Faced with his sudden demand, Yan Qing merely paused for a moment before slowly closing her eyes, her lightly trembling lashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

Pleased by her compliance, Shi Ting smiled softly and leaned down to press his lips against hers.

The air around them was filled with enticing floral fragrance, while butterflies danced among the flowers — white ones and yellow ones drifting like scattered pieces of paper.

Not far away, Jing Zhi buried her face in the grass and silently recited: not suitable for young audiences.

After returning from the grasslands, Shi Ting handed Jing Zhi over to the horse farm’s steward. Once the two of them had changed their clothes, Shi Ting said, “Let me take you to where we’ll be staying tonight.”

Passing through the meadow behind them, a river suddenly came into view ahead. The river was not wide, and along its banks stood several lush green mountain peaks.

On the other side of the stream sat a small wooden cabin surrounded by a fence, with a cobblestone path leading from the front door all the way down to the riverbank.

“Was this cabin just built?” Yan Qing noticed how new it looked, nothing like something old.

Shi Ting held her hand as they entered through the garden gate. “I built it.”

“You know how to build houses?” Yan Qing was astonished, and she couldn’t help but picture someone sweating profusely while hauling bricks.

“It’s not a complicated structure. I studied architectural design for a year when I was abroad.” He said this while pushing open the cabin door.

The interior of the cabin was indeed simple. Both the bed linens and the curtains were a soft shade of pink — Yan Qing’s favorite color.

In one corner of the cabin was a shower stall with no glass, just a curtain for privacy. At the sight of it, Yan Qing recalled the day he had pulled her into the bathroom, and her cheeks grew warm without her realizing it.

“What are we eating tonight?” Yan Qing turned around to find Shi Ting pushing open the window. Not far beyond it lay a dense forest, and fresh air immediately rushed in.

“We live off the land.” Shi Ting smiled. “If we’re lucky, we might catch something in the mountains. If not, we’ll just have to go hungry.”

He shrugged helplessly as he said this.

“I trust that Director Shi won’t let me starve.”

He wrapped his arm around her slender waist, his gaze deep and intent. “I think you’re right. Without a proper meal, where would the energy come from tonight?”

“Shi Xingzhi.” Yan Qing let out an indignant hum in his direction, but she didn’t argue further. She swayed gently in his embrace. “I want to go hunting with you.”

“Is Madam volunteering to be the bait?”

Yan Qing poked him in the chest. “If you’re willing to let me, why not?”

“I’m not.” He instinctively held her a little tighter. “How could I be willing to risk my priceless treasure? Not for the entire world.”

“When Director Shi speaks such sweet words, it makes one’s skin crawl.” Yan Qing buried her face in his chest, the corners of her mouth already blooming into a wide smile.

After lingering in each other’s arms for a while, the two set off to tend to that evening’s dinner. Shi Ting said the river out front was too clear for there to be many fish, so they decided to head into the mountains to hunt.

“Director Shi, I thought you would bring a hunting rifle.” After entering the forest, Yan Qing looked with disdain at the improvised tool he held in his hand.

It was a wooden spear — a sharpened stick — the kind of weapon that looked more suited to a primitive hunter than a modern man.

“Does Madam not trust her husband’s abilities?” Shi Ting led her by the hand, steering clear of a thicket of brambles.

“I’m worried about what we’ll have for dinner.” Yan Qing rolled her eyes, unconvinced that he could catch anything with a wooden stick. “I wish Jiangguo were here.”

Jiangguo: I’m a multi-purpose dog — search dog, hunting dog, you name it! Oh yeah!

Yan Qing followed behind Shi Ting for quite a distance. Dense thickets flanked them on both sides, and the sounds of animals occasionally pierced the air, yet the two of them had yet to spot any prey.

Just as Yan Qing was beginning to lose hope, Shi Ting suddenly shushed her and pressed a hand to her shoulder, guiding her to crouch behind a bush.

Once he had crouched down, he parted the brush in front of him and pointed for Yan Qing to look.

Yan Qing peered through the gap and spotted a small spotted deer. It had no idea danger was near and was peacefully grazing on a patch of tender grass with its head bowed.

In the modern world, a spotted deer like this would only ever be observed — after all, wild spotted deer were a Class One protected species, and hunting them was illegal.

“Are we going to eat it?” Yan Qing mouthed silently.

The deer wasn’t large, but when she glanced at the tool in Shi Ting’s hand, her confidence wavered.

Shi Ting gave a small nod and gestured for Yan Qing to stay crouched and still while he began to move soundlessly to one side.

Yan Qing understood that the success of this hunt would determine whether or not they went to bed hungry, and she couldn’t help feeling a quiet, breathless tension.

The spotted deer continued to graze, though it seemed to sense something. It would take a few bites, then lift its head to look around. Yan Qing fixed her gaze on where Shi Ting had gone, and saw him perfectly still, as though he had become one with the surrounding grass and trees.

Most people who had served in the military possessed an extraordinary stillness. They were capable of lying in wait for a long time, holding out for the single, decisive, lethal strike.

