The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 162: She is Wang Meiniang (Crybaby, Can Endure, Buy More)

Mrs. Li’s nightmare began to awaken on this day.

She woke up as usual, but the hunger made it even more difficult than usual. Once her senses cleared, she looked at the children on the bed and noticed something was wrong. She was suddenly alarmed and sat up quickly.

One of the four children sleeping on the inner side was missing!

As the morning light dimly filtered in, the people in the densely packed shelters around the county school were abruptly awakened by a heart-wrenching cry.

Mrs. Li, frantic, barged into each shelter, crying out for Tianya, with Shen San and Shen Jin, who was crying uncontrollably, trailing behind her to help search.

Following the soldiers’ warning in the East Market, the people in the shelter area saw a harsher side of the city that morning.

Qiyang County was not very large, but searching for a three-year-old child who had already been faint from hunger among five or six thousand people in tightly shut shelters was not any easier than finding a needle in a haystack, especially when those searching were also weakened by hunger.

Every time Mrs. Li passed by, villagers simply pulled their children closer, and from that moment on, those with children likely no longer dared to sleep soundly.

…

In another shelter, after being awakened by the noise outside in the middle of the night, the commotion finally quieted down when dawn broke.

On the disordered bedding, Wang Meiniang’s hair was in disarray, her face as pale as gold paper. If it weren’t for the slight rise and fall of her chest, she might not have looked like a living person.

Her entire body, from the waist to the abdomen, was in excruciating pain. She wanted to curl up, but even the slightest movement was unbearable.

Wang Meiniang knew she wouldn’t survive.

She didn’t want to survive.

As her eyelids grew heavy and she wished to let her consciousness slip into drowsiness, she remembered Shen San’s visit in the middle of the night and the sight of Tianya, who had been silenced and gagged after crying and struggling.

Tianya.

On the day she was sold, everyone in the village only saw the half-bag of food, including her own parents and brothers. Only on the way to be taken away did she encounter the Shen siblings, and Shen Jin, mustering his courage, called out to her, “Wang Meiniang.”

She was Wang Meiniang.

That was the last time she was still Wang Meiniang.

Tianya.

Wang Meiniang’s chest heaved more violently. She turned her head; the oldest and third brothers had tormented her both during the first and second halves of the night. Now, they were snoring loudly, asleep. The second brother was guarding the city, and the fourth brother, who had been the last to leave her, was in a good mood. Maybe because she looked so terrible, he went out to buy firewood and said he would bring back some rice, having just left the shelter not long ago.

She had been too docile and had been tormented too harshly, so they no longer watched her as closely as they had at first.

Wang Meiniang’s fingertips trembled.

She clenched her fists to steady the trembling fingers, as if only by doing so could she suppress the fear and shivers rising from her heart.

Wang Meiniang gritted her teeth and slowly sat up. The tattered blanket that covered her fell away, and she crawled a bit, picking up a set of old clothes from the corner of the bed to cover her bruised body.

Holding her breath, she glanced at the two still asleep, enduring the pain and making no sound, she reached the overturned basket in the corner of the shelter.

Removing the basket, Tianya lay there on the ground. Trembling, she pulled off the cloth gagged in Tianya’s mouth and felt for her breath. For a long while, she held her mouth tightly to stifle her cries.

Suppressing her urge to cry, she struggled to pick up Tianya.

For a three-year-old child, to her, a thirteen-year-old already in a dire situation, Tianya was extremely heavy.

But she couldn’t leave Tianya here.

She couldn’t.

She had to leave too, even if it meant death, she wanted to die in peace.

…

Mrs. Li went mad.

As time passed, she became increasingly unhinged. She had searched every shelter around the county school and started moving to other areas.

Shen San, with an unclear expression, could only keep his head down and follow, listening to Mrs. Li and Shen Jin calling out for Tianya, occasionally joining in the calls himself.

Mrs. Li combed through the shelters in the West Market and surrounding alleys one by one.

