Wang Juhua, the third brother’s wife, rolled her eyes upon hearing this and said, “She must be craving locust flower pancakes! Being so greedy at such a young age, she’ll definitely grow into a big fat girl that no one will marry!”
It happened to be the season for locust flowers. Clean them, beat in two eggs, mix in some flour, stir it all together, and fry it into pancakes in a pan—it was fragrant and delicious!
Wang Juhua thought to herself that since Old Lady Shen doted on this little girl Shen Xihe so much, she would definitely pick some locust flowers to make pancakes.
When that time came, she could take the opportunity to eat those delicious, fragrant locust flower pancakes!
Old Lady Shen glared at Wang Juhua in annoyance and said, “Bullshit! Guibao has never even eaten a locust flower pancake before, how could she be craving them? I think it’s you who is craving them!”
After speaking, Old Lady Shen looked down at little Xihe again and coaxed, “Guibao, how about Grandma takes you to the mountain this afternoon, okay?”
Little Xihe shook her head stubbornly, her watery big eyes looking at Old Lady Shen as she said, “Grandma, go to the mountain now.”
Seeing her little granddaughter’s expression, Old Lady Shen’s heart softened instantly. She immediately picked up little Xihe and said, “Alright, alright, alright, let’s go to the mountain. Grandma will carry you to the mountain to have a look.”
Hearing this, little Xihe grabbed Old Lady Shen’s clothes and said earnestly, “Grandpa goes too, brothers go too, Daddy goes too, Mommy goes too, Eldest Uncle goes too, Eldest Aunt goes too…”
She did not stop until she had named every single member of the Shen family.
Just as Old Lady Shen was about to agree, Wang Juhua spoke up again in a sarcastic tone, “There is still so much work to be done at home. If everyone accompanies you to the mountain, who is going to do the household chores…”
Old Lady Shen looked at Wang Juhua with a cold gaze, and only then did Wang Juhua dare not say any more.
Seeing Wang Juhua shut her mouth, Old Lady Shen spoke up, “Today is Guibao’s birthday. What’s wrong with going to the mountain to play together and make Guibao happy?”
“It just so happens that the locust flowers in the mountain are in bloom. It’s also good for our whole family to go pick some locust flowers, gather some mushrooms and star jelly, and bring back some wild vegetables while we’re at it.”
Except for Wang Juhua, the rest of the Shen family had no objections. They all picked up baskets, hoes, and firewood knives, preparing to go up the mountain to pick locust flowers, gather mushrooms, and collect star jelly.
Little Xihe’s brothers were especially happy, as they had rarely gone up the mountain to play since they started school. They happily clustered around little Xihe and walked up the mountain.
Just as the Shen family reached the mountain, thunder roared and lightning flashed in the sky, and a pouring rain began to fall.
Now, no one had the mind to pick locust flowers. They hurriedly hid inside a thatched hut used by woodcutters to rest, intending to wait until the torrential rain stopped before going out.
Wang Juhua could not help glaring at little Xihe, complaining in a low voice, “I said not to go up the mountain, not to go up the mountain… Now look at this, we’re trapped on the mountain.”
Shen Fu was standing right beside Wang Juhua. Hearing his wife’s complaints, he hurriedly pulled hard on her sleeve, terrified that his father and mother would hear.
The Shen family waited inside the thatched hut until night fell before the torrential rain finally ceased.
As soon as they stepped out of the thatched hut, the Shen family heard the mighty, rushing sound of flowing water from below the mountain, interspersed with screams and crying.
Wang Juhua muttered, “What happened in the village? Shouting so loudly that we can hear it even standing up here…”
The faces of the rest of the Shen family were also filled with confusion.
Old Man Shen looked solemn. Looking at everyone, he said, “This sound doesn’t sound right. We must go down the mountain immediately to check!”
The Shen family nodded one after another and followed behind Old Man Shen, walking down toward the foot of the mountain.
When they reached a spot where they could see the foot of the mountain, the expressions on the Shen family’s faces turned instantly deathly pale.
Seeing the scene below the mountain, Wang Juhua was so frightened that she stumbled back two steps and tripped over dead branches on the ground, falling to the floor.