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

Chapter 193: A Hole in the Heart

The brutal truth had suddenly and bloodily been laid bare before him.

Seven-year-old Shen Yin was petrified, those chaotic memories he thought were hallucinations from extreme hunger flooding back, overwhelming him completely.

Shen Yin was terrified into a stupor.

Wang Chunniang was also paralyzed with fear.

She was terrified both by the words coming out of Shen Jin’s mouth and by the overwhelming sight of so many people rushing into the valley.

Lu Dalang was trembling all over, his eyes fixed on Wang Chunniang with a murderous intensity that suggested he could tear her apart with his bare hands.

Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Xu reacted the fastest, one pulling Shen Yin and the other pulling Shen Jin, consoling and leading them outside.

Old Man Lu and his wife were stunned, their ears ringing. As they saw Mrs. Xu half-carrying, half-supporting the sobbing Shen Jin out, they wanted to say something but found themselves speechless.

Their age had given them the experience of chaotic times, so they understood the weight behind Shen Jin’s breakdown and questioning.

But truly, who can fully empathize with another’s experiences without having lived through them themselves?

Recalling the state the three brothers were in when they first entered the valley, the old Lu couple found themselves at a loss for words. When Shen Jin was finally taken out of the cave, Mrs. Lu turned to the younger Wei Qinghe and said, “Qinghe, please go to the entrance and deliver a message to Zhou Cunzheng and ask Shen Lie, A Luo, Dashan, and my sons Erlang and Sanlang to return tonight.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Dalang nearly collapsed, his legs giving out.

He stammered, “Mother? Mother!”

Mrs. Lu ignored him, focusing instead on the figures of Lu Shuanzhu, Danniu, and the other children who had rushed over: Tiezhu, Huzi, and a few others.

Five children. At that moment, Mrs. Lu truly wanted to cry. But no matter how desperate she felt, she couldn’t afford to be lenient. For the sake of these five children, she had already been lenient twice.

Feeling weak, she reached behind her for support, found a bedpost, and sat down next to it, leaning against it for support. Then, she looked at the five grandchildren, her gaze finally settling on the eldest, Lu Shuanzhu.

“Lu Shuanzhu, you saw everything today. Your mother has been given many chances.”

“She’s no longer just ungrateful; she’s treating her benefactors as enemies. She thinks everyone in this valley has wronged her.”

Mrs. Lu hadn’t heard what Wang Chunniang said initially, but she had heard most of Shen Jin’s key words. The child had lost control, his voice loud.

Combining all she heard with Shen Jin’s question about his big brother and sister-in-law rescuing them only to be seen as enemies, it was not hard to imagine.

Lu Shuanzhu already understood what was happening, tears streaming down his face as he hurriedly wiped them away.

Huzi felt a bit confused. Seeing the expressions on his family members’ faces made him instinctively fearful. He quietly asked Lu Danniu, “Sister, what did Mother do?”

Lu Danniu didn’t dare to explain, only sobbing softly.

Wei Qinghe, observing the scene and recalling what he had overheard, knew it was best not to stay any longer. He nodded to Mrs. Lu, agreed to her request, and quickly left. The other valley residents, seeing this, also said a few comforting words before departing.

Lu Dalang realized that as soon as Wei Qinghe left, things were likely set in stone. His knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed, barely managing to stay upright by clinging to a bedpost.

At this moment, his mind was consumed by a single thought: he was doomed by Wang Chunniang’s actions. He was sure he would be cast out to fend for himself, without a doubt.

His teeth chattered with fear.

This terror was far deeper than the previous two times.

The first time something happened, he was only afraid his parents would blame him. The second time, after witnessing the dangers of the deep mountains and realizing the chaos outside, he feared being expelled from Yun Valley. But back then, his quick thinking and consideration for the children made him confident his mother wouldn’t.

This time, however, Lu Dalang’s fear stemmed from his understanding of his parents.

He now knew the meaning of “utter terror.”

…

On the other side, Shen An, Shen Ning, and Shen Tie, who had been assigned tasks a bit farther away, noticed the commotion and rushed over. They only saw Shen Jin and Shen Yin crying uncontrollably. Shen Tie, who had no idea what had happened, was also frightened. He ran to Shen Jin to ask what was wrong, and when he got no response, he ran to Shen Yin to ask again.

But no one told him what happened.

Wei Lingzhen, afraid to let the youngest know, pulled him close and comforted him, “It’s nothing. Your brothers are fine; it was just a bit of an argument. It’ll be alright soon.”

Even this reassurance failed to calm Shen Tie, let alone Shen An.

Shen An furrowed his brow, glanced at the crowd gathered at the Lu family’s home, and without asking further, told Shen Ning to look after Shen Jin and Shen Yin. He then headed straight for the Lu family’s cave, with Qin Fangniang unable to stop him.

…

The atmosphere at the Lu family was clearly unsettling. Shen An scanned everyone’s faces and focused on Lu Dalang and Wang Chunniang, finally locking his gaze on Wang Chunniang.

Both the elderly Lu couple and Lu Dalang were elders, so Shen An fixed his gaze on Lu Shuanzhu and asked, “Shuanzhu, what happened to Shen Jin and Shen Yin? What’s going on?”

Lu Shuanzhu was too choked up to speak.

Seeing Shen An’s query, Old Man Lu had no choice but to speak up, “Xiao An, don’t ask right now. First, go take care of Shen Jin and Shen Yin. Your Mrs. Lu already asked Uncle Qinghe to inform Zhou Cunzheng. They’ll come back tonight along with your uncle and third uncle, and they’ll explain everything to you.”

Explain?

That implied it wasn’t a small matter.

Shen An gave Wang Chunniang one last look, refraining from pressing the old couple. He knew he would find out what happened once his elder brother and sister-in-law returned. He nodded in agreement and quickly made his way back, rushing through the field he had been working in.

Back at home, Shen Jin and Shen Yin had already retreated to the small cave. Both brothers looked distressed. Shen Tie, who had no idea what had happened, was also frightened and cried alongside his older brothers.

The harvest had to be done, and Qin Fangniang and the others returned to the fields after sending the others away, avoiding the area next to the Lu family’s house to give them space to deal with the situation. They went to cut rice on the other side of the field.

At this time, in the cave where Shen Jin was staying, Xu Wenbo and Xu Wenyin were there to keep him company.

Shen An didn’t dare ask too much. He went downstairs and found Mrs. Chen, who was cooking something with Shen Ning in the kitchen.

“Grandma Chen, what exactly happened? Did Huzi’s mother do something?”

Grandma Chen sighed, “Even when she’s locked up, she can still cause trouble. I don’t deny it, but I didn’t hear what was said earlier. It seems like she spoke some harsh words. Shen Jin is severely affected, and Shen Yin is also scared. Remember not to ask too much. I’ve had Ah Ning prepare some calming medicine from your medicine chest. You should take it up to them and make sure they drink it.”

…

By the time the medicine was ready, Shen Jin had visibly calmed down a bit. He no longer looked as terrifying as before, though his eyes were still red and swollen. He had sent the Xu siblings away to work in the fields.

When Shen An and Shen Ning brought the medicine, Shen Jin looked at the two steaming bowls with tears welling up again. He swallowed hard and finally said, “I’m fine now. Just give me a little more time. You two go back to the fields.”

The sun was scarce in the valley, and if they missed the good weather, the rice might not dry in time.

Seeing that Shen Jin seemed to be alright, Shen An advised him and Shen Yin to drink the calming medicine and then left with Shen Ning, looking back frequently.

Staring at the two bowls of hot soup on the table, Shen Jin’s fingers trembled, and he was hesitant to touch them. After a while, he pushed one of the bowls towards Shen Yin and said, “This is for calming you. Drink it. We can’t afford to be sick or cause trouble for Big Brother.”

Shen Yin’s lips still trembled. He wanted to ask about Tianya, but seeing Shen Tie beside him, he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Wiping his tears, he took the bowl and started drinking the medicine. After a few sips, noticing Shen Jin still sitting in a daze, Shen Yin asked, “Third Brother, why aren’t you drinking?”

The question “Why aren’t you drinking?” seemed to touch Shen Jin deeply. His nostrils flared uncontrollably, and his brows and eyes tightened, causing more tears to stream down his face. He quickly wiped them away and mumbled, “You drink yours.”

Shen Yin thought he simply couldn’t drink at the moment, so he pushed the bowl of medicine towards Shen Jin and said, “Brother, don’t be sick.”

