At the time, Zhao Shenggu's household registration had not been moved into the Guan family. He could leave whenever he wanted. But Guan Yuan couldn't. Before he turned eighteen, he couldn't set up his own household unless the Guan family officially let him go.
There was no way Zhao Shenggu would leave Guan Yuan alone with the Guan family!
Back in their room, Guan Yuan said, full of self-blame, "Brother, it's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you could have left on your own!"
Zhao Shenggu sighed helplessly. "What do you know? If I walked out of the Guan family empty-handed right now, I'd have no place to live and nothing to eat. How would I survive? How could it be because of you?"
Even though Guan Yuan knew Zhao Shenggu was just comforting him, he still felt much better. Looking at Zhao Shenggu, who was skin and bones from hunger, he couldn't help saying, "Brother, let's go check out Xiaotun Hill tomorrow. Maybe we can find something to eat!"
"Xiao Yuan, are you still hungry? Perfect—I still have half a steamed bun. Wait here, I'll go heat it up."
Before Guan Yuan could respond, Zhao Shenggu hurried out. "Hey…" Guan Yuan watched him hurry out, not knowing whether to laugh or sigh.
Soon, Zhao Shenggu returned with the warm steamed bun. "Here, Xiao Yuan, eat it while it's hot."
"Brother, I'm not hungry. You eat it," Guan Yuan refused.
"Not hungry?"
"Mm." Guan Yuan truly wasn't hungry.
"Alright then, I'll put this bun away. When you get hungry later, I'll just heat it up again." Zhao Shenggu had no intention of eating it himself and put the bun back.
Guan Yuan felt warm inside, but the most urgent thing now was to make sure Zhao Shenggu didn't go hungry anymore. "Brother, let's go to Xiaotun Hill tomorrow."
Zhao Shenggu looked confused. "What are we going to Xiaotun Hill for?" At first, he thought Guan Yuan was hungry, but he brought it up again.
"Let's go see if we can find something to eat there! Maybe we can catch a rabbit!"
Zhao Shenggu assumed Guan Yuan was craving meat, and his heart ached bitterly. He hadn't seen meat in nearly half a year either—he was craving it badly too. "That hill is bare. Where would a rabbit come from?"
Swallowing his pride, Guan Yuan acted spoiled. "Brother, please? Can we go?"
Zhao Shenggu caved under the pressure and finally agreed. Besides, starting tomorrow, they didn't have to report for work anyway. "Fine. But tomorrow I'll go alone. You stay home." Guan Yuan disagreed—he knew that if he didn't go, there wouldn't be so much as a single hair to find. So he played the spoiled card again, insisting on going along. Zhao Shenggu couldn't talk him out of it and had to give in.
Early the next morning, Zhao Shenggu dragged Guan Yuan out of the kang. There was no choice—if they didn't make it back by lunchtime, they'd go hungry all day.
Since there was no work today and no breakfast, everyone in the Guan family stayed in bed except Yang Feifang, who was up doing her assigned chores around the house.
Yang Feifang was feeding the pigs in the sty. Although the two pigs were scrawny, they were the family's treasures. In a few days, the Guan family would sell one and keep the other for themselves—but neither Guan Yuan nor Zhao Shenggu would get any of that meat.
For the villagers, getting a few meals with meat each year was already considered good living.
Zhao Shenggu wrapped Guan Yuan up tightly, tucked him inside his coat so only his eyes were showing, and headed out. Guan Yuan clung close to Zhao Shenggu to keep the cold air out.
When Yang Feifang saw them heading for the door, she called out, "Erwa, where are you taking Siwa so early in the morning?" Zhao Shenggu didn't even turn his head, just answered, "Going out for a walk," and left.
Yang Feifang stood there seething with resentment. She knew Zhao Shenggu still had money. Ever since she married into the family, she'd hinted and outright asked for it many times, but never succeeded. Once, when she pushed him too far, Zhao Shenggu grabbed a hatchet and swung at her—scaring her half to death. After that, she never dared to pressure him openly again.
Once Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan left the village, they saw nothing but white everywhere. Not a soul was moving about; the village was completely still.
Zhao Shenggu quickened his pace and reached Xiaotun Hill in less than twenty minutes.
Xiaotun Hill was just a small peak, not far from Guanjia Village. The larger mountain connected to it was called Datun Hill.
Just as Zhao Shenggu had said, Xiaotun Hill was completely bare except for the bare-branched trees, all covered in white snow—nothing else.
Even though he'd expected it, seeing it with his own eyes still disappointed Zhao Shenggu.
"It's okay, Xiao Yuan. When we get back, I'll make a net and catch some fish from the river. The fish are delicious!" Even as he said it, Zhao Shenggu didn't have much hope. Every edible thing had already been picked over. If there were any fish left, they wouldn't have been waiting for them.
Guan Yuan, reminded by Zhao Shenggu, thought fishing actually sounded like a good idea.
"Let's go." Zhao Shenggu turned to head back. Guan Yuan panicked and, forgetting caution, called out, "Brother, what's that?"
