mtl008 Chapter 463 Wasn't that an accident?
Chapter 463 Wasn't that an accident?
As night fell, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou dragged their weary bodies back to the village.
Although they only brought back a portion of their prey, it was enough to attract the attention of the villagers.
"Wow, you two caught another big game?"
Old Zhang, who was passing by, leaned on his cane and asked curiously with squinted eyes.
"Yes, we hunted three wild boars and a black bear. We had too much prey to carry, so we brought some back first. We'll deal with the rest tomorrow," Wang Ergou answered first, unable to hide his smugness.
Old Zhang's eyes suddenly lit up, and he slapped Wang Ergou's shoulder hard with his rough hand: "Good lad! The wild animals in the mountains are cunning these days. You guys actually managed to take down three wild boars and a black bear. You're truly a force to be reckoned with!"
Hearing this, Wang Ergou became even more smug. Li Xiangyang smiled and didn't say anything more.
His back ached slightly. Although the injury wasn't serious, he could feel the stinging pain from his cotton-padded coat rubbing against the wound with every step he took.
"Xiangyang, are you alright? Why don't you go to Dr. Qian's to get some medicine first? I'll go tell your wife what happened."
Seeing that Li Xiangyang looked unwell, Wang Ergou said worriedly.
"Come on, you just want to see me get scolded, don't you?" Li Xiangyang said with a wry smile. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. You should go back too."
After watching Wang Ergou leave, Li Xiangyang took a deep breath and pushed open the door to his house.
"Dad's back!" Li Wangchen was writing at the table when he saw his father return and immediately ran over with a cheer.
Li Xiaoyun poked her head out of the kitchen and asked with a smile, "You're back? What did you catch?"
"We've hunted three wild boars and a black bear! We'll have meat to eat tomorrow!" Li Xiangyang tried to remain natural as he bent down and picked up his son.
The movement aggravated his injury, and he couldn't help but gasp, but he forced himself not to show it.
"Really? How big is the bear?" Li Wangchen asked excitedly, his eyes wide.
“It’s really big, taller than Dad!” Li Xiangyang said, trying to sound casual.
At this moment, Li Xiaoyun had already served the steaming hot food: "Alright, you two, we'll talk later. Go wash your hands and eat."
Li Xiangyang nodded, put his son down, and went to wash his hands.
When he took off his coat, his movements were noticeably slower.
The family of three sat at the dining table. Li Xiangyang told his son about the day's hunt, deliberately avoiding the dangerous part of fighting the black bear, only saying that he and Wang Ergou cooperated well and easily hunted the black bear.
"Dad, you're amazing!" Li Wangchen said admiringly, then proudly raised his head: "But I'm amazing too. I can write everything Mom taught me!"
"Really? That's wonderful!" Li Xiangyang patted his son's head, his heart filled with pride.
Although Li Xiangyang acted as if nothing was wrong, Li Xiaoyun still noticed his unnatural posture and the occasional furrowed brows, and was very worried.
After dinner, Li Xiaoyun coaxed Li Wangchen to go to bed early, told him a short story, and quickly put the little guy to sleep.
Back in her room, she saw Li Xiangyang struggling to take off his underwear, his movements very awkward.
"What happened?" Li Xiaoyun hurried over and gently pulled up his clothes. When she saw the shocking bruises on her husband's back, she gasped. "My God! How did this happen?"
Li Xiangyang smiled awkwardly: "It's nothing serious, I just got scratched by a tree branch."
"A tree branch?" Li Xiaoyun put her hands on her hips and glared at her husband. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old? I noticed something was off with you when you came back. Tell me, what happened?"
Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Li Xiangyang had no choice but to confess honestly: "That black bear was indeed a bit fierce today; it scratched me, but it was just a superficial wound, nothing serious."
"It's nothing serious?" Li Xiaoyun stomped her foot angrily, her eyes reddening. "Look at this injury! If it were any deeper, who knows what would have happened!"
She turned around, took out a first-aid kit from the cabinet, and carefully applied medicine to Li Xiangyang's wound.
"Does it hurt?" Despite her anger, her touch was still extremely gentle.
"It doesn't hurt," Li Xiangyang said, holding his wife's hand. "I'm really fine. Didn't I come back safe and sound?"
Li Xiaoyun glared at him, her eyes red: "You're always like this, saying everything's fine. What if something really happens to you? What will happen to me and the baby?"
“No,” Li Xiangyang turned around and looked directly into his wife’s eyes. “I promised you I would live a good life and stay with you and our child for the rest of my life.”
Li Xiaoyun couldn't help but shed tears: "Do you know how worried I am every time you go hunting, afraid that you might encounter some danger..."
Li Xiangyang pulled her into his arms: "I know, I know. But you also know that my only skill is hunting. I didn't mean to hide it from you; I was just afraid you'd object to my hunting if you knew..."
Li Xiaoyun slammed the cotton swab on the table, causing the alcohol in the glass bottle to slosh around: "Li Xiangyang, put your hand on your heart and tell me, if you wanted to go, when did I ever force you not to go?"
"Of course, my wife is the best. I... I was just afraid you'd worry!" Li Xiangyang hurriedly waved his hand, wincing in pain as he pulled at his wound, but still moved closer to his wife. "This was an accident..."
"Enough!" She turned around abruptly, her eyes red-rimmed. "Wasn't that an accident? You didn't even say you were injured. What if it had gotten worse?"
Li Xiangyang reached out to hug her, but she turned away.
He stood frozen in place, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Xiaoyun, I swear, from now on I'll bring all the necessary protective gear when I go into the mountains. Even if I just get a minor scrape, I'll tell you the truth right away so you can blow on it for me, okay?"
"Remember what you said, that's more like it!" Li Xiaoyun laughed through her tears, raised her hand and punched his back hard, but then immediately blew on it tenderly: "Does it hurt? Serves you right for being so cheeky!"
……
The next morning, when Li Xiangyang woke up, he found that Li Xiaoyun had already gotten up.
At this point, the injury on his back was not serious to begin with, and after a night's rest, it was no longer so painful.
After getting dressed, Li Xiangyang walked out of the room and saw Li Xiaoyun hanging out the clothes she had just washed the day before to dry in the yard.
Li Wangchen squatted to the side, drawing something on the ground with a small wooden stick.
"Dad!" Upon seeing Li Xiangyang, the little guy immediately dropped the stick and ran over. "Look, did I write it correctly?"
Li Xiangyang looked in the direction his son pointed and saw several crookedly drawn characters on the ground that looked quite decent.
"Is this... a chicken, a dog, or a cat?" Li Xiangyang squatted down and carefully examined it.
"Yes!" Li Wangchen jumped up happily, "My mother taught me!"
Li Xiangyang smiled with satisfaction: "Great job! But the character for 'cat' is missing a horizontal stroke in the middle. I'll teach you how to write it again."
Li Xiaoyun walked over and watched the father and son writing words on the ground with great concentration. The corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.