Chapter 100: Be Steady

Chen Zhaodi looked at Bai Xi with embarrassment and stammered, "Auntie, I..." Heavens, it was too embarrassing. Little Black probably thought it wanted to catch its prey.

Bai Xi suppressed a smile and said, "It's all right. I originally wanted you to bring one back anyway."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hei merely glanced at Chen Zhaodi and said nothing.

"No need for that, Auntie. This won't do. I..." She couldn't accept it anyway. Accepting it again would only lead to more misunderstandings, and then it would seem as if she were greedy and taking advantage of the auntie's kindness!

Before Chen Zhaodi could finish, she was interrupted by Chen Rui rushing in anxiously.

"Auntie! Auntie, are you all right?"

Chen Rui was small and agile, running naturally faster than Chen Daliu. This time, she reached the tree house a step ahead.

Seeing the prey still under the tree in surprise, Chen Daliu watched Chen Rui hurry straight to the tree house with an anxious face. His heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Auntie wasn't feeling well?

Thus, right after Chen Rui's words, Chen Daliu also entered panting.

He hadn't even caught his breath when he hurriedly asked, "Auntie, are you okay?"

Bai Xi, being questioned by both of them, looked at the bewildered Chen Zhaodi, then at Xiao Hei, and finally at Chen Daliu and Chen Rui, and said in confusion, "What could possibly be wrong with me?"

Xiao Hei also looked puzzled. What had happened to the master?

"That... I saw..." Chen Rui was stunned for a moment, hesitating as she looked at Chen Daliu, wondering whether to ask.

Chen Daliu was also stunned. He glanced at Chen Rui, then looked at Bai Xi. Seeing her sitting on the wooden bed padded with rabbit fur, just like every day, snowy and jade-like, cute, with a good complexion and no sign of discomfort at all, he immediately felt relieved.

"As long as Auntie is fine." He couldn't let Auntie know he had overthought it. Otherwise, Auntie would think he was unreliable again.

Chen Zhaodi was just about to thank Chen Rui and Chen Daliu for relieving her embarrassment when she saw them rushing in anxiously. She roughly understood and explained, "It's my fault that I might not have conveyed the message clearly. Village Chief, Auntie asked me to come fetch you, saying there's something, not that Auntie is unwell."

"Oh, it's my wife who spoke when I didn't hear clearly. No blame, no blame..."

Xiao Hei sneered inwardly again. Chen Zhaodi couldn't even convey messages clearly. No wonder she didn't understand its meaning!

Chen Rui, hearing this, immediately realized she had made a fool of herself, her face turning embarrassed, but her heart also felt a sigh of relief.

"Then, Auntie, Village Chief, Aunt Chen, I'll go chop some firewood."

She was wearing clothes with patches, layered with a quilted jacket that was too big for her, her little face flushed red, whether from the cold or from running, the worry in her eyes warmed Bai Xi's heart greatly.

Bai Xi knew what was going on. In this cold winter, Chen Rui's forehead was sweating just from running, showing how much she cared. She waved her hand to call Chen Rui over: "Wait a moment, come here."

"Auntie." Chen Rui, though not understanding why, still came closer.

Chen Rui's small hand grasped Bai Xi's hand, feeling how soft and warm it was, she couldn't help smiling. Auntie hadn't frozen, which was good.

Bai Xi handed the half-pack of leftover egg cake to Chen Rui. Seeing her shake her head and refuse, without further ado, Bai Xi directly placed it into her bamboo basket. Then, with her chubby little round hand, she waved it: "Go on, don't go too far. I have things to attend to here, come find me tomorrow."

This was originally meant for Little Black, but since Little Black had displeased Bai Xi, Bai Xi simply forgot about it.

Xiao Hei saw this, lifted its head, feeling that it must be its snack, and opened its mouth to ask, but then thought, it wasn't worth it to make the master remember yesterday's matter, so it laid its head back on its paws.

"Auntie, this..." Chen Rui hesitated, then nodded obediently, "Thank you for the reward, Auntie."

Auntie disliked people being hesitant, so Chen Rui didn't say more.

After Chen Rui left, Bai Xi then instructed Chen Daliu.

"Have you seen the wild beasts below? Little Black caught them last night." Bai Xi said this, Xiao Hei immediately stood up straight, looking arrogantly at Chen Daliu. Feeling the admiring gaze from Chen Daliu, it felt proud in its heart.

Bai Xi didn't miss Xiao Hei's little actions, found them amusing, but continued without pause, "You take people to process them. Keep ten wild chickens and ten wild rabbits for me. The rest, distribute to the villagers. Remember the old rules: families with more adults or children get an extra half jin."

"Got it, no problem." Chen Daliu responded straightforwardly, "Auntie, don't worry. I will make sure this is handled well."

Auntie distributing meat wasn't the first time. Auntie was always thinking of everyone. He couldn't dawdle, had to do it properly.

Chen Daliu vowed to change his image in Bai Xi's eyes from unreliable to reliable.

These meats weren't many, but Bai Xi thought, even if distributed, even if a family gets only two or three jin, saving it to eat, it could last a meal or two.

When only Bai Xi and Xiao Hei remained in the tree house, Bai Xi kicked Xiao Hei, signaling it to watch over the people, as she wanted to cultivate.

Before closing her eyes, Bai Xi glanced towards the kitchen direction and sighed lightly again.

Every time she thought about the meat she had given away, Bai Xi felt a bit depressed. She still remembered the days when she ate only vegetables every day after arriving here.

But seeing how the villagers respected and loved her, it pained Bai Xi to think of eating it alone, to see them starving, she couldn't bear to do so.

At noon, not only did Bai Xi enjoy the fragrant mushroom stewed chicken soup, but the aroma of meat also wafted from every household in the village.

Hearing the villagers' cheerful voices faintly, a smile appeared in Bai Xi's eyes, and the reluctance in her heart faded somewhat.

Glancing at Xiao Hei, Bai Xi thought, meat, with Little Black around, there was no shortage!

Xiao Hei was chewing on chicken bones, then looked at Bai Xi sitting on the bed flipping through a storybook, hearing light footsteps nearby. It silently recorded in its mind that this was the fifteenth bundle of firewood today.

Bai Xi's clothes were washed by Chen Zhaodi, and the hygiene of the tree house was organized by Chen Zhaodi, so naturally she didn't chop wood herself.

Her firewood was collected by the villagers when they went out, each family giving Bai Xi one or two bundles a week. Even so, Bai Xi had the most firewood in the village, with eighty-six households.

In the afternoon, Chen Rui came.

Upon entering the door, she first looked around, seeing no one else, then slowly approached Bai Xi, taking out the egg cake she had been carrying in her bosom. She had been reluctant to eat it, and even when her younger brother was naughty and beaten by his mother, she hadn't taken it out.

Bai Xi saw this and was a bit puzzled: "Why don't you eat it? Don't you like it?"

It shouldn't be the case. Even Bai Xi liked to eat some, Little Black liked it too. No reason why Chen Rui, who was still in the age of liking sweet things, wouldn't like it.