Zhao Shui did indeed secretly bring someone back, who was a year older than him. He hid the person in a cave. Zhao Shui did not harm the person and would even give him food. Zhao Shui only asked that the person talk to him and play with him every day.
Fearing that Fang Yuniang would discover it, she forbade that person from leaving the cave, forcing him to hide inside. As a result, the person was kept bound hand and foot after being captured.
"This is outrageous! Take me to see the person you kidnapped!" Fang Yuniang said angrily.
Upon seeing the person who had been brought there, Fang Yuniang discovered that it was a young girl, but she was dressed in tattered clothes and her hair was messy and dirty, so it was impossible to tell whether she was male or female. However, she recognized her voice as soon as she spoke.
The reason Zhao Shui didn't recognize it was because he hadn't interacted with anyone else. Before he developed an Adam's apple, his voice was also childish and soft. He saw that the person he had captured was shorter than him, so he assumed that the other person was younger than him and didn't have an Adam's apple, so his voice sounded like a woman's.
The person has already been brought back, and it's impossible to send her back. Fang Yuniang doesn't want to expose where she and her son are hiding, so she doesn't plan to send the little girl back.
The little girl was very scared at first, but she found that Zhao Shui and Fang Yuniang were very kind to her. They would share the meat they cooked after hunting with her, and they would also share the animal skin clothes with her. They never hit or scolded her, and her life was even better than when she was at home.
So she said, "My name is Song Zhaodi. I'm the eldest child in my family. My parents later had three younger brothers and two younger sisters. All the heavy work at home fell on my shoulders. I had to do everything, but when it came to meals, my younger brothers and sisters always got more than me. I ate the least. When we ate porridge, I could only drink a little bit of rice water."
Later, our village was flooded, and one of my younger brothers drowned. My parents beat and scolded me and my two younger sisters every day. Our family fled the disaster, but one of my sisters starved to death on the way. The other sister was sold to buy ten catties of dark flour, but they wouldn't give me any food after that. I've been eating wild grass and tree bark all the way until now.
"You are good people. I help you with chores, and you feed me. Every time meat is distributed, I get the same amount. I want to live with you; I want to be your family."
Song Zhaodi, being used to farm work, was very capable. With her help, Fang Yuniang's life became much easier, and she caught even more prey.
Zhao Shui retrieved many things from Chaimu Village, including wheat and millet. Song Zhaodi taught Fang Yuniang to select wheat seeds suitable for planting. They cleared a plot of land not far from the swamp and began planting wheat.
When Fang Yuniang saw the wheat seedlings growing, she suddenly had an epiphany. She went to the forest to dig up a lot of medicinal herbs and yams to plant. Although she recognized many edible things, she had never farmed before, so she never thought she could clear land and plant crops.
She didn't know that bamboo shoots in the bamboo forest could be dried. Song Zhaodi grew up in the mountains and fields and knew many edible wild vegetables, as well as how to dry them.
Having made so many things, but lacking storage space, Zhao Shui rode his ox to Chaimu Village to steal pottery jars and other items, gradually making the swamp area more and more well-stocked.
With tools like hoes, machetes, and axes, Song Zhaodi and Fang Yuniang started thinking about building an adobe and thatched house.
"Zhao Di, you're really amazing! You can even build a house. You're so small, but you're incredibly strong." Fang Yuniang felt like she had struck gold. Her son had made the right decision to bring Zhao Di back.
Song Zhaodi smiled shyly, "I also trained myself. Who told me to be the eldest? My father didn't love me, and my mother didn't care for me. I was used as a strong laborer from the age of ten. Before, the villagers helped build our thatched house. Later, when it was time to repay the work by building for other families, my parents pushed me out to repay the work."
I was still young, how could I possibly be a match for a strong man? The homeowner who built the house was furious and wanted to confront my parents, but they were thick-skinned and ignored everyone's insults. They just pushed me out. What could I do? I'm easily embarrassed and can't stand hearing people say such hurtful things.
I had no choice but to work like crazy. When the other helpers went home while I was still working, the employers stopped scolding my family. Sigh, all my brute strength was forced out of me; otherwise, what girl could be as capable as me?
I used to resent my parents for treating me like livestock. But now I'm grateful they pushed me that way; otherwise, how would we know how to build a house?
Zhao Shui would occasionally help with the construction of the house, but his body couldn't handle the physical labor, so he could only do light work, such as cooking, fetching water, and washing animal skin clothes.
Time flies, and two years have passed in the blink of an eye. Song Zhaodi has grown from a short and thin little girl into a young woman, and she had her first period at the age of seventeen.
Fang Yuniang was still marveling at how quickly time had passed, and also feeling a little sad.
"If we were outside, you'd be married by now, and Shui'er should be getting married too. But he's in poor health, so I'm afraid no one will want to marry him. Zhao Di, do you want to go out? Your aunt isn't unreasonable. If you want to live a normal life..."
I'll have Shui'er ride the big ox to take you out. Once you're out, just keep this a secret and don't tell anyone you've seen Shui'er or me. Leave Chaimu Village, go far away, find a good family to marry into, and live a good life from now on."
Before Song Zhaodi could say anything, Zhao Shuixian objected. He jumped up and roared, "Mother, why do you want to send her away? I brought her back to keep me company. What will I do if she leaves? Who will play with me? I don't agree to this. You are not allowed to send her away."
"You child, Zhao Di is a person, not someone's possession. How can you force her to stay?" Fang Yu Niang was very troubled. Her son had always been sensible and obedient since he was a child, but sometimes he was particularly stubborn and obstinate.
"I said no, and that's final. Mother, if you dare send her away, I... I'll never talk to you again." Zhao Shui was furious and ran into the woods after her outburst.
Fang Yuniang was so angry at him that she almost fell over backwards.
"Auntie, are you alright?" Song Zhaodi asked her worriedly.
"I'm fine, I'll just lie down for a while. Don't take Shui'er's words to heart, he's just being childish, don't take it to heart. It's not safe in the woods, hurry up and bring Shui'er back."
“Okay, Auntie, don’t worry. I know where he usually likes to hide. I can find him.” Song Zhaodi said, then turned and went into the forest to look for him.
Originally, they thought they would find Zhao Shui soon, but they ended up searching until almost dark. Song Zhaodi was worried about Zhao Shui and dared not go back before finding him. She wandered around in the woods and unknowingly went further and further away and got lost.
She found her way home when it got dark, but by then she was far from the edge of the swamp, and it would take at least two hours to get back.
As darkness fell, she dared not continue her journey and tried to find a cave to spend the night in. However, she couldn't find a cave, but instead heard the howling of wolves. The sound grew closer and closer, and she was terrified, thinking that she would die in the forest that night and never see Zhao Shui and Fang Yuniang again.
Just as she was crying and not knowing where to run, her arm suddenly tightened, and someone forcefully pulled her away, dragging her into a hidden cave.
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