Chapter 5 The Situation is Stronger Than People

Su Ying was guarding the door with a hoe, while Su He and Su Lu leaned closely against her.

Su Ying was obviously very skinny, but the two of them felt at ease being next to her.

"Boom, boom, boom!" I felt the earth shaking, as if thousands of troops were galloping.

"Ao!" The leader wolf howled again, just halfway up the mountain not far away.

"Howl!" The sound of a pack of wolves rang out from the nearby hills.

"Roar..." The sounds of tigers and other ferocious beasts seemed to gather in the surrounding mountains.

They looked down from a high place and roared at the mountain below, as if the people in these houses were delicacies on their table.

"Knock, knock, knock..." Su He's upper and lower teeth kept chattering.

Old Mrs. Su no longer pretended to be serious. She trembled and huddled together with her granddaughters, holding on tightly to Su Lu and Su He so that they would not leave her behind when they ran away.

No one spoke in the room; everyone was concentrating and holding their breath.

Su Ying knew that her father, second uncle, third uncle and brothers must be guarding their respective doors and windows to prevent wild animals from breaking in.

"Ouch!", "Ouch!" The beasts started fighting, and the forest was filled with rustling sounds and branches crackling.

There were roaring and fighting sounds one after another. The fight was very fierce. It sounded like a pack of wolves were being chased by wild beasts. The wolves had no way to retreat, so they formed a team to besiege and fight back.

The beasts and wolves did not come down the mountain, probably because they were busy fighting and didn't care about this.

Su Ying listened for a long time and was so sleepy that she fell asleep leaning against the wall.

"Get up, get up! Are you still sleeping?" He was sleeping soundly when he was woken up by the poke of Old Mrs. Su's crutch.

The elderly have light sleep and wake up after a short nap.

It was bright outside, but there was no sound in the rooms. The three granddaughters at the door were sleeping like dead pigs. He picked up his crutch and poked them one by one.

Su He and Su Lu woke up in pain and looked at Su Ying. Since Su Ying didn't go out, they didn't dare to go out either.

Su Ying stuck her head out to look outside, but there was no sign of any wild beast.

I got up and went out, only to see that A Niang and the others had just gotten up, looking tired as if they hadn't slept well last night.

"Sister!" Xiao Tao immediately came up to Su Ying when she saw her.

My elder sister went to my grandmother's room, and my mother held her in her arms and slept. At first, she was worried about her elder sister, but when she heard the wolf howling, she was so scared that she fell asleep in a daze.

"Aye!" Su Ying called her father.

"What's the matter?" Su Bucheng felt a little dizzy. He didn't eat enough and didn't sleep well, so he looked very listless.

"We have to find a way to install the doors and windows today, and also use wooden stakes to secure the yard, otherwise we won't be able to sleep well."

Su Ying finally understood why no one was willing to live here. The sound of ghosts howling and wolves howling was enough to make it impossible to fall asleep.

"Yeah!" Su Bucheng nodded.

Without any toiletries, I would go to the stream to scoop some water to wipe my face, then rinse my mouth with the water, and that would be considered washing.

When Su Ying and the others moved, the others followed suit. The stream was crowded with people, which was quite spectacular.

The eldest son, Su Bucheng, had a wife named Du, and they had two sons and two daughters. The eldest son, Su Boyan, was seventeen, the second son, Su Zhongyan, was fifteen, the eldest daughter, Su Ying, was thirteen, and the second daughter, Su Tao, was five years old.

The second son, Su Buqing, had a wife named Xiao Qin. They had three sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Su Shiyan, was eighteen years old; the second son, Su Chenyan, was sixteen; the daughter, Su He, was thirteen; and the third son, Su Zhaoyan, was seven years old.

The third son, Su Buyun, had a wife named Wei, two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Su Bingyan, was seventeen years old, the daughter, Su Lu, was twelve years old, and the second son, Su Quanyan, was nine years old.

Even Old Lady Su and Qin had to go to the stream to wash and comb their hair themselves. If they wanted their granddaughters to serve them, they would need a basin, right?

"Oh my God, it was so scary last night!" several young men talked about it.

