"You heartless wretch! I was so kind as to agree to let your mother come and take a look! Is this how you treat your honored guests?"
"If I had known that Widow Cheng's child would be like this, I shouldn't have come. I'd rather have been killed by you lot!"
"Um... Sanyuan Siwang, save me! Don't listen to Dazhuang's nonsense, I really was sent by Widow Cheng to look after you!"
......
The man hanging precariously on the cliff was still cursing, and the path along the cliff fell into a deathly silence.
Siwang looked at his older brothers and sisters blankly, and then hesitantly said in a pitiful tone, "I'm hungry."
Da Zhuang and the other two looked at each other, then each reached out and patted Si Wang's head: "Wait a moment, we'll go back for dinner after we've dealt with this."
"oh."
Da Zhuang recalled what the man had said at the beginning, squatted down, took out a kitchen knife and held it against the vine, coldly looking at the person below swaying in the breeze: "You had better explain your purpose, or don't blame me for cutting the vine."
Before the increasingly weak voice could reply, Dazhuang sharpened the vines with a kitchen knife, subtly putting pressure on the person.
Wang Liehu had endured a long night in the pouring rain and was nearing his breaking point when he suddenly felt a tremor from the vines hanging above him. Startled, he gripped them tightly, shook them a few times to steady his footing on the stones, and swallowed the curses that were escaping his lips.
"I...I really was called by your mother. She said she would be away for a few days and was worried about you all, so she asked me to come and check on you and take care of you."
Dazhuang didn't believe it: "Among the friends my mother makes, there isn't anyone as rude and shifty-eyed as you."
Look at Mr. Su, who knows medicine, cooking, and even how to teach; look at Sui Ye, who does all sorts of hard and tiring work; look at the fierce and ruthless bald man... well, you don't need to look at the bald man.
After my mother went up the mountain, the friends she made were either skilled or strong and capable of working.
Most importantly, regardless of their background, they will not curse or speak ill of others.
Even Suiye, who is arrogant and has high aspirations, would not curse or take his anger out on the children after being beaten and wronged by his mother.
The man at the bottom of the cliff was like a rogue and scoundrel. He would curse people whenever he was unhappy, and his words were extremely offensive. He was definitely not a good person!
As Wang Liehu listened intently to the vines above his head being cut again, he became enraged and, in a fit of rage, his mind went blank, and he began to spout nonsense without any regard for the consequences:
“We just met yesterday. She saw that I was young, strong and good at hunting, so she seduced me and asked me to help raise her children. I originally looked down on a widow with several children, but she was really beautiful, so I agreed to come and see you. Normally, you should call me Dad!”
"Hurry up and get me up there! If I die, your mother will have to continue living as a widow, and she'll be driven crazy by you all!"
Da Zhuang's face turned cold. He casually shoved the bamboo umbrella into Si Wang's hand and gripped the kitchen knife with both hands, using all his strength to cut the vines.
They both silently stepped back, focusing all their attention on protecting Sanyuan Siwang and Yuanyuan, afraid that their eldest brother might get too angry and act recklessly, scaring his younger siblings.
Wang Liehu became increasingly flustered, and his words became even more incoherent: "Your mother is a widow, and she can't remarry because of you. If you know what's good for you, you should leave on your own and not be a burden to her!"
"But...but, as long as you rescue me quickly, I will put in a good word for you with your mother and let you leave with a few more taels of silver!"
"Yeah?"
A woman's voice rang out softly.
Wang Liehu, still clinging to his last hope, quickly said, "Yes, yes, I still have some savings. Supporting your mother isn't a problem, I..."
Wait a minute, there's only one girl up there, where did that strange female voice come from?
He snapped back to his senses and strained to look up, only to see a beautiful woman holding a bamboo umbrella slowly taking the kitchen knife from the little boy and deftly cutting the vines.
Before Wang Liehu fell off the cliff, he heard the last words.
"Why listen to someone like that? Just cut him down."
Ignoring the heavy rain, Dazhuang leaned out to look down the cliff, somewhat worried: "Mother, what if he doesn't die after falling down? That would be terrible."
Ye Wenxue tilted the bamboo umbrella over Dazhuang's head to shield him from the heavy rain: "You should have some faith in your Mr. Su's poison."
The man below had a purplish-black mouth and a deathly aura. Even if the vines weren't cut and he fell off the cliff, he wouldn't live much longer.
Moreover, the cliffs beside the valley path are extremely steep. Even Ye Wenxue didn't dare to go directly down to the lake from there. In addition, the lake water hadn't risen to this level yet, so falling down would mean certain death.
Dazhuang felt relieved and secretly glanced at his mother, not daring to utter a sound.
Si Wang, however, had fewer reservations. After Ye Wenxue had rearranged the traps and added several more layers of defense, he suddenly pounced, nearly knocking Ye Wenxue far away.
"Mom, I'm hungry."
Ye Wenxue steadied herself and patted Siwang's head: "Okay, let's go home and cook."
Shuangshuang breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her mother return, her whole body radiating ease and joy: "Mother, how did your trip go? Did you find the mugwort? Yuanyuan almost cried herself to sleep."
"Found it, a whole basket full. In a little while, you can all take a hot bath with the mugwort leaves. I'll go and grind the herbs into powder and sprinkle some around the house to repel mosquitoes."
"Okay!"
Dazhuang sensibly took the basket from Ye Wenxue's shoulder, listened intently to his mother and younger siblings' chattering, and then followed them back to the earthen house.
Early in the morning, Dazhuang only kneaded the dough and steamed the buns, planning to eat them with hawthorn sauce and chili oil.
Ye Wenxue came back hungry after a night of hunger and didn't want to just make do with whatever she could find. So she let the kids eat some steamed buns to tide them over while she cooked a proper meal.
Shuangshuang boiled mugwort water and went to bathe Yuanyuan. Sanyuan and Siwang, one tending the fire and the other sitting beside them eating steamed buns, stood by the pool washing vegetables.
"It was too dark last night, and I couldn't find my way, so I just found a cave to spend the night in. Don't believe any of the other people's nonsense; your mother will not abandon you."
Dazhuang kept his head down and didn't respond.
Ye Wenxue found it strange; perhaps this child was overthinking things and had become foolish.
Just as Ye Wenxue was drying her hands and about to check Dazhuang's head to see if he had a fever, Dazhuang stammered and said:
"Mother, I think Suiye is not bad."
He's quick-witted, physically strong, and polite and magnanimous—far better than that thing hanging off a cliff.
Ye Wenxue laughed in exasperation and poked Dazhuang on the forehead with a finger: "Stop thinking nonsense, go to the vegetable garden and pick two ears of corn to make soup."
This child must be out of their mind to say such a thing.
Da Zhuang reluctantly went to the vegetable garden to pick corn, holding an umbrella.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
