Chapter 70: Second Watch

Chapter 70: Second Watch

As it turned out, Zhao Xingguo was right. As they were descending the mountain, they ran into Xu Wei near the houses at the foot of the mountain.

It couldn't really be called an encounter, as it was clear she had been lying in ambush specifically for them.

She looked around a few times but didn't see Zheng Jiamin. Her expression showed a hint of disappointment as she asked Shen Moer, who was passing by, "Sister Moer, why don't I see Zheng Zhiqing?"

Shen Moer's expression remained calm as she replied, "Zheng Jiamin said he had a stomachache and turned back halfway. Didn't you see him?"

Zhao Tingting blinked and exchanged a glance with Wang Qiutong beside her. Wang Qiutong's eyes darted around, and she deliberately said, "That's right, he turned back halfway. I thought he was going to take you into the mountains."

Xu Wei pursed her lips and shook her head, "No, maybe Zheng Zhiqing really wasn't feeling well." She had gone home to hang up some clothes, thinking the group wouldn't come down the mountain so quickly, and had done some chores before coming over. She hadn't expected to miss Zheng Jiamin.

However, even if she had run into Zheng Jiamin, it wouldn't have mattered. He had turned back halfway, so he probably hadn't gained anything. She was waiting here to see if they had any harvest and if she could get a share.

Thinking this, Xu Wei sneaked a glance at Shen Moer and casually asked, "Sister Moer, you've been up the mountain for quite a while. You must have gotten quite a bit, right?"

She had an innocent, wide-eyed look, her big eyes gazing at Shen Moer, as if she were genuinely just curious and had casually asked without much thought.

Shen Moer thought to herself that it was no wonder Zheng Jiamin, usually quite sharp, could be fooled by her. This girl really knew how to use her strengths. She was young, with a delicate appearance, and indeed had the air of an innocent young girl. Most people wouldn't think such a pure-looking girl could have hidden agendas, assuming she was just naive.

Shen Moer smiled, "We gathered some wild greens and mushrooms. If you have some spare time, you can go into the mountains too. There's plenty not far in, and you don't need to go too deep. Just bring along a few kids."

Xu Wei's eyes flickered, and she sighed softly, "But I have to go home to take care of my mother and younger brother. My mother isn't well, and my brother is still young. We don't have much income at home. Times are tough for us."

She suddenly turned to Shen Shaoyuan and said, "Uncle Seven, my mother said that several of you who are around the same age grew up together and were quite close. It's a pity she married into the Dongshan Brigade, and everyone grew apart. She originally wanted to gather a few childhood friends for a reunion on New Year's Day, but she came down with a cold and hasn't been able to get up these past few days. Ah, it's all my fault. Our house is leaky and drafty, and I don't know how to fix it."

The gazes of everyone present immediately turned to Shen Shaoyuan.

Shen Shaoyuan: "..."

What childhood friends? First of all, he wasn't the original Shen Laoqi. Secondly, even if he were, it seemed like the original Shen Laoqi didn't have much of a relationship with Zhou Chuntao... Wait a minute. Shen Shaoyuan's expression suddenly changed because, at that moment, a few memories suddenly surfaced in his mind. It seemed, indeed, that the original Shen Laoqi had secretly admired Zhou Chuntao before he got married.

Back then, Shen Laoqi was a young man without parents, always being bossed around by his older brothers. As he reached the age to start a family, no one was there to help him.

He was often snubbed, and Zhou Chuntao was the only one who was kind and gentle with him. So, in his heart, Shen Laoqi had dreamed of having a wife like her.

It wasn't that he liked Zhou Chuntao, but rather he longed for such a wife and a home of his own.

Of course, Zhou Chuntao would never have looked his way. She soon married into a well-off family in the Dongshan Brigade. After Zhou Chuntao's marriage, Shen Laoqi was down in the dumps for a while.

Shen Shaoyuan's expression shifted, and after a long pause, he massaged his temples in frustration and said calmly, "Well, I hope your mother recovers soon. Oh, and I hope you learn how to fix your house soon."

Xu Wei: "..."

She had never received such a response when trying to gain sympathy. Generally, when a young, delicate girl like her expressed her inability to take better care of her family, people would comfort her and offer her something.

She had made it so clear—her house was leaky and drafty, and she didn't know how to fix it. Shouldn't he have offered to help her fix it? And she had said her family had no income and was struggling. Shouldn't he have offered to help, or "lent" her some money, or found her a job?

Moreover, her mother had clearly said that Shen Laoqi had been quite fond of her back then, but she had looked down on him because he was penniless. Now that his wife had died and her mother had returned to Yangliu Brigade, shouldn't he have been eager to reconnect with her?

Why, after she brought up her mother, did he respond like this?

Still young, Xu Wei was caught off guard by Shen Shaoyuan's unexpected response and was momentarily at a loss for words. By the time she regained her composure, Shen Shaoyuan had already walked away.

Xu Wei returned home, feeling lost and disheartened. The small room had just one bed, with her mother, Zhou Chuntao, lying on it. Her younger brother was nowhere to be seen, probably out playing somewhere.

Zhou Chuntao had a slightly dark complexion, but her features were striking. Xu Wei had her mother's eyes, and even as she aged, Zhou Chuntao had a delicate, fragile charm, especially since she was down with a cold, which made her appear even more vulnerable.

As soon as Xu Wei walked in, Zhou Chuntao asked, "How did it go?"

Xu Wei shook her head, "I didn’t run into Zheng Zhiqing, and neither Shen Moer nor Uncle Shen gave a straight answer."

After a pause, she relayed everything Shen Moer and Shen Shaoyuan had said to Zhou Chuntao. After listening, Zhou Chuntao wasn’t buying it, "There’s no way Shen Laoqi would say that!"

