Jiang Youchen followed behind him.
Madam Yu picked up little Youran in her arms. "You probably don't believe it, but we always manage to hunt wild game every time we go up the mountain, all because we have this little lucky star in our family. If you don't believe me, go hunting in the mountains yourselves tomorrow and see what you can catch!"
One villager's eyes lit up, and he asked doubtfully, "Tian Kuang's mother, Tian Kuang's fourth aunt, is what you're saying true? Can we really go up the mountain to hunt?"
Zhou hesitated as she looked at the group.
Little Youran said sweetly to her, "Auntie, let them go. The weather is getting colder now, and the animals are going to hibernate."
Zhou took a deep breath and said to everyone, "It's just a hunting trip up the mountain. We're all at the mercy of the weather anyway, so go ahead if you want. But let's be clear from the start: this mountain is ours. If you manage to catch any prey, that's yours. But if you get hurt by any wild beasts or birds of prey, or fall and get hurt, that's not our responsibility."
One villager exclaimed with delight, “Oh, if we could go up Sanyang Mountain to hunt as we please, we would be so grateful! Our food supplies are almost gone. If we get hurt or fall, that’s our problem, not yours!”
"Tian Kuangniang, are you telling the truth? If so, shall we go hunting in the mountains tomorrow?"
Zhou nodded. She had been annoyed by the young man climbing over the wall to steal her grain these past few days and had long considered opening up Sanyang Mountain to everyone.
"It's true. Go ahead, whether you catch any prey depends on your own skills."
The village chief and clan head squeezed in, saying happily, "Tian Kuang's mother, it's wonderful that you think this way. This year's flood has left us with no food left. Don't worry, once we get through this disaster, we will return this mountain to you as it is, and we will not touch a single blade of grass or tree on it!"
Zhou was very polite to the village chief and clan elder who had helped them many times. "You flatter me, elder. Just like my fourth sister-in-law said, not just anyone can hunt on this mountain. You all have to be careful."
The village chief nodded repeatedly, scolding the young men, "Did you all hear that? And also, last time they said there was one tiger on this mountain, so there might be two. Although we went up the mountain to look for them, we didn't find any. You all better be careful!"
Xiao Youran struggled to get down from Madam Yu's arms and pulled her brother, saying, "Brother, didn't you say last time that we could only go up the mountain when the sun was high during the day?"
Jiang Youchen: ...
Did he say that?
But now he's repeating his sister's words, so he loudly tells the villagers, "Uncles and elders, you must go up the mountain when the sun is high, otherwise it will be dangerous!"
...
The next day, when Xiao Youran, along with Yu Shi and her brother Jiang Youchen, skipped and hopped up the mountain, they found that Sanyang Mountain was really lively.
Sure enough, the villagers felt that a year of disaster was coming and were in a hurry to hunt some wild game so that they could store some food for their families.
Some people carry baskets up the mountain hoping to pick mushrooms or dig up wild vegetables, while others carry machetes and bows and arrows hoping to try their luck and see if they can encounter a pheasant or a rabbit.
Xiao Youran and Yu Shi took the mountain path they usually walked. As usual, after they got up the mountain, the kitten darted out and ran all over the mountain. Before long, it scared two pheasants out, and Yu Shi caught them red-handed.
The group of people carried the pheasants down the mountain, completely satisfied.
When they were still a short distance from the foot of the mountain, Yu suddenly remembered the trap she had set in a grove of trees a few days earlier. Somewhat uneasy, she said to her brother and sister, "Now that more people are coming up the mountain, I'm afraid this trap might hurt someone. I'll go and fill it in first. You two should go home first."
It was only a few steps from the foot of the mountain to her home, a path the brother and sister had walked dozens of times, so she wasn't worried at all.
Jiang Youchen took the small basket from Yu Shi and carried it on his back. He and Xiao Youran went down the mountain directly via the path.
Who knew that Aunt Hua had also gone up the mountain early in the morning, but by almost noon she still hadn't caught a single grain of rice. She was so hungry that she was seeing stars, and was resting at the foot of the mountain.
Two children came down the mountain path, their baskets on their backs clearly containing some living creatures.
She stood on the slope, watching helplessly as two blood-soaked pheasants in her basket passed right by.
She instinctively reached out her withered fingers to grab the pheasant.
The kitten in Xiaoyou Ran's arms let out a "meow" and pounced on Aunt Hua, scratching her face with its paw.
Aunt Hua flung the kitten away and cursed, "You little beast, how dare you scratch me? Get out of here right now!"
Xiao Youran tenderly picked up the kitten that had been thrown onto the tree and said to her brother, "Brother, this woman wanted to steal our pheasant, that's why the kitten went to catch her."
Aunt Hua yelled, "You little brat, which eye of yours saw me trying to steal your pheasants?"
Xiao Youran said with a smile, "I saw it with both eyes."
"Nonsense! I'll tear your mouth apart!" Aunt Hua bared her teeth and claws, about to grab Xiao Youran.
Jiang Youchen pulled his sister behind him, "This wicked woman! She couldn't even steal someone's things, and now she wants to hit them?"
"Who told you two to disrespect your elders? I'm a member of the Yun family, and by seniority you should call me Auntie. So what if I took your things? Shouldn't you show respect to your elders when you have good things?"
Jiang Youchen laughed in anger, "When you wanted to take our things, you claimed to be an elder? When you lent grain to our great-aunt, why didn't you say it was to show respect to your elders? Why did you have to come to our doorstep to ask for that little bit of grain back?"
Aunt Hua was a little embarrassed, but she still said confidently, "Right now, the three of us are starving. What's wrong with asking you for some filial piety?"
"Who do you think you are, elder, to dare ask for our filial piety?" Madam Yu's voice came from behind, coldly looking at Aunt Hua. "Have you no shame? You think you can just rob us when you're starving? Didn't that cripple offer you twenty catties of rice and flour a few days ago as a dowry? Why didn't you take it? Even if you're really desperate, you can sell two ounces of flesh from your body, that's enough to get a bite to eat, isn't it?"
Aunt Hua had always thought that the women of the Tian Kuang family were usually very cultured, but she never expected that Yu Shi would start speaking with such vulgar language today, making her dizzy with anger. She grabbed her and yelled, "You're so loose-lipped, talking nonsense!"
Yu was skilled in martial arts, and she slapped Aunt Hua aside, giving her a disgusted look before taking the two children and saying, "Let's go!"
Aunt Hua, however, wouldn't let her go. She rushed up and grabbed Yu Shi, yelling, "Watch your mouth!"
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