Free Web NovelChapter 10: Chapter 10: Dirty Hands
"Sister Zhao, where are we going? I’m so tired and hungry." Zhong Mingrui was so exhausted he was bent over, shuffling forward slowly.
Zhong Siqi followed behind to protect him. "I told you to exercise more, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look at you, you’re the slowest one."
Even as he said that, he scooped him up with one arm. "You’re so heavy. You should eat less from now on."
Zhong Mingrui didn’t listen. He pulled out the small packet of crackers he’d chosen and started eating. After one bite, his face was a picture of pure bliss.
"Good thing I brought my own food! Otherwise, I’d starve if I had to rely on my brother."
"You’re the one in charge, little partner. You’re the one making me go hungry."
Zhong Mingrui wrapped his arms around his neck. "Brother’s little mouth, zip it."
Then he looked at Gu Zhao, who was walking briskly ahead. "Sister Zhao! Do you want some? I can only give you one piece, though."
Gu Zhao looked at Zhong Mingrui’s pained expression. She couldn’t bring herself to bully the kid.
"I wan’ two pieces!"
...
The sunlight quickly faded, and the forest was plunged into darkness.
Gu Zhao held a foxtail grass in her hand, munching on the crackers while ignoring Zhong Mingrui, who was staring at her with a look of utter grievance.
"The little field mouse said! There’s a cave up ahead with no animals! We’re going to occupy it!" Gu Zhao cheered them on. "Quick, follow me and we’ll be kings of the cave!"
Gu Xulin was speechless. He swept Gu Zhao up into his arms. "You won’t be so smug when you trip and fall in a bit."
Gu Zhao went limp in his arms. "Fowth Bwother, you’re a good person."
Tang Yueying looked at her sister.
Tang Yuexuan gave an awkward laugh. Tang Yueying used a tree branch as a walking stick and continued forward.
They reached the cave just before it became completely dark. As the little field mouse had said, there were no traces of other animals.
The three adults did a quick cleanup of the inside, and Gu Zhao found a spot and lay down.
Tang Yueying found a large leaf and started fanning Gu Zhao. Not to be outdone, Zhong Mingrui rushed over and started massaging her legs.
’As long as she doesn’t ask for my crackers again, I’ll do anything!’
Night had completely fallen.
When the three adults finished tidying up and saw this scene, they all laughed in exasperation.
’We’re working ourselves to the bone, and they’re acting like eunuchs and maids for Gu Zhao!’
"Gu Xiao Zhao!" Gu Xulin strode over on his long legs, a faint, unsmiling smirk on his face as he looked at Gu Zhao. "Comfortable? Want me to massage your shoulders, too?"
Gu Zhao opened her eyes. "Okay!"
"Okay, my ass! Get up. Go gather some branches at the cave entrance." Gu Xulin heartlessly plonked her down by the mouth of the cave.
"Yu’ll wegret this!"
"Oh, I’ll be waiting. Now hurry up and gather plenty."
[Gu Zhao: I basically got teleported from a VIP suite to a construction site to haul bricks. Who can understand this pain?!]
[OMG! This interaction is so adorable. It’s confirmed, Gu Zhao is the group’s favorite!]
[I’ve noticed that ever since Gu Zhao showed up, Brother Lin doesn’t lose his temper as much!! He’s gotten so much more polite! Hahahaha, little sister, you’re truly our little treasure!]
[Gu Xulin’s fans, you guys are way too easy to please.]
Gu Zhao gathered branches in a huff. Zhong Mingrui was the youngest and wasn’t given a task, but he insisted on helping anyway, sticking his butt in the air as he picked up firewood.
Tang Yueying stayed in the cave to help clean, while Gu Xulin stayed outside to watch the two little ones.
Gu Zhao gathered wood obediently for a while before getting tired. "Fowth Bwother, I’m hungwy."
’Back then, didn’t I only agree to go home with the Director so I could have a good life?!’
’Why is life even harder now!!’
"You’ll have to stay hungry for now. It’s too dark to look for food," Gu Xulin sighed. "I’ll find you something to eat at dawn."
Gu Zhao looked out into the darkness. "Fowth Bwother, our dinner has awwived."
Gu Xulin: ???
The next second, he understood.
Pairs of green eyes lit up in the darkness...
"Are you sure... we’re not the dinner?" Gu Xulin stared at the several wild wolves, fighting the instinct to tremble. He quietly shielded Gu Zhao behind him, also yanking Zhong Mingrui back.
From the pack, one wolf stepped forward. It looked at Gu Zhao with disdain. "You’re the human who can understand our speech?"
"If you’re askin’ for a favow, you should have the wight attitude," Gu Zhao said, stepping out from behind Gu Xulin.
Gu Xulin was beyond exhausted.
