July is scorching hot; the mornings and evenings are cool, but it's still very hot at midday.
The cicadas chirped incessantly, and everyone in Xujia Village was taking their afternoon nap. Even the most cheerful dogs, the big yellow ones, had found a shady spot and were fast asleep.
A carriage entered the village and stopped in front of Sishuitang. As soon as the driver reined in the horse, eight-year-old Nini jumped out of the house: "It must be Mom and Dad coming back!"
Five-year-old Caixia followed behind, holding her two-year-old brother Huige'er's hand. Xu Lei, who no longer cried much, also came over for a visit.
Nini ran to the carriage, but didn't see her mother. Instead, she saw her father getting out of the carriage.
Nini's eyes widened immediately: "Dad, your leg is really healed? Dad!" She rushed over and pulled Xu Dazhu to look at it.
She knew that her parents had gone to a very far place for treatment, and that they would be gone for a very long time.
Xu Dazhu smiled and patted his daughter's head: "Yes, Daddy's leg is better now, so you can go fishing with Nini from now on!"
Nini was both happy and angry: "Dad, I've told you many times, my name is Shengyu, and I... I won't go into the water anymore!"
A while ago, when her family wasn't looking, she secretly followed the boys in the village to fish and almost drowned. Her grandfather, Xiaoman, dragged her to the school, punished her in front of everyone, and even wrote a letter to Chunfeng and Dazhu about it.
Now that Xu Dazhu has come back, he brings this up again, which has really angered Nini.
Hearing the children's laughter outside, Xiaoman's grandparents came out and saw their eldest grandson walking steadily towards them.
Xiaoman's grandmother immediately burst into tears.
She dreamed of seeing her grandson stand up again, and thought she would never see this day before she died, but now her wish has finally come true.
Dazhu quickly took a few steps, grabbed his grandparents, and helped them kneel down: "Grandpa, Grandma, from now on your grandson can finally serve and take care of you!"
In the past, the elderly would bathe and feed me; now I will be able to take care of my grandparents until they die.
Chunfeng followed behind and got off the carriage without going over. She bent down, took out her purse, and paid the fare. This carriage belonged to the post station.
Knowing that her older brother had returned, Xiaoman immediately rode back on horseback and was overjoyed to see Xu Dazhu back to normal.
When Xu Dazhu was injured, Xiaoman was only thirteen years old and felt as if the sky had fallen.
Two years later, when he was fifteen, he encountered war again. Fortunately, Aunt Jiang led both families to escape to the mountains and survived.
Now Aunt Jiang is taking her eldest brother to Jincheng to find a good doctor, and the whole family is extremely grateful.
Jiang Zhi didn't really want to hear words of thanks; she was exhausted at the moment.
After Dazhu Chunfeng's condition improved after receiving treatment in Jincheng, she returned alone.
Chunfeng and the others were gone for three months, but the old Yunya factory never stopped operating.
The soap making on the mountain is still going on. With Qian Niu's help and Er Rui coming up the mountain every few days, they can manage, but it's tiring!
Jiang Zhi is now a heartless foreman who only wants Da Zhu to get better quickly, to be able to run, jump, and work again, so that he and Chun Feng can get the work done on the mountain, have three or five more children, and form a lively and large family.
Of course, her wish has been fulfilled. Xu Dazhu and Chunfeng walked up the mountain and were able to work like oxen and horses for her again.
Xu Dazhu spent three months in Jincheng Prefecture for treatment, incurring expenses of nearly one hundred taels of silver.
The couple's savings from years of working were not enough, and they still owed Jiang Zhi money!
The soap-making continued, and before they knew it, winter had come again. The sky was dark, and the Old Cloud Cliff was shrouded in mist.
Jiang Zhi carried a basket of waste through the woods, preparing to dump it into a nearby depression.
Because soap making uses base oil, there is a lot of residue. To avoid polluting the environment, it is specifically dumped in a pit far away from ditches.
