Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 216

"Pretty much. Anyway, you have to run around after picking a little... otherwise there will be people watching you. If they watch you pick, they won't let you." Sun Xiaoxia sighed: "It won't work at night, there's water in the river, and I can't swim. Otherwise, I can go at night and pick all night."

To the west of Dongtaizi Village, there is a river called Liusha River.

The river is wide, but the water is very shallow. It's more like a large, shallow pond than a river. I used to hear it was very deep, but it's become shallow due to the drought in recent years.

The nursery is located on the other side of the Liusha River. The nursery has a lot of land where they grow crops, trees, flowers, and grass. They seem to be doing some research, so they grow a little bit of everything.

Most of the cotton that Sun Xiaoxia stole was probably for breeding purposes in someone else's nursery.

However, whether it's breeding or actually growing cotton, the ultimate goal is to keep ordinary people warm. Sun Xiaoxia is also an ordinary person; she used to have warm clothes and thick quilts to keep warm...

Not a problem at all.

Aside from being a little illegal.

Of course, although Sun Xiaoxia was incredibly thin, she was a lightning-fast runner. She had great stamina and was an excellent long-distance runner. Zhao Da'e knew this; the Sun family actually lived in Shangtaizi Village, above Jurenzhangzi, which was also Xiangzi's village. They weren't too distantly related to Zhao Da'e and his family. He didn't know exactly what kind of relatives they were before, but since Sun Xiaoxia married into the family, they were purely relatives.

The Sun family is known for their exceptional running ability; their ancestors could somersault 108,000 li (approximately 54,000 kilometers) in a single leap. How could their descendants be any less capable?

Sun Xiaoxia could run ten miles without panting.

Extremely strong endurance.

She's perfect for stealing something and running away. These days there are no security cameras, who can outrun her...?

Therefore, Zhao Da'e felt that rather than saying Sun Xiaoxia was stealing or taking things, it would be more accurate to say she robbed her...

After all, Sun Xiaoxia rarely took anything of value; she only stole from wealthy landlords. She'd grab what she wanted and leave, and no one could catch her. There wasn't much difference between what belonged to the government and what belonged to her family… Of course, that wouldn't work in later generations, since there was surveillance.

Zhao Da'e knew that in his previous life, Sun Xiaoxia had been caught and fined tens of thousands of yuan before she even started. It was all for nothing.

Of course, she hasn't been caught yet.

"I'm not going tonight, and I can't swim anyway," Zhao Da'e chuckled. "By the way, Auntie, do you have any buckwheat? My aunt's second sister had her genitals ripped off by Laidai. She needs to apply buckwheat to it, but I don't know how. Do you know how?"

Zhao Da'e only knew that she might have been bitten by a wolf or a dog, and that she should apply buckwheat to the wound, but she didn't know exactly where to apply the buckwheat or how to apply it.

Sun Xiaoxia held a needle in her hand and used it to shield her scalp: "Where is the 'laidai'? On our mountain?"

Zhao Da'e nodded: "That's right. It's on the mountaintop above my aunt's camp. They said they saw it. My second sister really was robbed by Laidai."

"Laidai took it? Is it serious...?" Sun Xiaoxia quickly asked, "How come there really is such a thing? How are we going to go up the mountain now?"

Although catching pheasants in the mountains is now prohibited in Dongtaizi Village, the township veterinarian came a few days ago and took away all the sick chickens in the village. After that, things seemed to be peaceful again, and nothing much happened.

These past few days, no one has been bothering me when I go up the mountain. It seems the chicken plague incident is over.

Zhao Tieqing has been going up the mountain quite often lately, and when he has nothing to do, he makes some rabbit snares and catches a few rabbits. If he's lucky, he might even catch a badger.

Zhao Tieqing also went up the mountain today, and Sun Xiaoxia's heart tightened: "Your second uncle went up the mountain too..."

"Ah... they're still not back? It's getting dark... Holy crap!" Zhao Da'e couldn't help but get nervous.

