Chapter 55 This Bandit

Chapter 55 This Bandit

After passing the steep section, Tang Yuan let Feng Chen go ahead to call for help while she walked slowly behind.

Saving lives is like fighting a fire; it must be done quickly.

Feng Chen didn't refuse. He took all the heavy items with him, and since this part of the road was safe, it was fine for Tang Yuan to walk alone.

Feng Chen first sent the things home, gave a brief explanation to Grandma Feng, and then went to the brigade office.

Accountant Liu was on duty in the office, recording how many carts of corn and soybeans had been returned in the courtyard. Upon hearing that Tang Xiang and Song Huazhang had fallen into a ravine, he was puzzled.

"What were they doing in the mountains?"

Feng Chen didn’t elaborate.

Accountant Liu had no choice but to call Tang Aidang, who had just returned from delivering grain, and asked him to quickly organize a few people to rescue them in the mountains. He also asked someone to inform Uncle Tang and the brigade leader.

Tang Aidang's eyes lit up when he saw Feng Chen. Like his second brother Tang Aiguo, he had become a die-hard fan of Feng Chen.

"Brother Feng, you lead us..."

He wanted Feng Chen to lead the rescue team, but Feng Chen took the reins instead. "I'll take your place to haul the grain. You lead the team to save them."

He told Tang Aidang the location.

Tang Aidang: "Goodness, what were they doing there?"

The back mountain was steep and hard to climb; he rarely went there himself. Moreover, there wasn't much of interest there except for a small valley.

Feng Chen drove the mule cart away.

By the time Tang Aidang, accompanied by Tang Zhonghe and three other young men carrying a door panel and ropes, arrived at the mountains, it was already dark.

After Tang Yuan and Feng Chen left, Tang Xiang cried for a while until she woke up Song Huazhang.

Song Huazhang indeed had a strong will to live. Not only did he wake up, but his bleeding had also stopped on its own; he was just dizzy.

Tang Xiang sobbed uncontrollably, not blaming herself for coming to the mountains recklessly, but blaming Tang Yuan and Feng Chen for abandoning them and not saving them. She also blamed Feng Chen for being selfish and refusing to help her gather medicine.

If he had agreed to help her, she and Song Huazhang wouldn't have fallen.

She had hit her head, which was painful and dizzying, and every part of her body ached, likely bruised, possibly even fractured.

Song Huazhang tried to comfort her despite his discomfort, "Don't be afraid. They... will bring people... to save us."

Due to dizziness and nausea, he could only speak in short bursts.

Tang Xiang: "I never thought Tang Yuan would be so vicious, actually leaving us behind. She could have let Feng Chen come down to save us."

She began recounting Tang Yuan's selfish deeds, "She is selfish, jealous, and vindictive."

As night fell, Tang Xiang feared snakes, feared Song Huazhang dying, and feared the darkness...

When she heard Tang Aidang and others' voices, her tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and she wept with joy, "Here... here, we are here! Come and save us!"

With their arrival, Tang Aidang and the others worked together to rescue both of them.

Song Huazhang couldn't walk on his own and was placed directly on the door panel.

Tang Xiang had been protected by Song Huazhang during the fall, so she had no fractures, just a sprained ankle and fear-induced weakness, leading her to lie on the door panel as well.

On the way down the mountain, Tang Aidang couldn't help but ask, "Xiang'er, why did you come here?"

Tang Xiang, now out of danger but still resentful about their late arrival, assumed Tang Aidang was questioning her and retorted, "Third Brother, if Tang Yuan can come, why can't I?"

Tang Aidang, being honest, didn't get angry at the girl and smiled, "Of course, I just meant there's nothing good here, and it's quite dangerous. It's best not to come."

Realizing she had unfairly blamed him, Tang Xiang quickly apologized to Tang Aidang and thanked Tang Zhonghe and the others.

In her previous life, she was her parents' cherished child, prone to throwing tantrums at home but always polite to outsiders, not being spoiled.

Tang Zhonghe led the way with a torch, saying nothing but silently sympathized with the two.

They would have to face the brigade leader's wrath.

The brigade leader hated rule-breakers and those causing trouble, leading to losses and burdens for the brigade.

These two skipped work to wander in the mountains, fell into a ravine, and required several laborers to abandon their work to rescue them. They were bound to be scolded.

Sure enough, as soon as they descended the mountain, they encountered Tang Bingde riding over.

