Transmigrated as a Peasant Baby Who is Pampered by All

Chapter 459: Chapter 287: Exam (Part 2)

Yingying immediately rushed out, holding a large bun in her hand, jumping and waving at them: ”Uncle Jiang, Aunt Jiang, Xiao Mi, Xiao Xue, Ziang, Xiao Wei, Shopkeeper Wang, you’re finally back!”

Xiao Mi jogged closer: ”Yingying, why are you here so early? We just saw off Brother Ze at the exam venue.”

Yingying didn’t rush to answer but took a bite of the bun first: ”Xiao Mi, your family’s buns are delicious, and the chicken soup is great too.”

Master Yang and the assistant were in the hall tidying up today’s vegetables. Yingying arrived too early; Xiao Mi and the others had just left when Yingying showed up.

The bun and chicken soup were still warm. Upon learning she hadn’t had breakfast yet, they brought some out for her.

Then Yingying waved to the outside, and a guard came over with two wooden boxes.

”These are bows and arrows I specially had made for you, Xiao Mi and Ziang, one each, with twenty arrows as well. We’ll go hunting later, and this time, we’ll surely have a bigger harvest than last time!”

Without waiting for Xiao Mi to say anything, Yingying directly took a book from her chest and placed it in Xiao Xue’s hands.

”Little Xue, I heard you love embroidery. These are flower patterns my mom saved up. I had them replicated, and some are the most popular designs from the Capital City, just for you.”

Xiao Xue originally wanted to decline, but the words got stuck in her throat. Truth be told, she didn’t have the resolve to refuse.

Eventually, she decisively accepted and sincerely thanked her: ”Thank you, Sister Yingying.”

By this time, the guards also opened their wooden boxes, revealing two light bows tailored for children.

The bows were identical in design, but one was slightly finer, clearly meant for a girl.

Xiao Mi was also fond of them: ”Sister Yingying, then I won’t hold back. Let’s stay a few more days at your villa this time!”

Apart from the bows and arrows, the box also included a paper certificate of ownership for the bows, stamped by the authorities.

With these, they would officially be the legal owners.

Xiao Mi handed the two certificates to Mother Jiang, asking her to keep them safe.

Yingying finished her breakfast as well and began urging them to get onto the carriage, ready to head to the villa together.

Uncle Jiang and Mother Jiang originally wanted to decline, but they were worried about Xiao Mi and Wei Ziang going so far on their own, especially as it’d be unlikely for them to return by tonight.

Leaving Xiao Xue and Jiang Wei at the shop wasn’t reassuring either, so after a brief hesitation, they decided to all go together.

However, before leaving, Mother Jiang packed twenty-odd eggs, sent from home. They had plenty, so she set aside twenty.

She also had Uncle Jiang catch a chicken and packed ten pounds of rice and ten pounds of flour to send to Yingying, asking her to have someone deliver them back.

There were still three chickens and some rice and flour left, not because Mother Jiang was stingy, but because those would be used to nourish the kids when they came back from the exam venue.

Meanwhile, as Liu Ze and Jiang Yu were struggling with exams and meals, everyone else embarked on a leisurely holiday.

Outside Yingying’s hunting grounds, there were villages and farms. When others were hunting in the mountains, the rest either admired the flowers in the villa or wandered around exploring.

The family grew up in the countryside and preferred rural life over the bustling city.

Yingying, Xiao Mi, and Wei Ziang would set out early each morning, hunting in the mountains and having lunch there. The guards’ roasted meat was superb, leaving everyone with oily mouths.

Almost every day yielded good harvests. The game was taken back to the villa and, once cooled, laid on ice blocks.

In the evening, a guard would take the game back to the city, either selling Xiao Mi’s goods or delivering Yingying’s game to her family’s master and mistress.

Of course, they always left enough for themselves to eat each day.

With Xiao Mi passing on small tips, Yingying’s archery skills improved rapidly, allowing her to catch many creatures daily.

Unfortunately, unlike last time when they lucked out with a young wild boar, this time, it’s been mainly small animals each day.

Aside from the common hares and wild chickens, rarer catches included porcupines, hog badgers, and snakes.

They even encountered a roe deer once, which resembled both a deer and a goat.

Unfortunately, the roe was too clever. Just as they pulled the bowstring, it dashed off, and they never saw it again.

In addition to these, they also caught hedgehogs and bullfrogs by the creek, easy enough to snare.

Hedgehogs were sold as their needles were medicinal; the mountains offered everything, and with the right methods, earning money wasn’t difficult.

Yingying was initially reluctant about bullfrogs, but after Mother Jiang made a dry pot bullfrog dish under Xiao Mi’s direction, she became completely addicted, eager to catch them by the creek every night!

Thus, they stayed at the villa for an entire week. Xiao Mi and Wei Ziang each saved over a tael of silver before everyone finally departed for the city.

And during this period, aside from daily mountain expeditions, everyone else was busy at home figuring out how to cook delicious meals, ending up gaining a circle of weight, and their clothes fitting a bit snug!

Eating richly every day with little physical activity, how could they not gain weight?

While Uncle Jiang and Mother Jiang, bored, joined the manor’s servants several times to water and weed the garden, such tasks were hardly considered exercise.

As for Xiao Mi, Wei Ziang, and Yingying, they spent days in the mountains, leaving early and returning late. Originally fair-skinned, they tanned several shades, wore clothes full of patches, looking quite rugged.

Fortunately, the group planned wisely and kept a set of clothes unworn, ensuring they wouldn’t have to wear tattered garments upon returning.