In the quiet valley, the sun gradually withdrew its golden rays.
The villagers, who had gone out hunting and foraging for wild vegetables, returned to the valley in twos and threes, their faces beaming with the joy of their harvest.
Today, Liu Chengfeng led his men into the mountains and caught a porcupine, two pheasants, three wild rabbits, six rat snakes, a nest of bamboo rats, and cicada nymphs.
Although he didn't catch as many as when Jiang Tangtang led the way, this was the most fruitful he had ever made since he fled and led people into the mountains on his own.
With the worry of no water source gone, the group of men felt that life was full of hope.
The Lu family went out to pick wild vegetables and dig for mountain products, and their harvest was quite good.
Jiang Tangtang had taught them to identify yams, cassava, taro, konjac, and other foods.
They dug all of these up.
In addition, Lu Shiwang also discovered a large grove of banana trees near the river bend.
The tree was laden with bananas.
He cut down the nearly ripe banana trees and carried them back home.
Looking at the large piles of game and mountain goods, the Lu family members were in a very good mood.
After receiving permission from Madam Su, Zhou Qiongniang began preparing dinner.
The rest of the Lu family were also busy. Some were tending to the game, while others were carrying mud to properly build up the stove for cooking.
Old Lu chewed on a pipe without tobacco leaves, peeling cassava with a knife in his hand. He glanced every now and then in the direction where Lu Shiyan and Jiang Tangtang had left that morning, feeling somewhat worried. It was getting dark, and his son and daughter-in-law hadn't returned yet.
Madam Su was also a little worried, but she still comforted him, saying, "Old man, don't look. Sanlang is not the same as before. He also has a daughter-in-law by his side. He won't make any mistakes."
"That makes sense." Old Lu took down his tasteless pipe and sighed, "I've been gone for a day, and I don't know how the two children are doing. I wonder if they'll be able to settle down here."
If possible, it would be good to make arrangements sooner rather than later. The second son said he saw some really nice trees somewhere; they'd be great for building houses and making furniture.
Madam Su sighed as well, "Yes, it's not easy to settle down outside! You have to prepare everything, from a house to your business."
In addition to these, there are also tasks such as selecting land for reclamation and the tools needed for reclamation, none of which are easy.
But when it comes to living, nothing is easy.
She was already grateful to have survived in this chaotic world; she had nothing to be dissatisfied about.
As the elderly couple were talking, a commotion suddenly arose from ahead.
"What kind of luck does Lu Sanlang have? How come he went out and brought back another big horse?"
"This horse is really handsome. Doesn't the Lu family have three horses now? It's really true that drinking and wearing a fur coat makes you feverish inside and out."
"Why did so many children come back with you?"
"Whose children are these?"
...
Hearing the villagers' chatter, Su and Old Man Lu quickly put down what they were holding and looked into the distance.
Sure enough, upon closer inspection, they saw Jiang Tangtang holding a child, sitting on a large horse.
Lu Shiyan followed beside them, holding the reins, with a large group of children following behind them.
The elderly couple were overjoyed to see the two return and pushed through the crowd to greet them.
"Why did it take you so long?"
"What's going on with this horse and these children?"
The elderly couple asked in unison.
However, before Jiang Tangtang and Lu Shiyan could answer, everyone saw Fang Mingming in the crowd.
Now, without needing the two of them to answer, everyone can guess the answer pretty accurately.
Bringing Fang Mingming back meant they must have raided the bandits' hideout. Although many people didn't get along with the Fang family, someone still shouted, "Lu Cuilan, your son is back!"
"What? Mingming is back?" Lu Cuilan suddenly stood up and ran towards the crowd.
Fang Mulin also rolled up from the grass and sat up, then took off running.
Upon seeing Fang Mingming return with Jiang Tangtang and Lu Shiyan, the two rushed over to her, crying out, "Mingming, it really is my Mingming! My Mingming is back!"
"I, Fang Mulin, am not without a tail; my son is still alive, and I have descendants!"
Upon seeing her parents, Fang Mingming complained tearfully, "Those people captured us, tied us up, didn't give us anything to eat, and beat us. Luckily, my cousin and sister-in-law saved us, otherwise I would have been beaten to death by them."
"My son! My darling, you've suffered so much." Lu Cuilan held her son, frantically checking his body, her heart filled with resentment towards Lu Shiyan.
He was urged to rescue his cousin long ago, but he wouldn't budge and delayed for so long, causing his son to suffer so much.
Lu Cuilan felt that since Lu Shiyan was willing to go and save her son, it meant that he still recognized her as his aunt. Because he was late and caused his son to suffer, she said quite naturally, "My son has become thin. Let your cousin stew a chicken for you to help him recover."
"Mother, isn't this wrong?" Fang Mingming looked at Lu Cuilan uncertainly and said, "My cousin and his wife saved me, we should be thanking them. Why are we doing this instead..."
He instinctively felt that this was wrong, but seeing his mother's increasingly somber face, he swallowed back what he was about to say.
Jiang Tangtang sneered, "Even a child of a few years old understands this principle, but you, an adult, don't. You're not worthy of being a mother."
"If you hadn't stopped him, Sanlang wouldn't have gone to save my son so late, causing him so much suffering. I'm already being lenient by not blaming you, yet you still speak to your elders like that. Have you lost all your manners?"
Lu Cuilan thought Jiang Tangtang was delicate and weak, needing a man to carry her even when she was just walking. How could she possibly save her own son?
Her son's survival was entirely due to Lu Shiyan's efforts, and she felt no need to thank Jiang Tangtang whatsoever.
“You are not her elder, and she has no relation to you whatsoever.” Lu Shiyan looked at Lu Cuilan with cold eyes and said, “I didn’t go to save your son today on purpose. It’s just that my wife is kind-hearted and can’t bear to see people suffer, so she helped him out on a whim.”
Lu Cuilan's face turned pale and then red, while the villagers watching the commotion burst into laughter.
"Still acting like an elder! The Lu family cut ties with her a long time ago."
"She thought Lu Sanlang went there specifically to save her son. Did you hear that? He just went to make his wife happy. His wife isn't kind-hearted; she can't stand seeing people suffer, so she just happened to save a bunch of them."
“The couple helped her save her son, and she didn’t say a word of thanks. Instead, she ordered someone to kill a chicken to nourish her son. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
"This is just too ungrateful. Anyone would cut ties with someone who is so ungrateful."
...
Hearing the laughter and whispers of the people, Fang Mingming pushed her mother away and ran out crying.
“Mingming… Mingming…” Lu Cuilan hurriedly chased after them for a few steps, then turned around and scolded the villagers, “It’s my family’s business, why are you talking nonsense? If anything happens to my Mingming, I’ll fight you to the death.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com