Chapter 6

With the little piglet around, Guan Yue no longer found it boring and wanted to go to bed.

Seeing that Gu Sui had brought so much food and supplies, she reluctantly allowed him to have a meal at her place.

Gu Sui made a bowl of noodles with the dried noodles he had bought himself that day. Although Guan Yue had already had dinner, it had been two or three hours since then, so having half a bowl more was fine.

After finishing the meal, while washing the dishes, Gu Sui said, “I’ve left all the grain here, so from now on, we’ll share the meals. You handle the kitchen, and I’ll do the hard work of cooking. That way, no one is taking advantage of the other.”

They had only been in Qingxi Village for a few days, and the contradictions among the Educated Youths were becoming apparent. They were all people who hadn’t experienced much hardship, and sooner or later, there would be conflicts over tasks like dividing labor, cooking, and cleaning.

“Ugh, I know, I know. Hurry up and leave!” Guan Yue was too busy to listen to his chatter; she was focused on settling the little piglet.

Gu Sui went down the mountain, and after waiting a while, he confirmed that he had really left. Guan Yue picked up the little piglet in one arm and carried Gou Sheng’er with the other, heading deeper into the mountain.

She chose a spot not far from the treehouse and used her ability to create a pigpen.

The pigpen was about half a person high, but it still didn’t feel secure. What if a wild wolf jumped in and ate the piglet?

She continued to use her ability to increase the height of the pigpen until it reached around seven or eight meters. Only then did she feel it was sufficient. She climbed a tree and looked down; the tiny piglet was trapped inside the square wooden walls, looking a bit pitiful.

She threw two sweet potatoes in to encourage the growth of new shoots.

The piglet couldn’t yet bite through the sweet potatoes, so it would have to start with the shoots.

After settling the piglet, Guan Yue clapped her hands, picked up Gou Sheng’er, and said, “Let’s go back to the house and sleep.”

The next day, Gu Sui came up the mountain and asked her, “Where’s the piglet?”

“It’s being raised.”

“Do you know how to feed pigs?”

“Yeah, didn’t you say? Feed them sweet potato vines.”

Gu Sui replied, “That’s for when they’re older. The piglet is still small. Even though it doesn’t need milk, it has to eat mashed food.”

“Is it really that troublesome?”

“It’ll be fine once it grows a bit more.”

Gu Sui wanted to go see the piglet, but Guan Yue refused: “I have it under control.”

Gu Sui glanced at her. She didn’t look like she had it under control.

Guan Yue changed the subject: “What are we having for dinner today? Meat buns?”

“We’re not having meat buns for breakfast today. I’ll make you braised pork for lunch.”

“Fine, then.”

While Gu Sui was washing the pot and cooking, Li Tao arrived.

Both Gu Sui and Guan Yue looked at her, and Li Tao seemed a bit flustered: “I came to cook for Guan Yue.”

Gu Sui replied, “No need, I’m here. You still need to earn your work points, so go on with your business.”

Li Tao wasn’t satisfied: “Guan Yue hasn’t said anything yet, what’s it to you?”

Guan Yue looked between Gu Sui and Li Tao, trying to decide whose cooking skills were better.

Gu Sui, knowing a bit about Guan Yue, pulled out his trump card: “Do you know ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’?”

The balance in Guan Yue’s mind immediately shifted toward Gu Sui.

Li Tao asked, “What’s that?”

Gu Sui smirked slightly, confident that he had won this round.

Although Gu Sui firmly held control over Guan Yue’s kitchen, from that day on, whenever Li Tao had free time, she often came up the mountain to visit Guan Yue.

This girl was perceptive, and Guan Yue didn’t find her annoying. When she had time, she would even talk with Li Tao about the uses of common herbs.

This made Zhang Cuihua extremely happy, thinking that if Taozi learned Guan Yue’s skills, she might one day become the next Barefoot Doctor!

Li Da said to his mother, “Traditional Chinese medicine is so old-fashioned. Haven’t you heard from the people who came back from the county? These things are outdated, and they’re going to be overthrown. They’re not worth anything!”

Zhang Cuihua, who had been sweeping the floor, grabbed the broom and gave her son a beating: “When you were about to die from sickness, why didn’t you say traditional medicine was old-fashioned? If you’re so smart, don’t take your medicine! I’ll let you die with your rotten heart!”