Tang Bingde hadn't used a flashlight but had lit a pine wood torch.

He was unwilling to waste kerosene and relied on the natural oils in the pine wood, which was now almost burned out, casting an eerie light on his cold face.

"You two took leave to skip work and go to the mountains, and now you've fallen into a ravine. You're responsible for yourselves!"

If they had been injured while working, the brigade would cover their medical expenses and labor losses, but they were responsible for their own actions.

Not only would Tang Zhonghe’s consultation and medicine fees be their responsibility, but they would also have to compensate for the four young men's labor points!

Tang Xiang dared to blame Tang Aidang but didn't dare to argue with Tang Bingde, so she pouted and endured it.

Song Huazhang couldn't bear seeing her scolded, coughed, and said through pain, "Brigade Leader, it was all me..."

Tang Bingde's voice was icy cold, "No need for you to take the blame! If you take leave again to wander in the mountains, I’ll not only deduct your labor points but also criticize you in a meeting! No more excuses!"

Angering him would lead to a public criticism session, which would be recorded in both of their files.

If it were just noted as avoiding labor, that would still be better than being accused of avoiding labor and engaging in improper relationships.

Tang Xiang and Song Huazhang both fell silent, and even Tang Zhonghe and the others dared not breathe loudly, fearing they might be implicated and scolded.

At the brigade, Tang Zhonghe examined them again. Tang Xiang had no major issues, but Song Huazhang's head wound needed disinfection and stitches. Fortunately, despite the deep ditch, neither of them had any fractures.

Perhaps because the ditch wasn't very large, they didn't fall directly but rather rolled and tumbled down.

Uncle Tang kept thanking Tang Zhonghe and Tang Aidang repeatedly, while Auntie asked her daughter what had happened.

Upon learning that Tang Yuan and Feng Chen had passed by without helping and had delayed calling for help, Auntie exploded on the spot.

"Tang Yuan'er has become more and more heartless since the family split. Seeing her sister fall into a ditch and not saving her, even stopping Feng Chen from helping—how terrible!"

She wanted Tang Bingde to give an explanation: why weren't Feng Chen and Tang Yuan criticized for not helping?

Moreover, how could they go into the mountains without working, while Xiang'er couldn't?

While she talked about Tang Yuan'er, she was actually complaining that Tang Fulin could be the deputy team leader while her husband couldn't.

Uncle Tang had been uncomfortable all day. He originally thought his second brother was too dull and ignorant of social norms to be a team leader.

With Liu Youfa and others watching closely, ready to cause trouble at any moment, his second brother, lacking experience, would surely seek his help.

But the day passed quietly. Not only did his second brother not seek help, but he also performed well, with the team members praising the new leader.

Uncle Tang felt a pang of jealousy.

He wasn't hoping for his second brother to fail; he wanted him to do well, just... not surpass him.

If he did better, Uncle Tang would start feeling sour.

So when Auntie ranted, he didn't stop her.

Tang Aidang, being honest, whispered, "Sister-in-law, Yuan Yuan didn't fall into the ditch either."

If you take leave and play in the mountains, others can't do much. But if you fall into a ditch and need help, that's when it becomes troublesome.

Tang Bingde ignored her even more. Harvest season was busy, and they had to work overtime in the evenings to distribute food to the team members.

During wheat harvest, most of the yield went to the state, but during autumn harvest, some of the beans and corn were distributed to the team members.

As for the accounts, the accountant was working hard to settle them.

Tang Xiang was a girl and unmarried, so she wasn't considered full labor. Whether she worked or not was decided by her family.

The brigade wouldn't interfere if her family chose to support her, but if she ventured into the mountains and fell into a ditch, no one would care.

As for Tang Yuan?

Tang Yuan's affairs were none of their business.

Tang Bingde was fair and just. The next morning, when he assigned tasks using the tin megaphone, he praised Tang Yuan, Feng Chen, and Tang Aidang for their rescue efforts.

Though he didn't publicly criticize Tang Xiang and Song Huazhang, the question remained: why did they save people, and why did you fall into the ditch?

This was practically public humiliation!

Tang Xiang was furious and refused to leave home, harboring resentment towards Tang Yuan.

The key issue was that she wanted to visit Song Huazhang at the educated youth point, but Grandma Tang wouldn't allow it.

What right did she have to care for him?

Had he proposed marriage?

