Tie Niu Village is built against the mountain, and not far from the village is a small path leading into the mountain. Whether it is a hunter or a woodcutter, you can go directly up the mountain by following this path.
On ordinary days, the farmers in the village would go into the mountains to cut pig feed. Right now, it's the season when all the wild fruits in the mountains are ripe: golden wild loquats, reddish sour hawthorns, and purple wild grapes... If you're lucky, you might even find a tree full of sweet wild dates. Although they are small, they taste absolutely delicious.
The village children could hardly resist such temptation. A group of little devils would often run into the woods in droves, and after they came out, they would compare whose fruit was the biggest, their laughter echoing throughout the entire village.
"Hehehe, I found a patch of wild grapes, come with me!"
"Don't run away! You're the one cheating! I saw it first!"
"Hehehe, you mangy dog, you ate some wild fruit and stuck your tongue out. Your mother is calling you back inside, and your father took a big fall!"
Four or five teenagers ran from one end of the village to the other, followed by two large yellow dogs—it's said that even dogs dislike seven- or eight-year-old children. This commotion made the women sitting at their doorways enjoying the cool air laugh and scold them a few times.
"Damn it, those little piglets have run off to play at the dilapidated house at the end of the village again. Be careful, one day a monster from the mountains might come out and snatch them away!"
Hearing this, the other women sitting under the tree, enjoying the cool shade, all put down their work and instantly perked up, chattering amongst themselves:
"Isn't it said that Liu Da fell to his death while drunk and his vengeful spirit is haunted, that the house is haunted!"
"What's so fun about that house? There are no taboos in the house. The little kid is too young to be easily offended. It would be bad if he offended something."
"Hiss, Sister-in-law Li, is that dilapidated house at the end of the village the original Liu family's house?"
A round-faced woman skillfully wove straw sandals while speaking mysteriously:
"I heard that Liu Da drank with a fox and died? It's kind of scary. Liu Da has been dead for so long, but not a single blade of grass has grown on his grave."
"hiss--"
"He'd rather die than drink; Liu must be a drunkard!"
"This is really creepy... The village head even went to Niu's house today, I wonder what he did there?"
"Sell the house? That dilapidated thatched house left behind by that dead Liu Da? The land belongs to the Niu family, and it's connected to a barren wasteland. What idiot would give up such good paddy fields and come here to buy wasteland?"
"Wasteland is cheap!"
The round-faced woman, who had just spoken, scratched her hair with the tip of a needle and said nonchalantly:
“I saw the village head take some men to Liu Da’s dilapidated thatched hut. I guess they’re going to sell that hut and the wasteland in front of it—that land belongs to Niu Da’s family. If they really sell it, Niu Da’s family will get at least a dozen taels of silver.”
At this point, many people showed expressions of envy, but one woman with pointed cheeks curled her lips and spat fiercely on the ground:
"Pah! The Niu family's wife keeps saying that she saw a living god a few years ago, which is why she's had such good luck these past two years—how come all the good things happen to her family? If there really is a god protecting our Iron Ox Village, it shouldn't be the Niu family's turn."
The woman tilted her head, seemingly disliking Niu Dajia. Seeing several unfamiliar men walk past from the bridgehead, she raised her voice even higher:
“My brother from my mother’s side said that someone from Dahuang Village got lost on his way home at night and bumped into Liu Da’s ghost drinking with a yellow fox the size of a cat on a grave! Whoever buys that dilapidated house and wasteland will probably be captured by Liu Da and made into a ghost!”
Women were resting under a big tree at the village entrance, while several unfamiliar faces were on the stone bridge not far from the village entrance.
The group seemed to have heard what the woman said, and stood there hesitating for a moment, as if they didn't know whether they should come over and ask.
The women sitting together looked at each other without saying a word. Everyone in the village knew that the woman who was about to speak had always disliked Sister-in-law Niu, and now that she was envious of Sister-in-law Niu's income, she couldn't help but say something sarcastic.
The round-faced woman was a little angry. She was the one who started this topic in the first place, just to relieve her boredom, but she didn't expect to ruin the Niu family's good deed. If this were to be taken seriously, people would definitely gossip about her behind her back!
She was so angry that she threw down the shoe sole in her hand and cursed:
“He family, we know you have a grudge against Niu family, but they haven’t provoked you, so we dare not speak carelessly. Besides, look at those men, they’re all muscular and strong, so they’re not afraid of anything.”
Not only did Mrs. He ignore him, she started shouting:
"Bullshit! That Niu family woman keeps saying she met a god, that her sons Da Gen and Xiao Gen are lucky, that they have divine protection, and that they'll have a bright future. Why don't people talk about it? If there really is a god, why doesn't he show himself to us?"
At this point, the round-faced woman simply dropped the pretense, stood up, put her hands on her hips, and began to curse:
"You filthy slut, your in-laws complained about your filial impiety before they died. They must have gone to the King of Hell to report you! Now that your family is down on its luck, you're actually envious of others. If you're so capable, go sell your land and fields yourself. Why are you making a fool of yourself in front of me?"
Seeing that an argument was starting, the people nearby quickly joined in to try and calm things down, but then they noticed that the strangers had already walked over, and a clear, crisp voice asked:
"Aunties, is this the Niu family? My sister sent me to find him!"
At the very front was a tall, burly man, as imposing as an iron tower. He was extremely rugged, with a ferocious face and a thick, dark beard covering his cheeks. His hair was haphazardly wrapped in a cloth and tied behind his head. He wore a coarse gray linen coat and brand-new cloth shoes. His arms and thighs were as thick as wood, and the exposed parts were covered with dark body hair, enough to stop a child from crying at night.
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