Chapter 32
Complaint
Even though they had witnessed Mu Yangling’s strength just now, when they saw her carrying four bundles of grains on her shoulders and walking to the middle of the threshing floor with one bundle in her hand, the villagers still could not accept it. Hence, everyone stopped working and squatted on the ground to watch and count the bundles of grains Mu Yangling had carried back.
Madam Ma-Zhang said enviously, “Whose daughter is this? She’s really capable. If I had such a daughter, I’d be enjoying life already.”
“Forget it. With such strength, she must have a voracious appetite. Moreover, when she grows up, how much dowry will she have to prepare for someone to want to marry her?”
Madam Ma-Zhang was unconvinced. “If such a capable girl is willing to marry into my family, I’ll give her betrothal gifts and won’t ask for a single cent of dowry.”
Everyone burst out laughing. A man laughed and said, “Sister-in-law, this is just what you think. If she really marries into your family, will it be the man hitting his wife or the woman hitting the man? Besides, if she’s lazy, who in your family can control her?”
A kind-hearted young wife shouted, “Alright, alright. The young lady didn’t offend you, yet you’re gossiping happily about her. If her father hears about it, let’s see if he beats you up.”
A youth at the side shouted, “If you ask me, Uncle and Auntie, you’re all dreaming. Look at her rosy face and long limbs. Can you afford to raise her? Do you know how old she is?”
“Children in the village grow slowly. She must be 11 or 12 years old, right?” That said, it was only because they were malnourished.
“Auntie, you have excellent judgment.” The youth smiled and said, “Xiuhong said that her cousin is two months older than her. She’s nine years old this year. Hahaha…” The kid ran away after saying that.
Realizing that she was being teased, Madam Ma-Zhang reached out to grab him. However, that kid had already started running around the threshing floor, so she couldn’t very well be calculative with a junior.
“Only nine years old? Geez, that size.”
Madam Ma-Zhang hurriedly said, “I’ve seen many nine-year-old girls in town of this size.”
“How can that be the same? People in town can eat their fill…”
When Mu Yangling returned with the rice, the youth appeared again and asked loudly, “Little girl, how many bowls of rice do you eat per meal?”
Mu Yangling looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he asked this question, but she still replied, “Three bowls.”
The youth smacked his lips and asked, “Rice?”
“Of course. How could it be porridge? That’s for breakfast,” Mu Yangling said.
Madam Ma-Zhang said, “Although it’s a little more, it’s not especially much.”
What Madam Ma-Zhang didn’t know was that Mu Yangling’s bowl was different from other people’s. Because she and her father ate a lot, Shu Wanniang specially gave the two of them a huge bowl each, and one such bowl was equivalent to two normal-sized bowls.
Mu Yangling did not take this matter to heart. Now that the sun was already setting, she could at most finish tying up the grains in that half of the field.
When Mu Yangling returned to the field, the three of them were already sitting paralyzed in the field. They had already tied up all the grains in this half of the field.
The three of them simply weren’t quick enough for Mu Yangling. It was only because Mu Yangling came back to help that it could be done so quickly.
Mu Yangling said to Madam Ma-Liu, “Great-aunt, don’t work tonight. Go back and rest. I’ll come and help you tomorrow.”
Ma Xiuhong’s eyes sparkled as she said crisply, “Thank you, Cousin!”
However, Madam Ma-Liu waved her hand and said, “You’re not allowed to come again tomorrow. It’ll be the Mid-Autumn Festival soon. When the first snow falls, the mountain will be sealed. Your family depends on hunting for a living, so you have to hurry up and hunt more prey to prepare for the winter. There isn’t much left. I can handle it by myself.”
Mu Yangling did not say anything else. Anyway, she would just come again tomorrow. Now that her family’s leather goods had already been sold, that 40 taels of silver would be more than enough to sustain them till next autumn.
After she carried five bundles and left, there was only one bundle left in the field. Madam Ma-Liu shouted for her eldest granddaughter to carry it with her.
However, the 70 to 80 catties of grains almost bent the old lady’s back. The sight of it made Mu Yangling’s heart tremble in fear. After thinking for a while, she quickened her pace and threw the grains onto the threshing floor, then sprinted back to take the grains from the old lady.
Ma Youcai’s family had been watching coldly from the sidelines. When they saw the three of them return, they couldn’t help but snort coldly.
