Chen Qingqing was somewhat surprised by Sun's sudden visit. In the original owner's memory, this second aunt was a woman with a sharp tongue but a kind heart. Although she was sharp-tongued, she was good-hearted.
As the saying goes, no one visits a temple without a reason. If the second wife comes to the house in the middle of the night, she must have something to say. Is she here to persuade us? If so, don't blame me for being impolite.
She smiled faintly, "What are you saying, Aunt? As long as I'm with my parents, I don't feel bitter no matter where I am."
"Good child, you're absolutely right,"
Sun's emotions became somewhat agitated.
“Even if we have to beg for food, we will never bow down to your grandmother. What kind of things did she do? She was openly bullying our first and second wives. In her eyes, we are just worthless lives. To put it bluntly, we are not even as good as dogs. All she cares about is her precious third son and his family. Sister-in-law, don’t you think that’s the case?”
Lin's eyes reddened. "Cuiqin, you're right. Actually, I have no complaints about how my mother-in-law treats me. I don't mind if it's hard or tiring. But she shouldn't have set her sights on Qing'er. Tell me, what mother would be willing to watch her daughter go to her death?"
Sun sighed, "Who says otherwise? Sister-in-law, you have to hold on. Butcher Li is a beast. Qing'er must not marry him."
"Second Aunt, don't worry, even if I starve to death, I will never push my daughter into a fire pit." Lin's eyes were firm.
“Sister-in-law, you’re right to think that way. I’ve never met Butcher Li before, and today I almost vomited to death. That beast is so domineering, he’s not human at all. If Qing’er marries him, wouldn’t that be a tragedy? Don’t even mention that you can’t bring yourself to do it, even I can’t bear to see Qing’er jump into the fire.”
As she spoke, Sun took out a cloth bag from her bosom, and when she opened it, two cornbread buns were revealed.
"Sister-in-law, Qingya, I know that the little bit of food you've been given won't last you many days, so I've come to bring you some food."
Chen Qingqing was moved by her. Although there were only two small steamed buns, it showed that the second wife's heart was kinder than the third wife's.
She sincerely thanked her, saying, "Second Aunt, thank you."
"What nonsense are you talking about, child? I'm your second aunt, and of course I hope you'll be happy in the future. Just put your mind at ease; your second aunt won't stand by and watch your family starve to death."
Chen Qingqing was so moved that she almost cried. "Second Aunt, I won't say thank you, but I promise you that I will repay your kindness tenfold or a hundredfold in the future."
Madam Sun scolded playfully, "Silly girl, your second aunt isn't asking you to repay me in any way; your second aunt truly loves you."
Lin's voice trembled slightly, "Cuiqin, we appreciate your kindness, but grain is very precious right now, we can't take it. You should take it back. If your mother-in-law finds out, she'll scold you."
"Sister-in-law, don't be so polite with me, please accept this." Sun stuffed the dry food into her hand with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm the only one working in the kitchen now. This dry food is something I secretly kept. My mother-in-law won't find out. Although this little bit isn't enough to fill one person's stomach, it's enough to keep you from starving. I'll bring you more dry food whenever you need it."
"Cuiqin, then I won't stand on ceremony."
"Alright, sister-in-law, I have to get up early to work tomorrow, so I'll head back now."
After saying that, Sun turned around and quietly left.
Lin looked at the cornbread in her hand, her eyes reddened, and she was filled with mixed feelings. The family's food was about to run out, and if they couldn't earn money, they would really go hungry. But what could she do now? She couldn't really let Qing'er get married!
She sighed inwardly. If her husband couldn't earn money again, she would definitely go back to her parents' home. Her parents, older brothers, and other relatives loved her so much; they wouldn't let her go in vain...
Having made up his mind, he instructed Chen Qingqing, "Qing'er, it's getting late, go to sleep early!"
"Okay, Mother, you should get some rest too."
Back in her room, Chen Qingqing pondered to herself, "It seems that my transmigration to this small mountain village was all preordained by fate."
As the saying goes, "Those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water." If we want to get out of our current predicament, we still have to take from nature. Who knows, we might just encounter a big surprise.
Thinking about this, I gradually drifted off to sleep.
As soon as it was light, Chen Qingqing got up early, told her parents she was going into the mountains alone.
But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
She went into the mountains for two consecutive days, searching almost the entire surrounding area, but still found nothing.
But she was still not giving up. On the third day, she packed two cornbread buns and went into the mountains again, intending to visit the rarely visited Wolf Valley.
After hiking for more than an hour, we finally saw Wolf Valley. From the original owner's memories, we learned that the mountains here were high and the forests dense, the paths treacherous and the grass thick, and the terrain extremely dangerous.
In previous years, villagers from nearby areas often went into the mountains in groups to search for rare and precious medicinal herbs, but they always returned empty-handed, and gradually fewer and fewer people came here.
Later, rumors spread that wolves had appeared in the area, so no one dared to venture into the mountains anymore.
Chen Qingqing paused for a moment, then, without thinking much, strode towards the depths of the mountains.
The higher we climbed, the steeper the path became, and the denser the forest grew, making the surrounding darkness all the more eerie.
He initially considered giving up and turning back, but then he remembered that his family was about to run out of food, so he mustered his courage and decided to take a risk, hoping for an unexpected reward.
She walked along the sheepfold path that people used to tread on when they went into the mountains.
After walking for about another hour, they came to a steep slope. Chen Qingqing was exhausted and hungry, so she plopped down on the ground.
He took out a cornbread bun and ate it. Although the taste wasn't great, at least it replenished his energy.
After resting for a while, they continued on their way.
After crossing several hills, Chen Qingqing was panting heavily; she simply couldn't go any further.
Looking at the endless mountain peaks, she shook her head and smiled bitterly, "Ginseng, where are you? If you don't appear soon, I'll be exhausted to death."
Just as she decided to turn back, she suddenly heard a bird's cry. Looking up, she saw an extremely beautiful little bird flying overhead.
It has a red beak, a pale yellow breast, and green wings; its call is clear and melodious.
She was overjoyed; it was a ginseng bird.
She had once read about this bird in a book. It was said that wherever there was ginseng, there was this magical bird. It loved to eat ginseng seeds, and if you followed the ginseng bird, you would usually have an unexpected harvest.
I was both surprised and delighted. I never imagined that what was written in the book was true; there really are ginseng birds in the world.
By the grace of heaven, she was given a chance to escape her desperate situation.
Chen Qingqing perked up and chased after the ginseng bird in the direction it had flown.
After climbing over a hillside and passing through a natural stone cave, the view suddenly opened up before us.
We arrived at a wide-open, flat area.
Surrounded by mountains and shrouded in mist, it resembled a fairyland.
Chen Qingqing stared in disbelief and blurted out, "Isn't this a secluded paradise?"
......
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