Little Tiger Girl rubbed Da Keng’s head with her small hand: “Keng Keng… no… cry cry…”
Da Keng wiped his face forcefully. “No crying!”
He noticed the two little ones tucked under Little Tiger Girl’s armpit and asked, “Little Aunt, did you pick these up?”
“Pick… Little Meow Meow, Little Doggy…” Little Tiger Girl said in her milky voice.
Little White Tiger and Little White Wolf felt their hearts instantly break.
Da Keng glanced at them. “They don’t look like Little Meow Meow and Little Doggy.”
“Are… Little Meow Meow, Little Doggy…” Little Tiger Girl insisted.
Worried about his family—both he and his little aunt had fallen off the cliff, and he couldn’t imagine how frantic everyone must be—Da Keng said, “Alright, if Little Aunt says so, then it is. Little Aunt, let’s go home. The whole family must be worried sick.”
“Go go… big Fishies…” Little Tiger Girl pointed at the fish in the river, speaking in her childish tone.
Da Keng laughed. His little aunt was quite the little miser, still thinking about catching fish to bring back even at a time like this. “Little Aunt, I’ll weave a basket right away and gather some Fishies to take home.”
With that, Da Keng went to collect branches. There were plenty of branches under the cliff, and soon he returned with an armful.
Country kids were tough and handy, having done all sorts of chores since they were young. Da Keng had been helping adults weave baskets since he was three and was quite skilled at it.
In no time, he wove a huge back basket. “Little Aunt, what do you think of this back basket?”
Little Tiger Girl grinned widely. “Good good…”
Da Keng added, “Little Aunt, Fishies will die if we catch them too early. Let’s not get them now. We’ll catch them just before we find the exit, so they’ll be fresh when we carry them home.”
After saying this, he placed his little aunt into the back basket and put the two little ones inside as well. The back basket was so spacious that with Little Tiger Girl sitting inside, no one could tell from the outside that there was anyone in it.
Once Da Keng had settled his little aunt, Little White Wolf, and Little White Tiger securely, he called out, “Let’s go!” He crouched down, hoisted the back basket onto his back, and started walking along the riverbank.
He remembered his grandmother telling him when he was little that if he ever got lost, he should follow the river—it would lead him home.
Da Keng carried his little aunt and walked for a long, long time, but he still couldn’t find the exit. As the sun began to set, he knew spending the night at the bottom of the cliff was far too dangerous. He had no choice but to find a safe cave first, settle his little aunt inside, and then go out to catch a big fish, planning to roast it for her.
The fish was plump and hefty. Da Keng tossed it into the back basket, carried it back to the cave on his back.
“Little Aunt, how about we roast the fish to eat?”
Little Tiger Girl was hungry. Seeing Da Keng pull the big fish out of the back basket, she opened her little mouth and tried to bite it.
Da Keng laughed. “Little Aunt, this fish is raw; you can’t eat it like that. I’ll roast it for you right away!”
Da Keng built a fire at the cave entrance, skewered the big fish on a branch, and started roasting it. Soon, an enticing aroma wafted through the air. The fish skin sizzled as oil dripped out, falling into the fire and making the flames leap higher.
Little Tiger Girl drooled, captivated by the smell.
After a while, the fish was finally roasted. By the firelight, Da Keng carefully picked out the bones and fed the tender, fragrant, and juicy fish meat to his little aunt.
When Tiger Girl was just a few months old, she could only drink goat’s milk. Later, when she was old enough to eat meat, a drought struck, so she had never tasted fish before.
This was her first time trying such delicious roasted fish, and the little one ate with great enthusiasm.The fish was quite large, weighing at least four or five jin. Little Tiger Girl only managed to eat a small portion before feeling too full to continue, rubbing her little belly and hiccupping repeatedly.
Seeing that his little aunt had almost finished eating, Da Keng began to eat himself. The flavor of the big fish was exceptionally delicious, ten times better than the fish he usually caught from the small river, perhaps because the water here was clear and sweet.
While eating the fish himself, Da Keng didn’t forget to feed some to Little Meow Meow and Little Doggy.
Although Little White Wolf and Little White Tiger were carnivores, neither of them particularly liked fish because of the many bones, which made eating it troublesome.
They preferred meat, but with only fish available at the moment, they reluctantly ate a little.
After everyone had eaten their fill of fish, Da Keng fetched some river water, boiled it, and gave it to his little aunt to drink. Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, they all went to sleep.
During the night, several groups of wild beasts, drawn by the scent of humans, wandered near the cave entrance a few times, but Little White Wolf and Little White Tiger chased them all away.
They slept extremely soundly through the night.
When Little Tiger Girl woke up, the sky was already bright. She rolled over and got up in one swift motion. Da Keng was at the cave entrance, simmering fish soup with beast bones. Seeing his little aunt awake, he smiled and called out, “Little aunt, come have some fish soup. After we finish, we’ll head home.”
Little Tiger Girl, drawn by the aroma, hurried over on her short little legs. The fish soup had already turned a milky white. Da Keng carefully took the pot down, blew on it to cool it, and fed a spoonful to his little aunt.
The fish soup was rich, fragrant, and delicious, almost as tasty as goat’s milk.
After Little Tiger Girl had her fill of fish soup, Da Keng placed her back into the back basket, and the aunt-nephew pair set off.
…
Meanwhile, up on the cliff, Liu Yun was being lowered down by a rope. She was timid, and with every slight descent, she let out a terrified scream.
Moreover, her broken arm occasionally bumped against rocks and such, causing so much pain that sweat dripped down her face.
If she had known that harming that little fairy would lead to such a fate, she would never have become Zhang Cuihua’s pawn!
Yes, it was only now that Liu Yun realized she had foolishly acted as her mother’s pawn.
Her mother had always been at odds with the Bai family and had wanted to use her to deal with that little fairy from the Bai family. Her mother’s heart was truly wicked.
Liu Tiezhu had also descended and was right beside her. Every time she screamed, he would shoot her a warning look.
Trembling with fear, Liu Yun focused on staying alive and had no energy to argue with Liu Tiezhu.
The cliff was deep, with no visible bottom. Thick fog swirled below, and chilly winds blew, as if countless demons and monsters were hiding within!
It felt like a hundred years had passed before Liu Yun finally couldn’t hold on any longer and fainted.
…
Da Keng and his little aunt made relatively smooth progress this time and finally found the exit just before sunset!
Da Keng quickly lifted his little aunt out of the back basket, then picked up Little Meow Meow and Little Doggy as well. Rolling up his pant legs, he waded into the small river and caught over ten large fish.
The fish were huge, each weighing seven or eight jin, and the ten-plus fish filled the basket to the brim.
Afraid of being discovered, Da Keng pulled some grass to cover the fish, making it look from the outside as though he were carrying a basket of grass.
With the fish securely on his back, he let his little aunt ride on his shoulders. Little Meow Meow and Little Doggy had no place to sit, so they trotted along behind, two fluffy, palm-sized balls rolling around at his feet, utterly adorable.
The Bai family was going crazy with worry. Both children had been missing for two days, and if they weren’t found soon, the hope of them being alive would be almost zero.Bai Renyi and Cui Shi hadn’t slept at all, their eyes filled with red veins. The three sisters-in-law cried together in a huddle, with even the toughest Li Zhenzhu weeping until her face was streaked with tears. All four of them cried until their voices grew hoarse.
The three brothers had become unshaven overnight, their gazes vacant, as if they had aged decades in a single night.