Chapter 18: A Strange Sight (Part 2)

But in times like these, being able to trade for meat meant their relationship was exceptionally good.

“Wow, where did you pick such a big basket of honeysuckle flowers?” Before Mu Mian could finish chatting with her mother, she heard her father exclaim outside.

Mu Mian quickly stepped out of the kitchen and saw that Mu Fugui was no longer focused on her basket.

He was holding an axe, preparing to split the large log he had dragged back. Unlike the small branches and twigs that children or elderly people gathered, the logs that men brought back from the mountains were as thick as a person’s waist.

Some were broken branches, while others were dead trees.

These logs were perfect for chopping up and stacking in the woodshed. They burned much longer than smaller twigs and were especially useful for heating the kang in winter.

Liu Shuangcui also came out of the kitchen and took a look. “There really are quite a lot. Once dried, it should be nearly two liang^[1]Liang” (两) is a traditional Chinese unit of weight. One liang is approximately 50 grams (1.76 ounces)..”

Mu Mian walked over to her basket, grinning proudly at her parents. “You only noticed the honeysuckle?”

Hearing that, Mu Fugui set down his axe and walked over to her. Playing along, he said, “Let me see what treasures my daughter brought home today!”

He casually reached into the basket, but the moment his hand touched something soft and furry, he froze.

Seeing it clearly, Mu Fugui widened his eyes and let out a loud “Whoa!” before bursting into laughter. “What a fat rabbit! Haha, daughter, where did you catch this? How did you even manage to grab it? You’re amazing!”

Liu Shuangcui stepped forward and weighed it in her hands, also surprised. “This must be at least five or six pounds.”

Mu Fugui’s old habit kicked in. Whenever he was happy, he wanted to lift his daughter up in celebration.

But Mu Mian had already anticipated this. She took a quick step back, dodging his hands. “Dad, I’m almost ten years old!”

Mu Fugui, who failed to pick her up, rubbed his nose sheepishly. “Nonsense, you’re not even nine yet.”

Liu Shuangcui, still holding the rabbit, looked at her daughter. “How did you catch it? Did you just chase after it?”

It wasn’t impossible—her daughter could really run, like a little calf.

Mu Mian shook her head. “I hit it with a stick first, then chased it.”

Mu Fugui laughed heartily, his face full of pride. “That’s my daughter! I already made a deal to get two pig trotters for your grandmother’s birthday. You should eat more that day. Next time, you’ll be able to run even faster!”

Mu Mian: “……”

So, the logic was to eat pig trotters to improve running speed?

The pig trotters would take a while to arrive, but the rabbit needed to be dealt with first. The weather was warm, and it wouldn’t keep for long. They had to salt it down so it would be ready to eat in a few days.

Mu Mian couldn’t feed the rabbit even if she wanted to. Most wild rabbits didn’t survive after being caught, and the one she had caught was in even worse condition.

Its leg was broken, its head had been knocked several times, and later, Mu Mian had even knocked it unconscious. Now, it was barely alive.

While Mu Fugui and Liu Shuangcui were busy—one chopping firewood and the other cleaning the rabbit—Mu Mian spread the honeysuckle flowers from her basket onto a bamboo sieve.

She didn’t put it in the backyard but found an empty spot inside the house to dry it.

The sky looked increasingly gloomy, as if it could rain at any moment. If the honeysuckle got wet, all her effort would have been in vain.

—

The rain finally came in the middle of the night. It poured down suddenly and violently, as if it had been gathering strength all day just for this moment.

Mu Mian was woken up by the sound of heavy raindrops hitting the window, but she soon drifted back to sleep.

By the time she woke up, the rain was still pouring heavily. Water streamed down the eaves of their house like a curtain, and outside was so gray and dim that it felt like the sun hadn’t risen at all.

She pulled open her bedroom door, but before she could step out, a gust of cold wind rushed in, making her shiver.

Zhao Meihua glanced at her granddaughter. “If you’re cold, go back to bed. You don’t have to go to school today. Gaoyi passed by earlier and said your classroom roof has a big hole in it and is leaking. They won’t be able to fix it anytime soon.”

Mu Mian rubbed her eyes. “That bad? Where’s my dad? Is he home too?”

Zhao Meihua shook her head. “He left early. If this rain doesn’t stop today, he probably won’t come back tonight. Don’t worry, he’s a grown man. He knows what to do.”

Mu Mian nodded. The road was difficult to travel in this weather, so finding a place to stay for the night would be better than struggling to come back.

With no school, Mu Mian was happy to have a free day. After sleeping in, she spent the morning repairing old fabric, sewing and patching quietly in her room.

The lighting wasn’t great, or else she could have worked even faster.

While she had finished her task, the rain still showed no sign of stopping. It continued to pour on and off for two full days.

By Tuesday night, it was still raining, and Mu Mian started to worry. “Why is it still raining? Could there be a flood?”

As she voiced her concern, she suddenly thought of Shi Xiaolian. The girl hadn’t seemed worried at all in the past couple of days—just calmly dealing with her old hen.

That meant things probably weren’t too bad. Mu Mian felt a little relieved.

