Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The speaker's voice was unfamiliar. Shen Banyue had a good memory and was sure she hadn't met this person before. This was normal, after all, she had been in Xiaodun Brigade for less than a week and was just a child. The people she mainly came into contact with were other children and the older women.

Xiao Dizi's eyes were wide open. Perhaps because she had experienced how tough life can be at such a young age, she reacted quickly, immediately covering her little mouth with her hand.

"That Shen Guoqing isn't good-looking, has a bad temper, and is very rude. I don't like him!" a woman's voice said next, the tail end of her tone rising, with a hint of a flirtatious lilt.

Tsk.

These two clearly had something going on.

Shen Banyue immediately covered Xiao Dizi's ears to keep her from hearing these shameless people say anything else unsuitable for children.

The man's voice: "Who said you have to like him? I'm warning you, you're not allowed to like that fool. This is our only choice. His family has split up now, saying they'll give him one room, but anyone with eyes can see that all three rooms will end up in his hands eventually. His brother has no children. Forget those three rooms, even the things in Jiangcheng—the house, the job—might all end up his too..."

His tone was full of incitement and temptation: "Jiangcheng... it's not easy to get a job or a house in Jiangcheng."

The two of them went on whispering back and forth for quite a while, basically disparaging Shen Guoqing on one hand while fantasizing about the wealthy life the woman could lead after "hooking" him. Shen Banyue listened, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

Hearing nothing more useful, Shen Banyue was just about to sneak over to see who these two people were—were their faces so big they could be used as football fields?—when suddenly, a noise came from the direction of the cowshed. First, there was a crisp *clatter*, followed by an "Ah!" of surprise—

It seemed someone had accidentally dropped something and slipped.

From the other side of the stream, the man muttered, "Why aren't these rightists out working? Let's go quickly." Then came the sound of scrambling footsteps. Shen Banyue, holding Xiao Dizi, quickly dashed out but only caught a glimpse of a white hem.

The two had disappeared into the bamboo grove.

Chasing them now would be too conspicuous, so Shen Banyue simply headed back with Xiao Dizi. Sure enough, she saw someone not far from the cowshed.

A middle-aged woman wearing a bluish-grey lapel jacket. Her skin was fair, her features delicate and pretty, and her hair was cut a bit short.

A large patch of mud was stuck to her trouser leg, obviously from her recent slip and fall. However, it didn't affect her gentle and elegant demeanor in the slightest. Just like that slightly too-short hair, although it looked a bit incongruous, it couldn't diminish her overall grace at all.

She must have been a great beauty in her youth, Shen Banyue thought.

Seeing Shen Banyue and the little girl, the woman was visibly startled: "Such young children, what are you doing here?"

Not far past them was the stream. It was pretty obvious why these two kids were here. Although the stream wasn't deep, it still posed a high risk for preschoolers.

Well, there was no helping it. Shen Banyue currently looked exactly like a preschooler.

Shen Banyue blurted out: "We wanted to dig for bamboo shoots but got lost."

After saying that, she looked at the woman curiously and asked in return: "Auntie, who are you? I haven't seen you before."

Thinking they were village children, the woman looked somewhat uncomfortable. She pointed behind her at the cowshed: "I just moved here to live. My surname is Xie."

She searched her pockets, found two hard candies, and handed them to Shen Banyue: "Here, have some candy. You can't get across here. I heard you can cross over there without getting in the water." After giving the candy, the woman pointed to a small path not far away.

She seemed a bit absent-minded, not even considering that if they were village children, they probably wouldn't be unaware of this.

Shen Banyue's gaze took in the woman's weary features. She waved her hand: "Thank you, Auntie. The ground here is slippery, be careful!"

The fish-catching plan had failed again. Having little interest in digging for bamboo shoots either, Shen Banyue simply headed back with Xiao Dizi.

Over the past few days, besides the families of Little Potato and Little Pumpkin sending gifts, the family of the child Shen Banyue had fought with on the mountain had also sent something as an apology.

Times were tough like that. What each family gave wasn't much, but put together, it was quite considerable. A few eggs and a handful of dried vegetables from this family, about half a pound of dried mushrooms from that one... gathered together, it wasn't a small amount.

Lunch featured another dish of scrambled eggs with chives. The group of children was so happy their grins nearly reached their ears.

Shen Banyue, the "injured party," got a bit more, while the other children got a little less. Even so, it was enough to make them delighted.

It could be said that since arriving at Xiaodun Brigade, their meals had been consistently good. The faces of several children had even filled out a bit compared to before.

