Time flew by.
And, according to his plan.
Song Qiao repaired the old house while also performing ancestral rites.
At the same time, he mingled with the neighborhood aunties and uncles.
The rural customs and traditions also felt fresh and new to Gao Meng and her companion.
They were even reluctant to leave.
And so, time arrived at New Year's Eve.
"The festive atmosphere in the countryside is strongest during the New Year."
After a day of training and visits.
The group stretched and said to each other.
"That's true."
Song Qiao nodded. "This is why I brought you two to the countryside for a holiday."
As they continued to chat.
The phone suddenly rang.
Song Qiao answered it. It was Xia Xueqing.
"Hello, Xueqing... Are you with Dad and Mom?"
Listening to the noisy sound on the other end of the line.
Song Qiao's eyebrows twitched as he asked.
"Yes... No, I'm here to check up on you."
Xia Xueqing had just agreed, then suddenly realized something was amiss.
Her voice rose a few decibels as she questioned Song Qiao.
"Are you having a great time in the countryside?"
"It's okay. Without you by my side, how could I be truly happy?"
Understanding her meaning, Song Qiao replied with a smile.
Hearing these overly affectionate words.
Xia Xueqing on the other end of the line couldn't help but giggle.
"At least you have some conscience."
After a moment's thought, she spoke again, reminding him.
"Listen, remember this. Gao Meng is my best friend."
"While I'm not around, don't you dare lay a hand on her, you big pervert!"
"Lay a hand on her?"
Hearing this.
A curve formed on Song Qiao's lips.
This girl.
Was she still jealous that he went back to the countryside without her?
Thinking this, Song Qiao coughed lightly and pretended to be serious.
"I didn't lay a hand on her, but we haven't gotten out of bed for three days."
"You!"
Although she could tell he was joking.
Xia Xueqing's mood instantly soured.
"You can't do that... If you really want it, you still have me."
"Alright, don't worry. How could I be that kind of person?"
"Besides, there's Ding Kaidong, the third wheel."
"Huh? Me, what about me?"
Hearing this.
Ding Kaidong pouted.
Ignoring him, Song Qiao continued his phone call with Xia Xueqing.
"There's still a lot to handle at the company."
At the end of the call, Xia Xueqing reminded him.
"You should come back as soon as possible. I can't handle it alone."
"I know."
Song Qiao nodded, comforting her. "I'll be back after New Year's Eve."
"Besides, I promised Ye Zhiwei."
He couldn't let Ye Zhiwei keep complaining about him being a bad guy, could he?
"That's more like it."
Xia Xueqing felt much more at ease.
Indeed, with Song Qiao gone, many company matters fell to Xia Xueqing alone.
The burden on her shoulders immediately increased significantly.
"Hey, you two, don't rest yet."
After hanging up the phone.
Song Qiao called the two people beside him.
"We still need to prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner."
New Year's Eve dinner.
Upon hearing the news, Gao Meng immediately became excited and rubbed her hands together.
"What are we going to eat!"
Then, she curiously observed their surroundings.
It seemed there were no ready ingredients in the house.
"You've noticed."
Song Qiao sighed.
Gao Meng and her companion immediately felt a bad premonition.
"We didn't prepare any ingredients beforehand."
"However, it's already New Year's, and the village markets are closed."
"So, the task of obtaining ingredients falls to you two."
As he spoke.
Song Qiao placed his hands on their shoulders, looking at them expectantly.
"I need you to go into the mountains to pick mushrooms."
"There are many wild mushrooms in the mountains of the countryside."
However.
Gao Meng and her companion stared blankly, not knowing what to do.
"We don't know which mushrooms are edible and which are poisonous."
Ding Kaidong took a deep breath, then mustered his courage to explain to Song Qiao.
They had lived in cities their whole lives.
Apart from commonly seen mushroom varieties, they knew nothing about wild produce.
"And... Master, won't there be wolves in this mountain?"
Ding Kaidong seemed terrified of wolves.
His body trembled almost uncontrollably.
"Are you... scared?"
At the same time, he tentatively looked at Gao Meng.
Hoping she would ask Song Qiao to not go, even if it meant going hungry, it was better than going into the mountains to feed wolves.
"I'm not afraid of wolves."
Gao Meng shook her head, her eyes fixed on Song Qiao. "Is this... also training?"
"Of course."
Song Qiao nodded. "I will explain the basic knowledge to you."
"So you must go up the mountain, and you must bring back the mushrooms before afternoon."
Upon hearing this.
Ding Kaidong gritted his teeth.
On one hand, Gao Meng hadn't refused, and on the other hand, he wanted to become stronger.
He gritted his teeth and began to earnestly record the precautions.
Soon, the two set off for the deep mountains outside the village.
"It's so cold... It's so hard to climb here."
The deep mountains were sparsely populated.
There wasn't even a path to walk on.
The two could only carefully climb along cliffs and precipices.
Fortunately, both were martial artists, with excellent physical fitness and much greater strength than ordinary people.
Otherwise, they might have slipped and fallen off the cliff at any moment.
"We need to speed up..."
Searching all over the mountainside.
Gao Meng gritted her teeth and said softly.
"Afternoon is coming soon..."
Seeing this.
Ding Kaidong's heart sank. Looking at the gradually setting sun, he felt a sense of despair.
"If we keep this up, we'll just have to give up."
Ding Kaidong said with a bitter smile.
"It's better to get scolded than to feed wolves on the mountain."
However.
Seeing Gao Meng in front of him remain silent and still persist.
He could only sigh and continue to toil on the mountain.
Time passed quickly.
As dusk approached, two dust-covered figures appeared outside the door.
"Oh my, you're finally back."
Looking at the two disheveled figures with torn clothes outside the door.
Song Qiao almost burst out laughing.
"How was it, any harvest?"
Gao Meng and her companion exchanged glances.
Then, they each presented a few mushrooms wrapped in their clothes.
"We only found these..."
After the trek down the mountain.
The two were exhausted.
But the final harvest was unsatisfactory.
These few mushrooms wouldn't even be enough for one person to eat!
"Alright then, we can only eat these."
Song Qiao said with regret.
Thinking about having to eat wild mushrooms with dirt on them on New Year's Eve.
Gao Meng's eyes welled up with tears.
Even Ding Kaidong was somewhat angry and helpless, and was about to question him.
Only to see Song Qiao open the door.
Fragrant dishes were quietly laid out on the table.
"You... so you had it all prepared already!"
The two were shocked.
"Yes, do you think I'm a careless person?"
A playful smile appeared on Song Qiao's face. "My purpose was solely to train you two."
"Hmph, you devious great demon."
Gao Meng's tears turned into a smile as she playfully chided him.
"Alright, it's New Year's. I won't make things difficult for you. Let's eat first."
Song Qiao waved his hands, signaling to the two. "We'll return to the city tomorrow."