Chapter 117: Chapter 116: New Harvest
That tree was heavy and tall—it would be easy to throw out your back.
And Qin Shen was carrying it upright.
Qin Shen shook his head. "I won’t."
He carried the trunk to the front of the ice house with ease, stunning Shen Baoying and Zhang Qingfang, who were just bringing over their things.
That was just incredible.
Qin Shen had moved such a huge tree over without even panting.
Shen Baoying nudged Jiang Si with her elbow. "Xiao Shen has so much snow on his head. Aren’t you going to help him brush it off? It’ll get down his collar, and that’s so uncomfortable."
Jiang Si had been about to grab the axe and start chopping firewood. Only after Shen Baoying’s reminder did she realize that the snow on Qin Shen’s head and shoulders hadn’t been brushed off yet.
Since she had said she wanted to give things a try with Qin Shen, she didn’t act coy. She walked over openly and said, "You have snow on your head. Let me get that for you."
Qin Shen naturally lowered his head. Jiang Si gently patted his hat over and over until most of the snow was gone, then said, "I’ll do the chopping!"
Qin Shen shook his head and took the axe from her. "I’m stronger. You should rest." Afraid she might read too much into it, he paused for a moment before adding, "If you’re not too cold, you can watch from the side."
’So... he just wants me to keep him company...’
’He’s quite good at being roundabout.’
Jiang Si was inwardly pleased, and a smile unconsciously touched her lips.
’Even though she could do it herself, the feeling of being taken care of was completely different.’
Jiang Linhai and Shen Baoying had been peeking on the sly. Seeing how well the two were getting along, they smiled and hurried off to get the barbecue started.
With a flurry of powerful chops, Qin Shen quickly turned the entire tree into a pile of firewood.
Qin Shen said, "I’m going to get two more trees. Wait for me here."
’Two trees at once!’
Jiang Si was in awe. ’Even if she and Qin Shen didn’t get along, a workhorse this good was enough to tempt her.’
Qin Shen was fast, but the others in the ice house were quick, too.
Just as he was about to leave, Zhang Qingfang called out cheerfully, "The meat’s ready! Come and get it!"
Jiang Si grabbed his hand. "Let’s eat first."
’The firewood isn’t a priority right now, anyway.’
Qin Shen glanced down at her hand holding his. "Mm."
Inside the tent, everyone was holding skewers of grilled food. There was also a large lamb trotter, which Shen Baoying was sprinkling with seasoning. "Xiao Shen, you like meat, so eat up! Sisi, your dad grilled your favorite quail eggs and mini sausages for you."
Niu Niu pointed to a compartment under the stove and said happily, "Sister, there are roasted sweet potatoes, too!"
Jiang Si smiled. "I haven’t had a barbecue in so long. Just looking at all this is making my mouth water. Everyone, dig in!"
Jiang Linhai handed the grilled sausages and quail eggs to Jiang Si. She accepted them, then passed the quail eggs to Qin Shen.
Everyone saw this and exchanged knowing smiles, but no one said a word.
The main course was lamb, which sizzled and bubbled with fat. Dusted with cumin, chili, and other spices, its color was absolutely tantalizing.
Jiang Linhai grilled them by the handful, making sure there was enough for everyone to have some.
In addition to the meat, there were all kinds of vegetables.
The chives Zhang Qingfang had recently grown, grilled and brushed with sauce, were even more tempting than the lamb.
Jiang Si ate two skewers in a row, plus a skewer of grilled corn and one of grilled green peppers.
When you’ve had too much meat, a few vegetables are great for cutting through the richness.
Noticing that Qin Shen was only eating meat, Jiang Si subconsciously placed a few vegetable skewers onto his plate.
He didn’t say a word, but he finished every last bite.
The aroma of freshly brewed milk tea wafted through the air. Everyone took a bite of meat, followed by a sip of milk tea—it was pure bliss.
Shen Baoying laughed. "Don’t get too full now, we still have a big lamb trotter to eat!"
Jiang Linhai patted his bulging stomach. "Don’t worry, we can handle it!" He then turned to Qin Shen. "Let’s have another drink later." His buddy-buddy attitude earned him a death glare from Shen Baoying.
Jiang Si dropped a bombshell. "We still have English lessons later, you know."
Jiang Linhai immediately deflated, his expression pleading for a little flexibility.
He had been memorizing vocabulary and phonetics over and over; he was about to get sick of it.
The others also wanted to relax, so once Jiang Linhai voiced the thought, Jiang Chengwu immediately put on his air of patriarchal authority. "Well, your father wants to have a drink with Xiao Shen, so let them. You can all just study a little longer tomorrow."
Seeing right through them, Jiang Si couldn’t help but chuckle. "All right, you can have the day off. But you’ll study for an extra half hour tomorrow."
"Okay."
Everyone looked delighted.
The grilled lamb was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, flavorful to the core. If Jiang Si hadn’t been absolutely stuffed, she would never have put down her chopsticks so soon.
Over drinks, Jiang Linhai spoke to Qin Shen at length, his words full of meaning. "Ah, Xiao Shen, I think very highly of you. You’re good-looking, a good man, with a good personality. I can rest easy, and our whole family can rest easy!"
"You have to understand each other when things come up. That’s how you build a happy life, just like me and your Aunt Shen... HAHAHA, just do what she says and you’ll be fine..."
Qin Shen raised his cup, his expression sincere. "Thank you, Uncle." He then looked at Jiang Si. "I’ll listen to her."
Jiang Si’s face grew hot, and she avoided his gaze. "That’s enough drinking. Don’t drink so much, it’s bad for you."
Jiang Linhai laughed. "Xiao Shen, you hear that? This is when you have to be obedient. Let’s put our cups down. We’ll indulge another day!"
It hadn’t been so obvious before, but now even Niu Niu could tell. Her gaze darted between Jiang Si and Qin Shen, her smile as sweet as candy.
Everyone ate to their heart’s content. Noticing the changing light, they prepared to return to the Icebreaker and continue setting up the ice house and gathering firewood the next day.
Lu Zhifeng said, "I’m going to see if there’s anything in the traps."
The temperature at night was too cold; if there were any living creatures, they generally only came out during the day.
He was gone for a good while. When he returned, the sharp-eyed Niu Niu exclaimed, "Wow! My dad caught a monkey!"
As Lu Zhifeng drew closer, everyone got a clear look at the monkey. It was pure white with bright red cheeks. Unfortunately, it had already frozen to death.
To find a monkey here of all places... Jiang Linhai was puzzled. "If monkeys can’t stand such low temperatures, how did one fall into your trap?"
"It probably just couldn’t hold on any longer," Lu Zhifeng said.
Everyone thought that was a likely explanation and grew excited. "If there are still living monkeys, that means there’s a source of supplies. This place is pretty good."
Jiang Si said, "Qin Shen and I will go have a look around. We might make other discoveries."
The monkey didn’t look thin, so it had clearly eaten recently.
In her past life, surviving in the extreme cold, Jiang Si had seen plants that had adapted to the frigid temperatures and managed to thrive.
Perhaps they would have an unexpected discovery today.
Everyone nodded. "Be careful, you two. If you run into danger, fire a warning shot."
"Okay."
Jiang Si and Qin Shen headed in the direction where the monkey was caught. Qin Shen followed a scent, and gradually, they saw a patch of ice giving off a cold mist.
As Jiang Si drew closer, she felt the temperature suddenly rise. It wasn’t a cold mist at all, but heat radiating from under the ice.
