"Auntie, have you seen Sister? Shihu asked me to pass on a message. Deji Tang has, as she instructed, distributed all the flyers for the 'Swiftlet Nest Knowledge Lecture'. I wonder if Sister can come?"
Hearing the voices of A Man and Granny Sun outside the door, Li Ying was extremely anxious. But she was firmly held in Lu Xunguang's arms and couldn't move at all. She could only pound his chest futilely.
"Your sister... just went to the town to buy fruits. She probably won't be back for a while. A Man, go do something else first. I'll call you when she comes back!"
Granny Sun had seen with her own eyes Li Ying being pulled into the wood - shed by Lu Xunguang. As an experienced person, she naturally knew that she shouldn't disturb the young couple at this moment.
"Huh? I just came back from the town. I clearly didn't see Sister..."
A Man was puzzled, but was nonetheless pushed away by Granny Sun without any room for argument.
When the voices of the two gradually faded away, Li Ying finally heaved a sigh of relief. She broke free from Lu Xunguang's embrace, her eyes filled with a hazy mist.
She stamped hard on Lu Xunguang's foot out of frustration. The satisfied man was caught off guard while in high spirits and let out a muffled groan.
"Lu Xunguang! I came to you on serious business, but look at what you've done! How can I show my face now!"
Li Ying's small cherry - like lips were a bit swollen from his kisses, and her lip rouge was in a complete mess. She looked rather disheveled.
Lu Xunguang said indifferently, "A Man doesn't understand, and Granny Sun is on our side. It's okay."
He looked so self - assured and content. Li Ying was both ashamed and angry. She rolled her eyes at him and then said seriously, "Hurry up and freshen up. Come out with me!"
Lu Xunguang knew when to stop. He nodded, shook the water off his body nimbly like a dog, quickly threw on a piece of clothing, and was about to go out.
Li Ying wondered, "Aren't you going to ask me what we're going to do?"
Lu Xunguang looked completely at ease. "I'll go with you to the ends of the earth. What's there to ask?"
He tied up the sail and was about to pull her into his arms when suddenly his vision blurred. There was a furry cat on Li Ying's lap.
"Meow—"
Mao Mao lazily curled itself into a ball. Its soft little tail tip swayed deliberately or not. It nestled into a comfortable position in Li Ying's arms on its own, and its little cat eyes like glass beads stared at him provocatively.
Lu Xunguang was foiled but really had no way to deal with this lazy little cat. He looked at Li Ying with a helpless face.
Li Ying also spread her hands innocently.
Who said this was a date for two?
She was here on official business, okay!
Before going out, she had already asked Zhang Lu and several other old fishermen.
For generations, the fishermen in the village had never seen the kind of swiftlet nests she described. They really had no idea where Feng Yuan had found such a rare thing.
But Li Ying wasn't worried.
As long as Mao Mao took action, there was no need to worry about not finding the swiftlet nests.
She steamed two boneless chicken legs for this gluttonous little cat. Sure enough, with a round belly, Mao Mao licked the fur on its paws and readily agreed to lead the way.
However, thinking that the swiftlet nests were on the cliffs by the sea and the journey would be full of dangers, after a moment's thought, Li Ying decided to leave the little koi, Tuan Tuan, at home.
Mao Mao closed its eyes and pretended to sleep. In fact, it secretly "monitored" Lu Xunguang's every move. It firmly occupied Li Ying's embrace and wouldn't let Lu Xunguang get close.
Helpless, Lu Xunguang had to take the helm with a straight face.
Following Mao Mao's guidance, before long, the two left the fishing village and saw a small island in the distance.
They docked the boat and landed on the island. The weeds on the island were waist - high, indicating that no one lived there.
Mao Mao's tiny body disappeared into the grass, and Li Ying was afraid it would get lost, so she still held it in her arms.
Mao Mao meowed in her arms, looking quite anxious. Lu Xunguang raised his eyebrows and glanced at it.
This little lazy cat was really good at acting coquettishly and being clingy!
Li Ying had once casually said that she thought he was sometimes like a stubborn big dog. Could it be that this was the kind of thing she liked?
Li Ying didn't know that behind his serious and solemn face, he was actually thinking about such a ridiculous question. She kindly explained, "Mao Mao is very spiritual. It has already found that there are swiftlet nests on the cliff on the other side of the island."
Lu Xunguang didn't expect her to explain this to him. Hearing this, he was stunned again.
Who on earth was his A Ying? Not only did she have a magical brocade bag that could hold all things, but she also seemed to understand the language of beasts!
A man is not guilty, but his treasures may be. Since A Ying had confided such astonishing abilities to him, he would surely live up to her trust and keep his mouth shut!
Li Ying didn't know that in this short moment, so many thoughts had flashed through Lu Xunguang's mind. She took Mao Mao and soon arrived at the bottom of the cliff. Squinting her eyes and looking into the distance, she indeed saw a rather small swiftlet nest hidden in a steep part of the cliff wall.
She felt a bit troubled.
Although she had come here specifically for the swiftlet nests, the swiftlets hadn't reached the month to leave the nest. If she just picked the nests... it would be like draining the pond to catch the fish. It was really cruel.
Lu Xunguang had been standing quietly beside her, waiting for her instructions. Suddenly, he heard an eagle's cry in the air. His expression changed, and without hesitation, he took off his outer robe and covered Li Ying and Mao Mao tightly.
"A Ying, be careful! That eagle is skinny. It must have been hungry for several days. It's extremely hungry now. You protect Mao Mao well and don't become its prey!"
Mao Mao let out a proud meow, as if reluctantly praising Lu Xunguang for being sensible.
On normal days, seeing its cute look, Li Ying would surely feel her heart soften with love.
But Lu Xunguang's face was so solemn that she knew the situation was critical and put away her playful thoughts.
The hungry eagle circled low in the air but didn't approach them. Instead, it flew straight towards the swiftlet nest on the cliff.
Several little swiftlets that hadn't even grown their full feathers chirped. The male and female swiftlets flapped their wings desperately to protect their chicks, regardless of the huge difference in size, and tried their best to fend off the eagle.
Even though the eagle had been hungry for several days and had little strength, how could mere swallows and sparrows be its match? There was a short and shrill cry of pain. A swiftlet was held down by the eagle's claws, struggling desperately but unable to escape. Soon, blood seeped out.
Li Ying couldn't bear to watch, but she and Mao Mao could only protect themselves. Lu Xunguang was just a mortal. How could he be a match for this sharp - beaked and fierce raptor?
"A Ying, you two must be very careful. I'll be back soon!"
Before she knew it, Lu Xunguang had chopped off a thick branch as a weapon and tied two strong vines around his waist. He steadied himself and rushed straight towards the swiftlet nest and the eagle!
Li Ying watched as he rappelled down the cliff. Almost his entire body was about to be suspended in mid - air. Even though she was usually calm, her face turned pale now, and she didn't even dare to breathe.
Beneath him were jagged rocks and the boundless deep sea. If he was a bit careless and fell, he would be smashed to pieces and doomed.