Liu Shuangcui also had some concerns, but she remained calm. “Kids shouldn’t worry about these things. The brigade leader must have already checked. If there really was a flood coming, they would warn everyone to evacuate.”

Sure enough, there was no major issue.

By the next morning, the rain had weakened significantly, turning into a light drizzle.

The school roof still wasn’t fixed, so there were still no classes.

Around noon, Mu Mian was helping her mother prepare lunch when she suddenly saw Liu Guizhi running toward their yard with a bag in hand, followed closely by Xu Lele.

Liu Guizhi waved her hand and called out loudly, “Mian girl! Tell your mom to come catch some fish! The water from the canal has flooded, and a lot of fish got washed down!”

There was no need for Mu Mian to say anything. Liu Shuangcui had already heard and quickly grabbed a bag before heading out.

Xu Lele was much slower than her mother. By the time she finally caught up, her little face was full of excitement. “Sister Mianmian, let’s go! We should go too!”

Mu Mian was indeed interested. She grabbed a bag and followed.

She asked Xu Lele, “Where are we catching fish? The river next to us?”

That river’s upstream didn’t connect to the canal, as far as she remembered.

Xu Lele shook her head. “I don’t know either. My mom said it’s a small river a bit farther ahead.”

Mu Mian thought for a moment. She did recall such a place, but it was quite far, so people rarely went there.

Along the way, many people of the brigade were heading in the same direction. News like this spread fast.

Some families even went out together, hoping to catch as much as they could.

Not long after, Mu Mian and Xu Lele ran into Shi Xiaolian.

Unlike other families who came in groups, Shi Xiaolian was alone. It was unclear if her sister had gone ahead or had something else to do.

However, she looked much happier than before, no longer walking with her head down like she used to.

Children were naturally sensitive to emotions, and Xu Lele, who had inherited her mother’s warm personality, was quick to approach her.

She cheerfully struck up a conversation. “Are you going too? Want to come with us?”

Shi Xiaolian paused briefly before saying, “Let’s go.”

Even while running, Xu Lele couldn’t stop chatting. She was full of curiosity. “Why are you alone? Where’s Teacher Shi?”

Shi Xiaolian replied, “My Sister took my mom to Old Li’s place.”

Being a true child, Xu Lele’s mind often jumped from topic to topic in a way that even adults struggled to follow.

For example, instead of asking why they went to Old Li’s, she blurted out, “You’re not like what my mom said! She told me you never talk to people, but look—you’re talking to us now!”

Shi Xiaolian: “……”

Mu Mian: “……”

Kids really had no filter.

After a moment of silence, Shi Xiaolian said flatly, “I’m not a mute.”

Xu Lele giggled. “Of course, I know you’re not a mute!”

As they talked, Shi Xiaolian suddenly turned onto a small path.

Seeing this, Mu Mian quickly followed.

Mu Mian turned her head and held the small hand beside her. “Just follow me.”

With that, the three little girls twisted and turned through shortcuts. By the time they reached the small river, there were hardly any people there.

Xu Lele was amazed. “Wow! We got here so fast! Shi Xiaolian, you’re amazing!”

Shi Xiaolian didn’t say anything, just rolled up her pants and waded into the river.

Since they had arrived early, the big fish hadn’t been caught yet. In less than ten minutes, Mu Mian managed to grab one as long as her forearm.

Shi Xiaolian and Xu Lele were also having success. Xu Lele held up a fish, grinning from ear to ear. “Hahaha! It’s huge!”

Even after getting slapped by the fish’s tail, she didn’t mind. Carefully placing it into the bag, Xu Lele continued feeling around in the water while sighing innocently, her tone filled with longing. “I’ve never caught such a big fish before. If it rained heavily every day, the fish in the main canal would keep getting washed down. Wouldn’t that mean we’d have endless fish to eat?!”

Just thinking about it made her excited.

Mu Mian chuckled. “If it rained every day, it would be a disaster. If the main canal collapses, not only will the fish be washed down, but we’ll be washed away too.”

Their brigade was at the foot of the mountain, in a low-lying area. If the canal were to break, they would be the first ones in danger.

As she spoke, Mu Mian instinctively glanced at Shi Xiaolian.

Xu Lele’s face fell. “Huh? That sounds scary. Never mind then! I’d rather not eat fish than get swept away!”

Shi Xiaolian followed up immediately, “It won’t collapse, at least not in the next ten years—”

She abruptly shut her mouth mid-sentence.

Shi Xiaolian shot Mu Mian a resentful look. Usually, she kept her mouth sealed in front of her mother and sister, never slipping up. But with Mu Mian, she had blurted it out without thinking.

Mu Mian gave an innocent smile.

Got it. At least for the next ten years, there wouldn’t be any major floods in this area. Even if it rained heavily at night, they could sleep soundly.

Xu Lele looked at them curiously. “Why are you both standing there? If we don’t hurry, all the fish will be gone!”

As soon as she finished speaking, a patch of water grass beside her shook violently. Like a puppy spotting a bone, Xu Lele lunged forward, plunging straight into the water.

Moments later, she sat up with some water grass on her head, laughing joyfully. “Hahaha! I caught another one!”

Her innocent, delighted laughter was so loud that Mu Mian and Shi Xiaolian’s ears twitched.