Chapter 59: Old and frail, with little flesh
Early in the morning, the sisters-in-law came out to watch the fun as soon as they heard the noise, not afraid of the cold at all. Some of them even held bowls in their hands and watched while drinking sweet potato porridge.
After all, this is the lively scene of Li Jinhua being seen by thousands of people in the compound. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you must see it.
"Is Mrs. Li's old hen really missing? Or did it slip away and visit other people's homes, causing trouble?"
"It's lost! It's really lost! I heard Mrs. Li has been making a fuss all morning. She knocked on the doors of several houses around here, and we rushed in and searched everywhere, but we still can't find it."
"God has finally opened his eyes! I've been fed up with her two old hens pooping everywhere, making the yard so dirty! It would be better if they were gone."
Not only were the sisters-in-law not worried about Li Jinhua losing something, they were actually very happy about it.
As a result, Li Jinhua was not only angry, but also ashamed, and she just pointed at one of her sisters-in-law and made random accusations.
"Is it you? You must have stolen my old hen! I heard you say a few days ago that you were planning to kill chickens for the New Year. You must have stolen my chicken!"
"Li Jinhua, stop slandering me. I don't even care about those two old hens in your house. They're just as old and frail as you are, with barely any meat on them! And yet you still treat them like treasures."
"Impossible! How could my chicken be gone out of nowhere? One of you must have stolen it!" Li Jinhua's eyes drooped, and she was fierce and aggressive, biting people everywhere like a mad dog. "That must be you!"
Her finger pointed at Xia Xiaolan in the crowd.
"Xia Xiaolan, it's you! Yesterday, my chicken just went to your house and ate a few leaves, and you quarreled with me. You don't like me, an old woman, and you don't like my chicken! You must have stolen my chicken! Give it back to me! Give my chicken back to me!"
In the absence of any evidence, Li Jinhua grabbed Xia Xiaolan tightly and refused to let go, looking shameless.
Xia Xiaolan was almost going crazy. She was slandered for stealing and then caught and asked to pay compensation. What a huge deal!
The sister-in-law couldn't bear to watch it anymore and pulled Xia Xiaolan back.
"Li Jinhua, you think Xiaolan is easy to bully, so you want to take advantage of her! Everyone in our compound knows that Xia Xiaolan is afraid of chickens. She usually avoids your chickens when she sees them. How could she possibly steal your chickens?"
"I think you deserve it! You neglected your chickens all day and let them wander around everywhere. Now look, the old hen is gone, right? I think you deserve it!"
"Li Jinhua, stop making trouble! Wang Chunling is still in confinement after her baby is born. How can you let her sleep if you keep making such a fuss? Your daughter-in-law is in confinement after her baby is born, and you didn't even kill an old hen to nourish her. Even God can't stand this!"
Everyone blamed Li Jinhua, but Li Jinhua was as thick-skinned as a stone wall and showed no sign of repentance.
"What's wrong with confinement? Do you want me to treat her like an ancestor and serve her? She just gave birth to a little girl, a money-loser. How can it be more important than my chicken! My chicken... my chicken... If you can't find my chicken, none of you can live in peace."
"cut."
The sisters-in-law sneered sarcastically and were too lazy to talk to Li Jinhua anymore. They turned around and went back to their rooms, leaving Li Jinhua alone to cry for her parents, as if someone had died in the family.
"My chicken... my chicken... give me back my chicken..."
…
On the other side, Chu Yue heard the noise early on, but she had no interest in watching the fun.
She changed into old clothes and carried a bamboo backpack borrowed from Chen Fengying, which contained a sickle and a small hoe. She tied her long black hair into a neat bun and put on a triangular hat.
"Yuanbao, are you okay?"
Lu Yuanbao was squatting on the ground tying his shoelaces.
Today Chu Yue gave him another pair of new shoes, saying that these shoes had nails underneath and were more suitable for walking on mountain roads.
He couldn't tell whether there were nails or not, but he could see a row of small round bumps on the soles. The shoes were particularly beautiful, but they had to be tied with laces, unlike the cloth shoes Lu Yuanbao had worn before.
Chu Yue demonstrated it to Lu Yuanbao once, and Lu Yuanbao learned it immediately after watching.
It's just that his fingers are small and not very flexible, so he's a little slow at tying his shoelaces.
“…Okay, okay, I’m fine!”
Lu Yuanbao tied his shoelaces tightly, jumped on the spot in his new shoes, and his eyes reluctantly shifted from the shoes to Chu Yue.
He picked up a small basket and quickly followed.
Chu Yue was waiting for him in front, and the two went out together.
On the way, I met a neighbor's sister-in-law, "Hey, Captain Lu's wife, are you going out?"
"Well, let's go out to the mountains and find some mountain products." Chu Yue greeted with a smile.
"That's a good relationship. I want to go there too in a while. When the time comes, you can call me and we can go up the mountain together." The sister-in-law said enthusiastically, and did not forget to remind her, "You are taking such a young child with you. You must be careful on the mountain."
"Thank you for the reminder, sister-in-law. We'll leave first."
Chu Yue brought Lu Yuanbao, two figures, one big and one small, out of the courtyard.
The sentry standing guard at the door looked at Chu Yue's fair, pretty, yet unfamiliar face, and whispered after they walked away, "Who is this? Why haven't I seen this before?"
"Shh! Stop staring! It's your first day on duty, and you might not know it, but that's Captain Lu's new wife! Captain Lu came back from the new recruits' camp a few days ago just for his wife."
The sentry was shocked. This... this is even more beautiful than the legend!
Chu Yue asked Zheng Yue'e about the way up the mountain yesterday. Not long after they walked out of the compound, they entered the forest and then went up the mountain along the mountain road covered with fallen leaves.
People often come to dig mountain products halfway up the mountain, and you can see many traces of them in the potholes.
If they wanted to find good things, they had to go all the way up. The mountain road was rugged and steep, and there were fallen leaves everywhere, which made it slippery. The mountain road was really difficult to walk on.
Chu Yue took the lead and walked in front, deliberately slowing down her pace. The higher she went, the more branches and thorns there were on the roadside. She had a sickle in her hand and had to clear them from time to time to make it easier for Lu Yuanbao behind her to walk.
After walking for a while, we were getting closer and closer to the top of the mountain.
Chu Yue put her hands on her hips and looked back at Lu Yuanbao.
Lu Yuanbao walked all the way without complaining about being tired or feeling tired, and he didn't pester Chu Yue for help.
The stubborn little wolf cub gritted his teeth and climbed up the mountain step by step, relying on his own strength. His face turned red and he was breathing heavily, but he still followed Chu Yue's footsteps closely.
It's time for a little surprise.
"Yuanbao, look up over there——"
Chu Yue spoke and pointed to the southeast.
At that location, there is a big tree about seven or eight meters high. All the leaves have fallen off, leaving only the bare trunk.
But on the trunk, there are persimmons that are as bright as yellow lanterns. (Picture)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
