After searching all over the low hills, there were hardly any wild vegetables left now. These provisions were far from enough.
Mai Zi kept the fire burning, boiling the freshly drawn well water and continuing to cook the remaining beans. The sky had already turned completely dark, and the firewood was nearly used up. Tomorrow, she would have to gather some branches.
Listening to her stomach growl, Mai Zi could only endure it. These bean meals had to be saved for the famine escape later.
She took out the salt brick from her Space, poured a little warm water, mixed a bit of saltwater, and drank it down. A warm sensation gradually spread through her stomach.
Lying in bed, Mai Zi’s thoughts slowly drifted away. In Dajing Village, the Chen clan was the largest, and Mai Zi’s family could be considered a marginal branch of the Chen clan.
Over the past few days, Mai Zi had been drawing water from the well, boiling it, letting it cool, and storing it in her Space. The water had nearly reached one-tenth of the capacity.
This water would be enough for Mai Zi to drink for half a year. The beans in her hands were almost used up, and the salt brick was now only as big as a soybean.
Mai Zi divided her Space into sections: a water area, where raw water and cooled boiled water were stored separately; a tools area, containing dry branches and wooden buckets; a food area (only bean meal bundles and wild vegetable bundles), which occupied just a small space and also held a large pile of Xiaocao’s wild vegetables; and a medicine area, where two small piles of dandelions and plantains were stored. These medicinal herbs were only found after Mai Zi and Xiaocao had scoured the low hills thoroughly.
Mai Zi dried the freshly gathered live branches from the mountain, pondering where she could get more food. The hills were already devoid of greenery, the river had dried up completely, leaving only mud and sand, and the birds flying in the sky were out of reach. Mai Zi let out a long sigh…
“Aiyo! You unfilial girl!… Mai Ya, come out here! Hand over my Xiaocao’s wild vegetables!” Outside the house, a noisy crowd of villagers had gathered.
“Mother! I already gave all the wild vegetables to you! Those were dug up by Mai Ya herself!”
Hearing Xiaocao’s voice, Mai Zi opened the door.
She saw Xiaocao’s mother dragging Xiaocao by the ear. Xiaocao’s clothes were covered in mud and dust, with a clear footprint on her back. Lin Xiaocao’s grimy face was marked with red streaks as she struggled to break free, refusing to come inside.
All around, people whispered among themselves, with Zhang Shi’s family standing at the very front.
“I say, Sister Lin, Mai Ya has been digging wild vegetables on the mountain every day. We’ve all seen it. Xiaocao already said those were dug up by Mai Ya herself. Could it be that your family doesn’t have enough to eat, so you’re trying to take someone else’s wild vegetables?”
Zhang Shi’s loud voice caused a stir in the crowd. A few onlookers also started to chime in.
“What do you all know? Xiaocao used to go out every day to dig wild vegetables and would come back with a large basketful. These past few days, she’s only brought back some lamb’s quarters to eat. If Mai Ya hadn’t snatched Xiaocao’s wild vegetables, how could there be so little?”
Lin Xiaocao’s mother glared fiercely at Zhang Shi. Everyone knew what schemes this woman was plotting.
“That’s right. These past few days, my son has only dug up roots from the grass, none of it edible.” One of the older women frowned deeply, sighing as she chimed in at the mention of wild vegetables.
Mai Zi stared intently at Lin Xiaocao’s mother, catching a glimpse of Xiaocao secretly signaling to her.
“Auntie, I didn’t take Xiaocao’s wild vegetables. There aren’t many wild vegetables left on the mountain anymore. Xiaocao and I really couldn’t find any.”
Lin Xiaocao was now only worried about not implicating Mai Ya. She hadn’t expected her mother to come all the way to Mai Ya’s house over some wild vegetables.
Mai Zi ran over and pulled Xiaocao aside, preventing her from suffering further harm.
“I don’t believe it! Come up here—I want to see for myself whether there’s any or not!” A sharp voice pierced everyone’s eardrums and shattered the previously calm situation.
Lin Xiaocao stepped forward, blocking her mother with all her might to keep her from advancing. “I already told you there isn’t any! I gave you everything I dug up myself! You’re just bullying Mai Ya!”
Seeing Lin Xiaocao rush forward, Mai Zi also stepped up to block her from charging inside. Even though everything was safely stored in the Space and she wouldn’t find anything even if she went in, good people were often bullied! This door must not be opened for her!
Seeing this, Lin Xiaocao’s mother grew even more convinced that there must be plenty of wild vegetables inside. Whether they were dug up by Xiaocao or Mai Ya, she was determined to have those wild vegetables and pushed even harder to get in.
Despite the training Mai Zi had done over the past ten days, her strength was still no match for that of a grown woman.
Mai Zi steeled her heart, retrieved the iron blade from the Space, slipped her hand into her sleeve, and brandished it forward.
“Stop!… Stop! Take one more step and I won’t hold back!”
Mai Zi held onto Xiaocao, pointing the iron blade at Lin Xiaocao’s mother. For a moment, the previously restless crowd fell silent.
“The ruthless fear the desperate! What a tragedy! Bullying such a young girl! If her father were still here, who would dare let anyone bully her right at her doorstep?”
“Not necessarily. How dare such a young girl like Mai Ya wield a knife? She’ll grow up to be wicked—a crooked sprout grows crooked!”
Whispers spread through the crowd. Lin Xiaocao’s mother flushed with anger, but she truly didn’t dare take another step forward—after all, a knife has no eyes!
Slowly and leisurely, the Village Head swayed over, accompanied by Lin Hu, the old hunter, leaning on a wooden stick. Lin Hu’s expression turned stern; though aged, his imposing presence remained.
“Come here now! Making such a fuss outside over a few wild vegetables—what kind of behavior is this!”
Lin Shi put away her earlier shrewish tactics and timidly retreated to the back.