She knew that saying this was too sudden and would most likely arouse the man's suspicion, but she had to do it in order to avoid losing a life.
Although Song Guoliang had doubts in his heart, he kept in mind what his daughter-in-law said tonight, and intuitively felt that this was related to his daughter-in-law's secret.
The room was pitch black and so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Du Xiaoying didn't say anything more to avoid causing unnecessary suspicion. She felt heavy in her heart and tossed and turned for a long time before falling asleep.
In the silent night, the wind howled, blowing up the yellow fallen leaves and weeds on the ground.
In a blink of an eye, it was the day of winter hunting, and all the men, women, and children in the brigade gathered in the threshing ground.
It was a rare sunny day, and families gathered together to talk and give instructions. Even the children, who usually love to be lively, became much quieter.
"Put your food in your pocket and don't be reluctant to eat. Only when you are full will you have the strength to work and hunt."
"Even if you don't hunt anything, it's okay. You must come back safely. Do you understand?"
"Don't worry, I know everything. Besides, there are so many of us here, don't worry."
.....
The young and middle-aged men who were about to set out for the winter hunt all wore thick coats, carried light luggage, and had dry food and water prepared early by their mothers and wives, and smiled at their wives and children.
Song Guoliang looked at the large and small bags of food prepared by his wife, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Wife, this is too much."
"Sister-in-law, we're going winter hunting, not for fun. Why are you treating us like we're going to a park in the city?"
Shuanzi was wearing a bulging outfit and was grinning and joking. He carefully supported his pregnant wife, and his son and daughter followed behind him.
Wang Fenglai tugged at the man's arm, supporting her waist with one hand, "Sister-in-law, Shuanzi is just joking, ignore him."
Du Xiaoying glanced around, then looked at the large and small bags she had prepared, supported her forehead, and hurriedly picked out the dry food and dried meat inside, "Guoliang, take these with you."
Then he took out a handful of candy and stuffed it into the man's jacket pocket, "Put the candy in a good place. It will be very useful at the critical moment."
"Wife, thank you for your hard work." Song Guoliang glanced at the man who was grinning with his teeth bared.
The smile on Shuanzi's face froze and he scratched his head awkwardly.
Wang Fenglai pursed her lips and couldn't help laughing: "You teased my sister-in-law, look, Brother Guoliang is not happy about it."
Shuanzi chuckled and said, "Wife, you're doing well even when I'm not at home. Eat eggs and brown sugar every day to nourish your body. You and the baby in your belly are the most important now."
"Goudan Erniu, take good care of your mother."
"Dad, don't worry." The brother and sister responded in unison.
Wang Fenglai felt as sweet as honey in her heart, and she gently touched her belly. "Okay, I'll remember that. Be careful on the road."
Song Guoliang keenly noticed the malicious looks of the Song family, and his sharp black eyes glanced back coldly.
"Wife, Daya, remember to lock the gate when you're at home."
Old Mrs. Song Liu Lanhua shrank her neck and quickly looked away.
"You ungrateful bastard, it's better for you to die in the mountains..."
Du Xiaoying retracted her gaze and nodded thoughtfully, "Remember what I told you, be more vigilant."
Song Guoliang nodded, "Yeah."
The family of seven was talking when they saw several educated youth coming over.
Du Xiaoying noticed Zhang Xian's smiling face, raised her eyebrows calmly, and nodded in response with a smile.
"Aunt Du, Uncle Song is also going into the mountains to participate in the winter hunt?" Zhang Xian walked over with her cousin Su Yueyue and a few new educated youths, smiling.
Du Xiaoying nodded with amusement. This educated youth probably wouldn't come to the temple for no reason.
"Let's go!"
At the command of Captain Zhao Lei, the team set out into the mountains for winter hunting.
Seeing Erniu waving to his wife and children with an innocent smile, Du Xiaoying grabbed Song Guoliang's arm and said in a serious tone, "Be careful, Song Guodong! Watch out for Erniu!"
Song Guoliang narrowed his eyes slightly and replied in a deep voice, "Okay!"
Watching the huge team gradually disappear, Du Xiaoying felt empty and dazed for a moment.
"What? Zhang Zhiqing, I didn't hear what you just said."
Zhang Xian blinked. "Aunt Du, Uncle Song is going into the mountains for winter hunting, so he probably won't need his bicycle anymore. I just wanted to borrow yours."
"But don't worry, I won't borrow it from you for free. We'll pay ten cents, and we promise to be careful not to bump into the bike."
Seeing Zhang Xian almost raising her hand to swear, Du Xiaoying couldn't help but nodded with a smile.
"But Zhang Zhiqing, let's be frank. You paid for this yourself. I didn't force you to do it. And you have to return the car on time."
"Okay, okay, Aunt Du, don't worry, we will definitely do what we say." Zhang Xian jumped up excitedly and cheered.
Seeing the lively and vivid little girl, Du Xiaoying couldn't help laughing out loud. Collecting money was the only way to stop those who were ready to make a move.
"He Zhiqing."
"Aunt." The smile on He Zhiqing's lips deepened.
Du Xiaoying smiled and nodded, always feeling that He Zhiqing seemed a little enthusiastic. But when she looked at his cold face, she felt that she was overthinking it.
.....
The old hunter led the way, and the others with their weapons walked in the middle. Song Guoliang walked at the end of the team, holding a hunting rifle, and looked around vigilantly.
Yu Guang followed Boss Song who was holding a knife, and Shuanzi and Erniu were walking side by side not far away.
After entering the mountains, the sounds of laughter disappeared without a trace, and everyone was on high alert to deal with any unexpected situations that might occur at any time.
....
"Hiss~"
Du Xiaoying looked at the bright red blood on her fingers and clenched them tightly.
"Mom, you're bleeding." Daya hurried into the house to get medicine.
Looking at the wound that was bandaged by her daughters and seeing their concerned and worried expressions, Du Xiaoying felt warm in her heart, "Mom is fine, don't worry."
"Mom, why are you so uneasy today? Are you worried about Dad?"
"Don't worry, Mom. My dad is fine on the battlefield, so he's even more fine in the mountains."
Du Xiaoying couldn't help but think of her previous life. Li Erniu had an accident during this winter hunting and was killed by a wild boar. It was said that blood mixed with intestines and stomach flowed all over the ground. It was so tragic that it was beyond words.
After Song Guoliang died in his previous life, Shuanzi Erniu helped them mother and daughter a lot, but ended up in such a tragic situation. After Li Erniu died, his wife Zhao Taohong had a hard time. In order to support several children, she had to obey the arrangement of her parents' home - to remarry, but was beaten to death by domestic violence.
She couldn't bear to see the tragedy happen again.
"Bang bang—"
Two loud gunshots echoed in the dense woods. Everyone looked at the bright red with bloodshot eyes, and shouts echoed throughout the forest.
Boss Song's eyes widened, he fell to the ground, and muttered in disbelief, "No, no..."
“Erniu!!”
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