"There's not much work these past couple of days. I'll go up the mountain this afternoon to carry back a log and make a few small stools," Shen Guoqing said, glancing at Shen Banyue with a chuckle. "Best if I can be like Xiao Yue and catch a pheasant to give everyone a treat."

The wounds on Wang Guizhi's leg had mostly scabbed over and no longer hindered her movement. She shot her own son a look and told it like it was: "Even if you had the luck, you don't have the skill. How fast do those pheasants run? You think you can catch up?"

Shen Guoqing thought carefully for a moment, objecting: "Who says I can't catch up?"

Wang Guizhi responded with a derisive snort.

Shen Banyue looked at Shen Guoqing, who was winking and making faces at his own mother, and said: "Uncle, shall I go with you?"

Shen Guoqing shook his head like a rattle-drum: "You just recovered. Don't overexert yourself."

Shen Banyue was speechless: "I really wasn't spitting blood that day."

She had said this countless times, but Shen Guoqing remained completely unmoved: "Blood came out of your mouth, and it wasn't spitting blood? Alright, when you're a bit better, Uncle will definitely take you."

Shen Banyue's eyes darted, and she fell silent.

She had legs of her own. Whether she went or not wasn't up to Shen Guoqing to decide.

Not long after Shen Guoqing left, Shen Banyue took Xiao Dizi to Shen Wendong's house. Lin Mian and Zhao Xuehai were also there. After a quick discussion, the group of children picked up baskets and headed out.

As long as they didn't go deep into the mountains, the adults didn't really mind the children going up the hill.

"If we run into a pheasant today, can you catch it?" Zhao Xuehai was really bummed about missing both the fight with Zhao Jinshun and the pheasant-catching activity. Of course, he was especially bummed about missing the subsequent stewed chicken eating.

Shen Banyue's answer was as good as no answer: "Depends on luck."

Zhao Xuehai, however, jumped for joy: "Our luck is definitely super good. We're bound to run into one." It wasn't that they hadn't encountered pheasants or wild rabbits while gathering mushrooms on the mountain before. The problem was, seeing them was useless—they couldn't catch up.

While the two of them were talking, Shen Wendong and Lin Mian were also whispering to each other, occasionally bending down to dig a hoe into the ground once or twice. Shen Banyue couldn't help her curiosity: "What are you two doing?"

Before they could answer, Zhao Xuehai burst out laughing first: "Hahaha! Lin Mian is asking Wendong to teach him how to identify wild vegetables and mushrooms!" After another burst of laughter, he asked Lin Mian curiously: "Where exactly are you from? It seems like you don't know how to do anything, you even had to learn how to wash dishes from Wendong?"

Lin Mian glared at Zhao Xuehai, his little face cold.

Zhao Xuehai paid no mind at all, still laughing heartily: "What else can't you do? Want me to teach you?"

Shen Banyue: "..."

This guy's emotional intelligence was truly worrying!

She hadn't noticed before. So, Lin Mian went to Shen Wendong's house every day to learn "skills." Remembering his dejected look when he said before that he couldn't do anything except read and write, Shen Banyue also felt like laughing, but she held it in.

How could she dampen a little friend's enthusiasm for studying seriously, right?

She promptly and neatly gave Zhao Xuehai a light kick: "Stop chattering. Let's hurry up and go up the mountain."

If they didn't go soon, Shen Guoqing would be snatched away by a demon!

The last time he climbed the mountain with Shen Zhenhua and the others, Shen Guoqing had already noticed a half-dead tree. This time, he headed straight for it. Sure enough, the broken part of the tree was completely dried out, and he easily chopped it down.

As he carried the tree back, Shen Guoqing kept his eyes on the mountain path while glancing around, hoping to spot a pheasant—and perhaps chase one.

Unfortunately, he saw no pheasants, but he faintly heard someone calling for help.

Hearing a woman’s cry for help in the mountain forest was deeply eerie. The ghost stories he’d heard as a child suddenly broke through the barriers of “Destroy the Four Olds” and flooded his mind. Shen Guoqing felt a prickling chill run up his scalp.

After hesitating for a moment, he still set the tree down by the path and followed the sound.

“What happened?”

Spotting a figure in the distance, Shen Guoqing stopped in his tracks and called out from where he stood.

“I sprained my ankle—I can’t move,” the woman replied softly and weakly, her voice punctuated by a sharp, suppressed hiss of pain.

