Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 207: A Swift and Decisive Journey

The others were busy collecting soil and weather data, including Su Yijia’s grandparents, who were following Xia Weiguo around. The villagers didn’t mind that Su Yijia and her two companions were going to the river to catch snails. After all, the survey team brought their own food and didn’t rely on the village’s resources. Every household had a few freeloaders who didn’t work but still needed to be fed.

However, the educated youths, seeing Su Yijia and her group playing and laughing with the children, felt even more resentful. They knew their jealousy was irrational, but it was hard to accept that, despite all being city dwellers, they had to endure the hardships of the countryside while Su Yijia could play around like a child. They couldn’t help but wonder if their siblings back home were living as happily as Su Yijia while they were suffering and barely getting enough to eat.

When they reached the river, the children rolled up their pants and waved at Su Yijia.

"Sister, come here, there are lots of big snails!"

Aren’t those freshwater snails? Su Yijia’s eyes lit up, but Gao Huabin was already holding a basket and following the children.

"Sister-in-law, you stay on the bank with the boss. I’ll catch whatever you want," he said, turning back to reassure her.

Su Yijia felt she could join in, but seeing the worry in Qin Kaize’s eyes, she suppressed her playful urge.

"Then catch a lot of crayfish for me, as many as possible, and make sure they’re big," Su Yijia reminded him.

"Got it! Mission accepted," Gao Huabin straightened up instinctively.

The children gathered around Su Yijia, curiously asking, "Sister, what are crayfish?"

"They’re the red creatures with two claws in the water," Su Yijia explained, using her hands to gesture above her head.

The children’s faces immediately turned grim. "Those are red bugs! They pinch really hard!"

"Yes, and if you get pinched, you might get infected and sick, needing to go to the hospital," Su Yijia agreed, nodding. "That’s why I’m letting Uncle Gao catch them. He’s an adult and can be careful not to get pinched."

"I’m not afraid! I can catch red bugs!" the older boy volunteered, wanting to join in.

The other children chimed in, "We’re not afraid either. We can catch them really well."

They used to catch these to compete. Whoever caught the fastest red bug would win, and the loser had to give up the wild fruits they had collected to the winner.

"Sister, let us help you catch them. We promise not to get pinched," the children assured her.

Seeing that they understood the seriousness of being pinched, Su Yijia agreed.

"Alright, but you must be very careful. Better to let one go than to get pinched. If no one gets pinched, I’ll reward you with a White Rabbit candy when we cook the snails and crayfish at noon."

"Thank you, Sister," the children said politely before running happily to the river.

Su Yijia found some stones to secure Qin Kaize’s wheelchair and picked up some dry branches nearby.

"I forgot to bring a stove, so Gao will have to go back and get it. Unfortunately, you can only smell the aroma of crayfish and snails at noon today," Su Yijia said, adjusting the blanket on Qin Kaize’s legs and touching his hand to make sure he was warm enough. Then she sat down beside him.

A gentle breeze blew across the river, bringing a hint of coolness. Enjoying this rare leisure, Su Yijia started to doze off. When no one was looking, she rested her head on Qin Kaize’s lap and took a nap.

"Soil and river water testing will take at most a week to complete. Then we can plan how much land can be allocated for planting medicinal herbs. In about ten days, we should be able to leave, right?" Su Yijia looked up and saw the man’s resolute jawline. Despite her efforts to nourish him, after an initial weight gain, he had slowly started to slim down again. This made his already stern and unapproachable features even more intimidating.

Qin Kaize knew how unapproachable he looked with his usual cold expression. Hence, whenever he looked at his young wife, his gaze softened noticeably. "It will be even quicker. In three days, we’ll know if this area is suitable for growing medicinal herbs. Then you can gather the insect medicine. We’ll finish everything quickly and leave immediately."

Regardless of whether he retrieved what he had hidden, those people would believe they had found some important evidence during this trip. The return journey would likely be more dangerous than when they came.

"I only need two days. First, I’ll figure out who has the poisonous insects, gather them all, and then spend a day letting them fight it out to produce the final result. After that, I’ll make the medicine," Su Yijia responded, understanding Qin Kaize’s decisiveness. She laid out the time she needed to ensure they could plan ahead.

She initially thought about staying longer, but it seemed the longer they stayed, the higher the danger.

"If you get bored in these two days, you can also gather some mushrooms. The villagers don’t guard against that much," Qin Kaize suggested gently, not wanting to burden Su Yijia with pressure.

Su Yijia’s eyes lit up immediately. "Yes! Once this summer is over, we won’t be able to gather mushrooms until next summer. Your friends won’t have time, so I need to gather a lot. We need to have enough to last a whole year." She wondered if the village had enough mushrooms. She could pay some of the village women to help gather mushrooms from their homes as well. But she worried if carrying large bags back would delay their mission.

"Big sister, we caught a lot of crayfish. Do you think it’s enough?" Little Yaya from last night came running over, carrying a bamboo basket.

"Yaya, you’re amazing," Su Yijia said, taking the basket and patting her fluffy head. She opened the basket to see plump and large crayfish, making her swallow involuntarily.

Actually, she had five pounds of steaming crayfish stored in her personal space. Unfortunately, there were always eyes around her, so there was no place to sneak a bite. She couldn’t exactly hide in the latrine to eat. She had to hold her breath just to use that place, let alone eat there. The mere thought made her feel nauseous.

"Is it enough, big sister?" Yaya looked up at Su Yijia with hopeful eyes, her innocent face making Su Yijia feel slightly guilty. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was taking advantage of the children.

"Yaya, could you help me find Uncle Gao?" Su Yijia took a milk candy from her pocket and placed it in Yaya’s hand.

"Okay!" Yaya nodded happily and ran towards the shallow riverbank.