Chapter 851: Sudden Incident in the Competition (4)
"Well... then it’s settled!" Liu Tinglan and Shen Ji reluctantly agreed, a rush of guilty pleasure rising in their hearts that made them feel uneasy.
The elders had no objections to this. Going out for a spring outing was meant to be relaxing; as long as nothing too improper occurred, they were free to have fun in whatever way they liked. With the four under their watchful eyes, the elders weren’t worried about any reputational damage occurring.
Except for Mo Qingze, who guessed the reason, the others simply thought Mo Yan wanted to spend some time alone with Xiao Ruiyuan, all looking at Mo Yan with a particularly implicit smile. Mo Qingze didn’t agree with his daughter’s approach, but he understood that she wouldn’t do this without good reason, so he didn’t voice any opposition.
Mo Yan did have her own ulterior motives, but her primary goal was still to test her friend and Shen Ji. She glanced at the Six Beasts not far away, reconnected with Xue tuanzi in her consciousness, and, after giving it some instructions, handed her hoe to Xiao Ruiyuan in a very natural way. She then looked at the ground with ease, searching for bamboo shoots with "potential."
Xiao Ruiyuan followed closely behind with two hoes in hand, his gaze never leaving Mo Yan.
Liu Tinglan and Shen Ji also started their search, each looking on their own, always keeping a moderate distance between them.
Time was of the essence, and none of the four dared to delay. However, the Six Beasts that had been frolicking nearby now moved over to where Liu Tinglan and Shen Ji were. Every time Liu Tinglan locked onto a shoot and was about to dig, the beasts would get there first and "claim" it—by urinating on it. This left Liu Tinglan no choice but to avoid those shoots.
Shen Ji encountered the same situation, and with no other option, the two of them had to look for shoots in the areas not "claimed" by the beasts, inadvertently walking far away. They were still within sight of everyone, separated by a distance of about a hundred yards.