"Make the Song family return my son!"
"Yes, give my man back!"
Holding a kitchen knife, Mrs. Sun shouted, "It wasn't just your men who went; all three men in my family went! What? You're already wailing as soon as they're gone?"
"You're all like jinxes, don't you feel bad about bringing bad luck! Why don't you guys act so tough with outsiders usually? All you do is bully the good people in our village, huh!"
Sun usually seems so gentle and mild-mannered; who would have thought she would have this side to her?
Upon hearing this, most of the people fell silent.
"What did they come up the mountain for? Wasn't it so you could have enough to eat? Now you come to their house to wail at their graves, the Song family's ancestors don't care for you heartless mourners!"
"No one forced them to go up the mountain. If you're worried, go up the mountain yourselves and look for them. If you're too scared to go, just go home!"
Sun shouted at the top of her lungs, her eyes turning red.
He pointed the knife at the people in front of him, which terrified them.
Sun cursed for so long, but no one dared to utter a sound, much less go up the mountain.
In an instant, those who had been causing trouble lowered their heads and began to cry. They understood the logic, but if the men in their families were really gone, how would they live...?
After being yelled at by Madam Sun, the women who had come to cause trouble gradually dispersed.
As soon as the person left, Sun's hand holding the knife trembled uncontrollably. She had never spoken in front of so many people before, let alone said such things.
Aunt Zhao was also frightened by Sun's appearance just now and didn't react for a long time. When she came to her senses, she quickly stepped forward and took the knife from Sun's hand.
Sun's chest heaved as she stared blankly at Aunt Zhao: "Aunt... I... I just now..."
Aunt Zhao breathed a sigh of relief: "It's alright, thanks to you just now."
If Sun hadn't taken a knife from inside the house, those people would have really torn Song Dahai and Liu Yuelan apart alive.
Li Daniu and Aunt Zhao were scratched several times on the arms.
After a moment's rest, seeing the mess in the yard, the group got up and started working.
Aunt Zhao and Madam Sun were helping to tidy up the yard when Song Ning returned with a group of people.
"Father, Mother, I'm back..."
The sound stopped abruptly, and the smile on her face vanished instantly. Song Ning quickly ran into the yard and asked, "What happened?"
The fence in the yard had fallen down, and dirt was flying everywhere. The people all looked much more haggard, their hair and clothes were all messy, and even a corner of her earthen oven had been knocked off.
Song Dahai sighed and remained silent. Only then did Aunt Zhao and Madam Sun tell Song Ning what had just happened.
The group of people who were returning happened to pass by the Song family's door and naturally heard what Aunt Zhao and Madam Sun were saying. Their faces all turned dark.
"Er Ya, I'm sorry, but don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter," the village chief said in a deep voice.
"Thank you, village chief."
After everyone left, Aunt Zhao swept the yard while saying irritably, "Sigh, we're all from the same village, why do we have to be like this!"
Song Ning never expected that taking people up the mountain would bring such trouble to her family.
Is my mother alright?
"Don't worry, your mother is fine and has already gone to sleep," Madam Sun said with a smile.
"Thank you so much, Aunt and Sister-in-law, for today."
"What are you saying? You're doing a good thing; it's those people who don't understand."
Song Ning went to see Liu Yuelan, who was already ill, and now her fever had gotten even higher.
Feudal thinking is truly terrifying; just because they went up the mountain, their family has been turned into this mess...
After Song Ning left the courtyard, Jiang Yongshou and his brother helped Song Dahai re-tie the fence, while Aunt Zhao and Sun Shi gathered firewood, and Song Ning went to help them.
They were busy until lunchtime before heading home.
During the meal, Song Ning said sullenly, "Father, I didn't think things through today, and now you and Mother have to suffer like this."
Song Dahai took a bite of potato and shook his head: "How can I blame you? If you hadn't taken me up the mountain last time, I would have thought the same as them."
The people here revere the gods, and if there is a bad harvest or any illness or disaster in the family, they attribute it to superstition.
Song Ning simply hadn't expected such a strong reaction.
“You’ve done all this for the village. Your father and mother know it, and the village chief understands it too.” Song Dahai was usually a man of few words, but he understood everything.
The family was in low spirits because of the trouble caused by the villagers. When they heard that the village chief had gathered the whole village to talk about going up the mountain to dig potatoes, and that everyone would be fine as long as they didn't eat or touch anything on the mountain, they all picked up baskets and set off as a family.
Furthermore, since everyone who went up the mountain in the morning returned safely, everyone believed it to be true.
Right after lunch, before everyone could even rest, the village chief led the entire village up the mountain. Everyone who was able to work, even the children, went.
It was quiet outside, and Song Ning had a rare good afternoon nap.
In the afternoon, Song Ning mixed some more mud, repaired her earthen oven, and prepared to roll out dough and bake flatbread.
Knead the dough well, let it rest for less than 15 minutes, then knead it again and cut it into small dough balls.
Knead the small dough balls, roll them out, brush them with oil, add seasonings, and finally sprinkle a pinch of sesame seeds on top before placing them on a plate.
This plate was a porcelain plate that Song Ning bought specifically for making liangpi (cold skin noodles).
It can't compare to the stainless steel of my previous life; it's heavy, but it's smoother than a wooden plate.
Heat the earthen oven to a flame, put the plate inside, and close the small door.
When it's almost time, bring the plate out.
As soon as the plate was taken out, the aroma of the baked flatbread filled the air, and Song Dahai smelled it too, looking over in this direction.
Song Ning smiled and said, "Dad, look at the baked cakes I made, would you like to try some?"
Song Dahai naturally couldn't miss out on something made by his own daughter.
He took a bite and nodded: "It's delicious, and it's different from the pan-fried kind."
Baked ones are harder and crispier, while pan-fried ones are softer and more chewy.
These past two days, while they were selling liangpi (cold skin noodles), Song Ning noticed that many people would also spend extra money to buy steamed buns or flatbreads after buying the liangpi. If they also provided some staple foods, they could earn more.
Moreover, the baked flatbread keeps well and won't spoil even after sitting overnight.
She plans to bake several different kinds, both thin and thick, to see if they're good. If so, she'll bring some with her when she goes to town, as they can also be used as dry rations.
Thinking about the days when she could make money in the future, Song Ning felt a sense of joy, and even the anger she had suffered that morning seemed to lessen.
After a busy afternoon, it wasn't until sunset that people started returning from the mountain.
Everyone returned, carrying large and small baskets, their faces beaming with joy.
Song Ning and Song Dahai didn't pay much attention and went about their own work.
Just as dinner time approached, a noise came from outside.
"Brother Dahai, Erya, are you home?"
The father and daughter exchanged glances and went outside. They saw the village chief leading a group of dozens of people, standing at the gate of their courtyard.
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