Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Old Man Zhao was on pins and needles, unable to sit still for even a moment. With his pockets full of chestnuts that Feng Shi had snatched for her daughter, he waited until Dagouzi brought Donkey and the others over. Then, leading a bunch of kids, he headed home.

Down by the foot of the mountain, the small courtyard was quiet, with only a few wisps of smoke rising from the chimney.

Wang Shi was busy in the kitchen when she heard the commotion outside. Peeking out, she saw a line of kids. Donkey was walking while rubbing his butt, limping along. She couldn't help but ask, "Donkey, what happened to your butt?"

"I, I..." Donkey quickly dropped his hand, his face flushing as he stammered, too embarrassed to explain.

"Donkey went swimming in the river and got a beating from his dad. His backside was beaten black and blue, and it hurts to walk," Dagouzi said, pulling up a stool and sitting down without waiting for an invitation. He was very familiar with the Zhao family. After speaking, he chuckled, "Hehe, actually, I got walloped too." He was thick-skinned, showing no trace of embarrassment.

"How could you swim in the river in such cold weather?" Wang Shi was shocked. She wanted to say he deserved it but felt it inappropriate to say so in front of the children. Instead, she put on a stern face and warned, "Don't ever do that again. In this weather, even wearing one less piece of clothing can make you catch a cold. How dare you be so reckless?"

Dagouzi nodded, not arguing at all, completely different from how he acted in front of his grandfather. "Old Lady Wang, why are you lighting the fire so early today? It smells so good." He sniffed the air, saying it smelled good, but his face showed no sign of greed. He wasn't the kind of annoying, greedy kid who's always hanging around for food.

Wang Shi scooped half a bowl of freshly fried crispy pork and brought it out, placing it on the bench in front of them. She pointed to a nearby bucket and said, "Today is your Aunt Xiaobao's birthday. I killed a chicken to make soup for her. It's a special day. This just came out of the pot, so wash your hands before you eat."

Dagouzi felt a bit embarrassed looking at the bowl of crispy pork. He didn't wash his hands or eat. Instead, he reached for the machete under the eaves and said to Wang Shi, "Old Lady Wang, leave the crispy pork for Auntie to eat. We're going to work." With that, he glanced at his two younger brothers, and the three of them dashed up the hillside in a flash.

San Gouzi wanted to eat the crispy pork, but seeing his older brothers run off, he could only pretend not to notice. He pulled Fèndàn, who was also nursing a sore butt, and followed them up the slope.

Old Man Zhao came out of the storeroom with a knife, only to find the courtyard empty. Even Zhao Xiaobao was nowhere to be seen. However, the hillside was alive with shouting, loud enough to be heard throughout the village.

"Why did they all run off? They didn't even take the knives!" He stood in the courtyard and shouted up the hill twice.

"Grandpa, I'll come back to get it!" Zhao Xi yelled at the top of his lungs, leaping down slopes and jumping over ridges like a little calf, agile as a monkey.

"First, clear the area behind our house. Cut down all the weeds and small trees. Dig up any stumps you can and bring them back for firewood," Old Man Zhao handed him the knife and instructed, "Don't touch the big trees. Wait for me and your dad to cut those. Just focus on the small ones. Understood? What's the rush, kid? Why are you running... Remember, don't cut the big trees. We'll need to tie ropes to pull them down. Otherwise, if they fall in the wrong direction, they might smash our house!"

Watching his grandson disappear into the distance, he angrily slapped his thigh. Why did the kid run off before even listening to the whole thing?

"Third Brother wasn't like this when he was young. Who did Xi'er take after?" Did he take after his mother?

Sun Shi sneezed, rubbed her nose, put down the fire tongs, stood up, and patted the dust off her clothes. "Mother, keep an eye on the fire in the stove. I'm going to the vegetable patch to pull some scallions."

With the children all gone, Wang Shi could only take the crispy pork back inside, afraid Xiao Heizi might eat it. She nodded and said, "Pull a bit more. When you come back, cut half a piece of meat. We'll keep the children here for lunch. Your father sure knows how to order people around. Does he think work doesn't require effort? Luckily, your Aunt Feng isn't picky about these things. If it were old lady Zhou, just try making her grandson work for free—she'd lie in our courtyard for two days without getting up."