’Asking for a favor? They look like they want to eat people!’
’When we get back, I have to get Second Brother to find a good doctor to check Gu Zhao’s brain!’
’Even if she’s a little fool, I’ll still raise her.’
The alpha wolf fell silent. Then, it howled to the wolves behind it. A few of them dragged a sheep over, placed it in front of Gu Xulin, and then retreated.
The howl also startled the others who were cleaning, and they rushed out. Seeing the scene, they all broke out in a cold sweat.
"The ones wif thorns in youw butts, fall out and wie down," Gu Zhao said to the pack.
A few wolves with awkward gaits stepped out and lay down.
The alpha wolf also lay down awkwardly.
"Zhong Guoguo, they have wots of powcupine quills in their butts! Yu hewp them get ’em out!"
Zhong Siqi’s eyelid twitched. The wolves also turned to look at him.
Zhong Siqi: "M... me?"
Gu Zhao nodded. "My bwother is afwaid of animals, and Sister Tang is a girl."
’Okay, I guess I really am the only suitable one.’
"Go, go, go!" Zhong Mingrui waved his hands.
Zhong Siqi glanced at Gu Zhao, then shot a glare at Zhong Mingrui.
He braced himself and went for it.
The wolves’ painful howls echoed through the forest.
Half an hour later, Zhong Siqi held out his hand with a look of utter despair, regarding it with extreme revulsion.
The wolf pack nuzzled against Gu Zhao, left the sheep, and departed, satisfied.
Gu Zhao called out to them, telling them to take the sheep with them as they had no way to deal with it.
The pack was confused, but seeing that Gu Zhao didn’t want it, they carried the sheep away.
Gu Xulin looked at Zhong Siqi, hesitating before finally blurting out, "...Try not to take it too hard."
Zhong Mingrui: "Brother, you’re not allowed to ruffle my hair with that hand ever again!"
Zhong Siqi: ...
[Hahahahaha, our boy can add a new line to his resume: performed anal surgery on a wolf.]
[Gu Zhao can understand wolves? Hasn’t anyone noticed this?]
[Dogs listen to her, so why not wolves? You’re all making such a big deal out of nothing, like you’ve never seen anything.]
[From calling her a little ungrateful brat to this, Brother Lin probably hasn’t even realized how much he dotes on Gu Zhao now.]
They gathered some more firewood and started a fire.
Midway, the wolf pack returned, bringing some wild fruits wrapped in leaves. There were no teeth marks on them; it looked like they had been stolen.
The group ate their fill of fruit and went to sleep.
Suddenly, it started pouring rain in the middle of the night.
Gu Xulin was woken by the noise. He saw that everyone except Zhong Mingrui and Gu Zhao had been awakened by the rain and were gathered around the fire, watching the downpour outside.
Gu Xulin walked over to join them.
After a while, a sound came from outside.
Everyone became alert.
"There’s a cave up ahead!" Ye Zexi’s joyful voice was exceptionally clear.
"Quick! Get inside."
Four people ran in, their eyes meeting Gu Xulin’s group.
"This rain won’t stop anytime soon, and the children’s clothes are soaked... We adults can handle it, but kids have weaker immune systems. If they get sick..." Tong Jianfeng trailed off, looking at the people in the cave as he gently patted the shivering child in his arms.
"Daddy, I’m so cold, WAHHH." Tong Yunxin’s little teddy bear was soaked, and she clutched it, looking utterly miserable.
Ye Zexi wasn’t as tactful. He pulled Ye Zuiyi directly to the fire. "After the show ends, I’ll give each of you a resource."
Gu Xulin was completely indifferent, but Tang Yuexuan was a little tempted.
Tong Jianfeng also pulled Tong Yunxin over to warm up by the fire.
Naturally, Gu Xulin’s group wouldn’t drive them away. The children couldn’t endure an accident like this.
But he didn’t feel right about letting them stay for free, especially since this was a place Gu Xiao Zhao had found. "You can stay in exchange for something."
"Gu Xulin, can you not be so cold-blooded!" Ye Zexi frowned.
"Then can you not be so shameless? You think we’d clean this place up for so long just to let you stay for free?" Gu Xulin laughed mockingly.
"Brother Gu, what do you want?" Ye Zuiyi asked, holding back the furious Ye Zexi.
’We’re still on a live broadcast; I can’t let my brother lose his temper.’
The corner of Gu Xulin’s mouth lifted. "The dagger."
Ye Zexi’s face darkened. "Gu Xulin, don’t go too far!"
Gu Xulin paid him no mind. "Give it or not."
"We’ll give it to you," Ye Zuiyi interrupted, handing over the dagger.
Ye Zexi felt that his sister was still young; no matter how smart, she was still a five-year-old child. He gently explained to her, "Yibao, that dagger is very useful in the wild."