Although Zhao Tieqing died of cancer in his previous life, Zhao Da'e's rebirth has changed too many things. It has disrupted certain unbreakable balances; who knows, maybe Zhao Tieqing will be eaten by Laidai...

But I came to borrow buckwheat...

Zhao Da'e then said, "Second Aunt, why don't we send a few people up the mountain to take a look? It's getting dark. By the way... where's Zhao Yongdong?"

Zhao Yongdong is Sun Xiaoxia's only son. He is fourteen years old this year and has long since stopped going to school. He spends his days catching dogs and chasing chickens.

"Zhao Yongdong, he went to your uncle's house. Your uncle... your second brother, he got a girlfriend and they had a fight. Okay, let's not talk about this anymore." Sun Xiaoxia put down her needlework and prepared to get out of bed.

Zhao Da'e stopped her: "Where are you going?"

"Go find your second uncle."

"If someone really comes to take you there, wouldn't that be like a lamb to the slaughter?" Zhao Da'e frowned. "Let my dad and the others go and take a look. This is no small matter."

Sun Xiaoxia thought about it and agreed that Zhao Da'e was right. If there really were wolves on the mountain, she, a woman, wouldn't be able to defeat them.

But Sun Xiaoxia still put the quilt away, thinking she'd make it later; the man was gone...

"Second Aunt, I've come to ask for some buckwheat. You and my eldest sister go back to my aunt's house. Let my second sister see her first." Zhao Da'e quickly got down to business.

“Okay. We have buckwheat, and buckwheat stalks too. We have a whole bunch at home,” Sun Xiaoxia said. “Then go find your grandpa and the others and ask them to find a few people to go up the mountain and check on your second uncle, making sure he doesn’t get snatched away by Laidai.”

Zhao Da'e chuckled: "What's there to be afraid of? Second Uncle is lucky."

“You’re so irresponsible, even being lucky won’t help. You hurry up and send someone to check up the mountain. I’ll take some buckwheat to your aunt’s house. Your second sister is fine, don’t worry.” Sun Xiaoxia said, “I’ve dealt with several people bitten by dogs, and none of them have gotten rabies.”

Zhao Da'e was relieved upon hearing this, and then divided his forces to carry out the operation.

Zhao Da'e didn't go to the side room to call out to his sixth grandfather, Zhao Tingwu. The old man wasn't young either, but he was rather stubborn, and Zhao Da'e had hardly ever had any contact with him. Even though they were all grandfathers from the same clan, Zhao Da'e was selective about who he met.

Zhao Da'e has a good relationship with his great-grandfather Zhao Tingming, but as everyone knows, Zhao Da'e's biological grandfather is the seventh in line, and there are five other grandfathers from the same clan in between. Zhao Da'e doesn't get along well with any of them, and he has never even met some of them.

Sun Xiaoxia and Zhou Chunwen hurriedly grabbed some buckwheat, buckwheat stalks and such, and left.

Zhao Da'e ran home and first ran into Zhao Tiejian, the third son of his fourth grandfather's family: "Third Uncle, something's wrong, call for help. My sixth grandfather's second uncle went up the mountain and hasn't come back. There are laidai on the mountain."

Zhao Tiejian was stunned: "Call someone."

And so, Zhao Tiejian went to call for help, and Zhao Da'e ran home: "Third Uncle, Third Uncle..."

Zhao Tiegang was quite capable today; he didn't drink too much...

When Zhao Da'e arrived, Zhao Tiegang was just about to go out to fetch some water. He was wearing cotton gloves and carrying a bucket. When he saw Zhao Da'e rushing in, he asked, "Da'e, slow down, slow down. Why are you running? Walk carefully."

"It's not going to be safe anymore," Zhao Da'e muttered. "Third Uncle, something's happened. My sixth grandfather's second uncle went up the mountain and hasn't come back yet. There are people on our mountain, and it's getting dark. Everyone, let's go look for him."

