The White-Bone Demon of the Farm is as rich as a country

Climbing a mountain is never an easy task, so most of the poems and lyrics throughout the ages about climbing mountains are about gazing into the distance after reaching the top. Few literati have written in great detail about the climbing process, because that is too unpleasant. However, the uneducated fools are fooled and can't wait to climb up and look into the distance. As a result, they are exhausted before they reach halfway, and are too embarrassed to admit that they are not as good as others, so they just follow the crowd to show off their knowledge.

Ru Yue couldn't help laughing when she thought about that scene.

Chu Ning'an looked at her who was grinning to herself: she was still as thin and frail as ever, but her pointed little face seemed rounder and fairer. Perhaps it was because of climbing the mountain, but her sallow face was now tinged with a light blush. A simple high ponytail hung down behind her, swaying slightly as she walked, but the strands of hair on her forehead playfully scratched her lively peach eyes. Her lips were slightly parted in a sweet smile, and Chu Ning'an suddenly found that she was so delicate and otherworldly, like an elf that had fallen into the mortal world, and he couldn't help but stare at her in a trance.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Are you okay?" Ru Yue came to her senses and found Chu Ning'an in a daze. She pushed him and asked hurriedly.

"Oh, it's okay. I suddenly thought of something. Sorry for making you worry." In order to hide his embarrassment, Chu Ning'an quickly cleared his throat and answered apologetically.

"You (you) just (just) ..." They both started at the same time, then immediately stopped to let the other: "You (you) first|(first) ..."

The two of them shut up at the same time. Ru Yue looked at Chu Ning'an and laughed heartily. His voice was as melodious and clear as the sound of a yellow oriole singing out of a valley. Chu Ning'an also showed a rare knowing smile in the past few days. His voice was like a clear spring flowing down from the mountains, neither fast nor slow, clear and clean.

Ru Yue looked at him and asked, "Has anyone told you that you're beautiful? No, I mean, handsome?" She held her face in her hands and jumped in front of Chu Ning'an. She walked backwards while deliberately squinting her eyes and staring at him like a little fangirl. She said exaggeratedly, "Wow, I've never seen anyone more beautiful than you!"

Chu Ning'an knew that she was teasing him on purpose, but he didn't get angry. He smiled and held her shoulders, "Walk carefully, be careful not to fall." There was a doting in his voice that he himself didn't even notice.

"Chu Ning'an, I don't know why you ended up in the hands of human traffickers, but I can tell you have a good family background and have read a lot of books. I think you have a bright future ahead of you," Ru Yue said casually. "Even though you try to act ordinary, I can tell you're different from us. When we get back this time, I'll return your indenture contract to you!"

Chu Ning'an stopped, pulled Meng Ruyue over, and stood in front of her. However, he was much taller than the petite Ruyue, so he had to bend down to look her in the eye. He said to her firmly, "I don't want a body indenture, nor do I want any freedom. If you buy me, I will be yours. Maybe I can't do the things here well, but I can help you support your family in my own way."

"Chu Ning'an, don't you think there's something wrong with what you said?" Ru Yue felt more and more that Chu Ning'an was abnormal.

"I have no intention of hiding anything from you. It's just that there are many things I haven't figured out yet. When I figure it out, I will tell you everything."

"Chu Ning'an, I have no intention of prying into your privacy. I just think you deserve a better future." Ru Yue said from her heart, "I bought you because I simply couldn't stand the human trafficking. I really had no intention of saving you."

"You didn't necessarily save my life when you bought me, but letting me return to my original life could really cost me my life." He didn't mean to threaten her, he just told her the possibility he had guessed.

"Forget it, forget it. It's up to you. Just tell me when you want to leave." She wrinkled her upturned nose and looked up at him.

"Okay." Looking at her cute little appearance, he couldn't help but rub her hair.

"You messed up my hair." She called out coquettishly, shaking her little head. Her coquettish tone made Chu Ning'an laugh again.

Ru Yue continued to tell Chu Ning'an about the scholar climbing the mountain to fool the fool, which made Chu Ning'an laugh out loud. He was even more puzzled. Was such an insightful girl really just a peasant girl? If not, who was she?

The two chatted and laughed along the way, and the distance between them became closer and closer, but neither of them thought too much about it.

When she reached the trap, Ru Yue ran over and saw that the poor hatchet was still at the bottom of the pit. She carefully slipped down the trap, picked up the hatchet and handed it to Chu Ning'an, then stretched out her hand and asked him to pull her up.

"You are quite strong." Ru Yue teased.

"Do you think I'm a useless scholar? I can't carry anything on my shoulders or lift anything with my hands?" He also retorted in her tone.

