The wind swept through the mountain, twirling the fragile, withered yellow leaves at the treetops into the air where they danced twice before slowly descending to the ground.
Dressed in an indigo-blue single-layer robe, Meng Yuhuai, as per usual, rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. The hem of his robe was tossed about by the wind, fluttering up and down, slapping against his body, making a flapping sound.
The bone-piercing cold of winter seemed to have no effect on him; he practically radiated steaming heat from his entire body. A bead of sweat slid swiftly down his nose, tracing a path across his well-defined jaw before falling with a "plop" into his collar, leaving a trail of moisture on his faintly bronze-tinted skin.
Hua Xiaomai quickly lowered her eyelids, not even greeting him but simply stepped to the side to make way for him.
Having parted on bad terms a few days ago, encountering Meng Yuhuai again inevitably made her feel awkward. Strictly speaking, she didn't actually know this tall guy; aside from cursing him out upon their first meeting, they had no other interactions. But she was very clear on one thing—Meng Yuhuai was not welcoming to an "outsider" like herself.
Probably he considered her nothing more than a freeloader, wholly sympathetic to Jing Taihe's plight?
With a self-deprecating twist of her lips, Hua Xiaomai paused as Meng Yuhuai, passing by her, seemed to hesitate and glance her way.
The forest was quiet, their breathing clearly audible. Hua Xiaomai quickly dashed aside and hastened a few steps forward.
Meng Yuhuai trailed behind her, mouth opening as if he wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent. His footsteps halted without continuing down the mountain.
Hua Xiaomai was determined not to engage with him. Her eyes carelessly swept around until they landed on a clump of bright orange "little umbrellas" under a beech tree—their color vivid and striking, their surface smooth and slightly glossy.
That was... Orange Cap Amanita! Joy surged in her heart, and she almost wanted to leap toward them immediately.
Back when she was studying at Chef School, her teacher had given detailed introductions to various types of wild mushrooms. The Orange Cap Amanita in front of her was one of them, known for its exquisite taste. Used in soup, even plain, it had a natural sweetness, and used in meat dishes, it was absolutely drool-worthy. Its strong, fragrant flavor could linger in the mouth for days on end.
These bright orange wild mushrooms, while not exceptionally rare, were long misidentified as poisonous due to their vibrant color, leading people to avoid eating them. It was said that Orange Cap Amanitas thrived in autumn, so to chance upon them in the cold of winter was unexpected good luck.
Hua Xiaomai's legs froze at the sight of such a precious ingredient. How could she care about Meng Yuhuai now? She hurried over happily, but upon getting closer, she abruptly stopped.
Generally flat, this part of the understory only had the misfortune of having that particular beech grow on a rather steep slope. It wouldn't have been an issue on a dry, sunny day, but the problem was last night's rain! The slippery, muddy mountain paths and densely packed trees on the slope posed a real danger—if she slipped and rolled down, she might not break bones, but hitting her head on a tree trunk wouldn't be funny at all!
Mushrooms or life? Hua Xiaomai became indecisive, pacing back and forth, scratching her head and stomping her feet in frustration. Meng Yuhuai watched her antics with a furrowed brow, his lips involuntarily curving upwards.
No... Forget it!
Her craving for good food finally overcame her fear. Clenching her fists for courage, Hua Xiaomai squatted down and began shifting her body very slowly. It took her a full five or six minutes before she finally wrapped her arms around the thick trunk of the beech.
This beech was on the edge of the forest, part of it stretching over the slope. The chubby, short-stemmed Orange Cap Amanitas grew on the slope's outer side, requiring her to lean out her entire upper body and stretch her arm to barely reach them.
Since her transmigration, Hua Xiaomai had grown fond of her new, bony body, spared from the troubles of dieting she had before. But at that moment, she couldn't help but lament internally—why couldn't this body be a little taller? As it was, it was far too strenuous!
Beneath her feet was damp mud. She strived to anchor her feet in the tree roots, holding the trunk tightly with her right hand and reaching out with her left.
Almost there, just a bit more... Her fingers nearly brushed the distinctive slimy texture of the mushroom cap when suddenly her foot slipped, and she lost her balance. She teetered to the side, on the verge of tumbling down.
Why such bad luck, why such bad luck! She screamed inwardly, refusing to let out an embarrassing shriek, clinging to the tree trunk with her right hand, her nails scraping agonizingly against the rough bark with a chilling creak.
