"Shh, keep your voice down." Liu Qingsong shushed little sister, then frowned toward the pine forest in the southeastern area.
In that direction.
The intermittent, miserable cries of a Wild Mountain Goat came drifting over.
Though the sound was faint, Liu Qingsong was certain he hadn't misheard it.
He handed little sister the Wild Hare and Animal Trap, picked up a stone, and walked over quietly.
As he drew closer.
The pitiful sight of a Wild Mountain Goat caught in an Animal Trap came into view.
The Wild Mountain Goat was dull yellow and weighed at least fifty or sixty jin, judging by its build. Now it lay in a pool of blood, barely clinging to life.
The Animal Trap had caught its foreleg and crushed it, leaving only a strip of skin.
Liu Qingsong's brow furrowed at the sight. Seeing no one nearby, he stepped forward, raised the stone, and killed the Wild Mountain Goat. He hoisted it onto his shoulders and walked toward little sister and Little Mochi.
This morning's haul had been plentiful.
For some reason.
For some reason, Liu Qingsong felt displeased.
The reason was obvious: if one of these Animal Traps had injured his family, the story would have been entirely different.
Little Mochi and little sister stared wide-eyed at the Wild Mountain Goat on his shoulders. Liu Qingsong came to his senses and reminded them, "Stop staring. String the Animal Traps together with straw, then carry them back with the Wild Hare."
"Remember, don't make a fuss about this."
If word got out.
The person who set the Animal Traps wouldn't be afraid even if they heard about it.
But the consequences would be endless trouble.
Anyone brazen enough to defy the rules of the Huajiao Production Brigade by secretly setting Animal Traps was no good.
"Mm, mm!" Little sister hurried to comply. She strung the six Animal Traps together with straw and hung two around Little Mochi's neck.
This wasn't her bullying Little Mochi.
She still had to carry the plump Wild Hare.
Naturally, two of the six Animal Traps had to be split off for Little Mochi to carry.
Seeing that they could manage, Liu Qingsong took Little Mochi's hand with one free hand and headed home at the foot of the mountain.
At that moment, Liu Lijuan was locking the front gate, getting ready to take Liu Qinglong and Liu Qingshi to school.
Hearing the clanging of metal coming from the foot of the mountain, she couldn't help but turn her head instinctively toward the source of the sound.
The clanging came from the Animal Traps around Little Mochi's neck. Little sister carried a plump Wild Hare in one hand and Animal Traps in the other, while Liu Qingsong had a Wild Mountain Goat slung over his shoulder. Liu Lijuan stared in shock.
Liu Qinglong and Liu Qingshi were dumbfounded too.
The two brothers recovered and flung down their book bags before running over.
When he drew near, Liu Qinglong asked, "Third Brother, what were you doing on Back Mountain? You caught a Wild Mountain Goat and a Wild Hare in such a short time."
"Heh heh! We can have extra dishes tonight." Liu Qingshi was overjoyed.
"Shh, keep it down." Liu Qingsong shushed his brothers, then carried the Wild Mountain Goat through the front gate at a brisk pace.
Liu Lijuan followed behind without saying a word.
Not until Liu Qingsong had set the Wild Mountain Goat down on the Stove Platform, and little sister had shut the wooden door of the kitchen, did she quietly ask: "Were this Wild Hare and Wild Mountain Goat both found caught in Animal Traps up on Back Mountain?"
"Mm." Liu Qingsong nodded, then reached up and wiped the sweat from his face.
"These damned beasts, do they even see our family as people at all? Have they ever considered whether our family lives or dies? If you three hadn't been lucky today, we might not have made it back at all." Once Liu Lijuan got confirmation from Liu Qingsong, her face turned livid and she couldn't help cursing furiously.
Though Liu Qingshi and Liu Qinglong were still young.
They had by now caught on to what was happening.
Looking at the wound on the Wild Mountain Goat's leg, their expressions turned grim as well.
They said nothing. Instead, they helped remove the Animal Traps from around Little Mochi's neck.
Liu Qingsong glanced at the sky outside and tried to calm Liu Lijuan. "Second elder sister, don't get angry. Take Fourth Sibling and Old Wu to school and pay their tuition first."
"So what do you plan to do with this Wild Mountain Goat and Wild Hare?" Liu Lijuan asked.
"Gut them and cook them for ourselves, of course!" Liu Qingsong replied.
"No, that won't do. I'll sell them—we could get a lot of grain!" Liu Lijuan rolled up her sleeves and reached for a sack to hold the Wild Mountain Goat.
Liu Qingsong did not stop her. Instead, he warned, "Second elder sister, this Wild Mountain Goat belongs to the person who set the Animal Trap. If you sell it, word will get out. What will you do when that person hears?"
