Chapter 111: Chapter 111: There’s a Big Tree That’s Really Beautiful

It turned out to be a misunderstanding.

Everyone burst into laughter.

The laughter startled the others, who all sat up and looked over, and some even quickly grabbed nearby weapons.

“Are you all awake? Perfect, come over and let’s chat!”

Mr. Zhou Sr. waved his hand to everyone.

Though everyone was a bit confused, they relaxed when they realized there was no danger and draped their clothes over themselves as they came closer.

The women didn’t come over but stayed to watch over the sleeping children.

The men from each family gathered together, sitting around the fire.

Qi Erlang and Qi Sanlang also woke up at this point, and Qi Quanjin asked the two boys to pour water for everyone.

It wasn’t plain water, but Chrysanthemum Tea.

This was at Yin Cheng’s request, saying it could reduce internal heat.

“Dad, why are you still awake so late?”

Zhou Tao yawned, tears in his eyes as he looked at his father.

Mr. Zhou Sr. chuckled and said, “We, the old guys, were talking for a bit and realized there’s something you all need to know.”

Qi Zheng saw Mr. Zhou Sr. bring it up, so he didn’t say anything.

Mr. Zhou Sr. explained about Qi Manman being Little Fubao, emphasizing that the families would all be considered one family in the future.

The other old men didn’t object and even nodded in agreement.

Seeing the elders say this, the sons and grandsons naturally had no objections.

They were all quite envious of such a lovely little girl.

The simple meeting didn’t last long, and after drinking Chrysanthemum Tea, everyone went back to lie down and rest.

Early the next morning, Qi Quanjin took the group up the mountain again.

This time he brought even more people.

Zhou Tao and Niuzi stayed behind to protect the elderly and children.

The Qi Family’s Dalang was also left behind.

However, Erlang, Sanlang, Four Lang, and Wulang were all taken up the mountain.

The youngest, Qi Wulang, was only nine years old this year. Normally, he wouldn’t have gone, but the Qi boys were all strong.

Though Qi Wulang was only nine, he was quite strong, not weaker than an average woman.

The Qi Family’s three daughters-in-law also went along.

Wang Daya stayed to look after the elderly and children, while the second daughter-in-law, Qu Laodi, the third daughter-in-law, Mu Yunniang, and the fourth daughter-in-law, Yi Meng, went up the mountain.

Nearly half of the people went at once.

Everyone was carrying baskets and all the bags, heading up the mountain with excitement.

This time, Qi Manman was still in the basket, but the one carrying the basket was Qi Ercai.

Since it was daytime and visibility was good, Qi Manman didn’t need to guide them. They could easily follow the markers left the previous day and find the chestnut grove.

Everyone was delighted to see the chestnuts, swiftly packing the remaining ones and bringing down the chestnuts they couldn’t carry down yesterday.

However, not everyone returned down the mountain.

Qi Quanjin led five men along with his wife and daughter to continue exploring.

The rest, carrying what they could, followed Qi Sangui down the mountain.

These chestnuts would need further sorting back home, keeping the best ones.

After splitting into two groups, Qi Quanjin asked his little daughter, “Manbao, which way shall we go next?”

Qi Manman sat cross-legged in the basket. Upon hearing this, she immediately stood up, looked around holding her second uncle’s head, and pointed in a direction, “There! There’s a big tree that’s very beautiful over there!”

Once again, it was all about the beautiful tree, but this time, it seemed more special than any before.

Everyone’s eyes lit up.

Especially Qi Quanli, who exclaimed, “We’ll definitely find more chestnuts this time!”

“All you ever think of are chestnuts!”

Qi Quanyin knocked on Qi Quanli’s head.

Qi Quanli clutched his head in protest, “Fifth Brother, why did you hit me? I’m not wrong! Chestnuts are filling; the more, the better!”

Seeing the youngest two about to argue, Qi Ercai scolded, “Quiet down! If you keep arguing, you’ll both go down the mountain yourselves!”

Instantly, the two brothers fell silent.

Qi Ercai asked Qi Quanjin, “Fourth Brother, shall we head over now?”

“Yes, let’s go!”

Qi Quanjin now fully trusted his daughter’s sense of direction and decisively led the way.

This time, they continued heading up the mountain.

However, the further they went, the denser the overhead canopy became.

It wasn’t that there were more leaves, but rather that the trees had become much denser.

Qi Quanjin slowed his pace, making everyone more alert and observant of the surroundings.

With the thick forest, any escape during danger would be more difficult, necessitating extra caution.

After walking for about half an hour, they suddenly found the view before them clear.

The dense forest was gone, replaced by a valley.

“Is there really a valley here? Fourth Brother, should we go down?”

Qi Quanli looked at Qi Quanjin.

Qi Quanjin stared at the valley, furrowing his brows, not giving an answer.

Qi Ercai handed the basket to Yi Meng before stepping forward, standing less than two meters from the cliff’s edge with Qi Quanjin.

“Fourth Brother, does something feel off?”

Qi Ercai asked while looking at the valley.

This valley didn’t seem large, but Qi Ercai knew that was only because they were standing high up, making it appear small.

If they entered the valley, the dense forest below would be enough to make them lose their way.

Qi Quanjin shook his head, “I don’t know, but I have a feeling we shouldn’t go down, or we might not make it back.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a tiger roared from the valley bottom.

The sound was so loud that everyone at the top of the mountain heard it clearly.

“Was that a tiger’s roar?”

Qi Quanli’s face turned a shade paler.

Not just him, everyone else looked equally uneasy.

“Awooo!”

The howl of wolves soon followed.

One howl, two howls, and quickly it became a chorus.

At this, everyone’s legs involuntarily felt weaker.

“Fourth Brother, we should head down the mountain!”

Qi Ercai’s voice now carried a noticeable tremor.

A pack of wolves was enough to frighten them; adding a tiger into the mix, they’ve become mere snacks for these beasts.

Qi Quanjin was also thinking about heading down the mountain, but he still looked at his daughter.

Unlike other children, the little girl showed no fear upon hearing the howls of wolves but instead looked at her father with bright, shining eyes.

“Daughter, we cannot go down into that valley.”

Qi Quanjin saw his daughter’s anticipation but still cruelly voiced his objection.

Qi Manman furrowed her small brows, “But Daddy, there are lots of meats down there!”

She was craving meat.

Everyone: …

Could it be that when this girl talked about the more beautiful tree, she was just after the meat?

They all looked up speechlessly.

Indeed, no matter how perceptive a child is, they remain unreliable!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep