As soon as she said this, the two women who had just been competing eagerly fell silent, their faces turning rather sour.
Still, they could find no fault with Ye Qing’s answer. After all, the skill and courage were entirely hers; whether she wanted to bring anyone along was entirely up to her. They had only hoped to tag along and take advantage of her good fortune.
They dared not press the matter further in front of Ye Qing. If they tried the same thing with Chen Xiuzhi, the mother-in-law would surely have chased them both away in a rage.
“Ye Qing, I swear I’m not lazy like she claims,” one of them insisted, still refusing to give up. “I just don’t have the best health. Sometimes I have to stop and rest when I get tired. But believe me—if you take me into the mountains, I won’t slow you down.”
Ye Qing nodded calmly, her tone even and unhurried. “Auntie, if you want to go up the mountain, you are free to do so yourself. There are no gates keeping people out; anyone can go. But I won’t take anyone with me. Even I feel uneasy and on edge when I’m deep in the forest, barely able to look after myself. If you followed me, I wouldn’t be able to watch over you. There’s no guarantee you’d make it back safely, and I cannot take that responsibility.”
Her words were polite enough, but her meaning was firm and clear: there was no way she would take anyone along.
In truth, that was exactly how Ye Qing felt. If she could find someone capable and reliable to share the work and watch each other’s backs, she would have agreed. But as for dragging along people who would only be a burden, she had no time or patience for it.
“What are you all talking about? Asking my sister-in-law to take you up the mountain? You really have some nerve!” Shi Fengxia, hearing the commotion, walked over with a hand resting on her large pregnant belly. She nudged the two women aside to make room, then gave Ye Qing a look to signal her to keep grinding the corn, while she took over the conversation.
Though the topic was brushed aside for the moment, the exchange left everyone sitting there deep in thought.
Their minds kept drifting back to that wild chicken Ye Qing had brought down from the mountain, stirring up all kinds of restless thoughts.
On one hand, they told themselves: If that young bride Ye Qing can do it, so can we. With grain supplies running low at home, bringing back a chicken or a rabbit would surely make the whole family happy.
On the other hand, they all knew full well how dangerous the mountains could be—what if they ran into wild beasts?
For a moment, the villagers sat there feeling uneasy and torn.
Shi Fengxia and Ye Qing paid no mind to the effect their arrival had on everyone else. Having boasted enough for now, Shi Fengxia plopped down beside Ye Qing and asked if she needed help.
Ye Qing glanced at her. “Look at how big your belly is. Just rest. I can work this mill all by myself.”
Shi Fengxia did not argue. She sat back comfortably, grinning, and whenever anyone spoke to her, she would launch into another round of praise for her sister-in-law.
Listening to her made everyone feel as if a little kitten was scratching at their curiosity. Just then, a figure stepped out from the village office.
Ye Qing turned to look. It was none other than Tian Xingfa, the head of the production brigade.
Tian Xingfa had been eating his lunch inside. Having heard the conversation outside, he walked over and immediately poured cold water on their hopes.
“You all know what happened last night—Ye Qing came down from the mountain alone. Does that mean every single one of you now wants to go running up there too?” He gave a short laugh. “Ye Qing is Ye Qing, and you are you. She has her own special abilities. What do you have? Are you all ready to throw your lives away just for a taste of meat?”
“Have you already forgotten what happened to the militia team? It’s barely been a year, and some of you are already thinking of going back up there?”
No one dared to speak up. “Fine then—go ahead if you insist. I won’t stop you,” Tian Xingfa said, half angry and half amused.
A heavy silence fell over the entrance of the office, stretching on for a long moment.
With every word Tian Xingfa spoke, the faces of the villagers grew paler.
Seeing that no one dared utter a sound, Ye Qing leaned closer to Shi Fengxia and asked in a low voice, “What happened to the militia? Why is the brigade leader reacting so strongly?”
Shi Fengxia lowered her voice even further. “Last autumn, someone from the village went up the mountain to catch wild chickens and got lost. The young men from the militia went in to rescue him, but they ran into a herd of wild boars in a frenzy. They fought them off, but two of the men were gored and thrown onto clusters of pine thorns. They died right there on the spot. Ever since then, the brigade leader has forbidden us from going deep into the mountains. He’d rather we stay safe and work the fields down here—we may not get rich, but at least we won’t starve to death.”
