The person in the woods was none other than Sun Tieniu, the eldest son of the family that had received ten taels of compensation silver.
His younger brother’s compensation silver was guarded so tightly by Sun Tieniu’s mother that she practically clung to it day and night, refusing to let anyone even catch a glimpse of it.
With their rice jar already empty and no other options, Sun Tieniu had no choice but to venture up the mountain to try his luck. However, after wandering around for a while, he found nothing.
Unexpectedly, while resting in the woods, he overheard the conversation of the Zhao brothers.
Sun Tieniu had occasionally heard villagers mention the strange happenings surrounding the newborn daughter of the Xu family. He also knew about how Old Liu from the Liu family had offended Xu Lao Nian’er and had her leg bitten off by a snow wolf that very night.
This had instilled a certain fear of the Xu family in him. Even when passing by their house on his way up the mountain, he would always hurry past without lingering.
“Is what Zhao Da Gou and the others said true?”
Crouching beside a tree stump, Sun Tieniu unconsciously picked at the bark as he muttered his doubts under his breath.
If bowing to the Xu family could really bring food, he would be willing to try it too!
He had already dug a small hole in the tree stump when Sun Tieniu hesitated about whether to go to the Xu family’s doorstep and give it a try. Suddenly, he heard the muffled cheers of the Zhao brothers from behind.
Quickly standing up, Sun Tieniu took only two steps toward the source of the sound when he heard Zhao San Gou’s voice.
“Big brother! Second brother! Pheasant eggs! Six of them!”
“Haha, I found two wild duck eggs over here!”
“Why can’t I find anything here?”
At that moment, Zhao Da Gou’s words echoed Sun Tieniu’s own thoughts.
This very grove they were in was one he had just searched thoroughly. Why could they find so much food while he had found nothing?
Could it really be because they had paid respects to the Xu family’s little lucky treasure?
At this thought, Sun Tieniu could no longer stay put. He turned and sprinted down the mountain.
He had to go pay respects to Xiao Fu Bao before it got dark.
However, that afternoon, Sun Tieniu didn’t find the pheasant eggs or wild duck eggs he longed for in the woods. Instead, he came across half a wild rabbit, mangled and bloody from being gnawed on by some beast.
Even though it was only half a rabbit, Sun Tieniu was overjoyed. He quickly carried it home.
Unlike Xu Lao Si, Sun Tieniu lacked hunting skills. That very night, his wife began questioning him about how he had obtained the rabbit.
Initially, Sun Tieniu didn’t want to tell his wife that the half rabbit came from paying respects to the Xu family. But unable to withstand his wife’s persistent methods, he eventually confessed everything.
Sun Tieniu’s wife, née Sun, was also from Fu’an Village. Her family struggled financially and was on the verge of running out of food.
Hearing her husband’s account, Sun Shi took it to heart.
In the following days, Sun Tieniu went up the mountain every day and returned with something each time.
Convinced by this, Sun Shi found time to visit her parents’ home.
The next day, Sun Shi’s younger brother secretly joined the ranks of those paying respects to the Xu family.
Word spread from one to ten, and ten to a hundred. Over time, everyone in Fu’an Village came to know:
As long as you bowed at the Xu family’s home before going up the mountain and said a few good words about Xu Tianbao, you would find food in the mountains.
As the weather grew increasingly warmer, more and more edible plants became available.
Every few days, when local families had particularly abundant harvests, they would leave a portion at Old Xu’s house on their way down the mountain as a token of gratitude.
Some even brought leftover incense from New Year ancestor worship ceremonies, placing and lighting it across from the entrance to Old Xu’s home.
Many who witnessed this began following suit.
During those days, the front of Old Xu’s house could truly be described as having “flourishing incense smoke.”
To the uninformed, one might have mistaken Old Xu’s house for the mountain temple of Fu’an Village!
Even Xu Lao Nian’er joined in the excitement.
After Xu Dazhu and Xu Er Zhu’s legs had healed, they too began accompanying Xu Lao Nian’er on mountain trips.
Although their family no longer lacked for food, in these times, who would ever complain about having more to eat?
The three men were about to set out, each carrying a back basket, when Xu Lao Nian’er seemed to remember something. He put down his basket and returned inside.
