The person who came was a man in his twenties. As soon as he entered the yard, he shouted loudly. When Old Madam Lu heard the noise, she came out. After seeing who it was, she spoke.
“So it’s Zhuzi. Why are you shouting at my house so early in the morning? As for Pei—the jinx—if she wants to go, let her go. If she dies, that would be even better. It would save me the cost of a coffin. Hopefully the tiger in the mountains eats her.”
Zhuzi did not expect Old Madam Lu’s words to be so vicious. It would have been one thing if she didn’t care about Pei Luo’s life or death, but she was even cursing her own daughter-in-law.
No wonder the villagers all said she was sharp-tongued and mean. It was his own fault for meddling and coming to report this.
“I was just worried something might happen to my younger sister-in-law. Since Auntie doesn’t care whether she lives or dies, just pretend I was never here.”
Zhuzi’s tone became noticeably colder as he turned around to leave.
Old Madam Lu cursed behind him.
“She’s not your wife. Why are you so worried? Don’t think that just because my third son isn’t home you can start having crooked thoughts. Instead of worrying about other people’s wives, you should manage your own.”
Her words were extremely unpleasant. Zhuzi left the Lu family residence with a flushed face from anger, deciding he would never again involve himself in the Lu family’s affairs.
“Mother, what’s going on? Why are you arguing so early in the morning?”
Lu Shan and his wife had just gotten up when they heard their mother shouting angrily outside. Seeing her sharp and harsh expression made him frown.
“It’s all because of that troublesome Pei woman. She went into the mountains early this morning. She really has guts. There have been wolves howling in the mountains these past few days, yet she’s not afraid of being eaten.”
Old Madam Lu still spoke nothing but harsh words.
Lu Shan was startled.
“The mountains are so dangerous. Why would Third Brother’s wife go there? No, I need to gather some people and call her back. If she enters the deep mountains, she might not come back alive.”
As he spoke, Lu Shan was about to go call people, but his wife Zhao suddenly grabbed him.
“Where are you going? If she wants to die, can you stop her? Mother hasn’t said anything yet, so why are you so anxious?”
Lu Shan shook Zhao’s hand off and scolded her.
“What kind of words are those? No matter what, Pei is still a daughter-in-law of the Lu family. Third Brother isn’t home, so as her elder brother I can’t just watch her go risk her life.”
He struggled to go out again, but at that moment Old Madam Lu spoke.
“You’re not allowed to go. If she dies, she deserves it. The moment she entered this family, my son was taken away by soldiers and his life or death is still unknown. I say she’s a disaster. I told you from the start she wasn’t worth that wild boar. But Third Son refused to listen. If it weren’t for her, he might not have gotten into trouble.”
Back then, when Lu Yuan wanted to exchange a wild boar to marry Pei Luo, she had already opposed it. That wild boar could have fed the whole family for a long time, and selling it could bring in two or three taels of silver.
But her son insisted on marrying her. After the woman entered the house, she constantly argued with her and even encouraged her son to separate from the family and live independently.
Otherwise, they would not now be living in that shabby house.
Lu Shan still wanted to argue, but Old Madam Lu remained firm.
“I said you are not allowed to go. If you still recognize me as your mother, then you will not leave today.”
Lu Shan clenched his teeth and sighed. In the end, he did not dare disobey his mother.
Meanwhile, in another room, the second son and his wife had heard most of the conversation. Although they didn’t agree with their mother’s behavior, he also knew he had little strength. Even if he went, he probably wouldn’t be able to help.
“Husband, maybe you should go find the village chief,” Yang said softly. “Third Sister-in-law is a woman. If she encounters danger in the mountains, she might never come back.”
Although Yang did not get along with Pei Luo, she was kind-hearted and could not bear to see a life lost.
Lu Ming sighed and looked at his wife.
“You know Mother’s temper. If she finds out we called the village chief to help, she’ll definitely scold us when we return. And you know Third Brother’s wife’s personality too. She values her life more than anyone. I think she’ll only wander around the outer areas and won’t dare go deep into the mountains.”
After thinking about it, Yang felt her husband’s reasoning made sense. In the end, she could only silently pray that Pei Luo would not run into danger.
Unfortunately, they did not know that the current Pei Luo was no longer the original woman.
With a bow and arrows on her back and a basket behind her, she headed deeper and deeper into the mountains.
The mountain range stretched for thousands of miles. Even the experienced hunters from nearby villages rarely dared to go deep inside because it was easy to get lost in the forest.
Although Pei Luo had a good sense of direction, the forest was simply too vast. So as she walked, she left marks along the way to avoid getting lost.
Not long after entering the deeper forest, the sound of wolves howling echoed through the mountains.
Medicinal herbs could already be seen scattered across the ground. Occasionally she even spotted Bletilla and Dendrobium, and she even found a wild ginseng plant.
Bletilla is a plant from the orchid family and a perennial herb. Its rhizome can be used as medicine and is excellent for stopping bleeding. It can also treat ulcers and is very beneficial for wounds. It contains many useful components that can even help reduce scars.
For frequent nosebleeds or burns on the hands, Bletilla can be used as medicine.
It is considered a valuable traditional medicinal herb, especially when it is wild, as it can be sold for a high price. In her previous life, wild Bletilla had already become quite rare. She did not expect to encounter it here.
Dendrobium is another precious plant that likes to grow in warm and humid environments. Its medicinal value is no less than wild ginseng, and it is often called the “immortal grass.”
Many people like to cook Dendrobium soup to nourish the body. Wild Dendrobium is especially rare.
Taking it back would be perfect for nourishing the two children’s bodies.