Male Lead's Canon Fodder Wife - Chapter 1134

Chapter 1134: Brushing Against Death
Xiao Yiguan had assumed there would be fewer resources in the forest since most of it was overgrown with bushes, weeds, and trees. Finding medicinal herbs was rare, let alone something like ginseng or Lingzhi. So, he didn’t have high hopes to begin with and just came to check the situation.

Unexpectedly, after climbing for almost an hour, he spotted a small red flower atop large, lush leaves, hiding behind a big boulder. He had seen a wild ginseng plant before, and this plant looked remarkably similar to the wild ginseng.

Taking a few steps closer, he realized the plant was growing at the edge of a cliff. Fortunately, he didn’t rush over and moved cautiously. Otherwise, he might have fallen off the cliff without a chance of survival.

Although the cliff wasn’t extremely deep, it wasn’t shallow either. Judging from its height, it was more than 100 meters. If he fell, he would almost certainly be crippled or worse, dead on the spot.

Since he hadn’t brought a rope, Xiao Yiguan had to use a thick vine as a makeshift one. After tying the vine around a tree trunk and his waist, he carefully approached the plant.

As he stepped closer, he could feel how loose the soil was under his feet which made him break out of cold sweat. With every step he took, the soil became looser, and a faint cracking sound could even be heard beneath the soil.

It took him almost ten minutes to reach the plant due to his cautious movements. When he was two meters away from the cliff, he lowered his body and lay on the ground. Crawling on the ground, he moved closer to the edge inch by inch.

Holding the sickle, Xiao Yiguan carefully dug into the soil around the plant. The most valuable part of ginseng was its roots, so he needed to be cautious to avoid damaging them.

Sweat rolled down his chin and dripped onto the ground as he worked. Thirty minutes later, he finally uncovered the ginseng root. Compared to the small ginseng his grandpa had received from his colleague a few years ago, this one was much larger.

Even as a novice, he could tell this ginseng was at least 100 years old based on the shape and size of its root. Just as he finished digging out the ginseng and reached for it, the ground suddenly shook, the soil loosened, and the ginseng began to fall off the cliff.

Seeing this, Xiao Yiguan’s eyes widened, and he exclaimed, “No!”

Without hesitation, he lunged forward and grabbed the wild ginseng. In doing so, he also fell off the cliff.

Realizing what had happened, his heart skipped a beat as he plummeted. Before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his waist as the vine tightened, slamming him against the cliff wall with a loud thud.

“Ugh!”

Xiao Yiguan grunted as pain shot through his waist and body. At that moment, it felt as if his organs had shattered, and blood seeped from the corner of his lips.

After a while, the pain subsided enough for him to catch his breath. Raising his head, he saw the thick vine starting to fray.

‘I need to climb fast, or I will be dead,’ he thought.

Gritting his teeth, he tucked the wild ginseng inside his clothes, grabbed the vine, and began climbing the cliff. Perhaps he was blessed, or maybe it was pure luck—just as the vine snapped, he managed to grab the root of a tree and pulled himself up.

As soon as he reached solid ground, he quickly crawled away from the edge of the cliff and lay down, breathing heavily. Compared to the dangerous situations he had faced during missions, this one made him truly understand the meaning of brushing against death.

After some time, he calmed down and sat up. Taking the ginseng out of his clothes, a smile appeared on his face. With this ginseng, his father would be able to recover his health.

He took out his handkerchief, wrapped the ginseng, and carefully stuffed it into his clothes.

Having achieved his goal, he didn’t linger in the mountain and began heading back to the village. Along the way, he filled the basket on his back with wild fruits, vegetables, and even potatoes he found.

As he carried the heavy bamboo basket, he thought, ‘This mountain is indeed a treasure trove. But the risk and danger are too high.’

If he, as a trained soldier, had almost lost his life here, how could an ordinary villager survive? Not claiming the mountains is indeed a wise decision as it would be a waste of energy if they claimed the mountains but couldn’t harvest the resources.

With this thought, he returned to Doctor Xie’s house as the sun was slanting toward the western sky.

Meanwhile at Li Chenmo’s house, Dong Li and Dong Huang were pulling out weeds in the garden when they heard the sound of the gate opening. Turning around, they saw their parents had finally returned.

Seeing them coming back, Dong Huang patted the dirt off her hands and ran toward her mother while shouting, “Mother, Father, you are back!”

Before she could rush into her mother’s arms, she recalled her father’s previous words and stopped in her tracks.

Standing in front of her mother, she gently hugged her leg and asked, “Mother, where did you and Father go? When my brother and I returned from school, no one was home.”

Rubbing her daughter’s head, Lu Jueyu replied, “Mother and Father went to deliver some gifts to thank everyone for their help during your second uncle’s wedding. Have Xiao Huang and your brother eaten?”

Nodding at her mother’s question, Dong Huang said, “Mother, we have already eaten. My brother heated up the steamed buns and made two fried eggs for each of us.”

Lu Jueyu nodded and said, “Good, Xiao Huang and Xiao Li are smart and well-behaved. You can take care of yourself.”