Chapter 432: Striving to Achieve the KPI (Part 12) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"Aru, aru, where did that brat go?"
The woman, who had endured years of wind and sun, carried a wooden bucket full of water. She turned to look for her mischievous son but couldn't find him. She wasn't worried, but she couldn't help but complain.
"They've probably gone off somewhere to have some fun, right?"
The woman accompanying him responded with a smile.
She also had a wooden bucket on her shoulder.
"Sigh, just like his deadbeat father..." Aru's mother raised her hand to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead. She had originally wanted this boy to come and help her share the burden, but who knew that he was just like his father, only caring about himself and making her worry.
"He'll change for the better once he gets married."
"that is."
The comforting words from others made Aruniang feel better.
A faint smile reappeared on her face.
"Sigh, I guess I'll hope so."
Another person asked, "When is your daughter-in-law coming?"
Aruniang smiled and said, "There are still thirty-one days left."
This was a very important event for the family, and she remembered it clearly! She counted it down on her fingers every single day.
Everyone else who heard this was filled with envy.
Everyone praised Aru-niang, saying that good luck was coming.
Aruniang wore a worn-out animal skin hat, had a square mouth and a wide nose, thick eyebrows, dark reddish skin, and was not very tall. She had broad shoulders and strong arms, and at first glance, she looked like a sturdy, short man.
I heard that she wasn't a member of the Shiwu tribe, but an outsider, who was sold to the Shiwu by her own heartless father.
Perhaps it was fate that brought her bad luck, for Aru's mother had lost four husbands in a row, and now she only had one son, Aru, who was thirteen years old this year. For the past two years, Aru's mother had been worried about her son's marriage, having painstakingly saved money for several years.
But this amount of money isn't enough to marry one of the ten young women.
Business had been booming these past two years, causing a sharp drop in the price of women from Longwu, which led to an increase in supply. She used her connections to contact a dealer she knew, paid a deposit, and wasn't picky about who he was dealing with. Apparently, he could deliver the goods on time within three months at the latest.
The trafficker patted his chest and gave a guarantee.
Aru Niang has been beaming with joy lately.
I feel more and more energetic when I work.
He would tell everyone he met that his family was about to have a happy event.
Women as capable as Aruniang are rare.
Many men in the tribe privately complain that their wives are not as hardworking as Aru-niang and cannot earn a wife for their sons.
This earned him glares from the other women.
Aru's mother is so strong-willed because her husband died, and she refuses to remarry. If she doesn't work hard, what will become of her and her son? They are different; their husbands are still alive.
If they also had men, they would definitely fight desperately.
One sentence left the man speechless.
"Thirty-one days? That'll be soon."
"Don't forget to treat us to drinks then."
A faint smile appeared on Aru's face as she said, "Of course, of course, we have two lambs ready at home."
Despite seemingly being a winner in life, Aruniang harbors a hidden pain: her son.
Her son, Aru, showed no awareness of being a groom or an adult. He spent his days like a king of the kids, playing wildly with mischievous seven- or eight-year-olds, playing childish games like generals and soldiers attacking a city.
Arnu was very dissatisfied with this.
Repeated lessons learned with the cane.
But the other men in the tribe felt that Aru had the potential to be a warrior. In another year or two, he would be able to go out to fight with the other men in the tribe. At that time, what gold, silver, treasure, food, or women wouldn't he be able to pick up? This kid will be successful in the future!
Arnuniang doesn't have such grand ambitions.
She suffered so much in the first half of her life, raising Aru with great care and love. All she asked for was for her son to stay by her side peacefully, to have a decent skill, to marry and have many grandchildren, and to take good care of her when she got old.
The men in the tribe scoffed at her ideas.
Behind her back, she looked down on Aru-niang.
She even forbids her own children from having much contact with her.
But the women in the tribe didn't have so many thoughts. They greatly admired Arunang, who could do the work of two grown men. She would occasionally help them with some heavy work, which was much better than the men in the house who just talked.
Seven or eight women were carrying water back home, chatting and laughing on the way, not worrying about the children who had run off to play.
Conditions are much better now than before. Their tribe is a well-known large tribe in the area, and there are always garrison troops patrolling nearby to prevent wild animals from entering their territory. This isn't the first or second time something like this has happened; they'll return as soon as it gets dark.
If it had been any later, I would have gotten a good beating.
The tribe is surrounded by many tents of all sizes.
Smoke was already rising from many tents.
The men of the tribe gathered in twos and threes to chat, while the mischievous children played together, creating a scene of peaceful tranquility.
Aruniang returned to her own tent.
But then a familiar-looking man stood outside the tent.
Aruniang recognized him; he was the brother of her fourth husband. They had gone hunting together. Of the more than three hundred able-bodied men who went, only half returned. The rest—including Aruniang's husband—were caught and shot by patrolling soldiers at the Yonggu Pass border in Longwu County. Fortunately, they had a good haul, and Aruniang, as the widow, received a small share of the spoils…
"Come in and sit down."
The man followed him inside.
"Sister-in-law, I need your help."
“You say so, how could I not agree to it if we’re brothers?” Over the years, Aru’s mother had received a lot of help from the other party. When food was most scarce in the tribe, there were no adult men in her family who could go out hunting, so the food they received was very little. She and Aru almost starved to death in that cold winter month, and they survived thanks to the dried meat that the other party provided. Aru’s mother was very grateful.
"After the spring arrives, the tribe will organize people to go on a spring hunt."
Aru's heart skipped a beat: "Should we send Aru?"
This is her lifeline.
She can support herself and her two children by working alone.
Why would Aru need to risk his life?
The man hurriedly waved his hands and explained, "No, no, I wanted to borrow the armor and bow and arrows my elder brother left behind... This spring hunt is going to be dangerous, so I wanted to wear more protective gear. Hunting can make money now, and I want to go hunting again while I can still move, so I can find a wife for my son..." Who wouldn't be envious of Aru's mother spending money to get a daughter-in-law from a dealer?
Upon hearing this request, Aru Niang immediately agreed.
Because there were few decent craftsmen and no sophisticated iron smelting and weapon-making techniques in Shiwu, exquisite items like armor and weapons were extremely rare and hard to come by for ordinary people. They were usually passed down from father to son, generation after generation as "family heirlooms," meant to save lives in critical moments! Some families even used sharpened stones as weapons when they went hunting...
The armor and bow and arrows belonging to Aru's mother's family were spoils of war that she had luckily taken from some unlucky guy in Yonggu Pass. Some families in the tribe wanted to borrow them, but Aru's mother usually refused. These were the equipment she left for her son Aru!
The person who asked to borrow money this time was her deceased husband's brother.
She agreed.
The man, dressed neatly, went out with a smug look on his face.
Its imposing appearance attracted countless eyes along the way.
Aru's mother was busy preparing dinner, burning firewood to cook millet and stew meat soup, and tidying up the house. She was quick and efficient.
Soon, the children who had been playing wildly returned one after another, and in some homes, the sound of children wailing could be heard.
Except for Aru.
Until the moon was high in the sky.
A shadowy figure hurried back, complaining as it went.
Aru grumbled, "He didn't even call me when he got home..."
Finally, after a long and tiring journey, they were almost there. Under the moonlight, they could vaguely see the shadowy outlines of the tribal camp. Aru quickened his pace, jogging along. But as he ran, he noticed that the dark camp was gradually emitting a strange light.
It started as a small point, but quickly spread out into a large area.
_(:3」∠)_
I have an NT scan scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning, but I don't know what to prepare. I've forgotten what the doctor told me...
(End of this chapter)
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