Zhao Tiegang put down the bucket: "What? There's a problem? If there's a problem, why is Tieqing going up the mountain? Is he crazy?"

"It only started happening these past two days. I went back to my aunt's house today. My second sister got robbed by Laidai. That's when everyone found out there were those things on the mountain," Zhao Da'e said. "Let's take our gear and go look for them."

Hearing the commotion, Zhao Tiesheng came out of the warehouse and inquired about the matter.

So he said, "Tell Dad to come along. Don't go, Da'e. Stay inside and don't go anywhere. If he comes down the mountain and into the camp, we're doomed."

Zhao Tiegang went inside to greet Zhao Tingxu.

They were all from the same clan, and this was a matter of life and death, so no one hesitated. The men put on their thick cotton-padded coats, grabbed their weapons, and went out.

Zhao Da'e glanced at Wang Guixiang, the only one left in the house: ...

He spat in disgust, then followed them out.

Wang Guixiang exclaimed angrily: "Zhao Da'e!!!"

After Zhao Da'e came out with a few people, more than a dozen brothers from the Zhao family came out one after another... most of them were Zhao Da'e's uncles and grandfathers.

Among them, Zhao Tielian, the eldest son of Zhao Da'e's third grandfather, is the oldest...

Because Zhao Da'e's great-grandfather had five daughters before having a son, Zhao Tieyue wasn't very old. Zhao Da'e's second great-grandfather's family had gone to Northeast China and hadn't returned yet.

Therefore, Zhao Tielian, the eldest son of Zhao Da'e's third grandfather, is the oldest.

Zhao Tielian called out to everyone, and when he saw that Zhao Tingxu had also come out, while the other elders had not, Zhao Tingxu was the eldest in terms of seniority, so he asked, "Uncle, what should we do?"

Zhao Tingxu cursed, "Tie Qing, that idiot (omitting several curses)... Why did he have to go up the mountain for no reason? What else can we do but go up the mountain and look for him? Tie Lian, you take a few to Nantai Mountain, Tie Zong, you take a few to Er Nantai Mountain, I'll go to Dongtai Mountain..."

Dongtaishan is the closest to Dongtaizi Village, so it's understandable that Zhao Tingxu wanted to save a few steps.

"Shengzi, you and Gangzi go and look behind the mountain."

It refers to Zhao Tiesheng and Zhao Tiegang.

Zhao Tiesheng's nickname was Shengzi, and Zhao Tiegang's nickname was Gangzi.

In Northeast China, nicknames are quite unconventional, and most are rather bizarre, such as Gouwa, Erdan, Tulvzi, Da'e, Jiaque'er, Dadigua, Xiaodigua...

Yes, Zhao Da'e was originally Da'e (meaning "goose"), but it was given to her as her formal name.

As soon as Zhao Tingxu gave the order, the group obediently dispersed, forming four teams...

Having no other choice, Zhao Da'e went to the back of the mountain with Zhao Tiesheng and Zhao Tiegang.

The area behind the mountain is the furthest, the most difficult to traverse, and the most dangerous... after all, that Laidai (a mythical creature) has appeared there before.

Zhao Tingxu truly lived up to his reputation as an elder, leaving the most dangerous place to his two sons... while he himself went to Dongtai Mountain, the least likely place to be.

"Father's love is as solid as a mountain"...

Faced with such "fatherly love as solid as a mountain," Zhao Tiesheng was unfazed, but Zhao Tiegang grumbled, "Dad, really, look at this lousy place he arranged for us brothers. It's seven or eight miles to the other side of the mountain. I'm really impressed with him."

Zhao Tiesheng, much like Zhao Tingxu, reprimanded Zhao Tiegang without Zhao Tingxu's presence: "Then we'd have to find everyone! If they can't find them up ahead, we'd have to go to the back of the mountain. Going directly to the back of the mountain is actually the easiest way. What do you know!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tiegang thought it made sense and stopped talking.

