The next morning, Qin Xiaozhou put on her new clothes.
The dark blue coarse cloth coat was durable and dirt-resistant for working, but it was a bit stiff and the collar would scratch the neck. When Qin Xiaozhou came back at noon, he took it off and asked Lu Yu to add a layer of fine cotton cloth to the collar.
Undergarments are made of fine cotton, while outer garments are made of coarse cloth. Many people in the village wear such clothes. However, the poorest families are lucky to have anything to wear and don't care about such things.
Wang Lan stopped Lu Yu, "Make your niece-in-law a collared undergarment. Adding a fake collar will make people laugh. Some people in the village like to show off, so they sew three or four collars onto one garment to make others think they live a good life and wear several layers of clothing. There are also people who put lard on their mouths before going out after eating, so others will see and say, 'Oh, you ate meat today.'"
"Hahaha!" Lu Yan laughed so hard she almost fell over. "Sister-in-law, you're wearing fake clothes too."
Qin Xiaozhou pretended to be annoyed and pinched her cheek, "Little brat, how dare you laugh at me."
The two played and rested in the yard for a while before going out to do their own things.
Since they got this brood of rabbits, Lu Xiaosi's daily life revolves around them. Right now, he's clamoring to go cut grass. So, they take him there. They put him down on the grass behind the house and he starts pulling grass by himself, exercising his fingers and limbs. Zhao Fen can even bring back a whole basket of grass.
After returning, Xiao Si fed grass to the rabbits, while Zhao Fen chopped grass to feed the chickens and ducks. Sometimes she even had time to cook.
Wang Lan and Lu Yu went to release the chickens and ducks, while Lu Yunfeng and his second brother cut down all the trees outside the bamboo forest in Qingzhugou. That place was only two hundred meters away from the house. After cutting it down, the view was wide open, and it could also keep out wild animals. After drying, it could be used as firewood.
To the west of the orchard were two rows of tea trees and jasmine flowers. Qin Xiaozhou, undeterred by the trouble, picked them all, washed and dried the tea leaves, then roasted them in an iron pot. The jasmine flowers were simply sun-dried. Standing atop the small hill, smoke curled from the village chimneys to the east, while to the west, only the vast mountains could be seen.
The tea trees were neglected, and last year's tea fruits were still hanging on the trees. Qin Xiaozhou and Lu Yan picked them all, crushed them in a stone mortar and pestle, and boiled them in water. They could also add two jasmine flowers. After boiling for more than ten minutes, they filtered out the residue with gauze and used the water to wash their hair.
There was plenty of tea and fruit, enough for the sisters-in-law to use for a long time. Lu Yan especially liked following Qin Xiaozhou around, doing whatever Qin Xiaozhou did. "Sister-in-law, this water smells so good after washing your hair."
The little girl's hair was yellowish and malnourished. Qin Xiaozhou helped her wash it carefully, saying, "Eat well from now on, wash your hair carefully, and let it grow back."
The family was having dinner around the table when Wang Hui rushed over in a panic, "Brother Lu, Uncle Wang Li went into Xishan this morning and hasn't come back. My grandfather wants you to go with him to look for him."
Lu Yunfeng put down his bowl. "West Mountain?"
Wang Hui stood at the kitchen doorway. "Yes, his son said he saw you go to the county town to sell pheasants the day before yesterday. He also wanted to go into the mountains to catch a couple to sell and make some money. He went as soon as he got up this morning and hasn't come back yet. You know Xishan well..."
Wang Lan grabbed her eldest grandson's hand, stood up and scolded, "What does it have to do with us if he doesn't come back? It's not like we sent him. It's so late now, you're not allowed to go into the mountains to look for him."
As she spoke, she started crying again. "Our family lives at the foot of West Mountain, but West Mountain is not our territory. My eldest grandson only went into the mountain a few times with his father when he was fifteen or sixteen years old. How can we say that he is familiar with it? Now you are taking him there. Aren't you sending him to his death?"
Wang Hui's face flushed with embarrassment. "How can you say that we're sending him to his death? We'll go with him. Two years ago... didn't the villagers go to find Uncle Lu and the others in the same way?"
Wang Lan burst into tears, Zhao Fen's face turned pale, and Lu Xiaosi, being timid, also began to sob.