"Anyone who defies the Huajiao Production Brigade's rules by setting Animal Traps in secret is no good!"
"This..." Liu Lijuan froze, a chill of fear creeping over her.
"And another thing..." Liu Qingsong lowered his voice. "Last year, Old Wang was charged with speculative reselling after selling two Wild Pheasants he had caught. He's still in Reform Through Labor. Do you want to follow in his footsteps?"
He wasn't trying to scare second elder sister.
Their family had a strained relationship with Production Team Captain Wang Xiaohe and the Production Team Accountant. If they secretly sold a Wild Mountain Goat, those two would surely Kick Someone When They Are Down.
By the time regret set in, it would already be too late.
"Fine, I'll listen to you and not sell it." After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Lijuan replied, "You stay home and process the Wild Mountain Goat and Wild Hare. I'll go to school and pay tuition for Fourth Sibling and Old Wu."
"Hey!" Liu Qingsong nodded repeatedly.
"Let's go." Liu Lijuan let her sleeves back down, and taking Liu Qinglong and Liu Qingshi with her, walked out of the kitchen.
Liu Qingsong watched them disappear along the winding mountain path. The boiled Sweet Potatoes on the Stove Platform were still warm, so he carried them to the nearby small table. He called little sister and Little Mochi over, and they ate heartily with Spicy Diaozi Fish.
After eating their fill.
He picked up the kitchen knife and set about processing the Wild Mountain Goat and Wild Hare.
……
Around 7:40 in the morning.
Around 7:40 in the morning, Liu Lijuan led Liu Qingshi and Liu Qinglong through the gates of Huajiao Primary School behind a dozen or so other students.
In 1978, Huajiao Primary School was old and dilapidated. The roof consisted of Rice Straw and Cow-Hair Felt, and black water stains showed beneath the eaves. Swallow nests lined the building, apparently unconcerned by the leaks.
Liu Lijuan had not visited Huajiao Primary School in a long time, so she stopped often to look around after entering.
As she led her two younger brothers toward the classroom, a cute short-haired girl ran over and blocked Liu Qingshi's path. "Radish head, have you eaten breakfast?"
She pulled two warm pieces of Shaobing Flatbread from her book bag and held them out to Liu Qingshi. "If you haven't eaten, eat these. My grandma made them for me."
Watching this scene, Liu Lijuan couldn't help but stifle a laugh.
She was also surprised that her Fourth Sibling was so well-liked that a girl classmate had brought him Shaobing Flatbread.
But Liu Qingshi felt awkward as he looked at the Shaobing Flatbread she offered. "Wu Lanlan, thanks for the thought, but I already ate breakfast today."
"You ate already?" The short-haired girl—Wu Lanlan—blinked, then brightened. "Good. As long as you ate breakfast, don't go hungry like before. You'll get sick."
"Mm, I know." Liu Qingshi's heart warmed, and he nodded.
Wu Lanlan was his desk-mate, and also his best friend at school.
He often went hungry and secretly ate quite a bit of Wu Lanlan's food. But today was different: second elder sister and many classmates were watching.
If he accepted Wu Lanlan's Shaobing Flatbread.
He would probably be teased to death.
Even though he politely declined Wu Lanlan's kind gesture,
Several boys passing by began stirring things up: "Radish head, you couldn't have eaten breakfast. You're too embarrassed to take Wu Lanlan's Shaobing Flatbread."
"That's right. Even if you ate breakfast, it was probably Sweet Potatoes."
"It's only because Wu Lanlan's so nice to you that she can put up with a classmate who eats Sweet Potatoes every day and is always farting. If it were me, I'd have asked the teacher to switch seats ages ago."
"Hahaha... Liu Qingshi, you're not only a radish head but also the stink-fart king."
……
The boys grew more excited and more outrageous with every remark, until Liu Qingshi finally lost his temper. "Stop talking nonsense! My family doesn't eat Sweet Potatoes every day!"
"That's right, keep talking nonsense and see if we don't rip your mouths apart." Liu Qinglong clenched his fists in fury as well, warning them.
Liu Lijuan's face had gone dark too.
As she was about to intervene, a mischievous boy teased Liu Qingshi: "Then what does your family eat besides Sweet Potatoes?"
"Hmph, don't you dare underestimate me!" Liu Qingshi pulled a lunchbox out of his patched book bag and opened it.
In an instant, everyone around went quiet.
Some of the boys even started swallowing their saliva.
Even Wu Lanlan gasped and covered her mouth in surprise.
The Spicy Diaozi Fish inside the lunchbox was golden-brown on both sides. When Liu Qingshi opened it, its tempting aroma wafted out.