The little one searched around but couldn't find his elder brothers and sisters, yet he didn't fuss.
The young fellow entertained himself, chasing chickens and dogs, busy and happy.
Su Manxiu wanted to intervene but was stopped by Grandma Su.
"They've come all this way; let the child do whatever he wants. It's not like he's breaking any bones!"
Su Manxiu and Chen Zi'an watched the child only chase the chickens around the yard, not actually harming them, so they let him be.
A boy, a little mischievousness was fine. Chen Zi'an even planned to send him to the army for training when he grew up.
"Mom, where did the children go?"
Su Manxiu was also curious. Why wasn't a single child around?
It was already the twenty-ninth of the lunar month; they couldn't still be out playing, could they?
"Oh, them. After they came back, they couldn't stay put at home, so they went up the mountain!"
Grandma Su said with doting in her voice.
Hearing this, Su Manxiu suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled, her gaze falling on Chen Zi'an.
Chen Zi'an instantly understood his wife's meaning.
She was clearly teasing him about returning for the New Year years ago, going up the mountain, and not hunting anything, returning empty-handed.
"I'll go up the mountain to have a look too!"
Chen Zi'an looked at Su Manxiu with amusement, reached out, and ruffled her hair as if she were a child.
Grandma Su's lips curved as she watched her son-in-law treat her daughter so well.
Su Manxiu, however, blushed and chided, "My hair is all messy, honestly!"
Chen Zi'an chuckled, "It's fine, I like your messy hair too."
With that, he greeted Grandma Su and prepared to leave.
"Zi'an, you don't need to go. They've already gone far. What if you miss them?"
Chen Zi'an strode towards the yard, saying as he walked, "It's fine, I'll follow the clues they left behind and definitely find them!"
If he couldn't find prey, could he not find the children?
Su Manxiu shook her head speechlessly, smiling and saying, "Mom, just let him go. He can't help much by staying at home anyway!"
Chen Zi'an, who couldn't help much, took his gear and headed up the mountain.
Being a former soldier made a difference. As soon as he reached the foot of the mountain, he began searching for clues and indeed quickly found the direction the Su children had gone.
More than two hours later, Chen Zi'an successfully found the children.
Not to mention, the children were quite good at finding places. After going around and around, even he, an old soldier, had to put in considerable effort.
However, the children didn't seem to be having a smooth time at the moment.
"Little Sweetheart, what's wrong with you all?" Chen Zi'an called out loudly.
"Uncle?" Su Xiaotian cried out in surprise.
Her tone and inflection were as if she had seen a savior.
"Uncle, hurry over! The few of us have found a litter of wild boars and are figuring out how to bring them all back," Su Xiao Jiu also shouted.
Chen Zi'an looked at the wild chickens, rabbits, a deer, and a sheep tied together by the children's feet, and once again felt he might have misjudged!
Could it be that so much prey was just lying on the mountain waiting for these children?
In such a short time, not only did they get so much game, but they also stumbled upon a group of wild boars.
After thinking about all this, Chen Zi'an realized he hadn't once considered whether the children encountering wild boars might be in danger.
It seemed he had a lot of confidence in these children!
Chen Zi'an followed the direction the children pointed and indeed saw a litter of wild boars, seven in total, big and small.
No wonder the children were all looking troubled. It would be strange if they weren't.
But with so many wild boars, if the entire Su family took them back, they might not even have room to walk in the commune.
The wild game on the mountain belonged to everyone and could only be shared.
Chen Zi'an quickly devised a proper solution.
"Shou Wen, Ci Liang, Wu Rang, you three stay here with me to guard. The rest, take these hunted animals and take the shortcut home, then inform the commune leader that wild boars have been found on the mountain and ask him to bring people up," Chen Zi'an calmly arranged.
Since it was to be shared by everyone, everyone had to contribute.
Su Xiaotian nodded. Uncle's words indeed made sense.
"Uncle, should I go back?" Su Xiaotian asked tentatively.
Chen Zi'an looked at Su Xiaotian, and the words he was about to say, asking her to leave, didn't come out.
Chen Zi'an had initially wanted Su Xiaotian to go back first. It was very cold on the mountain, and he didn't want the little girl to freeze, which would be heartbreaking.
But then he thought, what if the wild boars were lost if Su Xiaotian left?
This kind of thing wasn't entirely impossible. Forget it, it was better not to let the little girl go back.
"Xiaotian, you stay with us."
Su Xiaotian actually thought Chen Zi'an wanted her to go back with them and was wondering how to find a plausible excuse to stay.
Who knew she would hear such a sentence.
She quickly agreed. The adventure on the mountain wasn't over yet.
Just now, by communicating with the plants on the mountain, Su Xiaotian had confirmed that there was a treasure nearby.
It was just that the wild boars had been discovered, and her brothers, afraid she would be in danger if she left, kept a close eye on her, not letting her move an inch.
Su Xiaotian hadn't found an opportunity to explore.
Now was the perfect chance.
San Gong led the brothers to divide the harvested game and head down the mountain.
Chen Zi'an watched the wild boars trapped by the children, certain they couldn't break free in a short time. He then started discussing matters at the military academy with Wu Rang.
Su Shou Wen and Su Ci Liang hadn't had a chance to ask about Su Wu Rang's situation at the military academy. Wu Rang's school was different from theirs, so they were somewhat curious.
The few of them gathered together and started talking.
Su Xiaotian, seeing that the time was about right, followed the location indicated by the plants and found a small cave.
The cave was very small, just big enough for one person to squeeze into.
Su Xiaotian, being petite and delicate, didn't take up much space and could move freely inside.
She took out a flashlight she had been keeping in her system's storage and looked around. She then saw several old wooden boxes placed inside the cave.
"So many?" Su Xiaotian exclaimed in surprise.
The system's voice was filled with excitement.
"Congratulations, Host! These boxes are all treasures. With these, the Host can work less for a lifetime!"
Su Xiaotian: "..."
What did that mean?
Did it mean she could just relax and live comfortably without doing anything?
At this moment, Su Xiaotian didn't know that after she looked at these four boxes, she would be able to confirm that she could switch to a leisurely mode from then on. m..oΓg
"Anna, you're not doing this right. I'm a motivated youth raised under the red flag. How can I just lie flat because I've found treasure? My life is meant to contribute to the country!"
Anna's disdainful voice then sounded, "Host, say that after you've seen the boxes!"
Although Su Xiaotian had received much guidance from the system, this was the first time the system had been so excited about external possessions. Could it be that she had struck it rich this time?