Mu Yangling turned her head and glared at them. She said to Great-aunt, “Great-aunt, let’s go back. I’m thirsty.”
Madam Ma-Liu knew that she was afraid that she would get into another conflict with them, so she agreed.
As it was getting late, Mu Yangling only sat at the Ma residence for a while before carrying her basket and heading home.
Madam Ma-Liu wanted to get her more pickled vegetables and pickled beans. She said, “I didn’t know you were so strong before. Now, take more back. Do hurry up and return home before the sun sets.”
Mu Yangling carried the basket on her back and ran. Raising her voice, she said, “It’s getting late. I should hurry. I’ll come back and take it tomorrow.”
When Madam Ma-Liu ran out with the pickled vegetables, all she could see was Mu Yangling running up the mountain. She could only sigh and turn around to go back.
Seeing that his daughter had not returned for a long time, Mu Shi’s originally confident attitude became hesitant. Could it be that his daughter had lost her way? Or had something happened in the forest?
He didn’t dare to show any traces to worry his wife, so he could only wait at the mountain pass under the excuse of gathering firewood. However, he had already gathered two bundles of firewood, but his daughter was still nowhere to be seen.
Looking up at the sun setting in the west, Mu Shan decided to enter the mountains to look for his daughter if she still hadn’t returned in a while.
The forest was too dangerous at night. Considering how bold that girl was, he hoped she was not planning to cross the mountain at night.
Mu Shi had just sat down on the grass when he heard footsteps. He quickly stood up and saw Mu Yangling running down the mountain after turning around a few trees. Only then did Mu Shi heave a sigh of relief. Then, he became angry. “Child, I asked you to go to Great-aunt’s house. Why did you only come back at this time?”
Panting a little, Mu Yangling ran down and shouted, “Father, Great-aunt is being bullied. Hurry up and get Great-uncle to back her up.”
Mu Shi was startled. He grabbed his daughter, who had just run up to him. “What happened? Who bullied your great-aunt?”
Mu Yangling quickly told her father about what had happened today. In the end, she said, “Great-aunt is old and my cousins are still young. From the looks of it, Ma Dagui’s family often bully Great-aunt and my cousins. If I wasn’t around today, the three of them could only swallow their anger. She’s a daughter of our Nearhill Village. We can’t sit by and do nothing while she gets bullied like this.”
Mu Shi patted his daughter’s head. “You know what ‘a daughter of Nearhill Village’ is? Go back quickly. This is a matter for the adults. Don’t get involved.” As he spoke, he picked up the firewood and left.
Mu Yangling followed behind her father indignantly and said, “Why wouldn’t I know? Last time, when Uncle Ma’s daughter was bullied by her in-laws, didn’t Uncle and the others go to Four Village with the Ma family to seek justice for her? They even beat up her husband.”
Looking at his overexcited daughter, Mu Shi felt his head hurt even more. He could only say vaguely, “Your great-aunt’s matter is a little different.”
“How is it different? Weren’t they all bullied by their in-laws?” Mu Yangling didn’t understand. Recalling Ma Dagui’s self-righteous claim that Great-aunt jinxed her husband, children and grandchildren, she shouted, “Is it because of what that bullsh*t witch said? That’s superstition!”
As a good child who grew up in postrevolutionary China and who joined the military when she grew up, Mu Yangling was never superstitious. Although she had reincarnated after she died and stayed in her mother’s womb with a consciousness for a few months, and was now living in this backward ancient era with the memories of her previous life, Mu Yangling was still not superstitious.
In particular, she did not believe in the witch from Four Village. What sort of a witch was she when her life was not even as good as her family’s?
Mu Yangling pestered Mu Shi to support her great-aunt, saying, “Let’s not care about the grudge from four years ago. This time, it’s Ma Dagui’s family’s fault, right? If you don’t go, Great-aunt’s life will definitely be even more difficult. Moreover, they said they took back Uncle’s land because Great-aunt didn’t have an heir. Alright, let’s not talk about whether they’re right or wrong. Even if they’re right, Great-aunt is still alive now. Even if they want to take it back, they have to wait for Great-aunt to die… Pfft!”
Mu Shi, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped. Mu Yangling bumped into his back, hurting her nose.
“Father, why did you suddenly stop?”
Mu Shi looked at his daughter and said, “You’re right.”