Chapter 47 : Going to the Back Mountain

Xiao Cui pulled Song Shiwei into the house.  

“Grandma, it’s Xiaojun’s savior! Sister Weiwei is here!”  

Inside, Song Shiwei saw two elderly people lying on the bed. The old man on the outer side had cloudy eyes, but he seemed to be in good spirits and propped himself up to sit.  

When he heard Xiao Cui say that she was Xiaojun’s savior, he was overjoyed.  

He immediately reached out his hand.  

“You’re Xiaojun’s savior? Good, good, such a good child!”  

Only then did Song Shiwei realize that the old woman’s eyesight had deteriorated significantly. Even if she could still see, it was only faint light. She couldn’t see where Song Shiwei was at all, she was simply smiling toward the sound and reaching out, trying to touch her.  

Without hesitation, Song Shiwei stepped forward and gently held the old woman’s hand.  

“Grandma, my name is Song Shiwei. I came to visit you and Grandpa!”  

As soon as the elderly woman grasped her hand, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.  

“Such a good child. Why do we two old folks deserve a visit from you? We should be the ones thanking you for saving Xiaojun! Otherwise, his grandfather and I would never be able to rest in peace, even in death!”  

She let out a deep sigh.  

“They say we raised these two siblings, but in truth, they’ve been the ones taking care of us. The children have had such hard lives since they were young, and now they still have to carry the burden of two old people. In the end, it’s us who have caused them suffering. If Xiaojun hadn’t wanted to raise money for our medicine, he would never have risked his life to go fishing.”  

“He almost lost his life because of us…”  

Perhaps thinking of the pain, she wiped away her tears.  

“Such good children. Jun’er and Cui’er are both good children. We are the ones who have let them down…”  

Hearing this, Xiao Cui and Xiaojun also started crying.  

“Grandma, please don’t say that. You and Grandpa raised us since we were little. There’s no such thing as being a burden, we should be taking care of you!”  

Song Shiwei wiped the corners of her eyes and patted the old lady’s hand.  

She gently said, “Grandma, don’t say that anymore. You and Grandpa are the most important people in Xiao Cui and Xiaojun’s lives. If you’re gone, they will truly become orphans. So, you must take care of yourselves and live a long life. That way, they will always have family to rely on, and no one will dare to bully them!”  

These words seemed to touch the old lady’s heart.  

“That’s why I don’t dare die, even with this frail body. They are still too young, and I can’t stop worrying. I’m terrified that after their grandfather and I are gone, the two children will be left all alone. Just thinking about it breaks my heart!”  

Song Shiwei smiled and gently smoothed the elderly woman’s silver hair.  

“Don’t worry, Grandma. You will live a long life, and the two siblings will be fine. Xiaojun and Xiao Cui are both promising children. When they grow up and start earning money, they’ll hire the best doctors to treat you and Grandpa, and they’ll build a big house for you to live in!”  

These words, filled with hope for a better future, immediately brought a smile to the old lady’s face.  

“Alright, alright! Build a big house for Jun’er to live in when he gets married!”  

Xiaojun felt a mix of sadness and determination upon hearing his grandmother’s words.  

As if making a vow, he said, “Grandma, don’t worry! I will grow up quickly, earn lots of money, and take you and Grandpa to Beijing to see the best doctors! I will make sure you’re both healthy and live a long, long life!”  

The old lady was so happy that she laughed until tears streamed down her face. She wiped them away and said, “Alright, Grandma will wait! Grandma will wait to hold her great-grandson!”

Although the two elderly people had been bedridden for many years, there was no strange smell in the house. Their clothes were tattered but clean, showing that the two children took great care of them.  

It was rare to see such sensible and filial children.  

There is a saying that children from poor families grow up early, and it was absolutely true. They experience hardships that other children never face and take on the heavy responsibilities of life at a young age.  

Naturally, they think more deeply and understand more than other children.  

In truth, it was quite heartbreaking.  

At noon, Song Shiwei had wild vegetable soup with them.  

These wild vegetables surprised her.  

It turned out to be Auricularia auricula, also known as the “longevity vegetable.” In some places, it is called watercress, tofu vegetable, sky auricularia, Tengkui, and other names.  

This Auricularia auricula was a nutritious dish. It was called a longevity vegetable because of its nourishing and strengthening effects. Additionally, it contained a high amount of calcium and iron reportedly five times the calcium content of milk! It was an excellent vegetable for autumn health.  

Song Shiwei couldn’t help but ask Xiao Cui, “Where did you find this vegetable?”  

Xiao Cui hadn’t expected her to be so surprised by wild vegetables. Maybe she had never eaten them before?  

“We picked them from the mountain behind us! There are lots of wasp plants there! We often dig them up and eat them!”  

“Wasp vegetable….”  

Song Shiwei thought for a moment. It must be Purslane!  

This wild vegetable was well-known in modern times. Many families would dig it up, wash it, and cook it. It was delicious!  

Not only was purslane rich in nutrients, but it also had medicinal properties it could clear heat, disinfect, reduce swelling, promote moisture elimination, cool the blood, lower blood pressure, and act as a diuretic.  

“After lunch, can you take me to the back hills?”  

Xiao Cui immediately smiled and nodded. “Okay! I was planning to go dig up some more wild vegetables anyway. We’ve finished all the ones we had at home!”  

Looking at her simple and innocent smile, Song Shiwei felt a pang of sadness in her heart.  

She hadn’t figured out how to help the siblings yet, but she decided to check out the back mountain first.  

There was an old saying: “If you live by the mountain, you rely on the mountain; if you live by the sea, you rely on the sea.” Maybe there was something valuable in the mountain that they could sell?  

Even if they couldn’t find anything valuable, she could take them fishing. However, Xiaojun’s health hadn’t fully recovered, and after what had happened that day, the two children likely had some psychological trauma about fishing.  

That’s why she set her first goal on exploring the back mountain.  

After lunch, Xiao Cui put on a backpack and took Song Shiwei up the mountain.  

Xiaojun originally wanted to go with them, but Song Shiwei refused.  

He was still very weak. What if he ran out of strength and fell down the mountain?  

Left with no choice, Xiaojun reluctantly waved goodbye to them and reminded his sister to take good care of Sister Weiwei.  

He also warned them not to go too deep into the mountains after all, many wild animals lurked in the dense forests.  

The villagers often went hunting in the mountains, but they always went in groups of strong men.  

There were rumors of wolves, leopards, and wild boars in the deeper areas.  

If one wasn’t careful, they could lose their life!  

Song Shiwei was well aware of these dangers. She didn’t have any special abilities like in time-travel novels.  

She had nothing, and her body wasn’t exceptionally strong, so she knew her own limits and followed Xiao Cui around the lower slopes of the mountain.  

It was quite cool in the back mountain at noon. The sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.  

As they walked, the two of them squatted down to dig for wild vegetables.  

“Sister Weiwei, look! This is wasp vegetable!”  

“And this, this is wood ear vegetable!”  

As they were talking, Song Shiwei suddenly looked up and saw something colorful flash by.