Chapter 90: The Plan to Buy Tiger Bones and the Fate of the Ming Family

She suppressed the excitement in her heart and asked hesitantly, “Auntie, has your family mentioned when they plan to sell it? Also, how well are the tiger bones preserved?”

Xu Fengxian, hearing there was hope, happily replied, “Whenever is fine—we haven’t found a buyer yet. They’re preserved very well, don’t worry. We have an elder in our family who understands this. The tiger bones were specially brushed with tea oil and then sun-dried. They’re kept in a wooden box that’s resistant to insects and stored in a cool, dry place. There’s no sign of insect damage at all.”

Ming Dai felt relieved after hearing this. She had been worried they might have stored them improperly, causing the medicinal properties to be lost.

“Auntie, I remember one of my dad’s colleagues mentioned that their family elder was looking for tiger bones to soak in wine. I’m not sure if they still need it, so I’ll write to ask. If they do, how much would you sell it for?”

Xu Fengxian became excited, “Really? Someone wants it? My brother says it can’t go for less than 200 yuan. It’s expensive, but also rare. They had to hunt down a fierce tiger, and many people got hurt in the process. One person even ended up with a limp.”

Ming Dai nodded. That price wasn’t high; if sold in the capital, it could fetch several times that amount.

“In that case, Auntie, I’ll write to ask. If I hear anything, I’ll let Aunt Huang know first.”

Xu Fengxian nodded happily. Her brother’s family was waiting for the money to marry off a daughter, and as long as they could sell it, it would be good.

After a moment, she leaned closer to Ming Dai and whispered, “Xiao Ming, our family also has an old ginseng. Would you like me to ask about that too?”

Ming Dai was surprised. They had a lot of good things in their family, but now she had a ginseng forest herself, so she wasn’t in need of it.

“Auntie, if you’re not urgently in need of money, I’d suggest you keep it and store it properly. This thing is really useful in emergencies, especially with you living in the mountains. Plus, it holds its value. If kept well, it will be even more valuable in the future.”

Xu Fengxian was initially a bit overexcited by the idea of selling the tiger bones for 200 yuan, but upon hearing Ming Dai’s advice, she quickly came to her senses.

Her husband and son often worked in the mountains, and getting injured was common. Keeping the ginseng would indeed bring her more peace of mind than selling it.

“Alright! I’ll listen to Xiao Ming and keep it for now.”

Ming Dai nodded in approval.

They chatted for a while longer before getting up to leave. Ming Dai cut a large bunch of leeks and garlic shoots, placing them in a basket and handing it to them.

Aunt Huang smiled and accepted the basket. “Xiao Ming, I’ll send you a bowl of dumplings later. Don’t be in a hurry to close the door.”

Ming Dai smiled and agreed.

When Aunt Huang and the others arrived home and began picking the leeks, they discovered five eggs underneath. In an instant, her heart softened, turning into a bundle of cotton.

Xu Fengxian, seeing this, also felt that Xiao Ming, the young educated youth, knew how to handle things.

“This little educated youth knows how to treat people. You should take good care of her,” she said.

Aunt Huang, while picking the leeks, nodded, “I know. It’s not just me who likes her, even Dazhu says Xiao Ming is a good person.”

Xu Fengxian glanced around the clean yard and the neatly arranged stable, feeling reassured. “Seeing that you’re doing well puts our minds at ease. Now, we just have to see how Jiaoyan settles into her new home.”

Aunt Huang comforted her with a gentle smile. “Her in-laws are well-off, and her husband is ambitious. Plus, their home isn’t far from our village. I’ll visit her often, so don’t worry, Sister-in-law.”

Xu Fengxian wiped her eyes. “I could only agree to her marriage because I knew you’d be there for her. After this, I’ll only get to see my daughter once a year.”

The two women cried together for a while before finally calming down.

Inside the house, Old Lady Huang sat listening to Goudan enthusiastically recount stories from his comic books. Every so often, she would chuckle, her laughter filling the room with warmth.

That evening, Aunt Huang did indeed send over a big bowl of dumplings—over twenty of them, filled with a mixture of leek and egg, fresh and tender.