Sure enough, he found his wife holding their precious little granddaughter, playing with her.
“Oh, Grandma’s precious little girl! Come on, call me Grandma!”
The larger version of the milk-white dumpling sat on the kang, intently studying the fluffy tiger tail in her hands, showing no intention of responding to her grandmother who was smiling like a blooming chrysanthemum.
Ever since that day when the little black rabbit nearly urinated on the kang and she had urgently cried out “Nai” (Grandma), bringing Old Mrs. Xu rushing in from the outer room, Old Mrs. Xu had been coaxing her eight hundred times a day to say “Grandma.”
At first, Xiao Tianbao had humored her.
But later, she came to deeply understand Old Mrs. Xu’s tendency to push for more.
Now, merely saying “Nai” no longer satisfied Old Mrs. Xu’s demands – she wanted to hear more words from her precious granddaughter’s mouth.
Unfortunately, Xiao Tianbao just wanted to lie back and relax, with no intention of satisfying her.
Yet Old Mrs. Xu remained undiscouraged, continuing delightedly even without responses from her little treasure.
Just as Xiao Tianbao, growing somewhat impatient with her grandmother’s pestering, was about to lift her head to satisfy the old woman’s request, she felt herself being picked up.
In the blink of an eye, she had turned around, and the chrysanthemum-like smiling face of Old Mrs. Xu before her was replaced by the chrysanthemum-like smiling face of Xu Lao Nian’er.
“Good treasure, point Grandpa in a direction – which area has more wild vegetables today?”
Hearing her grandfather’s question, the little one blinked her dark, bright eyes in confusion.
If Xu Lao Nian’er had asked which area had more wild game, she could have told him, since she could just have the little tiger ask his father.
But how could she possibly know where the wild vegetables were? She didn’t even know what edible wild plants grew on the mountain.
Could it be that her grandfather truly regarded her as an all-powerful mountain deity?
Seeing that his precious granddaughter wasn’t responding to him, Xu Lao Nian’er didn’t get upset. He continued holding Xiao Tianbao, even rubbing her pink cheeks with his beard.
“Good treasure, just point for Grandpa, which direction is better!”
Finally unable to bear the harassment, Xiao Tianbao extended her chubby little hand and randomly pointed toward a spot on the mountain.
“There!”
The childish, clear voice sounded like celestial music to Xu Lao Nian’er’s ears. Chuckling happily, Xu Lao Nian’er had finally gotten his wish.
After kissing his little granddaughter’s cheek, Xu Lao Nian’er was finally satisfied.
“Good treasure waits at home – Grandpa will dig up vegetables for you to eat!”
Faced with the sweet and soft little dumpling, even Xu Lao Nian’er, who had never spoken tender words in his entire life, learned to crack witty remarks.
After stepping out of the house, Xu Lao Nian’er hoisted the back basket onto his shoulders again and led Xu Dazhu and Xu Erzhu toward the direction Xiao Tianbao had pointed.
His swift strides hardly resembled those of a man in his fifties.
Rubbing her chubby little hand over the cheek that had been reddened by her grandfather’s stubble, Xiao Tianbao breathed a sigh of relief.
Though she didn’t know where the mountains had the most wild vegetables, she had pointed out the spots where the sheep often grazed.
Since there was so much for the sheep to eat there, surely there must be something edible for humans too, right?
Just as she was thinking this, the little one turned her head and met Old Mrs. Xu’s sparkling gaze fixed on her cheek.
Her hand, which had been rubbing her face, froze instantly, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
Grandmother and granddaughter stared at each other in a momentary standoff, neither making a move.
Just as Old Mrs. Xu couldn’t resist leaning in to plant a kiss on Xiao Tianbao’s other cheek, the little one suddenly stretched out her arms toward her grandmother, her dark, bright eyes curving into crescents.
“G’ma! Up! Baa!”
Three words, like three arrows of love, struck Old Mrs. Xu squarely in the heart.
Instantly charmed, she forgot all about her jealousy over her husband having kissed their precious grandbaby’s cheek.
She placed both hands under Xiao Tianbao’s arms and, with a lift, gathered the milky-scented child into her embrace.
“Alright, Grandma will take our little treasure to see the sheep right now!”