“Ah, Mom, stop hitting me. I was just saying it casually.” Li Da ran around the yard, trying to escape.

“You have no filter with your mouth! If I don’t beat you, you’ll never learn your lesson.”

Li Tao set up a wicker tray to dry the freshly washed herbs and proudly muttered, “Serves you right!”

The chaotic situation outside gradually spread, and even rural places like Qingxi Village began to feel its effects.

It was a sunny day when a group of people arrived outside the valley, waving a red book in their hands. They destroyed the Mountain God Temple at the foot of Daqing Mountain!

Upon hearing the commotion, several grandmothers who were working nearby rushed over, stamping their feet in panic.

“Heavens, Master, what will we do if we anger the Mountain Goddess?!”

“Who are these people, daring to cause trouble in our Qingxi Village?”

“Help! There are people causing trouble!”

“Where’s the village head? Go get the village head!”

In the midst of the chaos, by the time the village head arrived, the statues inside the Mountain God Temple had already been smashed. The temple was made of stone, and while they were able to destroy the idols, they didn’t have the strength to completely tear it down.

Yang Guozhu shouted angrily, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“Hmph, you have no right to ask who we are. We are justified in rebelling. You backward, feudal elements who hinder progress—now you belong to us!”

“Bah, you haven’t even grown hair yet, and you dare come here acting tough! I’ll kill you!”

A few hot-headed people picked up their hoes and were about to teach the young rebels a lesson. However, they were stopped by Zhou Baohe, who ran over, panting.

“Stop! Don’t be impulsive. Let’s talk this out.”

The leader of the group, who had been scared by the raised hoes earlier, now regained his arrogance as the mediator arrived. “We have nothing to say to you. You backward elements dare lay hands on us, and we’ll make you regret it!”

Yang Guozhu exchanged glances with Zhou Baohe. What exactly was going on?

Zhou Baohe briefly conveyed the spirit of the meeting that had taken place the previous day, but he rambled on so much that Yang Guozhu still didn’t understand. In his simple mind, he grasped the concept that things were becoming chaotic outside.

Yang Guozhu, an old farmer who had rarely been to the county town, was now at a loss for what to do.

The leader of the group, thinking that the farmers were intimidated, shouted orders to go up the mountain and capture the wild doctor, planning to send them for struggle sessions.

The traditional Chinese doctor was nothing more than a remnant of feudalism.

Having destroyed their Mountain God Temple, they now planned to take Guan Yue too. Yang Guozhu wasn’t having it. You want to take her away, but do you expect us to go to your place for treatment?

“You’re not cooperating, are you? Your people reported that there are backward elements on Daqing Mountain, so now you’re stopping us. What does this mean?”

Report from our people? When did that happen?

The words of these people were filled with thick threats and disdain. Even Li Da, who had been treated well by Dr. Xu and Guan Yue, couldn’t hold back. His fists clenched tightly.

Zhang Cuihua quickly grabbed her foolish son and urged him to take the detour around Xiaoqing Mountain and warn Guan Yue.

The treehouse was already not far from the foot of the mountain, and with such a commotion down there, Guan Yue didn’t even need to walk to the edge of the cliff to hear the noise.

Gu Sui followed her and frowned. “Don’t worry about the disturbance below. Stay here, I’ll go down and take a look.”

Instead of taking the main path down the mountain, Gu Sui took a detour down from Xiaoqing Mountain. On the way, he ran into Li Da, who was rushing up.

At that moment, terrified screams came from the foot of Daqing Mountain, shouting that there was a snake! Run!

“Oh no, my parents and my sister are still down there!” Li Da immediately turned around and ran back.

Gu Sui followed, running down the mountain as well.

Guan Yue sneered coldly, step by step moving towards the cliff. She was even closer to the Mountain God Temple now, and her control over her ability was more precise.

The snakes that she had driven down the mountain slithered through the grass, their bodies colorful and clearly venomous. The sight terrified both the intruders and the villagers of Qingxi Village, causing them to scatter and flee.

The villagers of Qingxi Village were the first to notice the disturbance. Li Tao, pulling her parents along, ran toward their home, while others rushed toward the nearest houses. Wang Lu, Fang Jie, Liu Kai, and Lin Haiyin, who were already close to each other, didn’t have time to react.