Shen San’s hands trembled slightly, and he began to crumble under the pressure. At the moment of his internal struggle, he happened to see the fourth brother from the family coming from the East Market carrying a bundle of firewood.

His heart skipped a beat, and in an instant, all thoughts vanished.

There weren’t many people on the street. Most of the shops, except for the medical and drug stores, were tightly closed. Naturally, the fourth brother also saw Shen San, and in front of him, Mrs. Li and Shen Jin, who appeared to be frantically searching for someone.

He squinted at Shen Jin.

Another batch of wounded soldiers was being lowered from the city walls. Minor injuries were treated at the base of the walls, while those with more severe injuries needed to be taken to the medical clinic. A few conscripted laborers were carrying three or four injured soldiers and hurriedly shouting for people to make way.

The man then withdrew his gaze and moved to the side with the firewood.

At this moment, Uncle Shu and another person were also carrying a severely injured soldier and passed by Mrs. Li, who was frantically shouting for Tianya.

He couldn’t help but turn his head and saw Shen Jin, who was crying and also shouting for Tianya, and recognized Shen San, who was a step behind Shen Jin.

…

The porters carrying the stretcher ahead moved quickly, and Uncle Shu did not slow his pace. His eyes, however, reflected deep contemplation.

After delivering the wounded to the clinic, Uncle Shu was supposed to return to the city gate immediately. Instead, he walked out of the clinic, bit his lip, and, after greeting the other porters in his group, followed the sounds of Mrs. Li and Shen Jin into an alley.

He saw the mother and child rummaging through various shelters, searching for someone. Coincidentally, one of the shelters was preparing food, and, as luck would have it, they were cooking meat.

Mrs. Li went into a frenzy. When she found no suspicious signs, she saw the meat in the pot and, in her rage, overturned the pot with her bare hands.

“Meat, meat, what kind of meat are you eating now! Ah! What meat!”

The men in the household were not vegetarians, and the sight of the overturned pot led to a violent confrontation. The pottery was smashed, and they started fighting. Mrs. Li was slapped hard, and Shen Jin, trying to protect her, also got hit.

Of course, Shen San, as a man, bore the brunt of the beating.

Fortunately, the people who had just been searched by Mrs. Li seemed to understand that she was desperate because her child was stolen. Out of rare sympathy, some men came to help, and after most of the meat soup was eaten, the women in the household, upon learning that Mrs. Li’s child was stolen, held back the men, which eventually ended the altercation.

Shen San, having endured a severe beating, was relieved to be done with Mrs. Li’s chaos and returned to his shelter, enraged.

He spoke with an added edge, “You go mad if you want. I’ll go back and look after Xiao Yin and Xiao Tie. Don’t lose one more.”

Uncle Shu tightened his hand by his side.

He stood quietly in the corner for a while, his hand tightening and loosening repeatedly. Finally, thinking of the nearly empty rice sack at home, the unfinished tunnel, the increasingly chaotic situation in the city, and the growing number of injured being brought down from the city walls, he clenched his fist and left.

Even Alang is like a clay Buddha, unable to save anyone.

…

Since seeing the pot of meat soup, Mrs. Li seemed to have gone half-mad.

She was not afraid of being beaten; she sat on the ground in front of the overturned pot, staring at the spilled meat and soup, crying silently.

The woman from the house became flustered and went over to help her, saying, “Sister, we are the butchers from Luojiaji. This is the last bit of pork we had left, salted and dried. We’re so hungry that we turned it into mince and added water for our family to eat. It’s not as you think. If your child is missing, you should find them quickly.”

If it were any later, it might be really hard to say.

Seeing Mrs. Li sitting there, looking weak, trembling, and breathing irregularly, it was clear she was severely malnourished. Since the meat soup couldn’t be divided, and given that their own family didn’t have enough to survive, the woman gave Shen Jin a bowl of water to feed Mrs. Li.

Mrs. Li, in a daze, drank the water without knowing to thank anyone, and with Shen Jin, continued searching for Tianya like wandering ghosts.