Shen Guoqing asked curiously, “Did you sprain both ankles at once? This area isn’t steep—theoretically, you could hop out on one foot.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the mountain forest fell into utter silence. After a long pause, the woman’s voice sounded again: “I… I’ve been wandering these mountains for a while, and I’m quite tired. My other foot has no strength left either. Could… could you come over and carry me? If that’s not possible, could you at least help me up?”

Her voice was low and soft, carrying a subtle, seductive allure.

Unfortunately, there’s an old saying: “Sending flirtatious glances to a blind man.” Shen Guoqing remained utterly unmoved—and even felt a chill run down his spine… In ghost stories, the alluring fox spirits who harmed people sounded exactly like this.

He stood rooted to the spot, as if nails had grown from his feet. “I come here often—there are no wild beasts around. Why don’t you wait here a bit? I’ll go down the mountain and call a couple of aunties to help you.”

This time, the woman fell silent for even longer.

After another long pause, she finally said, “No, there’s no need to trouble the brigade members. I feel like my left foot has some strength now. Could you find me a stick to use as a crutch? I’ll make my way down slowly on my own.”

Shen Guoqing thought this wasn’t too difficult, so he agreed. He quickly found a suitable stick in the nearby woods, trimmed it with his hatchet, and walked toward her—stick in hand.

This stick could serve as a crutch—but if the person turned out to be a fox spirit, it could also double as a weapon.

The other party clearly had no idea about the absurd thoughts racing through Shen Guoqing’s mind at that moment. She grabbed onto a nearby tree, seemingly struggling to stand, then leaned sideways against it—striking a rather alluring pose.

When Shen Guoqing saw this, his grip on the stick tightened involuntarily.

She really did look like a fox spirit.

Only after that first thought crossed his mind did he finally get a clear look at her face. She looked somewhat familiar—probably one of the educated youths who arrived last year.

Shen Guoqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

An educated youth couldn’t possibly be a fox spirit, right?

“My name is Hu Caidie. I’m an educated youth from H Province. I was in the same group as Comrade Shen when we were digging up potatoes.”

Hu Caidie gazed affectionately at Shen Guoqing—but his mind was still stuck on: *I didn’t expect her surname to be Hu. In the stories, the fox spirits who cause trouble in the human world all seem to have the surname Hu too.* With that thought, he quickly shoved the crutch into Hu Caidie’s hand and turned to leave.

Caught off guard, Hu Caidie hurriedly grabbed the hem of his shirt with one hand. Shen Guoqing was startled and tried to run—but she held tight to his clothes. Just as he took a step forward, he was yanked backward. At the same time, Hu Caidie seemed unsteady on her feet and leaned toward him.

In Hu Caidie’s imagination, since she was about to fall, anyone would naturally turn around to catch her—that would be perfect! With a soft, fragrant beauty in his arms, how could this wretched man resist?

But she didn’t know there’s another saying: “Ideals are plump; reality is bony.” Her plan sounded good—but the problem was that Shen Guoqing was so immersed in ghost stories he couldn’t snap out of it. When he saw Hu Caidie lunging toward him, his first instinct was to dodge. As they pulled in opposite directions, Hu Caidie landed with a loud *thud*, flat on the ground.

As for Shen Guoqing himself, the moment he was pulled down, he somehow managed to roll far away.

Just then, several children came tearing into the woods.

“Where’s the rabbit? Where is it? Hey—why are there people here? Wow—are these two doing something shameful? Huh—isn’t this Uncle Guoqing?” Zhao Xuehai chattered noisily.

Shen Banyue was also momentarily stunned. What was going on?

Why were both of them sprawled flat on the ground—several meters apart?

Was this some new kind of scam?

Shen Guoqing scrambled to his feet and explained to the kids, “Educated Youth Hu sprained her ankle. I was trying to help her walk out, but I accidentally fell. Perfect timing, Xiao Yue—can you help support Educated Youth Hu?”

Shen Banyue gave him a suspicious look. If he was just helping someone walk out, why did he look so flustered and guilty? He hadn’t even questioned her about why she’d come up the mountain.

“What were you saying about a rabbit just now? Did you see one?”

He was clearly trying to change the subject.

“You guys help Educated Youth Hu. I think it might rain soon—let’s hurry down the mountain.”

He didn’t even mention chasing the rabbit—and outright lied about rain being imminent.

Very strange.

For now, she’d let it slide. Shen Banyue turned to size up Educated Youth Hu a few times, then suddenly curled her lips into a smile and said cheerfully, “Sister Educated Youth, I saw you walking with a *gege* the other day. Should I go call that *gege* to carry you?”