“These days, if any kid in the village organizes a trip up the mountain, they’re bound to get a beating. You’d better behave yourself. Didn’t you say you’re an adult? It would be so embarrassing if you got a beating,” she knew her son Erdan was very proud.
"Yes, yes, I'll be honest. Don't worry, I definitely won't go up the mountain before school starts. Second Aunt, did Da Hu say what hurt him?"
She's been to the deep mountains before, and she hasn't really seen too many dangerous things. As long as you don't go out of your way to provoke those animals, there shouldn't be any major problems.
"They say it was a bear, but I don't know how it escaped back. It's a miracle it survived being in a bear's mouth."
"Wow! That's really lucky." Qian Xiao had never seen a bear in the mountains before, but those things were indeed quite strong in combat.
"You're right, you didn't see it. That half of his shoulder was almost gone. If it weren't for Dr. Zhang, he would have died before he even got to the hospital."
"Oh right, I almost forgot about Grandpa Zhang. I also bought him a piece of clothing. I'll go see him tomorrow."
When Qian Xiao was little, Old Zhang really fed her a lot. He even worried about her going to college, giving her the addresses of his friends so that she wouldn't have anyone to help her if she suffered a loss.
So every time Qian Xiao came back, she would bring something back for the old man. The old man didn't care whether it was a lot or a little; what he valued was Qian Xiao's thoughtfulness.
"We should go see him. Dr. Zhang has been very good to you. Tomorrow I'll pack some things for you to take with you. It's not easy for him to be alone."
Forget it, that old man is eating very well. Don't be fooled by his constant act of pretending to be dying; he has a wide network of connections. She's seen countless people bringing him things, but she won't tell anyone that.
"By the way, do you still remember Qian Wangcai?"
"I remember, what happened to him? Didn't he say he was coming back?" I remember she kindly reminded that educated youth to stay away from Qian Wangcai. Why does this person always think about relying on others?
"And, was the money returned?" Of course, Qian Xiao kept his voice very low so that his grandmother wouldn't hear him and remember this unpleasant matter, which would only make his grandfather suffer.
Second Aunt followed Qian Xiao to Qian Xiao's house. After glancing outside to make sure no one was there, she continued, "What's there to say? That old couple has been out of food for a long time. None of their sons care about them. They've started eating tree bark. It was only because your great-uncle couldn't bear to see them suffer that he gave them some potatoes, which helped them survive."
"Oh, they didn't leave any food for the old couple when they divided their property?" That can't be right. If they dared to do that, no one in the village would stand for it.
"How could we not keep them? They're giving them the lion's share, but the family only has three people left, and only the two old folks can work. They can't even earn many work points. They're just feeding Qian Wangcai. How long can they last if they don't carefully manage their food intake?"
Hearing the door open, the two were startled and quickly looked over. When they saw it was their third aunt, Qian Xiao, they breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was the matriarch of the family.
Qian Xiao quickly waved: "Third Aunt, come up to the kang (heated brick bed) and let's talk. Where's my grandma?"
Third Aunt put the rice bowl on the kang table, took off her shoes and sat down cross-legged: "Eat quickly, it's been kept warm in the pot. Your grandma went back to her room. She was worried sick today. You'd better listen to her from now on."
"I understand, Auntie. I won't make Grandma angry anymore."
Qian Xiao, with her mouth full of rice, was still thinking about the gossip she hadn't finished hearing. "Second Aunt, keep going! What happened to Qian Wangcai this time?"
Speaking of which, does Qian Wangcai not have the memories of his previous possession of the system? Otherwise, how could he have been released so easily? Also, what happened to the county magistrate's sister-in-law who got together with Qian Wangcai?
Speaking of this, Auntie San got excited: "I also heard that Qian Wangcai was arrested before for having illicit relationships with women. I don't know if it's true, but I feel it is. The person who told me this, including their full name, is probably telling the truth."
Second Aunt patted Third Aunt and said, "What are you rambling about? Erdan is still a child."
Third Aunt slapped her forehead, how could she have forgotten Erdan: "Just pretend you didn't hear what I just said."
"No way, tell me! I actually saw it in the county town. Qian Wangcai was walking and chatting with a woman. I thought it was a relative of his."
Auntie looked on with curiosity: "You really saw her? What did she look like? I heard she was a pretty old woman, and her family was quite powerful. I heard that even her relatives who were officials were implicated, and they're not doing well now."
Qian Xiao... said that these words would change as they were passed down.
"The woman looked to be in her early twenties. She wasn't particularly pretty, but she was dressed quite well, and there wasn't a single patch on her clothes."
In those days, you could judge a person's circumstances by how many patches were on their clothes; ordinary families didn't have the extra money to make so many new clothes.
"Ah! I heard she's a woman in her forties. I was thinking, how could Qian Wangcai, who's old enough to be someone's son, bring himself to do it?"
Third Aunt got slapped again. She smiled sheepishly. Wasn't she just too excited? She really thought Qian Wangcai had found her a mother.
"Why haven't I heard you mention this before?"
This isn't a good thing: "I didn't think that much about it. Go on, what happened to Qian Wangcai?" Why is he so impatient? He's been talking for so long and hasn't gotten to the point yet.
"What's the rush? Do you remember that female educated youth at the settlement? She looked incredibly wealthy when she arrived. Didn't Qian Wangcai set his sights on that young educated youth after he came back?"
"I know, her name is Wang Xue, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes, that's Wang Zhiqing. I heard he came from a big city and his family is very rich. Do you think someone from a big city would be interested in a country boy like you? Qian Wangcai thinks he's some kind of hot commodity."
"Speaking of hot commodities, do you remember that year when Qian Wangcai was as popular as a flower, attracting all the girls in the village? Even the young wife was eyeing him. But why wasn't he like that after he came back?"
"Could it really be like what our mother said, that she's been possessed by that thing?" Auntie's eyes showed fear as she said this.
"Don't talk nonsense. Don't say these things outside, or people will spread them."
Third Aunt nodded: "I won't go out and say these things. People can be so wicked. I never talk about our family matters outside the home."
Second Aunt nodded in satisfaction. Although Third Sister-in-law was a bit more talkative, she knew what she should and shouldn't say.
Qian Xiao was practically frantic; this gossip always seemed to have hidden agendas: "And then?"
"Yes, we've all heard that Wang, the educated youth, refused several times, but he's shameless!"
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