Qiyang County isn’t very big or very small. Mrs. Li wandered through unfamiliar paths, straying further and closer to the city walls.

She called out for Tianya in a hoarse voice, and amidst her cries, she suddenly heard someone calling out “Auntie.”

Mrs. Li had become less sensitive to external sounds. Moreover, the voice was weak and hoarse. However, Shen Jin, who heard it clearly, turned back in response.

Even though the person had disheveled hair, Shen Jin immediately recognized her as Wang Meiniang.

…

Wang Meiniang, who was extremely disheveled and staggering with every step, was soon forgotten by Shen Jin as he noticed the person she was struggling to hold.

Although it was only a silhouette, he recognized her as his sister.

“Tianya!” Shen Jin cried out instinctively.

Mrs. Li finally came to her senses and turned abruptly, seeing the person Wang Meiniang was holding.

Mother and child rushed towards Wang Meiniang, only to be met by her tear-streaked, sorrowful face.

Seeing Wang Meiniang in such a state and Tianya, who hadn’t moved, frightened Mrs. Li.

She reached out to take her daughter, calling out to Tianya and checking her over.

The child showed no reaction.

Mrs. Li’s hands trembled as she touched Tianya’s face; it was already cold. She checked her breathing and touched her neck. Overwhelmed, she sank to the ground, holding Tianya, and buried her face in the child’s body, crying quietly and then wailing uncontrollably.

Shen Jin stood there, stunned.

As Mrs. Li’s wails grew louder, Shen Jin finally grasped the situation, sobbing as he crouched down, wanting to touch his sister but hesitating, crying like a wounded animal with desperate cries.

Wang Meiniang stood there, dazed, and thought to herself that she might be close to death too. Who would mourn her when the time came?

Mrs. Li’s cries were heart-wrenching, but she knew she had to ask who was responsible for Tianya’s death. She looked up, gasping for breath, finally able to control her sobs enough to speak. Her eyes, swollen and red, fixed on Wang Meiniang as she asked, “Who did this?”

Shen Jin wiped his tears and looked at her as well.

Wang Meiniang opened her mouth, her voice extremely hoarse, and said, “It was Tianya’s father.”

She briefly explained the situation, including how Tianya was delivered by Shen San the night before, and then looked at Shen Jin, saying her final words.

“Be careful.”

Such a father was no longer human.

…

Wang Meiniang left without saying where she was going.

Mrs. Li, holding Tianya, sat motionless for an unknown amount of time. A remote spot near the city walls became the site of a grave—a grave so modest it lacked even a proper mound.

Mrs. Li and Shen Jin memorized the location tightly, knowing they would only dare to properly lay Tianya to rest after surviving this disaster and the cannibalistic world.

On the way back, Mrs. Li remained silent, stepping steadily towards their temporary residence at the county school. Only as they neared the county school did she finally stop, speaking in a hushed voice, “You don’t know anything. We didn’t find Tianya, and we haven’t seen Wang Meiniang. Do you understand?”

Her expression was numb, even her gaze lacked focus.

Shen Jin’s world had collapsed as well, and he nodded numbly.

Mrs. Li finally looked at him and said slowly, “You still don’t understand. You, Xiao Yin, and Xiao Tie must survive. We can’t let him know that we know everything. Not a single clue must be revealed, understand?”

By not revealing any clues, she could deal with Shen San.

Mrs. Li’s tears fell.

It was her own foolishness; she hadn’t realized that her partner had become a monster, and in doing so, she had lost her daughter.

She remembered how Tianya had been meowing with hunger last night, and despite being so hungry, she hadn’t dared to let her eat more than a piece of the hard flatbread, only telling her to endure, just so she could survive.

Who could have predicted that Tianya would not die from hunger and lack of food but from the hands of her father? Tianya must have been very frightened at that time.

More tears flowed, and she did not wipe them away, letting them run freely. She took Shen Jin’s hand and continued walking towards their makeshift shelter.