Xu Wei felt a pang of defeat, "But that's exactly what he said."

Zhou Chuntao shook her head, "Likely because of the crowd, including his daughter and son-in-law. He probably didn’t want to speak up in front of everyone. You should’ve caught him alone."

"But..."

Xu Wei wanted to defend herself, but Zhou Chuntao waved her hand, "Don’t worry, you’re still young and green. Mistakes happen, just be more careful in the future. Being a widow with a kid, it’s tough to get by and raise your brother without some help. Shen Laoqi’s our best bet right now. He’s a widower with no son. Marrying him, he’d get a son for nothing. And if I’m willing to settle for him, what’s he got to complain about? If it weren’t for his job and his daughter’s connections, I wouldn’t give him a second thought."

Zhou Chuntao smiled and said, "Don’t worry, once I’m better, I’ll handle it. He’ll warm up then."

She glanced at Xu Wei, deeply feeling that her daughter was still too inexperienced, far behind herself, unable to even handle a young educated youth.

"As for Zheng Jiamin, you’ve got to step it up. Figure out his family’s financial standing. If he’s well-off, marrying him’s a win. If he’s average, just string him along for more money and tickets, and then look for a better family to marry into."

Meanwhile, Shen Moer and the others had returned to the Shen family's courtyard.

Shen YinYin had been teasing Shen Shaoyuan all the way back. She knew that Shen Laoqi had been quite fond of Zhou Chuntao in the past.

Being the younger brother, even after she married, she would occasionally come back to check on him, trying to find him a match through some well-connected friends. But with both parents gone, everyone knew he had no claim to the Shen family's assets, so finding a match was really difficult.

Zhou Chuntao was even less likely. Shen Laoqi only thought Zhou Chuntao had a good personality, but Shen YinYin knew better. Zhou Chuntao had high standards; how could she possibly take a liking to a poor orphan boy?

Who would have thought that almost twenty years later, the two would cross paths again.

One had lost his wife, the other her husband. On the surface, they seemed quite a match.

However, being her brother, Shen YinYin felt compelled to warn him, even if it might offend, "Zhou Chuntao is not an easy person. If you really want to find someone else, try not to choose her."

Shen Shaoyuan was utterly helpless, "I don't want to find someone else, and I'm certainly not interested in Zhou Chuntao."

Shen YinYin gave him a deep look, "I hope you're telling the truth."

Otherwise, getting involved with Zhou Chuntao would mean a life of constant chaos.

Shen Shaoyuan: "..."

Not just Shen YinYin, even the younger generation kept glancing at him curiously. Shen Shaoyuan felt like he couldn't explain himself even if he had a hundred mouths.

Fortunately, Zhao Xingguo and the others returned soon.

It was almost evening, and the weather had turned gloomy in the afternoon, making the sky quite dark. Zhao Xingguo and the others had also gathered some firewood along the way, using it to cover the wild boar, pretending they were just carrying a large bundle of firewood. They managed to return to the Shen family's courtyard without any major incidents.

Luckily, the Shen family lived at the edge of the village, where there were few residents, and with the fields empty during the New Year, they were able to bring everything back smoothly. Otherwise, encountering a few people on the road would have likely exposed them.

Wild boars are generally not as fat as domestic pigs, but one wild boar still weighed over a hundred pounds. Zhao Xingguo, being skilled, quickly butchered and divided the boar. The others helped by fetching water, boiling water, and getting busy with the preparations.

It must be said, the Shen family's house was incredibly convenient for secretly preparing food. Slaughtering a pig was easy, with the courtyard walls and closed gates hiding everything from view. Fetching water was no issue, as no one would question the amount of water used. Cooking the meat was also convenient, as no one could smell the delicious aroma outside.

With many people to feed, Shen Shaoyuan had Zhao Xingguo cut an entire front leg with a side of meat, stewing a large pot of fresh bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and wild boar meat. There was no need for additional dishes, just a large basin of mixed grain buns made before the New Year. Everyone ate until their mouths were greasy.

Zheng Jiamin leaned over to Wang Qiutong, eagerly serving her food: "Come on, come on, eat some meat, and this winter bamboo shoot is absolutely delicious. Wang Qiutong, we've been through life and death together today, so even if I said something wrong before, let's just laugh it off and make peace, okay?"

Wang Qiutong glanced at him and deliberately said, "We ran into Xu Wei on our way down the mountain earlier. By the way, she said her mother is sick, lying in bed unable to get up, the house is drafty and leaking, and there's not much food at home. Just now, Uncle Seven said that the remaining pork should be shared among everyone. Would you like to send your portion to her?"

Zheng Jiamin was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his head: "That’s not a good idea. We're secretly eating wild boar meat, and if we give it to her, it'll get out. Let's just forget about it."

Wang Qiutong curved her lips slightly; he wasn’t a total fool after all.

Earlier on the mountain, Fu Mingze ran back to find Shen Moer. After Fu Mingze left, he said he was a man and should also go back to see if he could help, insisting that she climb the tree first before he would leave.

Wang Qiutong hid in the tree, watching him worriedly looking up from below, as he kept reminding her not to come down no matter what happened, and only to descend when it was definitely safe.

At that moment, Wang Qiutong’s lingering resentment suddenly melted away.

Wasn't it because this person was inherently kind-hearted and compassionate towards the weak that he could be fooled?

If it were someone like Yang Qingqing, he wouldn't have been swayed by a single word. It was just that Xu Wei was too deceptive, looking like a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl despite being sixteen, and always playing the victim.

Alright, forget it.

Wang Qiutong thought to herself, just wait, when he gets burned, he’ll figure it out.