Just as Yan Qing was swallowing nervously, the spotted deer suddenly turned its head to look behind it. The very instant it turned, Shi Ting sprang from the grass in one fluid leap. The wooden spear left his hand, shooting through the air straight toward the deer.

The sound of the spear cutting through the air rang out, and it moved so fast that Yan Qing had no time to blink. By the time she registered what had happened, the spotted deer had already collapsed in the grass. The spear had pierced clean through its neck — a single shot to a vital point.

“He actually hit it.” Yan Qing cried out happily and pushed her way through the brush to run out.

Shi Ting had already made his way to the deer’s side and reached down to pull out the wooden spear. The deer’s legs twitched a few times, then it went still.

“I’m sorry, little deer.” Yan Qing pressed her palms together and murmured a quiet word of apology.

Shi Ting smiled. “Is this an occupational habit of Miss Yan’s? You don’t need to dissect it.”

Yan Qing rolled her eyes. “Such an adorable little deer — if we’re going to eat it, the least we can do is say sorry.”

She had never eaten wild venison before, though she had heard it was exceptionally delicious. Amid her faint anticipation, the small pang of guilt quietly faded on its own.

Just as Shi Ting was working out how to carry the deer back, a faint rustling suddenly broke the stillness of the forest. His sharp ears perked up, and his brow furrowed.

“What was that?” Yan Qing noticed the gravity in his expression and lowered her voice instinctively.

“A real predator.” Shi Ting said, drawing his knife from his belt. “It caught the scent of blood. We can’t stay here.”

He was fine on his own, but Yan Qing was here — he could not put her at risk.

“What about the deer?” Yan Qing felt a pang of regret.

“Taking the whole thing is out of the question. We’d become the next target.” Shi Ting’s blade moved swiftly, and he cut off one of the deer’s legs in a matter of moments. “Let’s go.”

With that, he took her hand in one of his, the deer leg in the other, and they set off at a brisk pace back the way they had come.

“Do you think it was a tiger or a lion?”

Shi Ting looked at the wide-eyed, innocent face of the woman beside him and couldn’t help but laugh. “There are no lions here. This is Bei Di. Lions live in the tropics.”

Yan Qing blinked. “Then it must be a tiger.”

“A tiger, or wolves, or possibly a wild boar.”

“Then let’s definitely hurry.” All of those options sounded terrifying.

“Wait.” Shi Ting had been walking and then suddenly stopped. He turned and led her by the hand to the base of an enormous, towering tree.

“Hey, Shi Ting — what if the beast catches up to us?”

“It won’t matter. What they want is that spotted deer, not the leg we’re carrying.” Shi Ting did some quick calculation — by now, the predators in the forest should have found the dead deer and be feasting on it, with no time or inclination to bother with them.

“Yan Qing, look — we’ve found a treasure.” Shi Ting suddenly passed the deer leg to Yan Qing and crouched down. He parted a clump of plants in front of him, revealing several stalks rising from the dark brown soil, each topped with a cluster of small, pale yellow-green flowers.

“Is that ginseng?” Yan Qing had been reading many medical texts recently and had picked up a fair bit of knowledge.

“It is.” The corner of Shi Ting’s mouth curved upward. “The rings on these leaves are closely packed — this plant is at least several decades old.”

“Let’s dig it out and take a look.”

“All right.” Shi Ting pulled out his knife and began to dig carefully.

Digging up ginseng was a delicate craft. Because the root tendrils spread over a wide area, a single careless stroke could sever them, leaving the root incomplete. So with each cut, Shi Ting moved slowly and with great care.

Only after excavating a substantial pit did the full form of the ginseng finally come to light.

The root was not large, but its skin was aged and dark. Shi Ting turned it over in his hands for a closer look. “This ginseng is at least a hundred years old.”

“Doesn’t that make it very valuable?”

“Precious, yes, but not especially rare — some ginseng plants can live for a thousand years.” Shi Ting brushed the soil from it. “This will pair beautifully with the venison in a stew.”

Yan Qing accepted it with delight. “What a treasure.”

If this were the modern world, she could make a tidy fortune from it.

Just as the two of them were about to leave, Yan Qing suddenly spotted something white clinging to a nearby tree. She immediately tugged at Shi Ting’s sleeve. “Shi Ting, look — a white hedgehog has climbed up that tree.”

“A white hedgehog?” Shi Ting followed the direction she was pointing and broke into a smile, reaching over to ruffle her hair. “My dear wife, that is not a hedgehog — that is a lion’s mane mushroom.”

Shi Ting strode over and used his knife to pry the large cluster free. It did indeed look remarkably like a hedgehog from a distance — a fluffy mass of white spines — but in his hands, it was soft and damp to the touch.

“We’ve had quite a lucky day. Venison, ginseng, and a mushroom this size.”

He said this, and then suddenly leaned close to her ear and murmured, “Madam, do you know what venison is said to be good for?”

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*A reader comment: Please, can someone tell me which driving school Director Shi graduated from? He drives so smoothly — is it the famous Lanxiang Driving School? Asking urgently, need to know right away!*

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