During this period, the leaders of the commune and the public security bureau also sent several waves of people to investigate the explosion. After all, the noise was too loud, and they had no choice but to know about it. However, the Black Mountain was too dangerous. Not only were there wild beasts, but there were also landmines buried somewhere during the war. So after a group of people went to the mountainside and found no useful clues, they finally determined that the wild beasts had triggered the explosives buried on the mountain during the war, and the matter was left unresolved.
It is colder at night in the mountains, and the wind at night is so biting that it makes people shiver with cold, and their teeth chatter when they speak.
Big Beard and his remaining brothers stayed in the mountains until the New Year's Day, when they got some news.
In the days leading up to the Chinese New Year, every household is preparing food for the New Year. The village is filled with the fragrance of fried meatballs and stewed meat every day. However, this also makes life difficult for the people in the village who are in a difficult situation. They don’t earn many work points throughout the year, and after working hard for a year, they still owe food to the village. Naturally, they won’t be very happy during the New Year.
There is a family living near the foot of the mountain. They have three adobe houses with no courtyard and thatched roofs. It is very simple. Several people in the family are lying on the kang, and there are a few cold black-faced steamed buns in the pot connected to the kang.
"Master, we don't have much firewood at home, and our quilts are not warm enough. If we don't collect firewood, how are we going to survive?" Wang Zhaodi looked at her husband and spoke in a weak voice. There was little food, and it was bad enough that they couldn't eat enough, but they were freezing and it was really impossible to survive.
Liu Youliang, also known as Liu Mazi, felt very annoyed when he saw his whole family lying on the kang. If he had known that his life would be like this today, he would have rather not have had the girls in his family.
The more I look at him, the angrier I get.
"Da Ya, Er Ya, put on your clothes and come with me to the mountain to find firewood." There are four daughters and one little son in the family. It's not that he doesn't want the other two daughters to go out to work together, but there are not enough cotton-padded clothes at home. He has raised his daughters for these years, and in two years they will be able to get married and earn dowry money. If they get sick and die now, it will be a loss for him.
After hearing what their father said, Liu Daya and Liu Erya did not dare to refute. They got off the kang quickly, put on their clothes, and followed Liu Youliang out the door and up the mountain.
The mountain was not very safe a few days ago, and the village chief only allowed villagers to move around the periphery. Until today, almost the New Year, nothing happened.
Liu Youliang walked up the mountain while cursing. The villagers were making a fuss about it, saying it was dangerous, but he didn't see any danger.
"Da Ya, Er Ya, you two go up the mountain to collect firewood and look carefully for anything to eat, otherwise there will be no food for you guys at home later."
After Liu Mazi finished speaking, he watched his two daughters go up the mountain, then turned and walked towards the end of the village, touching the few cents and two steamed buns in his trouser pocket as he walked.
Liu Daya and Liu Erya, twelve and eleven years old respectively, had long been accustomed to their parents' attitudes towards them. It was common for villagers to favor boys over girls, but in their family? It was even more serious!
Their mother, Wang Zhaodi, is the eldest in the family. She has been unpopular since childhood and worked as a nanny at her parents' home, taking care of the whole family. Liu Mazi's family is not rich either, so the two families exchanged marriages. Wang Zhaodi married Liu Mazi, and Liu Mazi's sister married into the Wang family.
Therefore, Wang Zhaodi felt inferior from the bottom of her heart because she was a woman. Six years after marrying into the Liu family, she gave birth to four daughters. Because of her four daughters, she became a hen that did not lay eggs in the eyes of her parents-in-law. They either beat or scolded the four daughters since they were young.
Fortunately, the fifth child was a boy, Liu Xiaobao of the family. In addition, her parents-in-law passed away one after another due to their old age, so she finally had a say in the family.
Liu Erya was wearing shoes with holes in them, stepping on the snow. She felt very uncomfortable watching her elder sister walking in a timid manner.
"Sister, there's nothing but dead firewood on the mountain right now. Even if there's food, we don't have the ability to catch it, unless we encounter a stupid roe deer." But not everyone has this kind of luck.
Liu Daya looked at the white mountain and said, "Let's collect firewood first. There are so many people at home. Erya, we don't have many cotton-padded clothes. If we don't have enough firewood and the kang can't be heated, we will suffer."
"Forget it, let's pick them up separately and then meet up on the mountainside. If you finish first, call me."
After Liu Erya finished speaking, she didn't care about her sister's expression and walked straight into the mountains.
She didn't know how long she had been walking. She was so angry that she grabbed a stick and started hitting things everywhere. She had no idea that several people were watching her in the dark.
"Brother, why don't we catch this little girl and ask her about it? This opportunity can't be missed!"
The bearded man looked at Liu Erya, who still looked very thin in her cotton jacket, and nodded, "Remember to cover her eyes so she can't see us. We can't risk anyone getting killed right now.
Liu Erya was picking up firewood and cursing at the same time, but she didn't expect that her eyes were covered with a black cloth and her mouth was also covered.
It happened so suddenly that she didn't even have time to scream.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm, help..."
Feeling the chill on her neck, Liu Erya became speechless for a moment and lost her voice.
A very rough man's voice sounded in her ears, "Little girl, I don't want to hurt you today. I just want to ask you a few questions. If you know, answer them well and tell me everything you know. If you understand, just nod."
Liu Erya nodded downward with a stiff neck, her movements quick and trembling.
"Okay, if you don't scream, I'll let you go. If you don't obey, I'll cut your neck and bury you in this mountain where no one can find you."
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