Grandma Tang used to think Tang Yuan'er was a troublemaker who always upset her, but now she saw that Xiang'er had her own faults.

After dinner, while Auntie was out, she asked Uncle Tang, "When will that Song educated youth come to propose?"

Tang Yuan and Feng Chen going into the mountains meant they were engaged!

Was Xiang'er engaged to Song Huazhang?

If not, why were they always together? Didn't she fear others talking?

Uncle Tang truly didn't know. While Auntie boasted about Wu marrying a wife for free and Xiang'er marrying a city official's son, she never mentioned when the engagement or wedding would be.

Seeing his lack of knowledge, Grandma Tang was angry and whispered, "What are you busy with all day?"

Uncle Tang felt wronged. As the team leader, he was naturally busy leading the team members.

Tang Xiang overheard her grandmother and father's conversation and sneered inwardly. What did they know?

Wait until 1977; then I'll really surprise them.

Tang Wu came over from the east room. With a wife now, he felt more confident and spoke louder.

"Grandma, if Song Huazhang wants to marry Xiang'er, he needs at least fifty yuan and the three rounds and one ring."

Tong Xue occasionally complained to him that marrying in the city was even more expensive, requiring fifty to one hundred yuan in dowry and the three rounds and one ring, which the Tang family hadn't given her.

Tang Wu hadn't given Tong Xue a dowry, but he had suffered from the pressure of dowries before. Now that his sister was getting married, he intended to assert himself as the second brother-in-law and demand a substantial dowry from the groom.

Tang Xiang was furious. How had she not seen before that this stupid older brother was not only foolish but also snobbish?

Hmph, if they pressured her further, don't blame her for leaving with Song Huazhang and ignoring them.

Finally, Grandma Tang gave the order: either Song Huazhang should come to propose marriage and set the engagement right away, or Tang Xiang must never see him again.

It sounds bad that the two of them fell into a ditch late at night!

Tang Yuan had no idea about the commotion in Old Tang's household.

She and Feng Chen had gone into the mountains.

This time, as soon as they entered the mountains, both were stunned—someone had dared to steal their food!

Their rice was heavy and golden, promising a harvest in just half a month.

They had also planted some beans, corn, millet, and sunflowers, and transplanted young jujube trees and wild jujube saplings, all of which were thriving.

The valley was full of vibrant life.

However, upon closer inspection, they found that several ears of their corn had been picked, and even two unripe sunflower heads had been plucked!

The immature beans, being green soybeans, were also stolen, as they tasted delicious.

Even worse, the cave had been robbed too!

Someone had entered the cave, and the iron pot with two handles had been thrown on the ground, luckily without breaking.

The straw mat on the bed had been lifted, and the dry reeds underneath were trampled beyond recognition.

Fortunately, they always packed their quilts tightly in plastic bags and placed them on shelves, so they weren't damaged.

Two pieces of smoked meat hanging in the small cave had been torn down, half-eaten, and discarded on the ground, even urinated on!

There was feces in the corner.

Damn it, this is unbearable!

The two spent the night cleaning the cave and fumigating it with herbs before sleeping.

The next morning, Tang Yuan didn't bother cooking; she and Feng Chen munched on some mixed-flour steamed buns and went down to patrol with sickles and machetes.

She wondered aloud, "Could it be a bear that came and picked the corn?"

It couldn't be a person, could it?

If it were a person, they would have taken the food instead of destroying it.

Moreover, the place was hard to reach, so not just anyone could get here.

Feng Chen inspected their small plots of land and concluded, "It's not a person, nor a bear. It's monkeys."

Monkeys?

Tang Yuan's eyes widened. Were monkeys this bold nowadays?

She pondered, "We've been to the mountains so many times before, why haven't we seen them?"

Seeing her pouting but with bright, clear eyes, Feng Chen helped remove the grass from her hair and analyzed, "Monkeys are cunning. They might have seen me hunting well before and didn't dare to cause trouble. Recently, since we've been away longer, they started testing us. Another possibility is that they were hiding deep in the mountains and recently came out for some reason."

Tang Yuan said, "Then we should show them who's boss and stop them from ruining our crops."

While they're not yet under strict protection, we should give them a lesson. We won't kill them, just scare them off.

She believed Feng Chen had the capability!

Feng Chen replied, "They hide well, and if we specifically look for them, we won't find them. We should wait for them to harass us and then counterattack."