"I always feel that you are not as strong as me." She responded in a naughty manner.

"It's almost noon, let's take a break here and have something to eat before we go."

Ru Yue took the cloth covering her bamboo basket and spread it under the shade of a tree. She took out two steamed buns, a bag of smoked meat, and two bamboo tubes of spiritual spring water from the bamboo basket. The two of them sat down and ate quietly.

"You encountered danger here that day and came back late." Chu Ning'an asked Ru Yue in an affirmative tone.

"Well, there was a wild boar trapped in a trap, and I accidentally woke it up." Ru Yue briefly told him what happened that day, omitting the incident of falling into the space.

She spoke calmly, but he could hear the danger. "How did you escape?"

"I met an old immortal. Seeing that everyone loved me and flowers bloomed wherever I went, he helped me drive away the wild boar and sent me down the mountain," she said jokingly.

"Be careful next time." He added in his heart, I will accompany you every time you go up the mountain in the future.

After lunch, the two continued on their journey.

Ru Yue took out two wooden sticks with curved handles from the bamboo basket. She made them based on the hiking sticks from her previous life. She gave the longer one to Chu Ning'an and said, "The mountain road is getting harder and harder to walk on. It will be easier if you lean on something."

Chu Ning'an took the wooden stick and didn't take it seriously, but as the mountain road became steeper, he felt more and more the benefits of the wooden stick, and couldn't help but look at Ru Yue twice more.

Ru Yue also noticed this little detail and felt a surge of pride. How could a trekking pole, so practically invented by those hikers in past lives, not be so useful? Alas, the poor ancients could never have imagined it, but having no one to share a secret with must be quite frustrating!

The mountain road was difficult to navigate, and the two of them, having lost their leisurely pace of the morning, silently climbed all the way up. Occasionally, when they encountered a dangerous section, the person in front would help the person behind them. However, most of the time, Chu Ning'an would be in front to support Meng Ruyue. The journey was difficult, but safe.

Just when the two were exhausted, they both felt a chill on their bodies and it became dark above their heads.

"Oh no, it's going to rain." Ru Yue pulled Chu Ning'an and ran forward. They had to find a place to shelter before the heavy rain came. This became their common hope.

The two of them ran and looked around, hoping that God would bless them and point out a cave!

Not long after, a bright light streaked across the sky, brightening their eyes. Oh no, it was a thunderstorm. Ru Yue became even more worried. If they couldn't find a place to shelter from the rain, wouldn't they become targets of the bombs?

Just as she was thinking this, a thunderclap seemed to explode in her ears. Although she had been mentally prepared, Meng Ruyue was still startled. "Ah!" She turned around and hugged Chu Ningan, burying her head in his arms and trembling. Yes, she had always been independent and was very afraid of thunder.

"Ruyue, don't be afraid." Chu Ning'an hugged Ruyue tightly and pressed her head in his arms, hoping that he could give this always strong little girl a little sense of security.

The thunder stopped and the sky became darker. Ru Yue slowly came out of her fear and apologized to Chu Ning'an shyly.

"It's okay, don't worry, I'll take care of everything." Chu Ning'an put his arm around Ru Yue's shoulders and walked forward quickly.

Ru Yue was really scared. Chu Ning'an felt her trembling from time to time. It was the fear that came from the bottom of her bones. Chu Ning'an's heart was filled with pity. She was just a little girl who was less than fourteen years old!

"Look, there is a cave." Ru Yue shouted in a trembling voice.

Another flash of lightning flashed, followed by thunder and raindrops as big as beans.

Chu Ning'an also saw that there was indeed a cave not far ahead. The entrance of the cave was not big and it was impossible to tell how deep it was. As long as it was not an animal's nest, it should be able to shelter from wind and rain.

"Don't be afraid, Ruyue, let's go." Chu Ning'an took Ruyue's slender little hand and ran towards the cave, letting the raindrops hit them.

"Run fast and go over there first. Don't get wet because of me." Meng Ruyue overcame the fear in her heart and shouted to Chu Ning'an.

Chu Ning'an said nothing, but just kept pulling Meng Ruyue towards the cave.

The distance was not far, and in a short while, the two of them entered the cave. It was quite clean inside, with some dry grass and branches piled in the corner, which should have been left by someone who had spent the night here before.

"You take a rest for a while. I'll go make a fire. You need to dry your clothes quickly. It's cold in the mountains. Don't catch a cold." There was constant thunder outside. Ru Yue's face was pale and her body was shaking violently. Chu Ning'an held Ru Yue's hand, hoping to give her some strength so that she wouldn't be so scared.