Zhao Shenggu looked in the direction Guan Yuan was pointing—and saw a roe deer! A roe deer! His heart pounded wildly. He immediately let out a "Hey!" to get its attention.
Roe deer are extremely curious; even a sound can draw them in.
Seeing the deer freeze in place, Zhao Shenggu strode over in a few quick steps. His hands trembled slightly as he grabbed it.
"Brother, put me down! I want to see!"
Even while running so fast, Zhao Shenggu hadn't forgotten to protect Guan Yuan. Hearing this, he quickly set the boy down.
Looking at the roe deer in his hands, Zhao Shenggu laughed out loud: "Haha! We're going to eat meat! Are you happy, Xiao Yuan? Huh?"
Guan Yuan grinned from ear to ear, showing a row of white teeth. "Happy! We're going to eat meat!"
Overjoyed at catching the roe deer, Zhao Shenggu said to Guan Yuan, "Let's go. I remember there's a small cabin at the foot of Datun Hill—probably where hunters used to rest. We'll cook the meat there!"
When they reached the cabin Zhao Shenggu had mentioned, he immediately skinned and cleaned the roe deer. Luckily, there was an old iron pot left inside the cabin; otherwise, cooking the meat wouldn't have been so easy.
Zhao Shenggu saved the hide, planning to make a scarf for Guan Yuan. After preparing the meat, he used the fire starter they'd brought from home to light a fire.
While Zhao Shenggu wasn't looking, Guan Yuan secretly sprinkled some seasoning into the pot. Before long, a rich, mouthwatering aroma of meat filled the air. Both Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu swallowed at the same time.
In his previous life, Guan Yuan had only lived until 1993, when people's living standards hadn't improved much. He'd always been frugal to save money. Later, as a ghost, he had access to food—but couldn't eat it anymore. So, counting both lives, he was desperate for meat too.
After boiling for about another hour, Zhao Shenggu tested a piece first to make sure it was fully cooked, then picked up a chunk and stuffed it into Guan Yuan's mouth.
"Brother, it's delish—you have some too!" Guan Yuan mumbled through a mouthful of meat.
Without chopsticks, Zhao Shenggu found some branches, washed them clean, and used them as makeshift chopsticks.
Between the two of them, Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu ate most of the whole roe deer. Of course, Guan Yuan's stomach was small, so the larger share went to Zhao Shenggu.
Zhao Shenggu still wasn't completely full, but he planned to wrap up the leftovers and save them for Guan Yuan to eat later. After some searching at the foot of the hill, he finally found a few green leaves. He wrapped the meat carefully and tucked it close to his body.
"Brother, are you full? If not, you should finish the meat."
Zhao Shenggu patted his belly. "I'm full—look, it's sticking out."
Knowing Zhao Shenggu wouldn't eat all the meat himself, Guan Yuan didn't push further. He decided he'd find ways to make sure his brother got enough to eat every day from now on.
On the way back, Zhao Shenggu once again wrapped Guan Yuan inside his coat. Guan Yuan pressed against his chest, and the smell of meat kept wafting into his nose.
When they entered the village, every household was starting to cook their meals. By the well, they ran into Third Grandma, who was carrying water. Third Grandma was from Guan Yuan's Third Grand-uncle's family—kind-hearted and always secretly looking out for Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu, who had no one else to care for them. The clothes and shoes they wore were all made by her.
"Third Grandma, why are you carrying water yourself? Where's Uncle?" Zhao Shenggu greeted her warmly.
"Oh, Shenggu, what are you carrying in your coat? That's such a big lump."
The lump in question—Guan Yuan—was covered in invisible black lines. He quickly revealed his face and called out obediently, "Third Grandma."
Only then did Third Grandma realize it was Guan Yuan. "Oh, it's Xiao Yuan! Where have you two been? It's so cold out—hurry back inside before you catch a chill."
Zhao Shenggu set Guan Yuan down and, without a word, took the carrying pole from Third Grandma's hands. "Let me carry it back for you. Xiao Yuan, hold onto my clothes and watch your step—it's slippery."
"Okay." Guan Yuan obediently grabbed the hem of Zhao Shenggu's coat.
Third Grandma quickly protested, "No, no, you're still just a child yourself! You can't be carrying water."
Zhao Shenggu laughed. "It's fine, I'm strong!" With that, he lifted the buckets and walked off. Third Grandma had no choice but to follow behind him.
When they reached Third Grandma's house, loud arguing could be heard from far away.
"I married into your Guan family, ate poorly, drank poorly, and suffered so much. What's wrong with giving a little money to my own family? And that old hag just kept muttering beside me…"
"That's my mother," a man squatting on the ground mumbled quietly.
The woman speaking was Third Grandma's daughter-in-law, Zhao Juan. The man squatting on the ground was Third Grandma's only son, Guan Mandi. Third Grand-uncle had passed away from illness two years earlier.
Zhao Juan was a difficult, unreasonable person, and Guan Mandi was a pushover. Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan felt awful seeing Third Grandma live like this, but there was nothing they could do about it.
It was better to just pretend not to see it. Zhao Shenggu poured the water into Third Grandma's vat, turned down her offers to stay for a meal, picked up Guan Yuan, and left.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar