Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1099: Stage Edge

Nuan Yangyang was busy making cream. She had very deft hands and could squeeze the cream into various shapes, including small flowers, stars, and lambs. "The village chief is here!" Someone shouted, and the lambs stopped what they were doing and looked towards the village entrance. They saw Village Chief Slow Sheep walking slowly over with a cane made of cherry wood. The wool of Village Chief Slow Sheep was a little gray, and he had a kind smile on his face. There was a small clock hanging on the top of his cane, which "ticked" wherever he walked. "Kids, thank you for your hard work." Village Chief Slow Sheep touched Xing Yangyang's head, "I heard that when you went to pick strawberries, you encountered a trap set by Gray Wolf?" Xing Yangyang nodded and told the village chief about the trap. Village Chief Slow Sheep frowned, "That Gray Wolf, he's really incorrigible. But you did a good job, not rushing to find him. Instead, you protected yourselves first." Just then, the village alarm blared—"Ding-ling-ling! Ding-ling-ling!"—the warning siren of danger. Star Sheep hurried to the observation tower at the village entrance and peered into the distance. On the hillside west of the grassland, Gray Wolf was wheeling a giant cake, adorned with colorful candles, looking particularly tempting. "Oh no! Gray Wolf is coming! And he's pushing a giant cake!" Star Sheep shouted. The lambs panicked at the sound. Lazy Sheep hid behind Warm Sheep in fear: "How could Gray Wolf have a cake? Is he sending it to the village chief for his birthday?" Round Sheep shook his head: "Impossible! Gray Wolf has no good intentions!" Star Sheep peered through the telescope and spotted a small gear at the bottom of the cake. A wire was sticking out of Gray Wolf's pocket. "I know! That cake is a trap!" Star Sheep jumped down from the watchtower and said to the lambs, "There are gears at the bottom of the cake. If we get close, he'll trigger a switch and trap us!" Village Chief Slow Sheep nodded. "Star Sheep is right. Gray Wolf is definitely trying to lure us with the cake and take us back to the Wolf Castle. We have to find a way to prevent him from succeeding while still teaching him a lesson." Star Sheep's eyes rolled, a smile playing on his face. "I have an idea!" Soon, Gray Wolf arrived at the entrance of the Sheep Village, wheeling the cake. He looked particularly comical in a red suit and black bow tie. "Lambs! Come out!" Gray Wolf shouted at the top of his voice. "Today is Village Chief Slow Sheep's birthday. I made a rainbow cake just to celebrate!" The gates of the Sheep Village slowly opened, and Star Sheep, Yuan Yuan Gun, and Zhuang Zhuang stepped out. Yuan Gun Gun stared at the cake and swallowed. "Gray Wolf, are you really here to deliver the cake?" Gray Wolf nodded quickly, forcing a kind smile. "Of course! I'm a polite wolf. It's the village chief's birthday, so how could I not celebrate? Quick, carry the cake in, and we'll sing Happy Birthday to the village chief together." Xing Yangyang pretended to hesitate for a moment before saying to Zhuangzhuang, "Zhuangzhuang, you're strong. You and Yuan Gun Gun can carry the cake in together." Zhuangzhuang nodded and walked over to the cake with Yuan Gun Gun. Just as they were about to carry the cake, Xing Yangyang suddenly shouted, "Wait! The candles on the cake look like they're going out! I'll get a lighter!" He turned and ran back to the sheep village, quickly emerging with a small lighter. Gray Wolf gloated to himself, "Hey, it's almost there! As soon as they touch the cake, I'll flip the switch and trap them all!" His hand slipped quietly into his pocket, ready to flip the switch. But just then, Xingyangyang suddenly threw his lighter into the haystack next to the cake. It had rained yesterday, and the haystack was wet. Instead of lighting the hay, the lighter clattered to the ground with a clang. "Oops, sorry, my hand slipped," Xingyangyang said with a smile. Gray Wolf was furious, but he couldn't get angry. He could only continue to feign kindness. "It's okay, it's okay if the candles are out. We can just cut the cake." He had just finished speaking when Zhuangzhuang and Yuanyuangun lifted the cake together—but not the bottom! Xingyangyang had already discovered that the top of the cake was made of lightweight material, while the trap at the bottom was heavier. Zhuangzhuang and Yuanyuangun worked together to lift the top, revealing the trap. "Gray Wolf, what's that?" Zhuangzhuang asked in mock confusion. Gray Wolf's face flushed red. He tried to flip the switch, but Xingyangyang had already rushed over and snatched the switch from his pocket. "Gray Wolf, your trap is too obvious!" Xing Yangyang said with a smile. "We'll take this cake, but it's not for us to eat. It's for the wild boars on the grassland—they love your 'trap cake'!" With that, Xing Yangyang, Zhuangzhuang, and Yuan Gungun worked together to push the cake up the hillside nearby. The cake rolled down the hillside and landed right in the middle of a group of wild boars. The boars saw the cake and gathered around, devouring it with voracious mouthfuls. Gray Wolf tried to stop them, but the boars were so strong that he couldn't get close. "My cake! My trap!" Gray Wolf cried out in distress. The late spring raindrops, like invisible threads, fell from the clouds, woven diagonally, shrouding the entire Shen Mansion in a hazy mist. The sky was already darkening, and leaden clouds pressed low over the eaves, as if ready to pour even more heavy rain at any moment. The banana leaves in the courtyard were crackling in the rain, the sound was monotonous and continuous, as if striking the most sensitive string in people's hearts. Shen Yanqiu sat at the pearwood desk in front of the window, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the ice cracks on the edge of the inkstone. The inkstone was a top-quality Duan inkstone, which was specially found and given to him by his father, Minister Shen, on his twelfth birthday. The ice cracks on the edge of the inkstone were delicate and clear, as if they grew naturally. When his fingertips passed over them, he could feel a slightly cool and warm touch. But at this moment, this familiar touch could not soothe his troubled mood at all. The study was filled with the faint scent of pine smoke and ink, which was the smell of his freshly ground ink. He asked someone to bring this ink from Huizhou. It was said that it was made from ancient pines in Huangshan and fired using ancient methods. The ink was shiny black, with a unique and refreshing scent. But at this moment, the crisp scent of ink mixed with the damp air drifting in from the window formed an atmosphere so dull that it was almost suffocating, which made his chest feel a little stuffy. On the desk was an unfinished landscape painting, depicting the spring scenery of Jiangnan. The distant mountains were like dark green, the nearby water was misty, and the peach blossoms on the shore were in full bloom, with pink petals as if they were about to fall from the rice paper. However, the brushstrokes that should have been lively seemed a little stagnant when they were close, and the blank spaces in a few places seemed particularly abrupt. Shen Yanqiu stared at the painting with a somewhat distracted look, as if he was looking at the painting, but seemed to see nothing. "Young Master, it's time to rest." Qingzhu, the personal servant, walked in from outside quietly, carrying a bowl of steaming soothing soup. His footsteps were very light, as if he was afraid of disturbing the tranquility in the study. Qingzhu has been with Shen Yanqiu since he was a child. Although they are master and servant,