Although He Zhiran did not personally witness the difficulties Mo Jiuye faced while hunting for prey, she could deduce from the current environment that it was not easy to hunt for game after the heavy rain.
Seeing that Mo Jiuye was about to refuse, she quickly interjected, "Husband, the medicinal herbs are running out. If you go hunting, you can also gather some on the way back."
Based on Mo Jiuye's understanding of her, he knew that her words were definitely not just about collecting herbs.
Therefore, the refusal he was about to blurt out was instantly swallowed back.
"Alright, let's go now."
Seeing that Mo Jiuye did not refuse, Peng Wang instinctively assumed that he had agreed to her request.
After all, he completely trusted these two people now and was not worried that they would run away.
Mo Jiuye led her up the mountain, walking on the slippery mountain path, which was a great challenge for He Zhiran, who had no lightness skills.
Fortunately, with Mo Jiuye holding her hand all the way, He Zhiran did not slip.
He Zhiran, as a modern soul, did not pay much attention to the physical contact between the two, but Mo Jiuye was different.
He walked ahead, and his face would occasionally flush with heat, and his heartbeat would even accelerate beyond his control.
This was not the first time Mo Jiuye had felt this way after physical contact with He Zhiran, and he had to take it seriously.
When he was in the military camp, he had heard his married colleagues say that their heart rate would increase when they met someone they liked.
Could it be that he liked He Zhiran?
Mo Jiuye did not reject this feeling; on the contrary, he quite liked it.
With this in mind, he unconsciously tightened his grip on He Zhiran's hand.
Unable to see Mo Jiuye's face, He Zhiran thought that his actions were simply to better protect her.
With a slightly nervous yet pleasant mood, Mo Jiuye led He Zhiran to a spacious place.
He knew that He Zhiran's main purpose for coming out with him was not really to gather herbs.
Seeing that she showed no intention of stopping, Mo Jiuye asked softly, "Where do you want to go?"
Where to go?
He Zhiran didn't have a specific destination in mind. The main reason she followed Mo Jiuye was to buy some items in Taobao.
Looking around at the surroundings, it felt quite pleasant.
If it weren't for the heavy rain last night or the fact that they were both exiled criminals, she really wanted to stay here and enjoy the beauty of nature.
However, for now, she needed to be practical.
Although she no longer kept many things from Mo Jiuye, she couldn't simply take items out of space in broad daylight like magic tricks in front of him.
"How about you go for a stroll and look for some prey? I'll stay here and prepare, and then I'll call you back, how about that?"
Having Mo Jiuye search for prey was just an excuse. They hadn't seen a trace of prey along the way; He Zhiran simply used it as a casual excuse to keep him away.
Mo Jiuye naturally understood her thoughts.
"Alright, I'll go farther away. If you encounter any danger, just shout."
"Well, don't worry! If there's any danger, I'll definitely call you back to save me."
Mo Jiuye continued walking uphill, turning his head three times, hoping that He Zhiran would ask him to stay.
However, He Zhiran did not say anything to make him stay...
It wasn't until Mo Jiuye's figure disappeared that He Zhiran arrived under a dense grove of trees and quickly entered a trance-like state.
Taking out her phone, she purchased herbs for those people to take a day's worth.
Additionally, to accompany Mo Jiuye on the hunt, she bought ten live rabbits for meat.
Wild chickens had become a protected species in the future, so they were not sold on Taobao. However, wild chicken eggs were available.
Although wild chicken eggs were more expensive than regular chicken eggs, at least they were obtainable.
With everything prepared, He Zhiran shouted in the direction Mo Jiuye had left.
"Mo Jiuye, I'm ready."
She shouted twice in a row but received no response.
He Zhiran grew anxious and walked up the hill to search for him.
Just as she had walked less than a hundred meters, she saw a familiar figure.
Mo Jiuye was coming towards her, carrying a wild mountain goat on his shoulder.
He had heard He Zhiran's call, but he was in the middle of catching the mountain goat, afraid that making a sound would scare it away, so he didn't answer immediately.
With the goat captured, Mo Jiuye didn't dare to linger. He hoisted the goat onto his shoulder and walked quickly in He Zhiran's direction.
Seeing the mountain goat on Mo Jiuye's shoulder, He Zhiran felt a bit regretful.
If she had known he could catch a mountain goat, she would have bought one from Taobao as well.
Mo Jiuye had already approached her and, after a moment of hesitation, he pretended to be calm and held her hand.
"Let's go!"
Seeing the live rabbits, Mo Jiuye was somewhat shocked.
He couldn't even find this many wild rabbits with his skills, so how did He Zhiran manage it?
Could it be that these rabbits also came from her magical treasure chest?
But soon, he used his previous reasoning to convince himself that these were secrets that couldn't be explored.
Sorting out his thoughts, Mo Jiuye found some branches and tied them together with vines to make a raft.
The two of them pulled the fully loaded raft back to the cave.
Peng Wang's eyes lit up when he saw these things.
"Brother, sister-in-law, you've worked hard. In this special period, being able to keep everyone from going hungry is all thanks to you."
Both Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran didn't mind the credit. Their greatest hope now was for the whole family to safely reach the northwest.
"Peng Big Brother, you're too polite. It was just a small effort on our part."
Mo Jiuye exchanged a few polite words and then left with the wild mountain goat, two rabbits, and some wild chicken eggs, while also pulling He Zhiran along.
As for the remaining game, Peng Wang would take care of it.
The sisters-in-law took the initiative to handle the game, although they were still a bit hesitant, they persevered.
The ninth brother and ninth sister-in-law had already done so much for everyone, and they had to do their best to share the burden.
Peng Wang was responsible for distributing food to the other families and villagers. Although it wasn't as abundant as what the Mo family had, no one complained. At a time like this, without Mo Jiuye and his wife, they would either starve to death or die from illness. They were too grateful to even express it properly.
Even the He family, who harbored resentment towards Mo Jiuye, had softened their animosity to a great extent. He Zhiyuan even personally approached Mo Jiuye to express his gratitude.
Both He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye could tell that He Zhiyuan now had friendly intentions towards them. However, trust is not built overnight, and they couldn't befriend just anyone.
Mo Jiuye simply nodded in acknowledgment, indicating his acceptance of He Zhiyuan's gratitude, and ceased any further interaction with him.
After an hour of busyness, Madam Mo, accompanied by the other women of the household, finally managed to prepare the wild game brought back by Mo Jiuye.
Mo Jiuye had already set up a bonfire in an open space. In such an environment, roasting the wild game was the most convenient cooking method.
Of course, if they wanted it to taste good, they still needed He Zhiran's culinary skills.