Monkeys are wild and cunning; if we don't subdue them, they'll keep causing trouble whenever we leave for long periods.

We need to teach them a lesson and make them follow our rules.

Tang Yuan added, "It would be great if someone lived here permanently."

Like the people in Stone Plate Village living directly in the mountains, the monkeys wouldn't dare to cause trouble.

Of course, she and Feng Chen couldn't live in the mountains permanently, so they hoped Feng Chen could intimidate the monkeys.

In the following days, they tended to their crops.

Everything Feng Chen had planted in spring was gone. In late May, they replanted rice seedlings and cultivated small patches of other crops.

These dry-land crops hadn't matured yet. Outside the mountains, early autumn harvests were from spring planting, while summer-planted wheat stubble crops would be harvested in August or even during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The herbs they had transplanted and sown had a survival rate of sixty to seventy percent, and those that survived were growing well.

However, the wild yams here were ready for harvesting. The yam beans were densely packed, and the underground tubers were exceptionally large, yielding a whole string from one plant.

The harvest was impressive!

For several days, they dug up yams, leaving Tang Yuan delighted every day.

One day, they unearthed a king yam, with its swollen main root clearly having grown for many years.

Tang Yuan was thrilled. "This is a big one! Let's be careful not to break it and see how big it really is."

Feng Chen asked her to rest on the side while he used a small hoe to dig carefully, avoiding damaging the roots.

Tang Yuan used a small shovel to clear the soil around the roots.

As Feng Chen dug deeper, a large, deep pit gradually emerged, revealing the entire yam root.

Is this a yam root tree?

Tang Yuan was stunned. They had dug up the king of yams!

She guessed, "This must be a yam that's decades old, right?"

To dig up a wild yam, it usually takes at least four to five years for it to grow. For one to reach this size, it would need more than ten years.

She carefully touched the mud-covered wild yam and laughed, "Haha, Feng Chen, we've hit the jackpot! This king of yams will definitely fetch a good price."

It was so heavy she couldn't lift it all at once!

"Quick, come and weigh it, see how much it is."

Feng Chen had a special skill to estimate weight manually.

Feng Chen was also delighted. Digging yams was hard work, but he didn't mind; he just felt sorry for her getting covered in mud.

With such a harvest, his wife's efforts were well worth it.

He used his strength to lift the massive yam root, weighed it, and gave an estimate, "It's about a hundred pounds."

Tang Yuan: ○.○

Quickly check if there's another hundred-pound wild yam nearby!

What if they come in pairs?

It turned out that one mountain cannot hold two tigers, and the king of yams reigned supreme, with others being mere followers.

The king of yams was the only one of its size, with the rest not exceeding forty pounds, most weighing only a dozen or so pounds.

Of course, there were also some newly grown ones, as thick as a child's arm, huddled together.

Even so, when gathered together, they formed a small hill.

According to Feng Chen's estimate, they harvested around eight hundred pounds of yams and another three hundred pounds of yam beans!

The yield was astonishing!

Compared to the smaller valley outside, this patch produced more and larger yams.

They had dug up the yams from the outside patch in spring, so there were none left now; they would have to wait until next year. However, they could still pick the yam beans.

All these patches of wild yams bore yam beans, which Tang Yuan affectionately called "good yams."

Their own cultivated patch wasn't ready yet; they would have to wait until next year, or even the year after if the wild yams had strong genes.

Of course, the yield would be impressive.

The two of them transported the wild yams back in batches.

This time, Feng Chen made a carrying pole. He could carry two baskets, so he only needed two trips, sparing Tang Yuan the effort.

On their second trip back, Feng Chen quietly told Tang Yuan, "There were four monkeys watching us over there just now."

Peeking and observing, clearly sizing them up.

Upon hearing this, Tang Yuan had an idea and laughed, "Let's play a trick on them."

She pretended to drop a yam, which broke into three pieces upon hitting the ground, revealing its snow-white flesh, looking incredibly tempting.

She picked up a piece and loudly said to Feng Chen, "This yam is really sweet!"

Then she pretended to bring it to her mouth without actually touching it, and her hands did not come into contact with the yam's sticky liquid.

After Tang Yuan and Feng Chen left with their baskets, two monkeys darted out, grabbed the yam on the ground, and quickly scampered into the forest, climbing up a tree.

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp."

This thing must be delicious; otherwise, they wouldn't have dug it up.