Ouch, it hurts so much; her fingernails were splitting! Hua Xiaomai was on the verge of tears, no matter how hard she tried, she still felt herself sliding down bit by bit, her rear scraping against rocks—her pants couldn't possibly... they couldn't rip, could they?
A strong gust of wind swept past her from behind, and in an instant, it had whirled to her side. Suddenly, a tightness enveloped her neck, and a sturdy arm clasped around her waist and dragged her up. She didn't know how, but after tumbling twice, she found herself sitting up straight.
Well... to be precise, she was sitting in a man's embrace.
When Meng Yuhuai initially saw her attempting to pick the oddly colored mushroom, he prepared to stop her, but for some reason, he didn't speak up. Later, seeing her lose her balance as he had anticipated, about to roll down the slope, he quickly lunged over and grabbed her by the back of her neck, pulling her into his arms and back to safety.
Due to the urgency of the situation, he hadn't thought much of it, but now...
Hua Xiaomai lowered her head to survey her current "surroundings".
Meng Yuhuai sat on the ground, with his long legs stretched out in front of him, and she... was sitting right on his legs. Perhaps it was because of the tension, but she had subconsciously clutched the front of his shirt, while his hands were tightly wrapped around her waist. The two were so close that her nose was nearly touching the skin of his chest, inhaling a strong masculine scent mixed with a faint smell of sweat, wafting over in waves.
What a great position, Hua Xiaomai didn't know whether to cry or laugh. She initially wanted to break free immediately, but somewhere in her mind, a playful thought emerged.
She realized she had never seen a man with such nice-looking muscles... They were like slabs of stone, complementing his bronzed skin tone, as if his entire body was always filled with strength. It looked pretty good to the eye, but what about to the touch?
As she entertained this thought, she acted on it, reaching out a finger and poking at that particularly developed muscle on his chest. She immediately felt his shoulder flinch.
"... What are you doing?!" Meng Yuhuai could hardly describe the shock he felt at the moment, his ears burning hot and his neck prickling with goosebumps. After a while, he managed to speak in a low growl.
"I..." Hua Xiaomai jumped, instinctively thinking to apologize, but then a thought struck her, and a sly smile formed at the corner of her lips. She lowered her head to glance at his hand still around her waist and said meaningfully, "Then what are you doing?"
"I am trying to save you!" Meng Yuhuai spat, glaring at her fiercely.
Hua Xiaomai cocked her head, feigning innocence, "But I'm safe now, so why haven't you let go?"
Before she had finished speaking, Meng Yuhuai pushed her away and stood up abruptly, pacing back and forth like a bear beside her. Pointing at her face, he stammered, "You're so young, I thought you were... Well, right, you're the sister of Madam Hua, naturally, you share her temperament!"
"Why do I feel like you're speaking ill of my sister?" Hua Xiaomai narrowed her eyes.
Meng Yuhuai gave her a deep look, took a deep breath, and quickly calmed himself down. He picked up the wild rabbit that had been cast aside and headed down the mountain. After a few steps, he suddenly turned back: "Did you want those orange mushrooms?"
Without waiting for Hua Xiaomai to reply, he had already walked back to the beech tree, effortlessly plucked the cluster of Orange Cap Amanitas, and threw them directly into Hua Xiaomai's basket, then walked away without looking back, quickly disappearing from sight.
When she emerged from the shrubs, Hua Xiaomai began to feel regretful.
Alright, she indeed had a sudden urge to tease Meng Yuhuai. He always seemed so proper and self-righteous, forever sitting upright and rigid, no matter the time or place. He had also come to the Jing Family's small courtyard to say those things, upsetting Madam Hua. Playing a prank on him shouldn't be too much, right?
But... she might have oversimplified the matter. People of this era married early, and at Meng Yuhuai's age, he should have been long married with children. "Seducing" a married man, could she end up paraded through the streets or dunked in a pig cage?
Moreover, although that move was nothing serious, it wouldn't sound good if spread around. What if Meng Yuhuai was a blabbermouth, talking about it to everyone he met? Would she still want her reputation intact, and what about Madam Hua's reputation?
She returned to the courtyard with her basket, feeling uneasy, but was surprised to find the door to the eastern room open. Madam Hua and Jing Taihe didn't seem to be "busy", so she steadied her nerves, planning to show Madam Hua the Orange Cap Amanitas she had collected.
But... before she could step into the courtyard, Madam Hua suddenly came out from the main room. Upon seeing her, Madam Hua pointed at her face with one hand on her hip and shouted, "Hey, Xiaosan!"