Those who ran slower were pushed forward by the crowd, and the snakes, swarming from behind, seemed to chase them, striking terror into everyone’s hearts.

The faster ones sprinted ahead, but no one could outrun the deadly snakes that shot straight toward them.

In an instant, the valley was filled with cries and screams, sounding like a scene from hell.

Five minutes later, the snakes scattered, disappearing into the grass, and their tracks could no longer be found. Those who had been bitten by the snakes, upon hearing the rustling of the wind through the wheat, began to panic and struggle wildly.

They were terrified to their core!

Wang Lu, who had been knocked down by someone—whether intentionally or by accident—struggled to get up from the ground, her face covered in dust and sweat.

“What’s going on? Where are the snakes?”

Wang Lu checked her body, relieved to find that she hadn’t been bitten by a snake. She clearly felt two snakes slither across her just moments ago. Just thinking about it now sent chills down her spine.

Yang Guozhu snapped out of his daze and ran back to his house to fetch the antidote. He checked everyone over, finding that none of his people had been bitten. The ones who had been bitten were all from the group of outsiders.

Zhang Cuihua, overwhelmed with emotion, staggered to the front of the Mountain God Temple and knelt down, fervently bowing her head and muttering prayers of thanks to the Mountain Goddess for her divine intervention!

The Mountain Goddess had manifested!

The villagers of Qingxi Village were all astonished. Young and old alike, they knelt in an orderly fashion in front of the temple, bowing their heads in reverence.

Li Da and Gu Sui, who had just run down from Xiaoqing Mountain, saw this scene. Gu Sui noticed the few people lying on the ground, their faces pale, foaming at the mouth. He quickly called out, “Uncle Yang!”

“The medicine! We can’t let them die here!”

Yang Guozhu, still kneeling, hurriedly stood up and pulled out a bottle of medicine from his pocket.

Zhang Cuihua and the others were watching with hearts full of resentment. Those scoundrels had come to destroy their homes, and now they were giving them medicine. It felt like they were getting off too easily.

Li Tao stood behind her mother, “Don’t feel sorry for them. After this, they definitely won’t dare come here to cause trouble again.”

Yang Guozhu felt the same pang of reluctance as he held the precious medicine in his hand. Such a good thing, and he had to give it to these fools—what a waste.

Zhou Baohe, sensing Yang Guozhu’s reluctance, said, “Give them two pills. Didn’t you say that if someone is bitten by a snake, they need to take two?”

The student who had only been given one pill grasped Yang Guozhu’s hand, his voice trembling, “Uncle, I’m the only son in my family. I’m the only one to carry on the family line. You can’t let anything happen to me!”

Yang Guozhu snorted coldly. “Do you know where this medicine comes from? It was given to us by the old doctor on the mountain. You still want to harm him? Giving it to you is a waste!”

“Uncle, we were tricked! Someone reported that you were hiding reactionary elements here, that’s why we came,” one of the young students explained.

A few others quickly chimed in, “Yeah, who would know about a place like Qingxi Village, tucked away in the corner of nowhere?”

“Who made the report?” Yang Guozhu demanded.

The group of young students looked around at each other, unsure of who had made the report.

“Uncle, if you heal us, we’ll help you find out who did it. We won’t let them get away with it,” another student offered.

“Yeah, Uncle, you should give me three pills. I’m bigger, and there’s more poison in my body. Two pills won’t be enough!” One of the more clever students quickly tried to ingratiate himself.

“Get lost!”

This whole commotion had caused quite a stir, and with so many people bitten by snakes, the commune’s Party secretary had even come over.

The secretary knew exactly what was happening outside. In the rural areas, many mountain temples and ancestral halls had been destroyed, but this situation was something new.

Was there really a Mountain Goddess? The group of troublemakers, fearing they might not be able to leave the village, all promised to contribute money and effort to rebuild the Mountain God Temple.

Since this was a remote village, no one would ever know what had happened today unless they spoke about it.

Everyone present was thoroughly frightened and too scared to say anything further. What had started as a major issue was quickly downplayed and reduced to a small matter.

Guan Yue stood on the edge of the cliff for a moment, contemplating. She needed to go to the city to assess the situation.