Why didn't we know there was such good stuff underground?

We should go dig some too!

The monkeys eagerly brought the wild yam to their mouths, first licking the sticky liquid seeping out, tasting a slight sweetness.

Not bad!

Then they opened their mouths and started gnawing at the skin, then the snow-white flesh inside.

Suddenly, the two monkeys let out sharp screams.

"Chirp!"

"Chirp!"

Ouch, so itchy, who pricked me?

Poisonous!

They dropped the yam sticks and started scratching their mouths, "Pah pah pah."

So itchy, so itchy, scratching their ears and cheeks, getting itchier by the second.

Hearing the monkeys' sharp squeals, Tang Yuan smiled mischievously.

Yams are delicious, but you can't steal them.

Yams, taros, and konjac all contain alkaloids that cause itching when they come into contact with the skin.

Whoever doesn't pay attention while peeling will suffer. Can you monkeys escape?

Learn from your mistakes; better not come to steal crops again!

They returned to the cave and saw several monkeys of various sizes lying on the wooden fence, reaching their hands in to grab the wild fruits and the sweet potato bean skewers Tang Yuan had made!

Oh my god!

Tang Yuan was furious. There were so many wild fruits in the mountains, ripe for the picking. Why didn't they go pick those instead of stealing hers?

Seeing his wife angry, Feng Chen decided to teach the monkeys a lesson.

He took out a handful of stones he had prepared earlier and threw them one by one.

With his strength, each stone shot out with force, like a slingshot.

The monkeys scattered with loud shrieks at the sound, and three of them got hit as they ran away. The two larger ones endured the pain and fled, but the small monkey was hit repeatedly and fell to the ground, howling.

Feng Chen whispered to Tang Yuan, "It's pretending to be dead. Be careful it jumps up and scratches you."

Tang Yuan crouched down, holding onto the corner of Feng Chen's clothes, cautiously approaching. Sure enough, the small monkey lay motionless on the ground, but its eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

It was pretending to be dead!

Feng Chen said, "They're here. Let's reason with them today."

Tang Yuan, slightly nervous, warned, "Be careful it scratches you."

Feng Chen confidently replied, "No problem."

He moved swiftly, grabbing the small monkey by the nape of its neck and lifting it up.

The small monkey initially continued to pretend to be dead, but Feng Chen quickly pulled out a thin rope from his pocket and tied it up.

His movements were swift and seamless, leaving Tang Yuan unable to see exactly how he did it.

The small monkey could no longer pretend and started screeching curses. The big monkeys hiding far away also joined in the cursing.

Feng Chen ignored their insults, tossed it on the ground, and went back inside to fetch the guns he and Tang Yuan had.

He handed the gun to Tang Yuan, "Carry this for protection. Stay here in the valley, I'll go down to the forest to find their leader."

The monkeys that came to steal left one here to watch over the small monkey, while the other two ran off to report to the monkey king.

Tang Yuan took the gun and glanced at the small monkey on the ground, which had its head tilted and tongue sticking out, pretending to be dead again.

Tang Yuan: "..."

Are you from Mount Emei?

Before leaving, Tang Yuan pointed at the small monkey on the ground, "Aren't we going to do something about it?"

If we leave, the big monkeys will surely come and take it away.

Feng Chen smiled at her conflicted expression, "Don't worry."

We'll release it after we've taught the monkey group a lesson.

The knots Feng Chen tied were very complex, impossible for even humans to untie easily, let alone monkeys.

Even if they tried to bite through the ropes with their teeth, they couldn't break all of them because some strands were tightly bound into the skin. Using brute force would only make them tighter.

That would cause the small monkey some suffering.

Tang Yuan felt a bit reluctant and deliberately aimed the gun at the small monkey, growling, "You, behave! We'll release you when we get back!"

The small monkey pretended to be even deader.

Tang Yuan patrolled the rice fields below and found traces of monkeys causing damage, ruining quite a bit of the rice.

They probably realized the rice wasn't ripe and not tasty, so they gave up.

Quite a bit of the delicious green beans and corn were destroyed.

There weren't many planted to begin with, and half of them were ruined.

The sweet potatoes buried in the ground were untouched since the monkeys couldn't dig them up.

After a while, Tang Yuan heard gunshots coming from the mountains, followed by the monkeys' shrill screeches.

Although she couldn't understand monkey language, she still listened intently.