Wang Hui sighed in the courtyard. Lu Yunfeng said, "Grandma, don't cry. It's customary for the villagers to go looking for someone who goes into the mountains and doesn't come back. I'll go with them. So many people are carrying torches, they'll be alright."
Knowing she couldn't persuade him, Wang Lan wiped away her tears and went back to her room. Lu Yunfeng followed Wang Hui. About ten minutes later, twenty-five or twenty-six torches came from the village to the east, passed by the house, and went into the western mountains along Qingzhugou.
The food on the table had gone cold and no one touched it. Zhao Fen carried her youngest son and walked around the yard. Lu Yunxing and Xiao Yan went to the entrance of Qingzhugou to take a look. More than twenty people had torches. They were difficult to see as they walked through Qingzhugou, which was hidden by the bamboo forest. However, they could be seen climbing up the mountain pass. Xiao Yan was very nervous. "Father once said that after passing that mountain pass, we would reach Wild Boar Pool, which is deep in the mountains. There are all kinds of animals in there, and jackals, wolves, tigers and leopards roam freely."
Qin Xiaozhou stood behind them and said, "Just how far is this Western Mountain? We can't even see the end of it when we get to the town."
A large river flows out of the western mountains and passes through the town. Qin Xiaozhou had seen the river before, its waters surging as it flowed out of the mountains. A huge waterfall cascaded down, splashing up thousands of water droplets, which also blocked people's view of the western mountains. The river was about a hundred meters wide, passing through the town, the county seat, and all the way to the prefectural city. From the county seat, one could see boats coming from the prefectural city.
Lu Yunxing said, "The Master said that the Western Mountains stretch for a hundred miles, and the highest mountain is thirty miles west of the town."
The three of them stood there for a long time before Qin Xiaozhou said, "Let's go up to the orchard."
The three of them climbed the mountain again. The orchard slope was gentle, and they were familiar with the area. By the moonlight, they reached the summit in about ten minutes. Several tall and large chestnut trees grew beside the summit, and wild hawthorn trees also grew on the nearby slope. In the shady area to the north, there was a large tree that Qin Xiaozhou had never seen before and didn't know what it was.
Xiao Yan tried to pry open the tree branches but was scolded by Lu Yunfeng, "Grandpa said that these kinds of trees are most likely to have poisonous snakes. Even though it's not hot now, be careful and don't touch anything at night."
Lu Yan stuck out her tongue and moved away from the tree. "The fruit on this tree turns red in the fall. It's about the size of a thumb and tastes sweet and sour. Grandma said that pregnant women especially love to eat this fruit. In the past, many women in the village would come to ask for some."
The hill where the Lu family lives is truly a treasure trove. I wonder where Grandpa Lu came from when he fled famine. He planted all sorts of fruit trees and grew such a large orchard, with at least ten different kinds.
After passing the mountain pass, the torches searched further into the mountains, appearing and disappearing intermittently until they finally vanished from sight.
The three waited until midnight but no torches appeared. Wang Lan called them from the front of the house to go back to sleep.
None of the family members slept well except for Xiao Si. The gray owl and the ghost owl kept calling all night. Lu Yan was scared and called for help in a low voice. Qin Xiaozhou turned over and gently patted the little girl to comfort her, "Don't be afraid, we're all here. Go to sleep."
Lu Yan couldn't sleep. "Sister-in-law, why isn't my brother back yet?"
"Hmm..." Qin Xiaozhou made up a reason in his mind, "The trees in the mountains are tall, and the sound of calling out is easily blocked. Maybe the person we are looking for didn't hear us. We need to search more."
When children can't sleep, they start babbling incessantly. "What if they can't find it?"
"No, there are dogs in the village. Just let the dogs sniff the clothes and you should be able to find them in the mountains."
"That person didn't even realize he needed to go home when it got dark. How stupid! He needs someone to go out and look for him. He doesn't know the way home..."
"Go to sleep in the middle of the night," Wang Lan whispered, trying to stop him.
Qin Xiaozhou patted the little girl, "Go to sleep."
If an adult goes into the mountains and doesn't return home by nightfall, there are only two possibilities: either they really got lost, or they are already dead.
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