As she was walking, she suddenly saw a large dark shadow flash by in the woods. Although she couldn't see the thing clearly, the sound was very loud.
Jiang Zhi shouted, "Peppa Pig!" Peppa Pig was just a short distance behind her, burrowing in the ground.
She feared that wild boars from the other side of the mountain had come over. Although the smell of oil and grime was unpleasant to humans, wild animals perceived it as fragrant.
Several times this year, wild boar herds have crossed the border and come to eat the waste.
Fortunately, the domesticated Peppa Pig is experienced in fighting and is strong and healthy. Every time a wild boar comes, it can fight it off and drive it away.
Hearing the call, Peppa came running over.
"Look here, isn't that your brother causing trouble?" Jiang Zhi patted the pig's head and cautiously led it into the woods.
There was a large wild boar nearby, but she wasn't afraid. Besides, the animal she had just seen was black; it wasn't a wolf or a tiger.
Paige crawled along the ground, as if she had discovered something.
But in Jiang Zhi's view, those messy mounds of earth and stones were all dug up by chickens, and Peppa Pig's little chicks would also cause trouble here.
The man and the pig searched the forest for a while, but found nothing unusual, so they went back.
Jiang Zhi told Da Zhu and Chun Feng about this, telling them to be careful and to bring Pei Qi with them when they went to dispose of the leftovers, so they wouldn't run into the wild boars that were stealing food.
Two days later, in the afternoon, a scream rang out from halfway up the mountain, followed by two shouts: "Bear! There's a bear!"
The village workshops have stopped operating for the winter, and this is the time when the villagers burn charcoal and collect barley.
Because at the beginning of the war, a fire on the mountain killed more than a dozen people, and more than a dozen refugees were beheaded.
The people of Xujia Village all know about these things. They generally don't come to the mountains, and even when they do, they go in groups of three or five.
There are no tigers or other ferocious beasts near Xujia Village; the animals are mostly wild boars, jackals, and badgers. The occasional appearance of bears was more than a decade ago.
A bear attack is a serious matter. The villagers who were picking up the barley frantically ran away and quickly informed the village, causing an uproar throughout the village.
The village has already received the news, but the people living in the mountains are still unaware.
As dusk approached, Jiang Zhi and Pei Qi were digging for medicinal herbs on the slope next to Lao Yun Cliff when suddenly the rustling sound of sand and gravel sliding down grew closer.
Jiang Zhi turned around and was immediately stunned.
Good heavens! Not far behind me, a huge bear was standing on its hind legs, threatening me.
Because there is no heavy snow, there is no shortage of food in the mountains all year round, and the bears here do not hibernate.
The bear, already frightened on the mountainside, showed no panic upon seeing the humans. Instead of fleeing, it charged aggressively at Jiang Zhi.
For bears, which are omnivorous animals, humans are simply a hot, nutritious, and irresistible delicacy.
It was too late to escape. Jiang Zhi was terrified. She shouted "Peppa Pig" and frantically waved the small medicine hoe in her hand, trying to scare the bear into backing down.
However, the bear, covered in thick fur, was completely unfazed by the attack of the hoe.
At this critical moment, Peppa suddenly rushed out from the side and rammed into the bear with lightning speed.
Caught off guard, the bear was knocked to the ground and rolled a long distance away. Jiang Zhi, now out of danger, immediately scrambled away.
Peppa Pig kept walking and chased after the bear, bumping into it again. The bear was prepared, and the two immediately became entangled and torn apart.
Instantly, the deafening roar of the bear and the piercing screams of the wild boar echoed through the mountains and forests.
The bear, with its sharp teeth and claws, swung its thick, powerful paws and slammed them down on the wild boar.
Peppa Pig, not to be outdone, used her flesh and brute strength, along with her fangs, to fight the bear.
Every blow was a tear in the skin, every attack a desperate struggle.
Dirt flying everywhere!
The two beasts rolled and fought on the hillside, tangled together as they tumbled down to the bottom...
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