She knew Feng Chen wouldn't kill the monkeys; they weren't on his hunting list. Through their time together, she discovered that Feng Chen was quite tolerant of creatures outside his hunting targets.

He only hunted when necessary and never killed without reason.

He was a good hunter, brave and strategic, strong and fast, with excellent marksmanship. The monkeys stood no chance against him.

Sure enough, by evening, Feng Chen returned under the setting sun, followed by a dozen large monkeys.

The four strongest monkeys leading the pack had injured ears and singed fur on the sides of their heads.

But there were no other injuries.

This proved that Feng Chen could have killed all the monkeys, but he showed mercy.

The monkey king seemed to understand his skills and ruthlessness, as well as his mercy, and led the other monkeys down from the trees in submission.

Feng Chen led them around, telling them that this was his and Tang Yuan's territory, allowing them to play here but forbidding any mischief or destruction, especially harming people or damaging crops.

Finally, Feng Chen led them to stop in front of Tang Yuan.

The monkey king led the way and bowed to Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan watched in amazement, thinking these monkeys were truly intelligent.

Feng Chen explained, "The monkey king must have been domesticated before, so he's very easy to communicate with."

Soon, the lookout monkey carried the feigning dead little monkey over, chattering away.

The little monkey complained to it.

Unable to untie the little monkey’s ropes, and increasingly wary of Feng Chen, it hurriedly carried the little monkey over to beg for mercy.

Feng Chen untied the little monkey for it.

The big monkey pressed the little monkey to bow to Feng Chen and Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan waved her hand and smiled, "There are plenty of wild fruits in the mountains; go pick some instead of ruining our crops."

Whether they understood or not, the monkey king bowed repeatedly to them, took a few steps back, then turned and led the troop into the forest.

Tang Yuan watched their retreating backs and mused, "I wonder if we could get the monkeys to help with farming in the future."

Feng Chen held her hand, "We can try recruiting them later."

Tang Yuan wasn’t hopeful; these monkeys were too wild to be tamed and certainly didn’t like labor. Otherwise, they would have evolved into humans long ago.

If they refused to evolve, it meant they preferred being kings of the mountain rather than working as slaves.

The rice hadn’t ripened yet, and other dry land crops needed more time.

They tidied up the cave, sealed what needed sealing, and transported the yams in batches back home.

Tang Yuan couldn’t help sighing repeatedly, wondering why others didn’t want to clear land and farm in the mountains?

No, it was because the transportation costs were too high!

If not for Feng Chen’s exceptional abilities, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to transport crops out even if they farmed behind Boulder Peak. It was only suitable for taking refuge, growing crops for personal consumption.

After leaving the mountains, Tang Yuan didn’t ask Feng Chen to help with the autumn harvest at the brigade. They had been quite tired from their days in the mountains, so after resting for two days, they went to the county to deliver the yams.

Dad Tang told them that Ji Hongyue had returned to the city.

Tang Bingde heard on the radio that the provincial agricultural institute had developed new wheat seeds with stronger drought and lodging resistance.

This meant higher yields.

Their brigade desperately needed them!

In the past, when new wheat seeds became available, Tang Bingde wanted them, but Secretary Liu said the quantity was limited and not enough to distribute.

They should minimize troubling the government and demonstrate the selfless spirit of an advanced brigade, prioritizing public needs and letting other brigades apply first.

Of course, this was Liu Guangming’s stance, and Secretary Liu merely embellished his refusal.

This year, there was Ji Hongyue; he would go to the city to get them!

Dad Tang now revered his daughter immensely. The Fish Immortal was their protector, and his daughter was the lucky star of their brigade.

If not for the Fish Immortal, his daughter wouldn’t have met Cadre Ji.

With his daughter and the Fish Immortal giving him confidence, he managed the second team smoothly during the autumn harvest.

Knowing that his daughter and Feng Chen were going to the county to deliver yams, Dad Tang offered one of their wooden carts for them to use.

He couldn’t spare any livestock; each production team needed animals to haul grain home and manure to the fields, preparing for plowing.

He couldn’t abuse his authority.

But a wooden cart was fine, for Feng Chen to pull.

The next morning, before dawn, Tang Yuan and Feng Chen set off with the wild yams.

They planned to sell the five hundred pounds of large yams and keep the rest for eating and planting seeds for the following spring.

They also took half of the yam beans, leaving the rest in the mountains.

