Chapter 638 - 331: The Hardworking Father-to-be (Part 2)

Chapter 638: Chapter 331: The Hardworking Father-to-be (Part 2)

Juhua nodded. She was eating small, frequent meals these days, and before bed, she would even have a bowl of shanyu vermicelli in a fresh mushroom broth.

Huai Zi had been very busy lately, so he had less free time to spend with Juhua.

He needed to rush to get his work at home done so he could escort Zhang Yang to the Prefecture Examination and the subsequent academy examination. If Zhang Yang and Little Shitou passed the Prefecture Examination, they wouldn’t hurry back. Instead, they would stay in Huzhou City to review their lessons and wait for the academy examination, with Ding Xuezheng and Li Changfeng looking after them.

This was a precaution, just in case any villains tried to cause them harm. Even the departure date for this trip to Huzhou was set in secret, and they planned to leave stealthily.

The next morning, he rose early and glanced at Juhua, still fast asleep. She was lying sideways in the middle of the large bed, one leg draped over a bolster pillow, the other end of which was tucked under her belly for support. The blanket had long since been kicked aside.

Ever since her belly began to show, Huai Zi hadn’t dared to sleep too close to her. She was always a restless sleeper, tossing and turning all night. So, he slept on the very outer edge of the bed, leaving the entire thing to her and letting her roll about as she pleased.

He lightly kissed the nape of her neck and pulled a corner of the thin blanket over her chest. Only then did he step outside to get ready. In the dim morning light, he set off for the wooden hut on the mountain to harvest wood ear mushrooms.

The mountain forest had not yet fully awakened. The birds hadn’t begun their morning chorus, and dew dripped from the blades of grass, sounding like rain if you listened quietly. The trees were dense with foliage, kudzu vines climbed everywhere, and patches of moss in varying shades of green clung to the tree roots on the ground.

Huai Zi hurried through the woods, constantly pushing branches and bushes aside. Deep in the forest, he reached a drafty wooden hut. He pushed open the simple plank door, and his eyes fell upon a crisscrossing jumble of rotting logs.

He shrugged off the basket on his back, took out a pair of scissors, and began harvesting the plump wood ear mushrooms.

He had tried many methods, but he couldn’t figure out how to increase the yield. In the end, all he could do was cut gashes in the logs and sprinkle them with wood shavings, or dig holes in the logs and fill them with the shavings. At least wood ear mushrooms grew on them.

He quickly harvested all the mature mushrooms, filling his basket to the brim. After pressing them down, the load weighed a good thirty-plus pounds. Only then did he head down the mountain. By this time, the forest was bustling with life—birds chirped and streams babbled.

He hurried back to the main courtyard and dropped off the basket. Without even stopping for a drink of water, Huai Zi slung another set of gear over his shoulder—a carrying basket, a small hand basket, and a digging rake—and headed back up the mountain.

This time, he went in a different direction, toward a large patch of wild berries colloquially known as "transplanting berries." He was going to pick them for Juhua.

The wild berries grew on thorny bushes with small spines on the branches. They were shaped like strawberries, but much smaller—only about the size of a peanut. Once ripe, the berries were a brilliant red, looking like a smattering of tiny red stars from a distance. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy at the sight. Setting down the large bamboo basket, he took the small hand basket and started picking around the edge of the patch.

The wild berries were incredibly red and delicate. You had to grasp them and pull gently, or pinch off the thin stem beneath. A heavy hand would crush them into a soft, red pulp. The ones that were perfectly ripe would burst at the slightest touch, so he just popped those into his mouth. Otherwise, they would get squashed in the basket and spoil the rest.

After picking more than half a basketful, Huai Zi stared at the center of the briar patch. The berries there were bigger and redder, but he couldn’t reach them. An idea struck him. He grabbed his rake and violently hacked at the thorny bushes, clearing a path for himself.

A red, patterned snake was startled by the commotion. It shot forward, trying to escape into the denser part of the thicket. But Huai Zi was faster. He slammed the rake down, smashing the snake’s neck to a pulp. Grabbing it by the tail, he pulled it out. It was a little thinner than the handle of his rake and felt heavy in his hand, weighing a good few pounds.

He looked at the fat snake and thought, ’When I get home, I’ll skin this and make a stew for Juhua.’

He suddenly noticed its bulging belly—it was pregnant, too. ’Whoa! I don’t think anyone’s ever tried snake eggs before!’ he thought. ’Ah well, better not to give them to Juhua.’ He considered this, feeling not the slightest guilt for having killed a pregnant snake. He pulled up a few long blades of grass, tied the snake up securely, and tossed it into his large basket.

Once that was done, he turned and went back down the path he’d cleared into the briar patch to pick the wild berries. As he plucked the berries, which were clearly much larger than the ones around the perimeter, his mood was bright, and a faint smile played on his lips.

When he finished picking the berries, he shouldered his bamboo basket and rake once more and headed for his next destination. He spotted plenty of mushrooms along the way but wasn’t in the mood to gather them—he had more important business to attend to.

A few days earlier, while up on the mountain, he had spotted an old tree root that was wonderfully rustic and unusual. Juhua loved things like that and had even mentioned wanting to dig up some plants for potting. So, he had decided to find time to dig up this root for her and plant it at the base of their courtyard wall.

He wandered around for a good while before finding the old tree root again. Looking at its size, he grew a little worried. ’The carrying basket probably won’t be of any use,’ he thought. ’If I dig this whole thing out, it’s going to be massive.’

’If I have to, I’ll just carry it back,’ he thought. With that, he rolled up his sleeves and started digging with all his might.

After Juhua got up, she endured a bout of morning sickness. Just as she was finally feeling settled, she saw Huai Zi enter the courtyard. His head was cocked to one side, one hand holding the small basket and propped on his hip, the other steadying the large carrying basket on his shoulder. Inside it was a huge, dark, lumpy object. He spotted her from across the yard and broke into a wide grin.

Seeing how much he was struggling, Juhua rushed down from the covered porch to meet him. "What is that... Whoa! What a huge tree root! It’s beautiful!" she asked as she approached. "You brought it back with all the dirt still attached? How much must that weigh?"

She exclaimed, a mix of awe and concern in her voice. Then she took the basket he handed her and smiled in renewed delight. "Are these transplanting berries? They’re ripe already? I didn’t think it was time yet—we haven’t even transplanted the rice seedlings."

Her face lit up with a smile as she picked up a berry. She gently bit into it, smacked her lips, and said, "Sweet and sour. It tastes wonderful."