After sending her off, Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian returned to their space. As soon as they entered the house, the rich scent of lamb offal soup filled the air.

Ming Dai picked some fresh cilantro from the garden, adding it to her bowl. When the hot soup was poured over it, she took a deep, contented breath.

Zhou Sinian, holding his bowl from a distance, was careful not to let her add that stinky stuff to his bowl.

Ming Dai shot him an amused glance. “You just don’t appreciate it!”

Sipping the soup, she ate it with the dumplings Aunt Huang had brought, savoring each bite.

Zhou Sinian, still hungry, decided to add some flatbread into the soup. Ming Dai watched him, thinking that one day she could treat him to lamb soup with steamed buns.

Before going to bed, Ming Dai wrote several letters, planning to send them out tomorrow at the commune.

She had been in the countryside for several months and had no idea how her delicate cousin, who had grown up pampered, was faring in the remote northwest.

In a dilapidated cave in the northwest, a frail figure lay motionless on a dusty kang bed. Dust from the ceiling continued to fall in clumps, and the sound of creaking could be heard from time to time.

Ming Yaozu stared at the small beam of light coming through the cracked window of the cave. His face was smeared with tears and mucus.

Since being forcibly sent to the countryside by train, his good life had disappeared, never to return.

Unlike the other educated youth who were well-prepared to head to the countryside, Ming Yaozu arrived without anything. Aside from the clothes on his back and a stamped letter from Chief Qi confirming his identity, he had nothing at all.

He managed to survive solely because, at first, he hadn’t had the chance to reveal his true nature, and because the people of that era were simple and kind-hearted. It wasn’t until Ming Changjiang sent him a package that he had some hope.

After reading the letter from his father, he learned that he could not return home and that he would have to settle in the countryside for the rest of his life. Ming Yaozu cried for three days straight.

Unlike Ming Dai, who arrived in Song City and entered the winter idle season, Ming Yaozu’s arrival coincided with the peak of the harvest season in the countryside.

The educated youth there had endless farm work every day: water to carry, sheep to feed, and crops to tend to.

Even during this busy time, they still had to join the production team in the fields to fertilize the winter wheat.

Ming Yaozu had never done any work before. After only a short while, he couldn’t endure the hard labor anymore and began avoiding the work. He started hanging out with the lazy young men in the village, playing cards, and eventually got caught gambling, leading to forced labor reform.

In the dilapidated cave, aside from him and the foul-smelling old man, the only other inhabitants were the rats that had burrowed into the roof of the cave.

He had just spent an entire day hauling flour from the village mill. His body felt as though it no longer belonged to him. With the last of his strength, he collapsed onto the earthen kang, unable to get up.

He was furious!

He hated that cunning Ming Dai for secretly signing him up to go to the countryside!

He hated Ming Changjiang and Xing Cuilan for being incapable of bringing him back from the remote northwest!

Most of all, he hated Ming Yanhong!

If she had just obediently gone to the countryside in the first place, without causing so much trouble, perhaps Ming Dai wouldn’t have been desperate enough to sign him up to go!

Unfortunately, no matter how much he hated it, it couldn’t change the fact that tomorrow, he would still be heading to the mill to grind flour like a donkey.

Meanwhile, the Ming family, whom he resented so deeply, was also in a difficult situation.

Because of Ming Yanhong’s actions, Ming Changjiang’s precious son was sent to the countryside. After beating both mother and daughter half to death, he married Ming Yanhong off to the fool from Xing Cuilan’s hometown, accepting a 300-yuan dowry in exchange for Ming Yaozu’s opportunity to return to the city.

If Ming Yaozu wanted to return, he had only two options: either secure a job transfer back to the city or be discharged due to illness.

Ming Changjiang had originally planned to scrape together the 300 yuan and some family savings to buy a job for his son, so he could bring him back.

What Ming Yaozu didn’t know was that after Ming Dai went to the countryside, she wrote a letter to Ma Liu, asking him to inform the gamblers Ming Yaozu had been involved with about his forced relocation.

