As winter hunting approaches, the weather becomes increasingly cold.
Du Xiaoying has been feeling uneasy lately. She doesn't know why, but she always feels like something is going to happen.
I racked my brains and thought about it, but I still couldn't think of it. I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, "Strange~"
"What's wrong?" Song Guoliang asked with concern.
Du Xiaoying shook her head and said, "My eyelids have been twitching for the past two days. I always feel like something is going to happen."
Song Guoliang frowned. Although he didn't believe in ghosts and gods, his wife's intuition was sometimes very accurate. Maybe something was really going to happen.
As she was speaking, Erya ran in with a red face from the cold, "Mom and Dad, the team leader is here."
As soon as he finished speaking, Captain Zhao Lei walked in with a cold look on his face, looked at the newspapers in the couple's hands, and joked.
"You two are so ambitious. You're still reading the newspaper."
Du Xiaoying smiled and offered the bed head to us, "I'm just bored and want to kill time."
"Brother Lei, come and sit on the kang to warm up." Song Guoliang put the newspaper on the kang table.
Captain Zhao Lei shuddered as he sat on the warm kang, then got straight to the point: "Guo Liang, this is the story. The winter hunt is almost here, and I want you to join me.
You are from the army, your skills and marksmanship are first-rate, with you in our team, the risks for everyone in the mountains will be much less."
Du Xiaoying was stunned for a moment and looked at the man next to her.
Erya looked at her father with bright eyes, full of anticipation and a face full of eagerness to try.
Captain Zhao Lei added, "Except for a few veteran hunters, the young guns in our team aren't very good at shooting. I think it would be best if you could join us, but if your unit isn't up to par, forget it."
"I'll join!"
Several people in the room looked up at Song Guoliang in unison, each with a different look in their eyes.
Du Xiaoying was a little worried, but didn't say anything.
Song Guoliang glanced at his wife soothingly and said in a deep voice, "Brother Lei, I was originally thinking of telling you about participating in the winter hunt, but I didn't expect you to come here."
"Great." Captain Zhao Lei clapped his thigh excitedly. "We'll stick to the old rules for winter hunting. Aside from the big ones, all the other small prey are ours."
"But, you'll have to stay in the mountains for several days. Won't that interfere with your work?"
Song Guoliang smiled and said, "Brother Lei, don't worry. I will arrange the work in advance and won't delay it."
"Okay, okay." Captain Zhao Lei nodded repeatedly.
.....
Erya's eyes were full of anticipation, "Dad, I want to go with you, don't you——"
"No!" the couple said in unison.
Looking at her parents' serious expressions, Erya lowered her head dejectedly, "I know~"
"Erya, not to mention that you are so young, the people who go into the mountains are all young and strong men from the village. They stay in for several days. It's so inconvenient for a little girl like you."
Du Xiaoying taught her daughter with a stern face, "Mom doesn't want you to be in any danger."
Song Guoliang nodded, "That's what Dad meant. You're still young, and when Dad's not at home, you and your mom will be needed to protect the family together."
"Dad, Erya knows about this. She and Mom will protect the family." Erya patted her chest and made the promise, without any trace of the gloomy look she had just now.
Du Xiaoying was amused. "You don't mind the pain. Take your sister to wash up."
"receive!"
There were only the couple in the room, and it was so quiet that even their breathing could be heard clearly.
"Come on, you've thought about it a long time ago, right?" Du Xiaoying spoke first to break the silence.
Song Guoliang coughed lightly and said, "Wife, I just wanted to take this opportunity to hunt more prey to nourish you and the children. I didn't mean to hide it from you."
Being stared at by the man's dark eyes, Du Xiaoying felt a little uncomfortable, and her tone softened a little, "Then you have to be careful, even for the sake of us mother and daughter, don't take any risks."
"Yes!" Song Guoliang smiled flatteringly, "I always listen to my wife~"
This guy... Really~
"Stop talking nonsense and go wash your face and feet." Du Xiaoying pushed the man off the kang in annoyance.
When the weather got cold, the family started burning the stove to keep warm, so the whole family slept in the east room.
When the topic of winter hunting was brought up before going to bed, the children were a little excited and couldn't fall asleep for a while. As they talked, they brought up their past experiences at the Song family.
"When Grandpa and Uncle came back from the winter hunt, we didn't get to eat any of the meat they gave us, not even a mouthful of the broth." Erya pouted, "Instead, all the meat sent by my uncles went into their stomachs."
Si Ya snorted coldly, pouting unhappily, "Stingy guy, I was scolded by Song Zihu for smelling it. He called me a cheap and worthless person and even beat me. I won't even let them smell our meat."
Daya hugged her little sister lovingly and said softly, "I still remember when mom had just given birth to Xiaowu, I wanted to bring her a bowl of meat soup to nourish her body, but my aunt found out and she and grandma beat me up.
In order to protect me, Erya bit my aunt, and then my uncle kicked her so hard that she hit the door and fainted immediately..."
As her daughters spoke, Du Xiaoying's thoughts gradually drifted back to her past. Her heart ached uncontrollably and she slapped herself hard a few times.
"Wife, what are you doing!" Song Guoliang quickly controlled his wife from slapping his hand.
"Mom?" The children were all startled.
Du Xiaoying was lost in painful memories, her voice hoarse, "It's my fault as a mother. My children were bullied and treated like human beings, and I was still working tirelessly as a workhorse in Old Song's family."
"Mom, don't blame you, don't blame you, it's all their fault."
"Mom, they are the bad ones. You are the best mother in the world~"
....
"I'll never do that again, I swear!"
"Be careful not to catch a cold!" Song Guoliang covered the mother and daughter who were hugging each other with a quilt, let out a breath, and the self-blame and guilt in his heart overwhelmed him like a tide.
His hands were clenched into fists, veins popping out, and he wished he could pick up that black-hearted so-called family member and beat him up right then and there.
Du Xiaoying, who was about to fall asleep, suddenly had an image flash through her mind. She sat up in shock, "Oh no—"
"Wife, what's wrong?" Song Guoliang hurriedly pulled the quilt to cover his wife.
Du Xiaoying's heart was beating like a drum. She quickly covered herself with the quilt and got into bed, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
In her previous life, Li Erniu had an incident during this winter hunt. Because it happened so long ago, she almost forgot such an important thing.
She swallowed, calmed her nerves, and then spoke carefully.
"Song Guodong is a bully at home, but he's always putting on airs outside. You must be alert when the time comes. He holds a grudge against our family, so you must pay more attention to him."
Song Guoliang's dark eyes flashed with a dark light, "Okay, I understand."
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