"Turtledoves! I haven't eaten turtledoves in so many years. They're not bad! "
The Yang girl was probably really hungry. She was drooling as she looked at the turtledoves jumping around in the trees.
"Don't talk. Watch me catch them!" Meow Meow whispered.
"Miss Meow Meow, wait!" Yang Zhenling stopped Meow Meow. "These turtledoves have red strings tied to their legs, so they must be owned. Maybe they were raised by some islanders, so they can't be considered wild animals. If you really want to eat them, you'll have to tell the owner first. "
"Big brother, there's no house in this deep forest."
The Yang girl looked at Yang Zhenling unhappily.
"You don't say, there really is a house here!"
Yang Zhenling pointed, only to see smoke rising from the hillside.
"It's on the other side of the mountain. If we go there, it'll be a long way back! Besides, Sect Master Gu and the others are hungry. Can you bear to let them starve? "The Yang girl said pitifully.
"It's fine. We're not hungry."
Although she was called sister, Meow Meow didn't take the blame. She looked at the Yang girl and smiled happily.
"Big sister, you're so annoying!"
The Yang girl glared at Meow Meow, then turned to Yang Zhenling.
"Fine, I'm the one who's hungry. Big brother, let's not go to the other side of the mountain. Let's catch these turtledoves now!"
As if they could tell that the Yang girl wanted to eat them, the turtledoves that were playing around in the trees all flew away in the direction of the smoke rising from the hillside.
The Yang girl wanted to cry, but no tears came out. Yang Zhenling laughed. "Looks like these turtledoves really don't want you to eat them!"
Everyone laughed. The Yang girl shouted down the mountain, "Stinky turtledoves, bad turtledoves, just you wait. I'm going to eat you today!"
"Alright, stop fooling around, little sister! The other side of the mountain is quite far. We're mainly here to accompany Sect Master Gu and the others. Whether we eat turtledoves or not is up to Sect Master Gu, "Yang Zhenling said.
"It's fine. We're here to play anyway. Meow Meow and I aren't tired. Since your sister isn't tired, let's go!" Gu Zheng said with a smile.
Gu Zheng and the others were already at the top of the mountain, so they immediately started going down the other side of the mountain.
Not long after, the Yang Family's younger sister began to regret her decision. The mountain path was difficult to traverse, and going down the mountain was even more difficult than going up the mountain. Yang Zhenling was practically pulling her along the entire way.
"Yang girl, why don't we go back?"
Meow Meow led the way happily, turning back from time to time to chat with the Yang sisters.
"No, I won't lower my head to the mountain road. I must eat Sect Master Gu's turtledove for lunch today!" The Yang Family's younger sister said hatefully.
"Don't talk about my husband's turtledove. We did see the turtledove flying in that direction, but we can't be sure if it was raised by that family. Besides, even if they did raise them, they might not even let us eat them! "Meow Meow said.
"They have to be raised by that family! Otherwise, wouldn't I be at a loss? As for whether they're willing to part with them, don't worry! As long as they say that they're guests of Heaven's Will Sect, the islanders won't be unwilling to part with them! "
After walking for a while, a winding path finally appeared on the mountain that was originally barren.
"Great, there's a path!"
The Yang girl cheered. This was the first time she found a path so cute.
Along the way, the group sped up.
After a while, a man with a hoe on his back and a seven or eight-year-old child appeared on the road ahead.
"Uncle, wait!" Yang Zhenling called out.
The bare-chested man dressed like a farmer turned around and looked at Yang Zhenling.
"Uncle, I want to ask you something. How many families live on this mountain?" Yang Zhenling asked.
The farmer looked simple and honest, but he didn't immediately answer Yang Zhenling's question. Instead, he squinted his eyes and looked at Yang Zhenling.
"Who are you?"
The mud-covered child hid behind the farmer and asked timidly.
"I'm a disciple of Heaven's Will Sect, and this is a guest of Heaven's Will Sect. We're thirsty and hungry on our way here, so we want to find a place with people to eat!"
Yang Zhenling was too embarrassed to say that he wanted to eat turtledove. He smiled at the muddy child and gave him a Misty Wind Apricot.
The muddy child shook his head. Even though he wanted to eat the Misty Wind Apricot, he held on tightly to the farmer's clothes.
"You, you, you're Yang Zhenling?"
The farmer finally opened his mouth. His voice was filled with disbelief and a little bit of excitement.
"I'm Yang Zhenling. Uncle, do you know me?"
Yang Zhenling looked at the farmer doubtfully. He frowned at first, then his eyes widened.
"You, you're Uncle Cheng?" Yang Zhenling asked excitedly.