Now Ye Qing understood.
Looking around, she could see that everyone else had also remembered that tragedy. The enthusiasm died down instantly. The same two women who had been begging Ye Qing to take them up just a moment ago were now shaking their heads so hard they looked like spinning tops. “No way! Never again! Even if you carried me up there in a sedan chair, I wouldn’t set foot on that mountain.”
The others quickly nodded in agreement. “We’re not going either. We’ll stay right here and work the land. Bears and tigers don’t dare come down from the heights, and even if they did, the militia men have rifles. This is our safe ground—no need to risk our lives up there.”
The silence was replaced by a chorus of voices, all reassuring Tian Xingfa that they would stay put. His expression softened, and a faint smile returned to his face.
“Now that’s the right way to think,” he said, nodding. “If anyone still wants to go up and take their chances, I won’t stop them. But for the rest of you without that kind of skill, stay right here at the foot of the mountain. At most, go gather wild vegetables or collect firewood near the edge—that’s as far as you should go.”
Glancing up at the sun, he added in a satisfied tone, “Work hard this afternoon, everyone. Once the autumn harvest is done, I’ll go to the commune and ask them to send the film projection team over. We’ll show movies for three days straight so you can all relax and enjoy yourselves.”
“Only our brigade leader knows how to look after us!”
“With those words, I’ll make sure to earn my full work points today!”
Tian Xingfa’s heavy mood lifted, and he nodded with satisfaction.
He told everyone to get to work, then called over his son, Tian Xiao Wu. “Xiao Wu, go find a few others in a moment and collect the farm tools from the office. You’ll be in charge of handing them out to the villagers this afternoon.”
“Once I’ve given them out, can I go home and rest for a while? I want to visit friends in the next village,” Tian Xiao Wu asked, scratching his head with a flattering grin.
Tian Xingfa glared at him. “All you ever think about is playing! It’s true our family doesn’t depend on your work points, but that’s no excuse to be idle.”
He grabbed his son by the arm before he could slip away and warned him sternly, “How many times have I told you not to hang around those lazy good-for-nothings from other villages? What good comes from mixing with that crowd? This afternoon we’re planting sweet potato seedlings. It’s not hard work—you will stay and finish your shift, do you hear me?”
Tian Xiao Wu’s face fell. He was naturally lazy, but with his father holding him by the ear and speaking so firmly, he dared not refuse.
“All right, all right! I promise I’ll do it. Just let go of my ear, will you? There are people watching—give me a little dignity, won’t you?”
“Dignity is something you have to earn yourself,” Tian Xingfa huffed, letting go. He turned and walked back into the office with his hands clasped behind his back.
Not daring to disobey his father, Tian Xiao Wu lingered near the entrance, waiting for the work to begin.
As he sat there, he started chatting with the other villagers, and the conversation soon turned back to the same topic.
Hearing all the details about Ye Qing’s adventure the day before only made him more excited. The thought of her going deep into the mountains alone stirred his curiosity, and a restless feeling gnawed at him as well. He kept glancing toward the hills in the distance.
In those days, even the family of a brigade leader had only enough grain to get by—meat was a rare luxury.
Just the thought of a whole wild chicken made Tian Xiao Wu’s mouth water. He felt like rushing straight up the mountain right then and there to catch a couple for himself.
He sat there for ages, listening to gossip and feeling his appetite grow stronger and stronger.
After a while, he waved a hand. “Wait here, everyone—I’ll be right back. I just need to use the latrine.”
Humming a tune, he headed toward the back of the office. Before he reached the outhouse, a group of young men came walking toward him. They all slouched with their heads hanging low, their eyes half-lidded, looking at the villagers of Shilinggou Village with a lazy, insolent air.
The young man leading the pack had narrow, triangular eyes, the fierce glint in them hidden beneath heavy eyelids. Tucked behind one ear was a cigarette—a rare sight in the village at that time.
Without stopping anywhere else, the group walked straight up and blocked Tian Xiao Wu’s path.