Everyone looked carefully at the woods not far away, fearing that a wild beast might rush out from there.

But it's very strange. He was beaten so hard, but now there is no trace of it. It's like a dream.

Su Ying looked at the mountain and felt a little moved.

"Aying, what are you looking at?" Su Bucheng asked curiously.

"I was thinking, with such a fierce fight last night, are there any dead or injured animals or uneaten animals? Should we go and pick up the leftovers?" Su Ying's eyes were full of excitement.

"Silly boy, have you ever thought that maybe those victorious beasts are having a feast? Don't let your imagination run wild! Your life is more important!" Su Bucheng teased.

Oh, yes, a little blood can attract bloodthirsty animals. Every biosphere has its own food chain.

If there really is a leak, there will definitely be a large number of other animals waiting behind it.

If you rush in with your bare hands, you will just be adding to the food for those animals.

The food is simple nowadays, just a pot of porridge. The three sisters-in-law take turns after discussion, one person per day, two meals a day.

While waiting for the porridge, Su Bucheng took the men to the woods to cut branches, and then dragged them back. The women and children trimmed the twigs on the branches.

Everyone worked together and was busy, and the scene was quite prosperous.

"Work, work! Those who don't work have nothing to eat!" Seeing Su He slipping to the side again, Su Ying shouted.

Everyone looked over. Su He glared at Su Ying with dissatisfaction and reluctantly joined the labor force.

There were not enough tools, so women and children broke the branches with their hands and feet, leaving branches as thick as arms for later use.

"Sister! Xiaotao is very good. Xiaotao is doing the work!" Xiaotao stretched out her little hand to show her sister. Her hand was dirty and had marks from being strangled.

"Be good, Xiaotao! You'll have food soon!" Su Ying touched her sister's little head.

Old Mrs. Su was not working. She was rummaging through a pile of picked branches, looking for thick and strong ones, and dragging them to her door.

The old lady was frightened and wanted to make the doors and windows of her room more secure.

"It's time to eat!" Mrs. Du shouted.

Everyone dropped their work and came to get their own porridge.

All the bowls contained the same clear porridge, and Old Mrs. Su no longer enjoyed any special privileges.

"Mother!" Mrs. Du first handed it to Old Madam Su.

"You actually did it! God will punish you!" Although Mrs. Su cursed, she still took the call.

The situation is stronger than people. Last night, wild beasts and wolves fought all night long. It was so scary!

If it is really as Su Ying said, and a wild beast comes, these unfilial descendants may really abandon her!

A sixty-year-old woman, who could she fight against? Who could she outrun? She had no choice but to bow to reality.

The two sisters-in-law stared at this side nervously, thinking that the old lady would get angry and make a fuss, but unexpectedly she just cursed, and they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The porridge was still the same clear porridge, but it seemed to have a few more grains of rice than last night.

Su Bucheng held the bowl and looked at his old mother's porridge. He felt sorry for her and wanted to share some of his own.

"Yeah!" Su Ying saw it and shook her head slightly.

Su Bucheng sighed and sat on the stone silently drinking porridge.

He understood what his eldest daughter meant. His wife's equal division of the property had already offended his mother, and he gave all of it to his mother, invisibly pushing his wife into a position of unfilial piety and improving his own reputation.

Besides, if I divide it evenly, won’t my two younger brothers follow? And my nephews and nieces as well.

Why bother dividing it equally? It's a waste of time and effort! It also makes things difficult for everyone.

Su Bucheng was holding the porridge. He was obviously very hungry, but he had difficulty drinking it, as if there was something stuck in his throat.

"Yeah! It's okay, just bear with it for a few more days. Let's sort out the housing issue first, and then go up the mountain. We will definitely find some mountain products. Don't worry, grandma won't starve!" Su Ying whispered.

Although Lingnan is wild and the Ten Thousand Mountains are full of dangers, there are also many good things.

There are several months between sowing and harvesting winter wheat, and we have to go to the mountains to find food to survive.

You also have to find a way to get some valuable things to sell at the market in exchange for other daily necessities, such as the most urgent salt, bedding, basins, etc.

"Go into the mountains? Cough cough cough..." Su Bucheng was startled and choked on his porridge.