Her niece was beautiful, with a proper appearance, and was highly pampered at home. If she were to live her life following Youth Dong, the two of them wouldn't have a good life.
Right now, Yingying hadn't married yet, so her cousin-in-law spoiled her a bit. But what about later? Once this girl married, her in-laws wouldn't indulge her like this.
When her cousin-in-law grew old, who would this girl have to rely on for help?
"You brat, don't think I'm being difficult. I just don't think highly of you and Youth Dong. You're beautiful and educated; once your third brother has been with the transport team for a while, he can find you a job. By then, you could transfer your household registration to the city. Wouldn't it be a waste to marry that boy Dong Wenzhong!"
The more Wang Lanhua spoke, the more she showed her disdain for Youth Dong, her expression being truly indescribable.
Seeing that her paternal aunt was even more enthusiastic than what her mother had said, Xu Ying felt a sudden warmth in her heart. She smiled and said, "Auntie, I'll listen to you and my parents. I won't associate with Youth Dong anymore."
"Really?" Wang Lanhua exclaimed. Oh my goodness, this girl had finally come to her senses.
"Really," Xu Ying nodded. Anyone who didn't know better would think this aunt was her biological mother.
Wang Lanhua gripped Xu Ying's hand, her mouth curving into a wide grin. "Alright, if you can figure this out, your mother will definitely be happy. Fine then, you and Shitou go up the mountain. Auntie is going to go talk to the others."
Wang Lanhua left carrying the shoe sole in her hand. Her mouth could never stay idle for a moment; if she wasn't gossiping, her lips would itch.
"Old sisters, let's continue. Where were we?"
Xu Ying led Shitou and Huzi further up the mountain.
Carrying a back-frame, Shitou looked at Xu Ying curiously. "Little Aunt, do you really not like Youth Dong anymore?"
Hearing this, Xu Ying laughed and turned to look at him. "What, you don't believe me? I really don't like him anymore. Kid, do you even know what 'liking' is?"
Shitou shook his head and then nodded slightly. "I know you liked Youth Dong and were clamoring every day to marry him. So now that you don't like him, does that mean you won't marry him?"
Xu Ying patted Shitou's head. "That's right, I won't marry him. Little Aunt doesn't want to get married anymore; I just want to stay with you guys."
*Not getting married? How is that possible?*
But as long as Little Aunt didn't marry Dong Wenzhong, it was fine. Previously, his mother would scold his father every night, saying Little Aunt's eyes were stuck shut with filth, and that of all people, she had to like Dong Wenzhong.
Now, things were good; Little Aunt's eyes were finally clean.
It seemed falling into the river was a good thing after all, as it washed away the filth from Little Aunt's eyes.
Xu Ying had no idea what the brat was thinking. If she knew, she would have definitely taken a shoe sole and given him a beating.
The three of them bypassed the work area and took a shortcut up the mountain.
This time, Xu Ying also carried a back-frame.
"Shitou, Huzi, come here. Little Aunt brought some biscuits for you to eat." After saying this, Xu Ying took out several pieces of scallion biscuits from her frame, having removed the packaging.
Huzi was the first to run over with small steps. Taking the biscuit from Xu Ying, he swallowed hard and said politely, "Thank you, Little Aunt."
Shitou also walked over with his back-frame. Looking at the biscuits in Xu Ying's hand, he swallowed as well. "Little Aunt, have you eaten?"
"I've eaten. These are for you two." Xu Ying gave the rest to Shitou.
Shitou took the biscuits, and smelling their fragrance, he took a large bite, his face full of happiness. "Little Aunt, these biscuits are even better than oil-crisp cakes!"
"Big Brother, what are oil-crisp cakes?" Huzi had never eaten them and asked curiously with blinking eyes.
Hearing this, Shitou gave Xu Ying a guilty glance. "Oil-crisp cakes are sweet and very crispy. These are salty; it's my first time eating them."
He had only eaten oil-crisp cakes once, and that was when he saw Little Aunt eating them. He had been so hungry for them that he stole a piece from her.
However, it seemed Little Aunt didn't know about it.
"You guys eat first. I want to see if there are any wild animals around," Xu Ying said, looking around.
