The Sweet Litte Fulang (SLF)

Chapter 23 - Getting to know

Early in the morning, Lu Gu used busyness as an excuse to avoid Shen Xuanqing. He had spent the whole night in Shen Xuanqing's embrace, and even though Shen Xuanqing had let go of him in the morning, Lu Gu still felt too flustered to act naturally.

Originally, he thought Shen Xuanqing would take the dogs and head into the mountains after breakfast. But unexpectedly, Shen Xuanqing decided not to go hunting today. Instead, the tall young man picked up a long machete and said, "There's a bamboo forest not far from here. I'm going to chop some bamboo to make a cage for the rabbits. Do you want to come?"

His eyes were filled with expectation, and he didn't leave after speaking, clearly wanting Lu Gu to join him. No matter how unsure Lu Gu felt, he could see this. He hesitated, then nodded.

Shen Xuanqing let out a quiet sigh of relief. He had been aware of Lu Gu stirring last night—the movements of someone in his arms were too obvious to ignore. But out of some selfish desire, he had pretended to be asleep, refusing to let go. The warmth in his embrace had given him a surprisingly good night's sleep.

Lu Gu grabbed a small basket with a hatchet inside, while Shen Xuanqing carried the machete and some hemp rope. Even though they were in the mountains, they locked the courtyard door before leaving.

The dogs trotted ahead through the woods, sniffing around, occasionally lifting their legs to mark their territory at the base of a tree.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, Lu Gu saw the dark green bamboo forest up ahead. Shen Xuanqing mentioned there were autumn bamboo shoots growing there. They weren't as tender as spring bamboo shoots, but they could be stewed with the fat pigeon in a hearty broth, or blanched and used to make pickles. However, the two of them only had one jar of pickled vegetables, which they hadn't finished yet, so there was no need to pickle more right now.

When they reached the bamboo forest, Shen Xuanqing went off to chop bamboo while Lu Gu wandered around in search of bamboo shoots. Da Hui, followed him closely, while the two smaller dogs spread out, sniffing at holes or scrabbling at the ground, looking alert.

The dogs never strayed far from where Shen Xuanqing could see them. As for Lu Gu, the bamboo forest was deeper and quieter than the nearby woods, so he didn't go too far. Every time he turned around, he made sure he could still see Shen Xuanqing and hear the sound of bamboo being chopped.

The autumn bamboo shoots were quite large. Lu Gu had to swing the hatchet several times to chop one down. Since they only needed enough for a stew, one large bamboo shoot was plenty, but he cut two just in case.

He made a mental note of the path to the bamboo forest so that he could find it again in the future if he wanted more bamboo shoots.

A long bamboo stalk fell with a dull whoosh through the air. Lu Gu walked over with his basket and whispered to Shen Xuanqing, who looked up at him, "I saw some mushrooms on the way in. I'll go gather a few."

Shen Xuanqing nodded, glancing at Da Hui and instructing, "Call Da Hui to follow you."

Having a dog with him in the mountains was reassuring. Following Shen Xuanqing's advice, Lu Gu called Da Hui, who trotted over to accompany him.

When he was a child, someone in his village had died after eating poisonous mushrooms. Lu Gu remembered it vividly, so he only dared to pick mushrooms he was absolutely sure were safe.

Today, he was lucky enough to find a cluster of large mushrooms that would be more than enough for a stir-fry. Listening to the sound of Shen Xuanqing chopping bamboo, he stayed within sight of the bamboo forest, turning back now and then to make sure he hadn't wandered too far.