Miao's family in Shiqu Village. Liu Yue'e and Li Yanzi were preparing for lunch. They had eaten some of the pork legs that Shen Qing and Miao had sent them before, and the rest had been pickled into bacon. Now they took them out and cut a few thin slices, steamed them with winter bamboo shoots, and sprinkled some mushrooms on them as garnish. The sweet winter bamboo shoots absorbed the salty taste of the meat, and it was so delicious that it made your tongue drop.
Winter bamboo shoots are rare in the north. Two little girls in the family went up the mountain to collect firewood and found a small piece by chance. They hurried back and asked their brothers to dig it up. The whole family was very happy to come across such fresh food.
Miao Xueniang leaned against the window of the kitchen, swallowing her saliva as she watched Li Yanzi cut bacon: "Mom, cut more! It's not easy to find winter bamboo shoots to eat, cut more and put them on the bamboo shoots, so that every piece of bamboo shoot can be dipped in the taste of meat!"
Li Yanzi glanced at her daughter and said, "You are such a greedy girl! It's okay in our family, but you should control your greed in the future. If you continue to be like this when you marry into another family, I don't know how your future mother-in-law will discipline you!"
Look at Qiao Niang who lives in the big house next door. She is only two years older than Xue Niang. Although she also stares at them eagerly, she knows not to speak. How sensible!
Miao Xueniang pouted unhappily: "Why should I go to someone else's house and let others teach me?" The little girl acted coquettishly towards her mother: "I want to stay with my mother forever!"
Li Yanzi smiled and shook her head, ignoring her daughter's silly words. How could a girl not get married? These children were really a debt from the previous life. Li Yanzi only had two children, Miao Yu and Miao Xueniang, and she felt that she had endless worries.
These days Miao Wang didn't dare to mention Miao's marriage in front of her, but the big fight between the couple a few days ago still hurt their feelings, and now they are still a little awkward and don't talk much.
Although she said she disliked her daughter, Li Yanzi still cut a few more slices of meat: the pork leg sent by Miao was big, and the slices she cut were thin, so even if she cut a few more, she could eat them until the beginning of spring!
Liu Yue'e was cooking a soup. Fried meatballs with tofu, spinach and an egg were all soft and suitable for old lady Miao. Sprinkle some pepper before serving, and drink a bowl of it to warm your whole body. The kitchen was full of joy and happiness, when suddenly there was an urgent knock on the door outside the yard, so strong that it seemed to knock a hole in the door.
Liu Yue'e frowned in displeasure. She felt bad for the door, but who would knock on the door like that? Did he not know the rules? Was he announcing a death?
Who would have thought that the words coming from outside the courtyard were really like a funeral announcement: "Is the Miao family here? Are the two brothers Miao Xing and Miao Wang at home? The boy from the Hexiang family came from Lantang Village and told them that something happened to Chunlei's family! Chunlei's Qingge went up the mountain and was attacked by a wild boar or something!"
Liu Yue'e was so scared that the spoon in her hand almost flew out: "What? Didn't Qing Ge'er just kill a wild boar? How come he meets another one!" How can he survive if he is attacked by a wild boar? Wild boars are the most ferocious in winter! Liu Yue'e felt dizzy: "Is there any definite answer? What about Chunlei? How is Chunlei? Where is she now?"
The man smacked his lips. How could he know what happened to Miao Chunlei? The honest boy from Hexiang's family didn't tell him. He overheard it at the entrance of the village and ran over to report it. So he guessed, "The only brother was killed by a wild boar, how could Chunlei be any better? I'm afraid she must have fainted from worry, so she sent the boy from Hexiang's family to report it."
Li Yanzi had already pulled Miao Qiaoniang and Miao Xueniang over and said, "Go to the field and find your father. Tell him that your cousin was killed by a wild boar and is almost dead. Your aunt fainted from worry. Tell them to go to Lantang Village and check!"
The sound of gunfire also reached Shiqu Village. The brothers Miao Xing and Miao Wang were in the fields watching the weather with other people, wondering if there would be a heavy snowstorm.
The two girls also knew that the situation was urgent, and they ran out of the yard. Li Yanzi walked around the house twice and discussed with Liu Yue'e: "We should keep this a secret from our mother. I'm afraid she won't be able to bear it after hearing this news. In addition," Li Yanzi gritted her teeth: "If Qingge'er is really seriously injured, we still have to get more money out. Saving his life is urgent!"
Although she didn't want Qing Ge'er to be her son-in-law, Li Yanzi was not someone who didn't know the importance of things. She could put her child's marriage aside for now. There would still be a chance in the future. But there was only one life. If she didn't save it, it would die! Although they were only aunts without blood ties, they couldn't bear to do this!
Liu Yue'e nodded, also very anxious: "Alas, our head of the family has always said not to let Qingge'er go up the mountain for fear of danger. I didn't take it seriously, but who knew he would really encounter it!" It was too late to say anything now. Liu Yue'e hurried back to the house, and resolutely packed up half of the family's money. She also called her son Miao Ren and the second wife's boy Miao Yu: "Your father was busy going to Lantang Village and didn't bring anything. You two take this bag of money over. If your aunt's family needs any help, stay and help. If the money is not enough, come back and tell us, and the family will find a way to make up the difference!"
After saying that, she couldn't help but sigh. What kind of fate is Chunlei? She finally had a few days of good life. She brought some things to her parents' home, but now she has to pay them back double. If Qingge'er has any misfortune, how will Chunlei live in the future?
