Because of the heavy loads and injuries on the way back, it was almost late afternoon when everyone stumbled back to the village entrance. The villagers guessed that the people who went into the mountains should be back by now, and many of them were already waiting there!
Upon seeing the crowd, they rushed forward to help!
They were happy to see their family members bring back food and water as they wished, but then the family that had the accident became grief-stricken. Although they knew that going into the mountains was unpredictable, they still found it hard to accept that something had actually happened!
Fortunately, the deceased's family was reasonable and did not blame others or try to find someone to take the blame, unlike the person from Xiejia Village before.
Finally, everyone saw how pitiful the family members were crying, and how their situation was indeed more difficult than that of everyone present. The old man only had his wife raising two grandsons who were around ten years old, while the young man had a sick and frail mother and a five-year-old child. Now, the only person who could shoulder the burden of the family was his wife, who was in her early twenties. She was the pillar of the family, as her husband had been conscripted into the army and had not been heard from since. The family was left with only the mother-in-law and two children who were twelve or thirteen years old. Life was really hard for them!
Finally, everyone discussed and decided to give each of the three families a wolf. The wolf meat could be eaten, and the wolf pelts could be sold for money. Each family also contributed three to five yams, so each family had an extra bundle of yams. Including the yams they dug themselves, they could at least last for a month or two. Perhaps after a month or two, it would be autumn, and the price of pelts would rise. At that time, they could sell the wolf pelts and exchange them for food and supplies to get through the winter!
For the others who were seriously injured, two people would share one wolf; for those who were lightly injured, four people would share one wolf; and the remaining twenty-odd wolves would be distributed according to their contribution—whoever killed one would keep it! If several people killed one together, they would divide it equally!
The Liu brothers and their group received twelve heads, Xie Yushu received three, Xie Tianqi and Xie Baotian received five, Xiao Dayong's son and Old Man Xiao received three, and the others received at most two heads each, with a few receiving only one head each! At this moment, they were all regretting why they hadn't been braver back then! But looking at the people who had lost their lives beside them, they no longer felt it was unfair!
Some even brought back the venomous snakes they had killed, intending to sell their skins and gallbladders, which Xie Yushu didn't question. But what attracted the most attention was the large tiger the Liu brothers brought back!
Liu Qiang killed the tiger, but the Liu brothers unanimously decided to give it to Xie Yushu. Xie Yushu refused, and Liu Qiang then...
"You saved my life! If you hadn't intervened in time, I would have become this tiger's food! This tiger is naturally yours!"
The Liu brothers also said in unison
"Yes, Sister Xie, you saved my eldest brother, which means you saved all of us brothers. From now on, you are our own sister, our own elder sister! Anyone who dares to bully you is making trouble for us!"
These words changed the expressions of the onlookers. Well, Xie Yushu is someone you can't mess with anymore! With these bandits backing her up, who would dare to provoke her!
Unable to refuse, Xie Yushu finally decided to accept the tiger skin. The remaining tiger meat and bones would go to the Liu brothers. Seeing Xie Yushu's insistence, the Liu brothers carried the tiger home, saying that their father was an excellent tanner! They would deliver it to Xie Yushu after processing it! Then everyone went their separate ways.
The village entrance we just passed was the entrance to the mountain village. It was close to Liu Family Village, but separated from Phoenix Mouth by another village. Liu Nan, Liu Bei, and Lao Wu Liu Xiaodong delivered the things to their homes and then rushed over to help Xie Yushu move her things. Xie Yushu felt much lighter and walked much faster!
Just as they passed through Liujia Village, they saw Xiao Haitang running over, and not far behind her was Xiao Yi carrying Xiao Jinyu!
"Second Aunt, you're finally back! Are you alright? I heard that a wolf killed someone!"
Xiao Haitang circled around Xie Yushu, checking her for any wounds.
"No, I'm so strong, how could I possibly get hurt! Are you thirsty? There's water here!"
"I'm not thirsty. The water and meat that you had Uncle Xie bring are still available. We drank water before we came!"
Xie Yushu nodded in agreement. Xiao Haitang, understanding the situation, took the water from Xie Yushu's hand, only then noticing the wolf in the Xiao brothers' arms, which terrified him.
A cry of "Ah!"
"It's alright, the wolf is dead, it won't bite anymore!"
Xiao Haitang was no longer so scared! She looked at them curiously for a few more moments.
Xiao Yi arrived shortly afterward.
Are you alright?
"fine!"
"Second Brother Xiao!"
The Liu brothers greeted each other.
"Hmm!" Xiao Yi responded, paused for a moment, and then said...
Thank you!
"You're welcome! Sister Yu Shu saved us too!"
From now on, she's our little sister! Oh, and from now on, we brothers are your brothers-in-law, so don't you dare bully my sister! Otherwise, we won't allow it!
Liu Bei seized the opportunity to speak.
"Hmm? Oh! I won't bully her!"
Although Xiao Yi didn't know the specifics of what had happened, he understood what was going on from what the Liu brothers had said. He then asked Xie Yushu again.
Are you alright?
"fine!"
Liu Xiaodong was young and talkative, and Xie Tianqi and Xie Baoshu were also there at the time, and Xie Family Village was still in front of Phoenix Mouth.
So Xie Tianqi and Liu Xiaodong told Xiao Yi about what happened in the mountains, embellishing the story, especially emphasizing how bravely they killed the wolves and how awe-inspiring they were!
After the two finished boasting, Xiao Yi said in a low voice...
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault."
Xie Yushu looked up and saw his dejected appearance.
"What do you have to apologize for! There were more than a dozen women who went into the mountains this time! It wasn't just me. I also need to eat and drink! Besides, I wasn't injured!"
Xie Tianqi sensed that the atmosphere was a bit off and quickly tried to make light of it.
"That's right, my sister is amazing! She didn't get hurt at all. Besides, if you hadn't injured your leg, you definitely wouldn't have let my sister take that risk!"
Xiao Yi remained silent.
At this time, Xie Baotian and Xie Tianlin also arrived. Xie Baotian had arrived home earlier and had rested. Xie Tianlin had also been resting at home for two days and was much more energetic. With the two of them helping them, the group's pace was much faster!
Xie Yushu arrived home shortly after. She had intended to invite the Liu brothers to stay for dinner, but they made an excuse that they had something to do at home and left after dropping off their things. She also invited Xie Baotian and the others to have a meal and rest, but they refused and went straight home. Fortunately, the sun was still high in the west, and there was still some time before nightfall, so they would be home in about half an hour.
Xie Yushu put her things down, went back into the house and luxuriously poured half a gourd of water to wash her face. She then wet a handkerchief and simply wiped her body. Her sweaty body, which had been running around in the mountains for days, immediately felt much refreshed!
When she went out, Xiao Yi was dealing with the three-headed wolf, while the two little ones squatted to the side watching curiously!
"Such a swift and skillful technique!"
Xie Yushu looked at the neatly arranged wolf pelt and cut pieces of meat that Xiao Yi had prepared and said.
"Yes, I killed wolves when I was in the army."
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