“Brother Wen is truly a master at fooling people! To actually come up with a ridiculous lie like Little Sister falling into a manure pit, and the best part is that foolish Steward Chen believed every word of it! Hahaha, this is too hilarious!”
Song Wu clutched his stomach and laughed so hard that he nearly rolled across the ground.
“Brother Wen, Brother Wu, now that everything is finished, should we tell Father and Mother when we get back?” Song Xiaoyu asked, returning to the matter at hand.
“Tell Father and Mother?” Song Wu immediately shook his head. “What if they give us a terrible scolding? Why don’t the three of us keep this secret to ourselves? If something goes wrong later, I’ll take all the blame. There’s no need to drag Father and Mother into it.”
He puffed out his chest proudly, looking every bit like a heroic warrior willing to shoulder all responsibility.
“Brother Wu is right,” Song Wen said seriously. “Mother and Father have been carrying enough burdens ever since we split from the family. There’s no reason to trouble them with this matter as well. However, Brother Wu, I’m the eldest son of the family. It was also me who took charge of dealing with Uncle Beihai and Uncle Beishan. If trouble really comes knocking and someone ends up in prison, it should be me.”
Since childhood, Song Wen had always assumed the role of the responsible elder brother, constantly protecting his younger siblings. After Song Beichen became crippled, he had become even more determined to shoulder the responsibilities of the entire household.
“All right, my two silly brothers.” Song Xiaoyu wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders. “Why are you worrying about things that haven’t even happened yet? When soldiers come, we’ll block them. When floodwaters come, we’ll build a dam. I won’t let anything happen to our family.”
The three siblings hurried home together.
Along the way, they deliberately gathered a basket of wild vegetables to support their cover story. Otherwise, sneaking out before dawn would look far too suspicious.
The moment they stepped through the courtyard gate, they were greeted by Zhou Rong’s thunderous expression.
“Where did the three of you run off so early in the morning? Tell me the truth!”
“Do you have any idea how worried your father and I were?”
“Your father was already prepared to get into his wheelchair and search the entire village with me!”
Song Wen and Song Xiaoyu exchanged a quick glance, instantly coordinating their story.
“Mother, please don’t be angry.” Song Xiaoyu lowered her head obediently. “I was the one who couldn’t sleep, so I dragged Brother Wen and Brother Wu out to dig for wild vegetables.”
“Father, Mother, don’t blame Little Sister,” Song Wen added immediately. “I was the one who led them out. Little Sister only wanted to gather more wild vegetables before anyone else got to them. Unfortunately, it’s the middle of winter, and most of the greens near the fields have already frozen to death. We had to walk quite far before finding this small amount.”
The anger that had been boiling inside Zhou Rong immediately softened.
She scolded them a few more times for appearance’s sake before finally letting the matter drop.
“Fine. But next time, tell us before you leave the house. The fright you gave your father and me this morning nearly scared us to death.”
“You have no idea. When I woke up and discovered all three of you missing, I thought bandits had kidnapped you.”
Seeing that his children had returned safely, the tension in Song Beichen’s eyes finally eased.
“Listen to your mother,” he said. “If you’re going out in the future, let us know first. Understood?”
The three siblings answered in perfect unison.
“Yes, Father.”
Song Wen and Song Xiaoyu secretly exchanged another glance, relieved that they had successfully hidden the truth.
Unfortunately, Song Wu suddenly burst out laughing.
“Mother, are you really my birth mother? I’m your own son! Why can’t you think something good about me for once?”
“You little brat!”
Zhou Rong immediately grabbed a broom.
“If I don’t discipline you for a single day, you’ll climb onto the roof and start tearing off tiles!”
She chased after him with the broom raised high.
Of course, she only pretended to hit him. She was genuinely afraid of hurting her son. If she accidentally struck his head, she might truly end up with a fool for a son.
Song Wu ran around the courtyard yelping dramatically while everyone else watched the scene with smiles.
Meanwhile, Zhou Rong began preparing breakfast in the outdoor kitchen, cooking a pot of wild vegetable porridge.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Song Xiaoyu quietly slipped back into her room.
The moment she closed the door, her figure disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, she had entered her mysterious space.
Without wasting any time, she unrolled the automatic Treasure-Hunting Map and focused intently on the mountain region behind Tianshui Village.
Today’s distribution of prey and wild beasts soon appeared clearly before her eyes. She studied every marker carefully, planning her next hunting expedition.