The book mentioned that the main group leading the gambling operation were a bunch of thugs. Not only did they gamble, but they also ran loan sharking operations and extorted money in a complete cycle.

Later on, Ming Yaozu became involved with them, making a few shady profits along the way.

Ming Dai had instructed Ma Liu to tell these people about Ming Yaozu’s situation, knowing full well that they were experts at exploiting loopholes and would definitely come to the Ming family to demand money.

As expected, before Ming Changjiang could arrange a job for Ming Yaozu, his creditors showed up at the door. After a round of threats, smashing, and intimidation, they demanded Ming Changjiang pay back 800 yuan.

It was then that Ming Changjiang discovered the boldness of his son, who had racked up such a large debt outside.

Furious, Ming Changjiang fainted on the spot. When he regained consciousness, he refused to pay the money and began avoiding these loan sharks.

The thugs went to the soy sauce factory, causing a disturbance. Amid the chaos, they broke several soy sauce jars, resulting in significant damage. The factory leadership fired Ming Changjiang on the spot.

Disheartened, Ming Changjiang returned home, only to find the door wide open and Xing Cuilan sitting inside, crying. The entire house had been ransacked.

Seeing him return, Xing Cuilan rushed over, tearfully explaining how the debt collectors had searched the house and taken all their money. Ming Changjiang fainted again.

When he regained consciousness, the couple went to the police, but unfortunately, the loan sharks were very skilled and had made the debt agreement very formal.

The police could do little, as it was a straightforward case of owing money. They only gave a verbal warning about the aggressive methods used by the debt collectors.

The thugs, upon hearing about the police report, came back and beat Ming Changjiang, threatening that if he reported them again, they would break his legs.

Having lost his job, his money, and then been beaten up, Ming Changjiang fell gravely ill.

After finally recovering, Ming Changjiang and his wife were once again confronted with the reality of their house being reclaimed by the work unit. With no other option, they were forced to leave.

Homeless and unable to afford rent, they contemplated going to Ming Dai’s old home to stir up trouble in hopes of reclaiming the house. However, Ma Liu quickly put them in their place with a harsh dose of reality.

In the end, with nowhere else to turn, they had no choice but to sleep under a bridge.

Ming Changjiang’s temper grew worse, and he began taking out his frustrations on Xing Cuilan, constantly hitting her.

Xing Cuilan, though battered, dared not resist. She endured in silence, clinging to the hope that her son would one day return.

As for Ming Changjiang, after everything that had happened, he finally gave up on Ming Yaozu. Instead, he seduced a widow who worked as a street sweeper, kicked Xing Cuilan out, and moved into the widow’s house.

After all, he had never officially married Xing Cuilan.

Xing Cuilan, who wasn’t even registered as a city resident, had no job or means to survive in the city. After multiple unsuccessful pleas to Ming Changjiang, she had no choice but to return to the countryside in search of her daughter—who had been married off to the village fool.

The fool’s family had only arranged the marriage to ensure descendants, and from the moment Ming Yanhong arrived, she was treated as nothing more than a tool for childbirth. She was never allowed to leave the house. The fool’s parents kept her tied to the bed, forcing her to conceive as soon as possible, only untying her when the time came for labor.

Ming Yanhong had once been engaged to the son of a meat factory director and had always looked down on the fool. Even after being forcibly married to him, she still harbored thoughts of escape.

Unfortunately, the village was united, and every time she tried to run away, she was caught and beaten by the whole family.

By the time Xing Cuilan arrived at the fool’s house, she was barred from seeing her daughter.

With nowhere else to go, she had no choice but to stay at her parents’ home. There, she was not only expected to serve the entire family but also forced to work in the fields. Her sisters-in-law frequently berated her, leaving her too exhausted and occupied to check on Ming Yanhong.

When she finally managed to see her daughter again, she was stunned.

Ming Yanhong sat there, her hair disheveled like a nest of straw. Her small belly was slightly protruding, a sign of pregnancy. She bit absentmindedly at her darkened fingers, grinning foolishly as drool dripped from the corner of her mouth. Her once sharp eyes were now completely vacant.

At that moment, Xing Cuilan felt as if her entire world had collapsed.