How do rumors come about? They are gradually formed through the mouths of everyone, adding their own understanding and exaggeration. Especially the person who spreads it, who thinks his understanding is very reasonable: Shen Qing, a young man, went up the mountain and encountered a wild boar, isn't that the result?
Miao only told Lian Shi that Qing'er had gone up the mountain. She heard thunder on the mountain and felt panicked, so she asked her brothers from her mother's side to come and help find Qing'er.
Lian Shi was an honest child. Although he called Miao "aunt", she was actually his cousin and related to his mother. Therefore, he was particularly concerned and rushed to Shiqu Village. Seeing how anxious he was, the people in Shiqu Village naturally asked him what happened.
Lian Shi held onto the stone pillar at the entrance of the village, barely catching his breath, "Qing'er... Qing'er went up the mountain to hunt wild boars and hasn't come back for a long time. Aunt Chunlei was afraid that he might be in danger, so she asked me to look for her brothers from her mother's side..."
"What? Qinggeer encountered danger while hunting wild boars in the mountains?"
"Ah? Qinggeer encountered a wild boar when he went up the mountain. Is he in danger?"
"What?! Qing Ge'er was attacked by a wild boar while going up the mountain?"
…………
So, when Miao Xing and Miao Wang rushed to Lantang Village, they were already crying: "Chunlei, Qingge'er... Qingge'er is dead?" Miao Xing slapped his thigh: "I said we can't let the children go up the mountain!"
Miao: ???
"What's wrong? Who's wrong? What are you talking about!" Miao said with a loud spit. What bad luck! "Qing'er is fine. I just asked you to go up the mountain to help. I'm afraid Qing'er has already killed the wild boar. What did you say, Shi boy?"
After hearing what Miao said and seeing that she didn't look sad, the two brothers breathed a sigh of relief: "Really? You don't have to blame the boy. Those gossipers in the village, who knows what will happen to these words after they say them!"
They all knew the truth, but when they first heard it, they were anxious and believed it. The two brothers were very embarrassed. Miao Xing touched his head and said, "Why did Qingge go up the mountain again? It just snowed, and the road on the mountain is not easy to walk." He thought about what Miao meant, "Why do I hear you say that Qingge went up the mountain to hunt wild boars?"
"That's right. Before, the wild boars came down the mountain. The villagers held a meeting to say that they were afraid that the wild boars would harm the crops, so they wanted to get rid of them all at once. Qing Ge'er took on the task." Seeing that Miao Xing was disapproving and was about to speak again, Miao didn't want to be scolded again, so she hurriedly said, "It's a long story. Go up the mountain to find Qing Ge'er first, and I'll tell you later!" Miao pointed to them, "Go east on the mountain, and you'll see a straw tied to a branch along the way, which is the direction!"
Shen Qing took a lot of effort to drag all fourteen wild boars to a place close to the village. The place where the wild boars were shot had been cleaned up. Shen Qing picked up all the bullet shells and put them away. He also collected the corn and rice bran that the wild boars had not eaten. Although it was a bit dirty to feed people, it was very good to feed chickens.
Afterwards, Shen Qing checked the boar's wounds one by one, not only dug out the bullet, but also used a dagger to poke the wound until it was bloody and fleshy, trying to make sure that no trace of the bullet could be seen. After all this was done, Shen Qing squatted there, waiting for Miao Xing and Miao Wang to come up the mountain to help: hunting the wild boar and dragging it here had already consumed all his energy.
The wind rustled through the forest, and it was so quiet that it seemed as if there were no other living creatures except Shen Qing. Or perhaps there were many eyes lurking in the dark, but they were not as reckless as wild boars. After seeing Shen Qing kill a group of wild boars by himself, these somewhat intelligent beasts no longer dared to provoke this seemingly weak human.
So when Miao Xing and Miao Wang followed the marks and footprints left by Shen Qing, what they saw was Shen Qing and a spectacular mountain of flesh behind him. They were so shocked that they were speechless.
"Uncle, you are here!" Shen Qing stood up and patted the dirt on his pants: "Why are there only the two of you? Didn't my mother tell you to ask your cousins to come together?" This wild boar weighs only about 400 pounds, it is almost impossible for two people to lift it!
Miao Wang smacked his lips and said, “Your mother sent a message to us, but it got distorted when it reached our ears, saying that you… Forget it, I won’t say such unlucky words. My God!” Miao Wang walked around the meat mountain and said, “You beat all this by yourself? How did you do it?!”
"Didn't I learn a lot from Liu the Hunter's father?" Shen Qing told him about trapping wild boars with nets, but he didn't mention guns and crossbows: "Put them in a trap, and then kill them slowly with a bow and arrow or a spear. But the net needs to be very strong."
"My goodness, even if you teach me this, I still don't dare to learn!" Miao Wang said with emotion. He was so scared by the sight of so many wild boars that his legs went limp. How brave is Qing Ge'er!
Shen Qing had not expected there to be so many. The number of wild boars far exceeded his expectations: "Why not tell the village chief and ask more people to move them." There were fourteen wild boars, and even if Miao Ren and Miao Yu were there, it was unknown when they would have to move them.
Miao Wang waved his hands and rolled up his sleeves: "Don't worry! There's so much meat here, whoever gets his hands on it should get some. Uncles may not have any other skills, but we can still help with some strength!"
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