Chapter 18 - The Handsome Youth From the Mountains (2/2)

Yu Xiaocao hurriedly interrupted, “Mom! Brother Heizi somehow always knows when there’s food around! He’s like a dog, always sniffing around for something to eat. If you bring these buns back, he’ll definitely find them. And if he finds them, grandmother will find out. And if grandmother finds out and asks where we got the money to buy the meat buns, how would you reply?”

After thinking for a bit, Madam Liu had to admit her daughter was right. She unwrapped her share of the food and handed one towards Xiaocao. “Your mother can’t eat this much food. Cao’er, come eat another one.”

Xiaocao laughed and patted her bulging belly. “These buns are too big for me! I already ate two earlier, and I also had a bowl of egg soup. If I eat any more, I think I’ll end up exploding. Older brother and I already ate, so you should hurry and eat. Make sure no one sees you!”

Yu Xiaolian had originally planned on leaving her second pastry behind, so she could give it to her little sister at dinner. However, when she heard what Xiaocao told their mother, she started gnawing on her other stuffed bun without any more hesitation. ‘Hmph! That shameless fatty, Yu Heizi, absolutely can’t get a piece of this!’

Shortly after the whole family finished the meat buns, an unfamiliar male voice sounded from a nearby stand of trees. “Eh? Auntie Liu, Xiaosha, Xiaolian, and Little Shitou, why are all of you here?” The stranger sounded youthful and had a clear-pitched voice.

All of them immediately turned their heads around to look. A young man dressed in a neat and casual set of clothes strolled out of gloomy shadows of the trees. A hunting bow was slung on his back. The youth had thick brows and a pair of clear, dark eyes. His nose was straight, and he had a square jawline. Although he was wearing plain, homespun clothing, it didn’t detract from his heroic figure one bit.

‘Whoa! The ancients truly did have flower boys! The novels weren’t pulling my leg! The young man who almost drowned, the town’s handsome and youthful restaurant owner, and this hot and rugged teenage boy are all perfect specimens of good-looking men. Now that I think about it, my own two brothers would be quite handsome if they weren’t so thin.’

Yu Hang threw the piece of firewood from his hand in excitement and eagerly stepped forward. “Brother Han, are you here to check on your traps?”

Zhao Han looked at Xiaocao inquisitively before he smiled and nodded, “I didn’t have time earlier this morning to stop by. Now that I have some free time, I decided to take a walk in the mountains. Is this little girl…your second younger sister?”

“Yes, this is my youngest sister. Her name is Xiaocao. When she was first born, she was weaker than a kitten so my dad decided to give her a name that would help her grow. He hoped that she would be able to grow as quickly as grass and as tenacious as a weed! Little sister, this is Uncle Zhao’s son, Brother Han. Go greet him now!” Yu Hang caressed her head as if he was petting a puppy.

Yu Xiaocao ducked away from her brother’s hand and silently grumbled. ‘Can you stop embarrassing me in front of strangers? Isn’t it bad enough I have such an…unique…name? Did you really have to explain the reasoning too?’

‘Uncle Zhao’s son, who is Uncle Zhao? Oh right, he must be the son of Hunter Zhao, the village’s best hunter. I think father learned how to hunt from this guy, so I probably should treat his son well.’

Xiaocao pasted a polite smile on her face and sweetly said, “Older Brother Zhao!”

Zhao Han guffawed. “Uncle Dahai calls my dad ‘Older Brother Zhao’, now you also are calling me ‘Older Brother Zhao’. Who are we referring to now? Xiaocao, just follow Little Shitou’s lead. Call me ‘Brother Han’ instead!”

“Brother Han! Second Sister, if you follow Brother Han, then you will be able to eat meat!” The little foodie, Little Shitou, licked his lips greedily.

Outnumbered, Yu Xiaocao could only follow their example. “Brother Han….” The sound of her voice was soft and weak. If Zhao Han didn’t have good hearing, he wouldn’t have been able to hear her greeting.

Zhao Han copied Yu Hang and ruffled her hair affectionately. “Are you not fully recovered? You still seem pretty weak… If there’s any game caught in the traps, your Brother Han will roast some meat for you!”