Thinking of Old Lady Chun Ya's temperament, Sun Shi shook her head. "It's a good thing we held a village feast back then, letting her eat her fill. Otherwise, she'd have nagged about helping with the grain delivery for the rest of her life." Even though she had put in great effort and the villagers were grateful, she nagged about it day and night, bringing it up every three sentences. Who wouldn't get tired of hearing it? Even the greatest kindness would be worn out by her constant complaints.

"You can't take even the slightest advantage from her family." Wang Shi scooped two extra bowls of rice. "While you're at it, pull some garlic sprouts too. I'll start cooking the rice first."

"Alright," Sun Shi nodded.

Once her daughter-in-law left, Old Man Zhao leaned against the doorframe and shared his thoughts. "Before a person gets angry, their face changes color first. It's the same with the heavens. In this weather, wearing just one piece of clothing feels cold, yet the children find it warm when swimming in the river. Isn't that strange?"

"Strange," Wang Shi agreed. After washing the rice, she poured it from the basin into the pot and scooped a ladle of water to rinse the grains sticking to the basin. "But no matter how strange, it won't make a difference in one day. We agreed not to work today, yet you're making the children cut grass and chop trees again. Why are you so impulsive? You're getting old, yet you're less steady than when you were young."

Old Man Zhao felt a bit guilty. He was just anxious, after all. "Didn't you say mountain fires are terrifying? The moment I heard that, I couldn't sit still. Our house is newly built—it can't withstand another disaster."

"Can a summer fire burn all the way to early spring?" Wang Shi shot him a glare.

Seeing her daughter-in-law return, Old Man Zhao stammered and didn't dare argue with his wife. Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back and headed to the back hillside.

In just a short while, Dagouzi and the others had cleared a large patch of land. Weeds taller than a person's thigh were piled in several stacks. Though the boys were mischievous, always teasing cats and dogs and annoying people, when they put their minds to work, they were capable and full of energy.

Zhao Xiaobao was also pulling weeds, squatting on the ground and slowly moving along.

Watching his daughter pull weeds, Old Man Zhao couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. That's how they found the ginseng last time. Although the chances of digging up ginseng at the foot of the mountain were almost zero, what if?

His Xiaobao was a Little Deity, after all!

"Be careful, everyone. Work slowly and don't get hurt," Old Man Zhao said, breaking off messy branches with his bare hands. "After finishing this area, we still need to clear the sandy patch. And it's not over yet—we'll have to keep cutting as things grow back. Whether our village survives depends entirely on you."

His earnest tone and the sense of being entrusted with an important task filled the boys with excitement, their noses practically steaming with enthusiasm. Dagouzi, who was sitting on the ground chopping trees, was already swinging his hatchet with vigor. Hearing this, he immediately rolled up his sleeves and declared passionately, "Grandpa Zhao, don't worry. I'll definitely chop down all the trees behind your house so they won't break and smash your house during a storm."

He had overheard his grandfather's words earlier. He used to envy Xiao Wu and the others for living at the foot of the mountain—how convenient it was to go into the mountains to gather firewood without having to walk so far. They could just step outside and fill half a basket with pine needles, unlike him and his friends, who had to drag firewood for a long time after coming down the mountain, exhausting themselves.

It never occurred to him that living at the foot of the mountain was so dangerous—not only did they have to guard against wild boars, but they also had to fear stormy weather.

He didn't correct Grandpa Zhao's "save our village" remark. Old people's minds tended to be a bit muddled and prone to confusion. Grandpa Zhao was probably as confused as his own grandfather, unable to tell whether the river water was cold or warm, or whether it was about the whole village or just his own family.

With not enough knives to go around, Donkey and the others pulled weeds instead. They cleared the tall weeds, leaving the short, dense patches for Xiao Wu and the others to cut. Hearing Dagouzi's words, Donkey nodded repeatedly. He was clumsy with words and could only agree, "Me too."

As for why they also needed to clear the sandy patch, they didn't ask. If they were told to cut, they'd cut. Their parents had sent them, and they were happy to spend time with Xiao Wu and the others. When they got tired from work, they could play for a while, so it didn't feel too exhausting.

After working all morning, the weeds behind the house were completely cleared. Standing in the courtyard and looking toward the back hill, the view was noticeably brighter.