Zhao Da'e followed the two men and walked to the back of the mountain.

The mountains near Dongtaizi Village have slopes covered with a haphazard variety of fruit trees, including apple and apricot trees. However, as mentioned earlier, they are completely unmanaged.

So the entire hillside was overgrown with weeds. Especially the kind of tall grass that grows taller than a person. If you follow the usual paths up the mountain, it's barely manageable.

This route follows the path behind the mountain, so you'll often pass through undeveloped trails. The weeds are so tall they practically block your way.

"Big goose, stay close, don't get lost."

"Second brother, you too. How big is the goose? Did she even keep up?" Zhao Tiegang complained. "Come on, Third Uncle will carry you."

Zhao Tiegang meant well, but Zhao Da'e didn't really want Zhao Tiegang to carry him.

This guy just didn't drink too much today, but that doesn't mean he didn't drink at all.

Zhao Tiegang's high alcohol tolerance doesn't mean he's sober. So Zhao Da'e directly refused: "No way, Third Uncle, I'm afraid you'll throw me into a ditch."

Zhao Tiesheng thought for a moment, then squatted down: "Come on, goose, sit on my neck."

Zhao Da'e thought about it again and again, but in the end, he still refused.

She walked silently, though with some mixed feelings, thinking about her past life. Sometimes Zhao Da'e thought that although Zhao Tiesheng wasn't very competent, he wasn't entirely evil either.

Zhao Tiesheng's incompetence has always been a problem, and he has always had particularly serious personality flaws. For example, he is fussy, speaks without focus, has little ability but a big temper, and is easily aggrieved, feeling that he has given a lot. But in reality, he doesn't seem to be a heinous criminal.

After all, from beginning to end, in Zhao Da'e's memory, this cowardly father never actually hit her once.

Of course, Zhao Tiesheng didn't dare to intervene when Wang Guixiang hit him...

He's a very contradictory person.

Zhao Da'e walked ahead, with the Zhao Tiesheng brothers following behind. They went from the front of the mountain to the back, but they didn't see any sign of Laidai.

As they were walking, Zhao Tiegang suddenly cried out in pain and then fell to the ground.

Zhao Da'e was already nervous, so he quickly turned around and saw Zhao Tiegang lying on the ground, clutching his leg, with blood gushing from his calf.

When Zhao Da'e got to Zhao Tiegang's side, he realized that Zhao Tiegang's leg had stepped on a rabbit snare. The wire was very thin, and Zhao Da'e had already seen it; the snare was actually quite obvious, with one end hanging on the tree and the other end outside.

However, Zhao Tiegang was probably still drunk and didn't watch carefully before stepping on it. The problem was that he was slow to realize what was happening and used too much force, causing the wire to slip down.

Zhao Tiesheng quickly squatted down and looked carefully. Then he untied the rabbit snare and then untied the other end from Zhao Tiegang's leg.

But the person in front had already gone in, and blood was gushing out.

Zhao Da'e's face was grim. He cursed, "Damn it! Which bastard set this rabbit trap! We should just kill him! Why would he set a rabbit trap here? He's so despicable!"

Zhao Tiesheng sighed: "There are only two or three people in the village who set rabbit traps. It's either Zhao Tieqing and his father, or a few people from your third grandfather's family."

Then Zhao Tiesheng complained to Zhao Tiegang: "Gangzi, what's wrong with your eyes? Da'e and I were walking ahead without any problems, can't you see us?!"

Zhao Da'e glared at Zhao Tiesheng: "My third uncle is in charge, it's normal that he can't see you. Tear off a piece of cloth and wrap it up."

Zhao Da'e couldn't possibly be carrying any cloth, and besides, she was wearing a cotton-padded jacket and her pants weren't made of cloth, so they couldn't be torn at all.

Zhao Tiesheng first took off his cotton-padded coat, then took out his vest, put the cotton-padded coat back on, and then tore the vest open.