mo Qianxue got so determined that when she looked up again, the tears that had almost flooded out disappeared and was replaced with a forced smile, “It’s enough. I just wanted to eat this kind of mushroom. I won’t do this next time.
The people of the Village of Wang Clan saved our lives. We owed them this. How can we have more request? Sir, just take care of your health and teach their children well. Don’t worry about other things.”
After saying this, Mo Qianxue found Ning Shaoqing stayed silent watching the old willow tree, so she asked tentatively, “Sir, do you have anything to say about making some food for selling?”
In the time, there was no prejudice against businessmen, but in the order of officials, farmers, workers and businessmen, businessmen were placed at the end, and they couldn’t enjoy a very-high social status. In the eyes of men of letters, businessmen were vulgar people who smelled nothing but filthy money.
Looking at the eyes filled with hope, Ning Shaoqing sighed a long breath. If he himself couldn’t afford a luxurious life for her, he should give her more freedom and let her live more carefreely. Reputation, after all, was mere worldly possessions that had more to do with others than oneself.
He held Mo Qianxue to get inside and sit down, then putting down the back-basket in his hand, he replied, “As you wish. Make yourself happy. But one thing you should remember, wherever you go, please tell me first, don’t make it like today...”
Ning Shaoqing’s gaze at Mo Qianxue was as gentle as a cello.
This warm scene made Mo crack a smile and also made Ning wake up to his tone.
He coughed suddenly, rising his volume and sounding domineering and annoyed, “Don’t go to the mountain on your own. Neither should you come back late! And...I’m so hungry. Go and cook.”
Finishing the speech, he turned to the inner room in a hurry.
Why did this person turn his face faster than turn a page? Mo Qianxue was a little shocked. But the bang of the door of the inner room made her laugh. Was it that difficult for him to show his real feelings toward her?
Since the danger didn’t cleared yet, how would she go to the mountain alone again?
Now that she had confirmed that there were straw mushrooms in the mountains, she had all kinds of means to get them.
As for the dinner, Mo Qianxue smiled, because she also had a thousand kinds of methods to satisfy this proud yet shy man’s stomach.
*
The sun set early before moon rose to the sky.
In the dimness, a shadow appeared at the entrance of the village. He cocked his head to one side and stumbled ahead.
“Where did you fuck around and came back so late?”
The moment Li Kaishi got in the door, he was scared by Li Baye who was sitting in the main hall.
“Nothing. I just went to the mountain to hunt some wild hares but fell into a trap by accident...”
Li Kaishi barely finished when his mother rushed over, crying and shouting, “My dear son, let me have a look.”
The mother felt so sad seeing her son’s face covering with blood. She helped him clean up while cursing, “Who is so blind to dig holes in the mountain? I curse his son has no asshole. There there my son. Does it still hurt? Tomorrow I must find out which stupid one made the trap in the forest...”
Although Li Baye also feel bad for his son, he complained, “Stop it. Don’t make a fool of yourself. He mucks around all day long in the mountain all because of your bad raising.”
“If you have gotten me a wife, would I fool around?” Li Kaishi grumbled.
“A wife? Your reputation can drive away all kinds of women in ten miles around. How dare you be so picky?”
When mentioning this, Li Baye pissed off. All in the village didn’t want to marry their daughter to his son due to his bad reputation. Last time when he made a propose at the neighboring village and finally reached the agreement, the son should hate the girl’s unpretty face and leave at once, leaving him there, embarrassed.
“Is that a wife you find you? That’s a pig! I think Ning’s wife is pretty good. At that time, my third brother carried her back, why did you marry her to the sick one to pray for blessing? Why didn’t you think of me? ...”
Li Kaishi believed that but for the trap, he would have gotten the beauty today. The thought made him dazzle. The Ning girl had a pretty face besides a pair of watery tender hands and slim and soft waist...
He was picturing in his mind, but his face really hurt, “Mom, be gentler...”
The mother, seeing her son hurt, started to curse again, “Which dead one set this trap? I curse him...”
There were hundreds of people in the village, all led by four clan elders except for the villiage head.
Li Baye was the youngest one of them four. He had been elected because he went to school for a few days and was a little literate. Therefore, he was a man who knew shame.
When his wife and son went so far, he didn’t want to be laughed at by neighbors, so he shouted, thumping on the table, “Shut up, you two!”
Then with a heavy snort, he turned to the bedroom.
Since his father went inside irritated, Li Kaishi didn’t dare to make more noise, just grumbling in a low voice, “Anyway, I want Ning’s wife.”
“Why do you want her, an abandoned married trash! Tomorrow I’ll find you a good one...”