Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Setia stayed for dinner.

The roasted sparrow smelled delicious. This bird had eaten grass seeds all autumn and gained a lot of fat. After being roasted over a high fire, the oil that seeped from its bone marrow soaked into the firm bird meat.

Setia held a bird's leg in her hand, eating it with gusto.

"Clink! Clink! Clink!" Liu Xingmo downed a glass of orange wine, then tapped the rim of the bowl with his chopsticks, muttering, "Sparrows have two legs, husband and wife are a pair, wandering among mountains and rivers, sharing the autumn scenery..."

"Ugh!" Setia swallowed a large mouthful of meat and drank half a bowl of wine. "What are you muttering about? You call this poetry?"

"I mean, a sparrow's two legs should be given to two suitable people!" Liu Xingmo slammed his wine glass on the table. "And you, talking like a blabbermouth, you call yourself a vampire?"

"Anyway, no old man can tell me what to do, so I can do whatever I want! Blood tofu with dipping sauce is just so satisfying, what's it to you?"

Liu Xingmo quickly reached out with his chopsticks, scooped out the plump frog hind legs from the copper pot, and put them in his own bowl. He then found another hind leg and put it in Su Mali's bowl.

"Liu Xingmo! You are such a rude man!" Setia immediately panicked and quickly reached for the frog's two front legs.

"What did you say? In our Central Plains, children shouldn't eat at banquets!"

"And the women aren't coming to the table either, huh? Well then, Mary and I will take two dishes and eat over there. You can enjoy the feast all by yourself!"

……

They may argue, but they'll still eat.

The once quiet home has become lively in some ways.

Liu Xingmo went to the warehouse and brought out a bucket of orange wine, drinking it bowl after bowl until late at night.

Gradually, everyone became intoxicated.

Setia threw herself into Sumari's arms, sobbing as she drank, "Waaah...Mari...I miss home so much! When are we going back?"

Sumari gently stroked her golden curly hair and said softly, "What's wrong, Miss Setia? What trouble have you encountered?"

"How come this run-down village is so big! And there are so many people! So many sneaky fellows too..." Setia slammed her wine bowl on the table. "Bring me more wine! This is so stingy, is this how you treat your guests?"

"You might as well drink yourself to death!" Liu Xingmo picked up the wine barrel and filled it with wine.

Sumari patted Setia on the back: "Did someone bully you?"

"No, not really... but, but!" Setia downed a bowl of wine in one gulp. "Hiccup! There are just too many geniuses! There could be dozens of geniuses who are one in a million! In Silvermoon Keep, I am the genius that everyone admires..."

"Hahaha, you don't even have a naturally gifted physique, what kind of genius are you? You're just relying on your good family background and abundant resources, aren't you?" Liu Xingmo laughed as he drank, and then took another bite of frog meat.

"A naturally endowed physique? In our land, we call it the bloodline of the true ancestors! Only a few legendary princes were born with this constitution!"

At this point, Setia angrily slammed her fist on the table:

"I never expected there to be so many people with innate physiques in this rural area! And one of them is even my age! That bastard is actually preparing to advance to the third tier! I've been working so hard, and I'm only at the second tier, ninth level..."

"Sister Setia, you're really something, letting that idiot Liu Yizhu ride roughshod over you." Liu Xingmo gloated. "Besides, you two aren't even the same age, are you? You're much older!"

"Don't try to guess a lady's age! How can you have no gentlemanly manners at all?" Setia slammed her fist on the table.

"I don't want to be a gentleman! In a few years, it'll be my turn to ride on your head!" Liu Xingmo said calmly, taking a sip of his drink.

"Huh?" Setia looked up at Sumari with teary eyes. "You must have been deceived by this man, right? Tell me, and I'll take you away from here!"

"Miss Setia, I have decided to spend the rest of my life with Xingmo," Sumali said softly, her words revealing her determination.

"No!!!!" The young woman's scream echoed throughout the orchard.

……

the next day.

Liu Xingmo woke up groggily.

Familiar wooden walls, familiar wooden tables and chairs. This is undoubtedly my own bedroom.

The sunlight streamed in through the window, carrying the midday heat and baking the wood to release a pine scent reminiscent of the mountains and forests.

Liu Xingmo shook his head, feeling that he had forgotten something important.

He reached out and groped under the covers, touching a smooth body. That familiar feel—it was definitely his wife.

What exactly have I forgotten?

Oh right, I have to go to work today!

Liu Xingmo quickly rolled over and got up, hurriedly dressing himself.

Ignoring Setia in the guest room, he rushed out of the house and ran towards the Birch Avenue.

We took a bus and traveled over mountains and valleys.

When I arrived at the library, panting, it was already afternoon.

Ruined!

If I don't work overtime all night, I won't have to sell newspapers tomorrow!

He tiptoed in and pushed open the door. The macaque curator looked over, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting a cold light.

"Sorry, something came up at home and I was delayed!" Liu Xingmo said, bowing his head apologetically.

"You reek of alcohol; no amount of it can fool an old monkey's nose!" The ruddy monkey face scrunched up, revealing sharp teeth. "Time is of the essence, so I won't make things difficult for you. Hurry up and go!"

"Yes, Director!"

Liu Xingmo jogged through the quiet library to the staff work area and then into the newspaper office.

Three pairs of resentful eyes looked over at the same time.

"President, why are you so late..." Liu Huimin's eyes were red.

"There's been so much news in these seven days, I can't possibly write it all down!" Xu Wenting said, rubbing her forehead.

"I've finished my own work, and I've also helped you with some things, but there's still too much left..." Liu Zhili said with a helpless expression.

Liu Xingmo took a deep breath and sat down at his desk: "It's just writing an article, right? I'll show you the power of a top editor!"

……

Ten hours later, at 3 a.m.

Liu Xingmo's eyes bulged out, with crimson blood vessels crisscrossing in the whites of his eyes.

He wrote the last word with trembling hands, then slammed the pen down on the wooden table.

His hoarse voice murmured to himself, "It's finished, really finished! I told you I could do it, right?"

Liu Zhili, who was dozing off next to him, suddenly woke up. The young man rubbed his eyes and said helplessly, "We still have to do typesetting and print two thousand copies... I'll wake them up."

Liu Xingmo forced out the bitter words through gritted teeth: "Drinking leads to trouble..."

At cockcrow, the four people at the newspaper office were still busy printing newspapers and magazines.

Newspapers only began circulating in the streets and alleys after daybreak and most residents had gone to work.

Only 350 copies were sold.

One step behind leads to another. I was a few hours late knocking on old clients' doors today, and many times I was turned away.

The four returned to the newspaper office, all looking dejected.

Liu Huimin slumped weakly onto her desk, as if all her bones had been removed: "The latest limited edition perfume... Waaah, I don't have the money to buy it..."

"Clap!" Liu Xingmo clapped his hands loudly. "Don't worry! I have a way to make money! First step, everyone come with me to eat!"