Chapter 19: Lingering Fear

It took everyone a long while to calm down. Tonight’s events had been terrifying. If Wang Dazhu had actually found anything while searching the house, their few days of peace would have been completely over.

Fortunately, the porcini mushrooms and the chicken mushrooms had all been eaten that morning. Only Wu Meixia and Tong Lingxian’s room might still have had some eggs left.

No one knew where the two of them had hidden the eggs, yet somehow Wang Dazhu hadn’t found them.

Wu Meixia thought for a moment and said, “Lingxian, where do you think my eggs went? I clearly put them under the bed, yet Wang Dazhu didn’t find them.”

“And why is he so insistent that I have banned books? When has he ever been to our side?”

Tong Lingxian’s eyes narrowed.

“He’s probably deliberately framing us. From what happened in the fields yesterday, it’s clear he doesn’t like us and is just using this as an excuse to pin something on us,” she continued.

“And there’s another possibility,” Fang Bo Song added. “He keeps implying blame on the Brigade Leader. If banned books were found, it would point to the Brigade Leader’s negligence. I think his ultimate goal is to make things difficult for the Brigade Leader.”

As for why he would target the Brigade Leader, Tong Lingxian and Fang Bo Song exchanged a knowing look.

They had only sent the porcini mushrooms away last night, and today Wang Dazhu came knocking, looking as if he was determined to drag the Brigade Leader down with them.

If the cattle shed had really contained banned books, not only would they be implicated, but the Brigade Leader would certainly be held accountable. In a serious case, he could even lose his position.

This opportunity might have arisen because Wang Dazhu accidentally discovered what had happened yesterday. Since he bore a grudge against the Brigade Leader, he seized the chance to stir up trouble.

Tong Lingxian recalled carefully: during the lunch break today, Wang Dazhu seemed to have gone home.

These past days, they had all been working nearby. Normally, after finishing work, Wang Dazhu would lie down on the ground to sleep. But today, he not only didn’t sleep, he actively said he wanted to go home for a meal.

By the time he was about to return to work, Tong Lingxian noticed that the back of his clothes was dirty, as if he had rolled around in the field.

At the time, she hadn’t said anything, thinking he might have gone elsewhere to take a nap.

Now it seemed certain: he had taken advantage of the fact that no one was home and deliberately hidden the so-called banned books in the house.

Wang Dazhu hadn’t mentioned what happened last night, probably because it wasn’t entirely safe, which is why he hid the books.

Something must have gone wrong in the process. The book wasn’t found, and then he couldn’t find any food in the house, leaving him frustrated.

The two of them pieced together the whole situation in just a few sentences, but their hearts were heavy. After all, last night’s events had still implicated the Brigade Leader, they shouldn’t have gone in the first place.

Wu Meixia didn’t fully grasp the key point and only nodded half-comprehendingly. “So thankfully, the Brigade Leader was rational and didn’t take Wang Dazhu’s word for it. Otherwise, he might have fallen right into Wang Dazhu’s trap.”

“But why is Wang Dazhu so fixated on the Brigade Leader? Do they have some grudge against each other?”

Old Yu, who had been around the longest, shook his head. No one really knew the twists and turns of this matter, and it wasn’t something they could discuss too deeply.

Time passed, and everyone was starving. Today it was Fang Bo Song’s turn to cook. As soon as he went out, he finally remembered the two little ones in the house.

The three of them hurried next door. It had been so long since they had heard any noise that they worried the children had been too frightened to come out.

As soon as the door opened, they ran straight into Tang Yao, her eyes red, with Fang Mingxi sleepily on her back.

Tong Lingxian exclaimed in shock, “Yaoyao, Xixi, where have you been? Weren’t you at home?”

Fang Bo Song quickly lifted Fang Mingxi from Tang Yao’s back and held her close, soothing her to sleep.

“Leaves… Yaoyao, did you go up the mountain this afternoon? Were you on the mountain all afternoon?”

Tang Yao didn’t respond, burying her head in Wu Meixia’s arms and clinging tightly.

“Grandmother, are you okay?”

She had witnessed the whole ordeal earlier and had been terrified that the banned book the bad uncle mentioned might appear in their home.

It was because of this kind of thing that her grandfather had passed away. She couldn’t bear to lose her grandmother the same way.

Fortunately, her grandmother was safe. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known what to do.

Wu Meixia patted Tang Yao’s back. “Yaoyao, Grandmother is fine. Don’t be afraid. I won’t leave you.”

Wu Meixia couldn’t hold back her words. After soothing her for a while, once Tang Yao calmed down, she gently lifted her out of her arms.

She placed her hands on Tang Yao’s shoulders. “Yaoyao, did someone came to our house today? And the eggs and mushrooms I hid under the bed are all gone?”

Tang Yao sniffled, choking back tears. “I don’t know. I went out while Xixi was sleeping. I’m not sure if someone came into the house.”

“I came back at noon to cook. I went under the bed to check, and the mushrooms should have still been there.”

“Under the bed?” Wu Meixia hurried back into the room, lighting the kerosene lamp with a heavy heart. Tong Lingxian helped hold the lamp so she could reach under the bed.

The bed wasn’t completely enclosed. Only the headboard had a square opening where items could be tucked; the rest was blocked by wooden boards. One could only crawl in halfway.

Normally, Wu Meixia would hide things in a basket slightly further in, estimating the reach herself, so no one could spot it at a glance and food could be successfully hidden.

Now, as she reached in, she found an empty space. She searched several times but couldn’t feel the basket.

Tong Lingxian lowered her head, bringing the oil lamp closer.

With the light, Wu Meixia saw a dark shadow at the very bottom of the bed but she still couldn’t reach it.

Wu Meixia quickly grabbed a stick, hooked the shadow, and pulled it out.

It was indeed the missing basket. She lifted the straw on top and saw five wild eggs and the remaining porcini mushrooms still inside.

Wu Meixia’s heart finally relaxed. Fortunately, Tang Yao had moved the basket at noon and accidentally pushed it further in, which is why Wang Dazhu came up empty-handed.

She muttered a few words of thanks to heaven, finally letting herself breathe. They had narrowly escaped another disaster.

Seeing this, Tong Lingxian’s spine tingled. Their own bed had nothing under it; anyone could see what was tucked away at a glance. They had only blocked the bed with a trunk. Clearly, it wasn’t safe. She made a mental note to have Bo Song seal the open spaces under the bed next time so no one could get in.

Just as they were about to eat, Tang Yao suddenly remembered something she had forgotten. She dashed out and soon returned.

Wu Meixia asked in confusion, “Yaoyao, what’s this?” The white tuber was dirty and still had some mud, was it newly found food?

Tang Yao placed the sweet potato on the table and smiled at everyone at the dining table. “Grandmother, this is something Xixi and I found on the mountain this afternoon. I don’t know what it is, but I tried a bite and found it edible.”

“You silly child! You dared to eat something you don’t even recognize. What if it’s poisonous? Yun Province isn’t like our old home, there are many toxic mushrooms on the mountain.” Wu Meixia pinched Tang Yao’s cheek. Though her words were scolding, her eyes were full of worry and affection.

They were useless. They relied on a child to find food. Just thinking about their granddaughter going up the mountain the past two days, searching all over for food, made her heart ache.

The mountain paths were difficult, and finding edible food was even harder. A whole day’s work just so everyone wouldn’t go hungry at night.

Wu Meixia must have done a lot of good deeds in her previous life to have such an obedient granddaughter in this one.

“Yaoyao, isn’t this a white sweet potato?”