"Do you remember?" laughed the peasant.
When Yang Zhenling was young, Uncle Cheng was his neighbor. After Yang Zhenling's parents passed away, the young Yang Zhenling and his sister stayed in Heaven's Will Sect until they reached adulthood. Only then did they move back to their old house. However, Uncle Cheng's family, who used to be their neighbors, was nowhere to be found.
After so many years, both Yang Zhenling and Uncle Cheng were very happy to meet their old neighbors.
"Xiaobao, go home first. Tell your mother to prepare a few dishes to entertain our guest at noon!"
"Okay."
The muddy child answered and smiled at everyone. Then he disappeared nimbly on the mountain path.
"Uncle Cheng, how many families are there around here?"
Yang Zhenling asked. She was still thinking about her turtledove.
"I'm the only one here! Don't go anywhere else today. Just come to my house for a meal. Our guest will also come home with us! "
Uncle Cheng looked at everyone with a sincere and enthusiastic expression.
Yang Zhenling looked at Gu Zheng inquisitively. Although he wanted to go over and catch up, today's mission was to bring Gu Zheng out to sightsee. Whether he could go or not depended on Gu Zheng's decision.
"Okay, let's go together!"
Gu Zheng didn't really want to go. People who were too enthusiastic would make him feel uncomfortable. However, since Yang Zhenling wanted to go, there was nothing wrong with going together.
Yang Zhenling smiled gratefully at Gu Zheng. "Brother Gu, please excuse me for a moment."
"It's fine. Go ahead!"
Gu Zheng smiled. Yang Zhenling immediately walked in front with Uncle Cheng, catching up as they walked.
"Uncle Cheng's family is the only one on the mountain. Looks like the quail belongs to them. Today's quail meal is definitely going to be theirs!" Yang Zhenling smiled slyly.
Yang Zhenling and Uncle Cheng walked in front, while Gu Zheng and the other two walked behind. Although Gu Zheng didn't say anything along the way, with Yang Zhenling and Meow Meow chatting from time to time, it wasn't boring.
Uncle Cheng's house was right in front of them. It was a small courtyard with three thatched cottages. The mud child who came back to deliver the news had already washed himself clean and was grinning at everyone at the door.
"Xiaobao, here!"
Yang Zhenling quickly walked forward and took out a few Misty Wind Apricots and gave them to Uncle Cheng's child.
"Take it. This is your Big Brother Zhenling!"
Xiaobao took the Misty Wind Apricots from Uncle Cheng and called out, "Big Brother Zhenling!"
"Mommy, I'm back!"
Uncle Cheng led everyone into the courtyard and shouted into the house.
A simple peasant woman immediately walked out of the house and said, "Father, the food is almost ready. Take the guests to the central room and have a seat!"
"Aunt Cheng!"
Yang Zhenling and Yang Zhenling shouted at the same time. The farmer's wife was slightly taken aback, but she quickly recognized the two of them and exchanged pleasantries.
In the main room, Uncle Cheng served Gu Zheng and the others with his home-brewed wine.
The quality of the wine wasn't great, but the person drinking it was very simple. Gu Zheng drank a big bowl of wine.
Just as everyone was drinking and chatting, a unique aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen, whetting their appetites.
The Yang Family's little sister was intoxicated at first, but she soon frowned. She looked at Gu Zheng and whispered, "Sect Master Gu, could this cooked meat be …?"
"It seems so. Normal meat wouldn't have such a fragrant smell."
Gu Zheng didn't think it was a pity. He just thought it was a little fun! They had originally chased after the turtledove, but who would have thought that the hospitable host would cook the turtledove to serve the guests first?
On the other hand, Yang Zhenling's face was full of pain. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she thought about how Aunt Cheng had stewed the normal-quality turtledove.
After a while, Aunt Cheng served all the dishes.
Two turtledoves were stewed in soup, and two turtledoves were stir-fried with potatoes. In addition, there was a pheasant, a wild rabbit, and some wild vegetables in the mountains.
"The food is ready. Today, I specially stewed the turtledoves that I raised. I hope that the guests, Xiao Ling, and Xiao Yue can eat and drink to their hearts' content!"
Uncle Cheng's words were very honest. He clinked another big bowl of wine with everyone.
Yang Zhenling didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She scooped some turtledove soup and picked up some turtledove meat. After tasting them all, the disappointment on her face deepened.
Gu Zheng had also tasted the same thing. Aunt Cheng had added some medicinal herbs into the turtledove soup. Although it was quite nutritious, the amount of herbs was not right. It should have been a very delicious soup, but other than a hint of bitterness, the medicinal taste was also very strong.