Hearing this, Shitou immediately thought of yesterday's fish soup and last night's wild chicken. His eyes brightened as he nodded. "Little Aunt, I'll watch Huzi. You go ahead. But you can't go into the deep mountains; there are man-eating monsters in the deep mountains. Just look around nearby."
Xu Ying was amused by Shitou's little adult-like instructions. She smiled. "Little Aunt knows. I'm going then."
Shitou nodded and watched Xu Ying depart. The two brothers sat together, happily eating their biscuits.
"Big Brother, Little Aunt is so good," Huzi said, his mouth curving into a smile as he ate.
The biscuits were truly delicious.
Shitou nodded. "Little Aunt is so good to us. When we grow up and earn money, we'll spend it all on her."
Huzi immediately agreed, "Okay!"
Xu Ying walked toward the riverbank from last time with her back-frame. She wasn't as lucky this time; forget wild chickens, she hadn't even encountered a single feather, but she did find five duck eggs.
Fearing the eggs would break in the back-frame, she put them directly into her Space.
Thinking about how the deep mountains were rumored to be so eerie, Xu Ying felt a sudden urge to try. She had seen man-eating zombies and mutated animals back in the Apocalypse.
She had fought those things before, so she wasn't afraid of the large wild animals in the mountains at all.
Xu Ying walked toward the deep mountains. The deeper she went, the darker the light became. Tall, straight trees blocked out most of the sunlight, leaving only dappled, sparse light filtering through the leaves.
From time to time, the wind would blow through the leaves, creating a rustling sound like human sobbing, making the deep mountains seem exceptionally terrifying.
If it were the old Xu Ying, she probably would have been screaming in terror long ago, but having undergone the baptism of the Apocalypse, her courage had long since been tempered.
There were many weapons in her Space, all of them new types of weapons developed during the Apocalypse, and each was extremely powerful.
For safety, Xu Ying took out a short knife and a set of arrows and a bow from her Space.
She had taken this bow and arrows from a specialized shop during the Apocalypse. The bow was made of bamboo and had excellent resilience, while the bowstring was made of high-quality Dacron rope, which had the best load-bearing capacity.
The arrows were also made of bamboo. She had taken many arrows back then, and there were at least several thousand in her Space now, though only ten were usable at the moment.
Holding the bow and arrows, Xu Ying began to wander through the deep mountains.
Few people came to the deep mountains, so it was very abundant. After walking just a few steps, Xu Ying spotted a wild rabbit. She immediately raised her bow, drew the string, and aimed at the rabbit.
Then, she suddenly released her hand, and the arrow shot out with a *whoosh*.
Looking at the fallen rabbit, Xu Ying walked over quickly.
Her archery skills weren't great; although it wasn't a fatal blow, her arrow had hit the rabbit's leg.
She tossed the immobile rabbit into her Space.
Xu Ying continued deeper into the mountains. Not far in, she heard the sound of rushing water. Following the sound, she saw a large river, and beside the river was a flock of wild chickens.
This time, she didn't use arrows but chose blades. She took a large handful of ice blades from her Space and threw them directly at the flock of wild chickens.
A large array of blades scattered like flowers. The chickens hit by the blades fell to the ground one after another, while the rest of the flock flew away in a panic, flapping their wings.
Out of the dozen or so chickens, she had killed three, which left Xu Ying quite satisfied.
The only pity was the blades, as they were single-use. Fortunately, she had quite a few ice blades in a bag. As long as she continued to work hard to unlock her Space—well, she would have everything.
She quickly walked to the chickens, pulled some grass, and tied them together.
She threw them all into her Space.
Xu Ying walked in the deep mountains for a while longer when a sudden roar of a beast reached her ears, making her skin crawl.
Her ears twitched, and she cautiously followed the sound. She saw a group of snarling wild wolves standing at the bottom of a distant slope, and a massive wild boar lying on the ground.
A man stood beside the wild boar. His clothes had been torn to shreds by the wolf pack, exposing his well-developed muscles.
Especially his pectoral and abdominal muscles; one look at them gave off a charm of sturdiness, strength, and a profound sense of security.
Xu Ying took one look and gasped. This physique was incredible.
(End of Chapter)