When it was time for lunch, Dagouzi and Donkey tried to sneak away, but Xi'er caught them with quick reflexes. In the end, it was Zhao Xiaobao who stood with her hands on her hips and ordered them not to go home. Unable to escape, Dagouzi and the others stayed, their faces flushed, and enjoyed a lavish lunch.

One of the two old hens from the divine land was killed today to make soup. Simmered over low heat for half a day, a layer of golden chicken fat floated on top, its aroma irresistible. There was a large plate of garlic sprouts stir-fried with cured meat, a bowl of spicy boiled fish, a plate of pork belly, a plate of fried ribs, a bowl of pork bone and radish soup... The table was filled to the brim, incredibly abundant.

Dagouzi and the others felt a bit reserved. During the pig-slaughtering feast, the adults were present, so they didn't feel like guests—just kids tagging along with their parents and grandparents for a meal, with no pressure at all. Today was different. Without their elders around, they were the guests. They stared at the table full of delicious dishes, not daring to reach for their chopsticks, afraid of leaving a bad impression.

"Eat, eat. You're all family here," Zhao Xiaobao said like a little adult, urging them on. "Dagouzi, Donkey, make sure your younger brothers eat. Don't be shy."

"Auntie, I won't be shy," Dagouzi instinctively reached to scratch his head but stopped halfway, letting out an awkward chuckle. Seeing everyone else start eating and Old Lady Wang serving him food, he decided not to hold back. He picked up a slice of cured meat for his younger brothers, Er Gouzi and San Gouzi, who were sitting beside him, and then started eating himself.

Donkey was shyer than him, only daring to bury his head in his rice bowl, not reaching for the dishes.

Zhao Xiaobao was very concerned about the brothers. Since she couldn't reach the dishes herself, she kept asking Xiao Wu to serve them. The meal was both stressful and joyful.

After lunch, they rested for a while, but the children couldn't sit still. While the adults weren't paying attention, they slipped back into the mountains.

In the afternoon, they finished cutting the weeds on the hillside, piling them into several large stacks. Along the way, they dug up two snake holes and caught two venomous snakes. Snakes in the mountains were common, but venomous ones couldn't be left alone—a single bite could be fatal. Old Man Zhao had wanted to keep the snake gallbladders, but before he could say anything, Dagouzi had already mashed the snakes, flesh and gallbladders included, into a pulp.

This kid was ruthless.

Old Man Zhao stared in disbelief. No wonder he got along so well with A Deng—their personalities matched.

As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Li Dahe came in person to collect the children, along with the Wu family's boys. He joked, "Since when do kids get treated to a meal just for doing a bit of work? If you're going to be this generous, Brother, I'll send my kids to your house every day. It'll save me food at home."

"Sure, then Dagouzi will be my grandson from now on, and he'll call you 'Grandpa Li,'" Old Man Zhao boasted with a laugh. He didn't mind having more grandsons—it was up to Li Dahe whether he could bear to part with them.

Li Dahe playfully punched him on the shoulder. After some more banter, he brought up village matters.

In the afternoon, the village had organized a meeting to discuss not raising pigs this year and the grain exchange.

Li Dahe said, "I knew you wouldn't come, so the village didn't notify you. It's all settled. Tomorrow, Man Cang and Quan Zi will lead a group to Shilin Town. Shilin Town has a large grain shop, so maybe we can get a good deal—one dou exchanged for three dou, or at least two and a half dou. We can't count on Tongjiang Town or Qinghe Town—one is too rich, the other too poor. The rich look down on us, and the poor can't exchange. We'll just have to try our luck at the big grain shop."

Old Man Zhao nodded. "My family won't go. We already exchanged everything during the winter." He made up an excuse, though it wasn't entirely untrue—they had indeed exchanged grain, just not their own but that of several other families.

There was no need to go this time. Man Cang and the others had made the trip twice with Third Brother and knew the way.

"I figured as much. Dashan and the others are capable—how could they stay idle at home during winter?" Li Dahe didn't expect them to lead every single thing. He'd be annoyed too if it were him. "I noticed the villagers have gotten smarter this time. They all agreed not to raise pigs and said they'd reconsider next year."

In any case, the warning had been given. Whether people listened was up to them. Li Dahe was firmly against raising pigs. As long as his old brother didn't say it was safe, he wouldn't reopen his pigsty.

It was better to stay poor—wearing an old shirt for ten years was still better than wearing a new burial shroud.

He trusted his old brother completely.