As for the stir-fried turtledove meat, there were also some things that shouldn't have been put in it. As a result, the taste of normal-quality ingredients didn't burst forth at all.
"Eat more. Although it doesn't taste good, it's a token of my sincerity."
Gu Zheng whispered not only to Meow Meow, but also to the disappointed Yang Zhenling.
Meow Meow, who had already put down her chopsticks, obediently picked them up again and ate with great relish.
As for Yang Zhenling, although she was also very obedient, she couldn't put in as much effort as Meow Meow! After all, she was really looking forward to the turtledove that Gu Zheng had personally cooked. Moreover, she was different from Meow Meow. She really didn't want to miss out on this opportunity.
"Sect Leader Gu, you said that turtledove was a normal-quality ingredient. What's the current level of turtledove?" Yang Zhenling asked in a low voice.
"It's not bad. It's a second-grade ingredient," Gu Zheng said in a low voice.
Seeing that Yang Zhenling was still depressed, Gu Zheng said in a low voice, "Although the normal-quality turtledove meat was downgraded due to Aunt Cheng's incomprehension and unreasonable cooking method, I can feel that Aunt Cheng put in a lot of effort into it! Moreover, as a farmer's wife, Aunt Cheng's meal is actually very good! You're a cook, and I'm good at cooking. If you insist on comparing Aunt Cheng to us, you're going to go down a dead end! How can life be so perfect? If you compare yourself to others, you'll die. If you compare goods, you'll throw them away! "
"Esteemed guest, don't just talk. Let's have another bowl!" Uncle Cheng raised his bowl to Gu Zheng.
"Okay!"
Gu Zheng raised his bowl to welcome it, and the two bowls clashed together.
"How is it? Did my husband enlighten you? "
Meow Meow poked Yang Zhenling, who was in a daze.
"I understand, but I'm just a little disappointed! After all, I'm different from my sister. I don't get to eat Sect Master Gu's delicious food often. "
Yang Zhenling smiled bitterly. She picked up a piece of rice cake on the table and took a big bite.
"Hey, this rice cake is pretty good!"
Yang Zhenling was actually a carefree person. The delicious rice cake seemed to have made her forget her previous disappointment.
"Xiaoyue, the reason why our family moved here is because we found that the rice grown in the spring water here is especially fragrant and sweet. Your Grandma Cheng likes it very much! If you like this rice cake, eat more. When we leave, Auntie will pack some rice for you to bring along. "
"Thank you, Auntie!"
Yang Zhenling hurriedly thanked her. Then, she asked, "Is Grandma Cheng really not eating with us?"
"No, she can eat in the inner room." Aunt Cheng smiled.
"Hey, why aren't you eating?"
Yang Zhenling suddenly realized that Xiao Bao was staring blankly at the dining table, looking like he was about to cry.
"My turtledoves, my turtledoves are gone. They won't play with me in the future."
Xiao Bao, who felt wronged, cried out. Although his voice was very soft, everyone in the room heard it.
"Didn't I promise you? The next time we leave the mountain, I'll bring back a few chicks to play with. As for those turtledoves, Xiao Bao can forget about them! "
Aunt Cheng patted Xiao Bao's head, but Xiao Bao was still very disappointed.
"So those turtledoves were Xiao Bao's playmates. I'm really sorry, Xiao Bao!"
Yang Zhenling also felt guilty when she saw Xiao Bao's aggrieved look.
"Xiaoyue, it's okay. He's just a child. He'll be fine in a while."
Aunt Cheng looked apologetically at everyone who had stopped eating.
"The child is already so old. It's not a good idea to keep him away from the outside world. I heard Old Cheng and Fellow Daoist Yang talking before. The reason why you chose to live in the mountains is because Xiao Bao's grandmother is sick! I wonder what illness Xiao Bao's grandmother has? "Gu Zheng asked.
On the way, Gu Zheng heard Old Cheng tell Yang Zhenling some things. Yang Zhenling had also asked about their family's situation, but Old Cheng seemed to be too sad and didn't want to talk about his mother's illness at all.
When Gu Zheng took the initiative to ask, Yang Zhenling first smiled gratefully at him. Then, she seemed to gain confidence.
"Uncle Cheng, Fellow Daoist Gu is a distinguished guest of the Tianxin Sect. He's a very capable person. Just tell us what illness Grandma Cheng has! Perhaps Fellow Daoist Gu has a way to treat this illness? "
Yang Zhenling looked at Uncle Cheng, who was only focused on drinking, and her tone was rather resentful.
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