"Team leaders, count your team members to see if they are all here!"

Early the next morning, everyone gathered together, waiting to be assigned tasks and go to work. Team leader Zhao Youtian shouted as usual.

The scorer was taking notes.

Although everyone was slow to go to work, no one would be late unless they asked for leave, because one work point would be deducted for being late for a short while.

No one would be willing to deduct the work points they had worked so hard to earn just for a few minutes.

So usually, everyone is here in the same old way, or there’s news that someone needs to take leave for something.

The first few teams today were pretty normal.

"Team 1, everyone is here!"

"Team 2 is here too!"

…

Until the captain of the seventh team stood up and said, "Report, Team 7, Wu Cuihua is not here yet!"

Captain Zhao Youtian frowned, "Where's Team 8?"

"Only Zhou Zhiqing from Team 8 has asked for leave. Everyone else has arrived."

Usually after saying this, everyone would gossip about Zhou Yanhong. After all, in the eyes of those who make a living in the fields, not working every day and running to the city all the time is considered not doing their job properly.

Some said that her plan to return to the city had fallen through, and some said that she would have few work points after the autumn harvest and would be so hungry that she would have to eat tree bark next year. But today, Zhou Yanhong's request for leave again did not cause any waves.

"What's wrong with Wu Cuihua today?"

"I ran into her this morning. She was so quick!"

"It seems that she came later than usual these days, and she didn't come with Erlinzi and his wife."

"And he was in a hurry, sweating all over. I don't know what he did."

"I know this. Yesterday before daybreak, I went out to get some water and I ran into her going up the mountain with a basket on her back. When I asked her, she said that Goudan was gone. She was upset and couldn't sleep, so she went up the mountain to collect some firewood."

…

"Beep—" Captain Zhao Youtian blew a whistle, "Quiet!"

Finally, he calmed down the noisy crowd, and then shouted to Team 7, "Er Linzi, what happened to your mother?"

Zhao Shuanglin was also very anxious. He kept looking back, his face pale.

Her mother goes up the mountain before dawn every day recently, saying that she misses Goudan. She brought back a pheasant the day before yesterday, and a rabbit the day before that. Although there was nothing yesterday, she said that Goudan saw that they were suffering and felt sorry for the things they sent her, so she went up the mountain again today.

His father is gone, and there is no one to take care of his mother in this family. But nothing has happened in the past few days, and she even brings back things. Even he vaguely feels that Goudan has returned.

He and his wife also wanted to go and see how Goudan delivered the things, but his mother would not let them, saying that he was a man with too much yang fire, which would not be good for Goudan, and his wife was young and might easily bump into him.

These things are feudal superstitions, now we all talk about science!

The whole family kept the secret a secret and didn't dare to leak it out at all. They even secretly hoped that Goudan would send something else.

But today, her mother had not returned yet. When the captain asked, he did not dare to tell the truth and stammered, "She said she couldn't sleep, so she went to the mountain to collect firewood."

"Why are you picking up firewood so early in the morning? It only adds to the chaos!"

Captain Zhao Youtian's loud voice made Zhao Shuanglin lower his head. After a while, he finally begged, "Captain, my mother has been missing Goudan lately and can't sleep. She gets up early every day and says she's going to the mountain to collect firewood. She has never missed work. But she hasn't come yet. I'm worried that she's in danger. Two years ago, someone heard wolves howling in the back mountain! And there are blind bears. Could there be any blind bears running out from Daqing Mountain?"

Zhao Youtian spitted bitterly, "Stop saying such depressing things. If your mother really encounters a wolf or a blind bear, how can she be safe? You are cursing her!"

Although he was harsh in his words, Zhao Youtian was still very worried. After discussing with the village chief, he decided to send everyone up the mountain to look for someone.

This means that everyone’s work today will be delayed and their work points will probably be discounted.

"This Wu Cuihua is really something. She ran out to collect firewood before daybreak. It was pitch dark and she wasn't afraid of falling. She is such a worry and troublemaker!"

"I will have to talk to her about the lost work points when the time comes."

"That's right. We can't let her do something wrong and then we have to suffer. This is unreasonable."

…

There were many people who murmured, complained, and gossiped, but no one refused to go find her.

After all, it’s the life of our fellow villagers, and it’s also a human life.

Yi Qingqing also went up the mountain with the others, carrying a hoe.

There was no doubt that the person who stole her prey was Wu Cuihua.

If you think about it carefully, it is both unexpected and reasonable.

After she came to Xiangshui Village, she only offended two people, one was Liu Chunxing and the other was Wu Cuihua.

Apart from those who love you and those who hate you, who can watch your every move every day?

You have to know that she always goes up the mountain through the back door, so there aren't many people around.

If he becomes suspicious and follows her, he will definitely have to see her a few times before he does so.

Liu Chunxing's house was in the educated youth center, not on the same side as hers, so there were few opportunities to see her go out. She also ate with Wang Lingling, so it would be difficult to deal with the prey she picked up.

It seems that Wu Cuihua hasn't learned her lesson from the fine last time, and she's been keeping an eye on her!

"Wu Cuihua is so weird. Why is she collecting firewood so early in the morning?" Li Mengxue was also complaining. She had very little to do every day and was not tired at work. Most of the work was assigned to other people in the group. She spent most of her time enjoying the shade under the trees. But now she had to go up the mountain to look for people, feeling tired.

"Mengxue, if you can't walk anymore, just take a rest nearby. Everyone has gone up the mountain anyway, so it doesn't matter if there are a few of us. Or I can carry you?" Zheng Xiaolong said.

When Yi Qingqing heard his words, she got goosebumps.

How come Zheng Xiaolong is so young, his oil content is too high?

He glanced at the latest words that appeared in the golden book.

"Zheng Xiaolong's eyes were full of Li Mengxue. At first, he fell in love with her at first sight because she was born in a quagmire-like family, but was able to save herself, run out bravely, and live her life with strength and color. But later he found out that she was actually a delicate person, ignoring other people's gossips, and sitting under the shade of the tree every day with a righteous look was also very cute. He realized that there was no reason for liking her. It was not because of who she was, but because of who she was."