Chu Ning'an took some dead branches from the cave and started a fire. Without waiting for Ru Yue's response, he hugged her and walked to the fire, letting her feel the warmth. Gradually, Ru Yue's frighteningly pale face finally showed some color, and she was not trembling as much as before.

"Take off your coat and I'll help you dry it. Wet clothes will easily make you catch a cold." Chu Ning'an said softly.

Ru Yue seemed unable to think, just like a puppet, performing mechanical movements following his commands.

Chu Ning'an made two simple clothes hangers with dead branches and hung their coats on them to dry, while he hugged Ru Yue and warmed himself by the fire.

The fire burned very brightly, and the whole cave was filled with flickering light. Occasionally, there were crackling sounds and a few sparks flew out, making the cave bright for a moment. Ru Yue stared straight at the fire, as if that would allow her to grab the life-saving talisman and prevent any demons and monsters from coming to take her life.

In both of her lives, Meng Ruyue had a weak bond with her parents, never having a caring elder to watch over her growth (her original mother had been with her for thirteen years, but that wasn't her). She had long since grown accustomed to relieving her pain alone, to braving the cold and fear alone. No one had ever offered her the slightest bit of care or comfort. She had wrapped herself up like a dumpling, fearing that knowing her weaknesses would become a sharp weapon for attack. She had cultivated herself into a clam, so that no one could open its thick shell and harm its tender heart and body. Today was the first time someone had stood by her amidst the thunder, offering warmth and protection with their solid chest, acting as a shield and protecting her from the terrifying impact.

The heavy rain came quickly and went away quickly. Near dusk, the rain stopped and the sky cleared up. The setting sun could no longer shine into the deep mountains, but it dyed the eastern hilltops red.

Seeing that the rain had stopped and Ru Yue had recovered a lot, Chu Ning'an finally felt relieved. "Wait here for me to come back. I'll go collect some dry firewood. It's cold in the mountains after the heavy rain. Lighting a fire can not only keep you warm, but also protect you from wild animals."

Ru Yue nodded in agreement, calmed herself down, and started to get busy. She took out the clay pot, rice, smoked meat, spiritual spring water, bowls, chopsticks and spoons from the bamboo basket, added water to the rice and put it on the fire to cook.

When Chu Ning'an came back, he saw her holding her little face and staring at the fire in a daze. Seeing Chu Ning'an coming back, she hurried forward to help him unload the half-dry firewood and put it beside the fire to dry.

"I'll go to the cave entrance to see if there are any edible wild vegetables and pick some to put in the porridge." Without waiting for Chu Ning'an's consent, he ran out, as if he was ashamed of Chu Ning'an for the embarrassment just now and was hiding from Chu Ning'an.

Chu Ningan's voice came from behind, "Be careful, don't go too far."

There is never a shortage of food in the mountains at this time of year. After a while, Ru Yue seemed to have adjusted her mood and came back with a handful of washed green wild vegetables.

The earthenware pot was already boiling. Ru Yue tore the bacon into pieces and put it in, stirring it from time to time with a spoon. Soon the fragrance wafted out. She then put all the wild vegetables in, stirred them a few times, and then called Chu Ning'an to eat.

The two of them had a delicious hot dinner, and their fatigue and anxiety dissipated a lot.

It soon got dark. Ru Yue sprinkled some snake and insect repellent powder at the entrance of the cave, sorted the hay by the light of the fire, and took out a dry quilt from the bamboo basket and spread it on top.

The two of them suddenly became worried. They only brought out one quilt. How were they going to sleep together? They were extremely embarrassed. If it weren't for the darkness in the cave, they could both see the blush on each other's faces.

As a former modern person, Meng Ruyue is more generous than the old-fashioned Chu Ningan. They sleep on each side of the quilt.

They all underestimated the temperature in the mountains. It got cold in the middle of the night. Ru Yue turned over and squeezed into Chu Ning'an's arms. In the darkness, Chu Ning'an hugged Ru Yue tighter, wanting to give her more warmth. He stared at the little person in his arms for a long time and couldn't fall asleep. Thinking of Ru Yue's thank you that was as light as a mosquito before going to bed, his heart softened.

I don’t know how much time passed, Ru Yue moved in Chu Ning’an’s arms, found a comfortable position and continued to sleep, but her little hands still grabbed his clothes and refused to let go. Chu Ning’an wrapped them both tightly with the quilt and fell asleep with a doting smile in his eyes.

How wonderful it would be if time could stop at this moment! This became Chu Ning'an's last thought before he fell asleep. No one could have imagined that this would become his lifelong obsession.