Chapter 23: Caught in the Mountains

“What are you going there for?”

Song Liangzuo didn’t dare tell his grandmother and mother that he wanted to ask Hunter Lin or Lin Shanye to take him into the mountains. He merely said he wanted to ask a few questions and that he felt like resting today instead of gathering herbs.

The elderly woman and Wang Chunlan assumed he was just worn out from the past few days’ work. “If you don’t want to go, then don’t. There are plenty of kids your age running around the village. After you come back from the hunter’s, you can go play with whoever you want. Just have your elder sister take you.”

“Grandma, I don’t need Elder Sister to accompany me. I’ll just play at Grandpa Lin’s and come back. I won’t go out to play; I’ll just stay home and dry herbs,” Song Liangzuo said seriously.

“That’s fine. If you come across any trouble at home, just go to your second uncles for help. Your mother and I will go out to gather herbs and will be back early in the afternoon.” Wang Chunlan added.

“Got it, Mom.” Song Liangzuo nodded obediently.

In truth, he didn’t feel much pressure when addressing his elder sister, Song Jiaodi, and younger sister, Song Jiadi, as the university kids nowadays were quite used to calling young children “brother” or “sister.” They were also quite good at openly asking “brother” or “sister” for snacks.

As for calling the elderly woman “Grandma,” he had grown accustomed to it too; after all, in terms of her age, there was only a 19-year difference between them, yet she seemed genuinely aged.

However, addressing Wang Chunlan as “Mom” felt somewhat awkward; they were the same age, after all.

“Hmm, make sure to eat more. The more you eat, the quicker you’ll grow,” Wang Chunlan said, helping him a portion of scrambled eggs with spring onion.

This dish was almost made specifically for him. He mumbled, “Thank you, Mom,” with a mouthful before reaching for more eggs, but instead of keeping it for himself, he handed it to Song Jiaodi and Song Jiadi.

With his mind preoccupied, he quickly finished what was in his bowl, set down his chopsticks, and called out, “Grandma, Mom, I’m heading out,” before bolting from the yard.

Once out, Song Liangzuo began to walk briskly. He had just eaten, so he couldn’t engage in vigorous activity right away.

During the busy season in Daliushu Village, most households would have three meals a day, eating at around the third (7 AM), sixth (noon), and ninth (6 PM) hours.

Their family typically ate two meals a day, fitting for their routines of labor; they wouldn’t get hungry until after the middle of the day.

Naturally, they were hungry; during that time, they usually brought some pancakes or vegetable buns along, eating them as needed instead of heading home to cook a proper meal.

Like Grandma and Mom going out, they’d often have some steamed buns on hand.

Thus, as Song Liangzuo walked through the village, he noticed the smoke rising from nearby kitchens at this hour, knowing that those families were also sticking to their two-meal schedule.

Once he left the village, he quickly arrived at Hunter Lin’s house.

Before entering the yard, he spotted Lin Shanye sitting outside, fiddling with something. “Lin Shanye, is anyone else home? Is Grandpa Lin here?”

As he stepped into the fenced yard, Lin Shanye glanced up at the young boy and answered, “Grandpa’s not home. What do you need him for?”

“Oh? When will he be back?” Song Liangzuo felt a wave of disappointment.

“He went to the county and won’t be back until after dark,” Lin Shanye replied, unaware of what Liangzuo wanted from his grandfather.

Song Liangzuo felt disheartened; he had made up an excuse to get out of work just to see if Grandpa Lin would take him to the outskirts of the mountain, but now he found out Grandpa Lin wasn’t even at home.

With his little eyes whirling, he looked at the now eleven-year-old Lin Shanye and asked, “You go up into the mountains often. You must be familiar with the area, right? Do you know where the vines grow thick?”

Lin Shanye wasn’t sure why he wanted to find a place with lots of vines, but he nodded, nonetheless.

Delighted, Song Liangzuo exclaimed, “Then can you take me to check it out?”

“Why do you want to go up into the mountains?” Lin Shanye inquired.

“I want to find herbs.” Song Liangzuo didn’t hide his intentions. After all, many people in the village already knew his family was gathering herbs, so there was no point in keeping it a secret.

“Do you know about herbs?”

“Yes! Can you take me? If I can find some, you can help me dig them. I’ll share half of the earnings with you,” Song Liangzuo proposed.

Lin Shanye looked him up and down skeptically, taking in the boy’s thin frame. “You’re so small; if you go into the mountains, you wouldn’t even be able to handle a twig of the bushes.”

Lin Shanye shook his head. “I’m not taking you.”

Feeling even more downcast, Song Liangzuo asked petulantly, “Why not?”

“You’re too little. It’s dangerous up in the mountains.”

“Well, we can just walk around the edges; we don’t have to go too deep,” Song Liangzuo negotiated, trying to win him over with reason.

Yet Lin Shanye remained unmoved.

Not wanting to give up, Song Liangzuo tried to use provocations, flattery, and eventually resorted to threats. But Lin Shanye remained as stoic as ever.

“If you don’t take me, I’ll tell Grandpa Lin when he comes back that you hit me,” Song Liangzuo said boldly.

Just as Lin Shanye was about to ignore him, he subtly glanced outside the fence, his face unchanged, but his voice was slightly raised, “Where on the mountain do you want to go?”

Song Liangzuo noticed the small shift; he perked up, his small body brimming with enthusiasm like a victorious rooster. “Anywhere! Just take me to the mountain. Or that place with the vines you mentioned earlier would be fine.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“I want to go to the mountain!” Song Liangzuo shouted instinctively, only to realize in horror after the words left his mouth.

Because the question “What did you just say?” did not come from Lin Shanye; he had been watching Lin Shanye closely and noticed he hadn’t moved his lips. The voice had come from behind him, and it was very familiar.

Slowly, Song Liangzuo turned around to see his mother, Wang Chunlan, standing at the gate of the yard with a bamboo basket on her back.

Wang Chunlan marched over, a mix of anger and fear in her expression as she grabbed Song Liangzuo’s wrist. “What did you just say you were going to do?”

Hearing the worry and trepidation in his mother’s voice, he instinctively shrank back, trying to explain himself. “Mom, I didn’t say anything! I was just playing with Lin Shanye.”

In his mind, he threw Lin Shanye a pleading glance.

Lin Shanye, taking a perverse pleasure in the moment, smirked and said, “Auntie, he threatened me! He said if I didn’t take him up the mountain, he’d tell Grandpa that I hit him when he gets back.”

Wang Chunlan’s tears fell freely as she raised her hand and spanked Song Liangzuo on the backside. “Why can’t you make things easier for us? Just the other day, your grandma said you were bewitched by the mountain herbs, and I didn’t believe her. I even stopped her from coming with you! How could you do something like this? Don’t you realize how dangerous it is up there?”

While she scolded him, her heart was filled with concern.

Song Liangzuo shot Lin Shanye a fierce glare and immediately began to plead, “Mom, I won’t do it again! I promise, just don’t hit me. It doesn’t hurt; you should be careful of your hand instead!”

The more he protested, the more Wang Chunlan’s tears streamed down her face.