If not for the distance to the city, they would have taken them there to sell.

At the outskirts of Binxian County, a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy and a skinny girl hid in the bushes by the riverbank.

Their eyes fixed on the road, afraid of missing the person they hoped to see.

"Xiaojie, someone just drove by; was that Brother Feng?"

Zhou Xiaojie shook his head, "No, that person looked old and dark. Brother Feng is so handsome."

Daya: "Xiaojie, do you think... Brother Feng will take care of us?"

Zhou Xiaojie paused, then nodded vigorously, as if to encourage both her and himself, "Of course, Brother Feng is a good person. He’s strong and skilled; even those guys from the back alley couldn’t beat him."

He had known Brother Feng since last winter.

Daya’s voice grew softer, "But... he doesn’t come to the city anymore. It’s been a long time."

She had nowhere else to turn and placed her hopes on the barely familiar Brother Feng.

She followed her mother to remarry into her stepfather’s family, where everyone said he was a kind and honest man who didn’t mind her mother bringing her along, nor did he mind that her mother only bore daughters.

The stepfather seemed kind on the surface, smiling every day, but only she knew he wasn't a good person.

He always stared at her with a terrifying gaze, from head to toe and back again, as if she were a little piglet.

Several times at night, she was awakened by a large hand touching her, scaring her so much that she dared not sleep anymore.

She cried to her mother about it, but her mother slapped her across the face, accusing her of seducing men at such a young age. Her mother cursed her, calling her a little slut and a little whore, saying she deserved to be sold off to the mountains.

She was terrified, but she didn't know what to do. She wanted to run away but had no idea where to go.

Xiaojie is a good person. She has a stepmother because she has a stepfather; he has a stepfather because he has a stepmother.

Neither of them could solve their own problems.

They thought Big Brother Feng was very capable. He mixed with a group of people on the streets, fearless of anyone.

Even when they went to the police station, they could be brought back by their parents.

The key is that Big Brother Feng is a good person. He was the first one to help her.

That time, when the stepfather hugged her again, she was scared and couldn't help crying to her mother. But her mother didn't believe her and hit her, telling her to shut up and not embarrass the family.

When the neighbors saw her mother beating her and asked what was going on, she wanted to tell them everything but was beaten even harder by her mother.

Her mother cursed her for being a bad influence at such a young age, stealing things, stealing money, and wanting to... steal men.

The neighbors shook their heads and scolded her instead, telling her to be obedient, that her mother had it hard and her stepfather was a good man, urging her to listen and be good.

She was in so much pain from the beating that she wailed uncontrollably.

Big Brother Feng passed by and intervened, telling her mother not to beat her like that.

Although his intervention led to an even harsher beating afterward, she felt a glimmer of hope, believing that someone could care for her a little bit.

Unfortunately, Big Brother Feng rarely came to the county after that. She and Xiaojie would often visit the places he used to frequent, but never saw him.

Two months ago, Xiaojie suddenly spotted him. They chased after him and saw him with a pretty sister, fighting a group of thugs at the intersection.

They wanted to catch up with him, but he rode away on his animal, and they couldn't keep up.

Since that last sighting, Xiaojie would go to the hospital or come here whenever he had free time, hoping to see the kind-hearted Big Brother Feng.

It was almost noon, and she needed to go home to cook. If she was late, she would be beaten.

She hung her head dejectedly, "Xiaojie, let's go back. I need to pick up my sister from school."

What use would finding Big Brother Feng be anyway?

It was just a tiny ray of hope she refused to give up on.

Big Brother Feng could persuade her mother not to beat her, but he couldn't control her mother or the stepfather.

Neighbors had tried to intervene when her mother beat her, but her mother silenced them with a single question.

"Can you take care of her? Can you feed her?"

No one said anything after that.

She was her mother, and beating her was considered normal.

But she was so afraid. Her stepfather's gaze was becoming more and more terrifying. His hands were cold and damp, like being touched by a snake, horrifying and disgusting.

In the afternoon, Tang Yuan and Feng Chen appeared at the outskirts of the city, pulling a cart.

This time, there were no animals; they walked.

Feng Chen made Tang Yuan sit in the cart, but she refused. He was pulling hundreds of pounds of yams; how could she sit there?

She walked alongside him, stopping to rest when tired, drinking water, and eating wild pomegranates or mountain pears.

Finally, they reached the county!