The phrase “don’t be sick” made Shen Jin sense the fear in Shen Yin’s voice. His hands trembled as he finally reached for the bowl, lifting it with shaking hands. Before the medicine even reached his mouth, tears fell into the brown liquid. He stared at the bowl for a moment, then tilted his head back and swallowed the tear-mixed medicine in big gulps.

He swallowed while crying.

Shen Tie, observing from the side, turned to the shelf and fetched two pieces of hawthorn candy and two slices of banana chips. These were given by Sang Luo, and due to the food shortages from their previous troubles, Shen Tie had developed a habit of keeping snacks handy. Shen Jin and Shen Yin had tried a few pieces and saved the rest for the youngest, Shen Tie, telling him to eat slowly.

Shen Tie handed a piece to each Shen Jin and Shen Yin, saying, “Brothers, stop crying. If the medicine is too bitter, eat something sweet.”

But seeing the hawthorn candy and banana chips only made Shen Jin cry even more.

Shen Tie took the empty medicine bowl and replaced it with the two pieces of food. Shen Jin stared at the items in his hand for a long time but hesitated to eat them. Although he had eaten these things many times before, he couldn’t bring himself to put them in his mouth now.

Shen Tie, puzzled, called out, “Brother, why are you still crying? You need to drink the medicine. Isn’t it for serious illnesses?”

Serious illness?

Shen Jin thought he had experienced that, during the dark nights when they first entered the valley.

Looking at his two younger brothers, he didn’t try to avoid the issue this time. After carefully hiding what he shouldn’t say, he finally said, “I heard some harsh, heart-wrenching words, and that’s why I cried.”

“Shen Yin, Shen Tie, remember, we survived because of Shopkeeper Xu and Uncle Xu’s help, and because of the kindness of Auntie Xu and the others. Big Brother and Sister-in-law didn’t hold past grievances and still brought us back in these difficult times. The help from the families in the valley is also a favor repaid by Big Brother and Sister-in-law.”

“Remember, from now on, if anyone speaks ill of Big Brother and Sister-in-law in front of you, you must push back. Big Brother and Sister-in-law don’t owe us anything.” He paused and then added, “It is us who owe Big Brother and Sister-in-law, Xiao An, and An Ning.”

Shen Tie, being young and not understanding the situation, just nodded obediently at Shen Jin’s words. Shen Yin also nodded, but with some hesitation in his eyes.

The misleading and malicious words from Wang Chunniang were indeed heart-wrenching. A seven-year-old child would naturally start to think along those lines. If Big Brother and Sister-in-law had brought their family along, wouldn’t Mother and Tianya still be alive?

Such thoughts are uncontrollable, almost instinctive. It’s like how Shen Tie, newly arrived in the valley, might instinctively think, “It would be nice if Tianya and Father were still here” when he sees the good things in the valley.

Similarly, Shen Yin, whenever he saw the valley children playing or learning, would sometimes lose himself in thought, dreaming of Tianya among them.

Rationally, he understood everything, but emotionally, it felt as if there was a gaping black hole splitting his life into two pieces. When he woke up from dreams, he was unsure whether to feel happy to see his sister or fearful of what these dreams represented.

He was afraid to tell anyone, trying hard to heal, but it seemed that the patchwork of his emotional wounds was being ripped open with blood and flesh.

Now, it wasn’t just him; even Shen Yin had that malicious gap opened in his heart by Wang Chunniang’s words.

Shen Jin clenched his fists on the table. He looked at Shen Yin, and even at the oblivious Shen Tie. The things he had always tried to shield his younger brothers from, he realized at this moment, he could no longer keep them from. He couldn’t guarantee that Shen Yin and Shen Tie wouldn’t end up like this or that they wouldn’t become like Huzi’s mother.

He fixed his gaze on Shen Yin. “Do you think Huzi’s mother’s words make sense? Do you think that if Big Brother and Sister-in-law had taken us with them, Tianya and Mother wouldn’t have died?”

Shen Yin’s hand trembled slightly, while Shen Tie was stunned.

Shen Jin wasn’t surprised; he knew well how painful it was. Once Wang Chunniang’s heart-wrenching words were out, he knew it was unavoidable.

He didn’t follow up with that hypothetical; instead, he asked Shen Yin directly, “If we hadn’t separated back then, if Big Brother hadn’t come back, do you know what our situation, Xiao An’s, and An Ning’s would be now?”

Shen Tie was confused, but Shen Yin was pulled out of his thoughts by Shen Jin’s question and looked up at him.