After finishing her digging, Song Wei carried her yam-laden basket and led the sika deer back to where she had hung the kudzu roots.
Once she retrieved the kudzu, she began considering how to hide the deer before heading to Lin Zhen for advice.
Suddenly, she remembered the cave she and Heidan had sheltered in during a rainstorm.
Perfect. The cave will do for now.
She led the mother deer and its fawn to the cave and spread some tree leaves inside for them to eat. At this time of year, grass was scarce, and tree leaves were their only option.
The deer didn’t seem picky and ate happily.
To prevent their escape, Song Wei built a sturdy makeshift fence out of wood and vines, securing it with large rocks.
Clapping the dust off her hands, she glanced at the sky.
“It’s getting dark.”
With the shortened winter days, night was falling fast. Moving quickly, Song Wei carried her yams and kudzu back to the village.
On her way, a few villagers greeted her.
“Back from chopping firewood, Song Zhiqing?”
Smiling, she nodded in acknowledgment. The bundles she carried looked like thick tree roots in the fading light, so it wasn’t a hard assumption for them to make.
Once back at the educated youth dormitory, she stashed her haul in the backyard of her plot.
Next, she checked her room.
The layer of fine ash she had sprinkled near the door and around her cabinets remained undisturbed—no footprints.
It seemed the thief hadn’t made a move today.
Just as she was closing up, Bai Yunjiao arrived.
“How’s it on your side?”
“No signs of him tonight either,” Bai Yunjiao replied, visibly tense. She can’t relax until she catch him.
“Let’s continue tomorrow,” Song Wei suggested.
Bai Yunjiao nodded. “By the way, where are you going now?”
“I need to head out for a bit. If Li Juan comes back, let her know so she doesn’t worry.”
“Got it.”
Song Wei secured her room and headed to Lin Zhen’s house.
Heidan was perched on the doorstep, his small face propped up on his hands as he stretched his neck, peering into the distance.
When he spotted her, he jumped up excitedly.
“Sister Song!”
He ran toward her, practically bouncing with excitement.
“You’re finally back! I’ve been waiting forever!”
Laughing, Song Wei picked him up. “I was in the mountains digging stuff up.”
As they chatted, they entered the courtyard, where Lin Zhen was already waiting. Dinner was ready and steaming hot.
“Come on, eat first,” Lin Zhen said.
Hungry from the long day, Song Wei sat down and bit into a warm cornbread.
“Let me ask you something. Can we raise livestock here? Not just chickens or ducks.”
Lin Zhen paused. “Are you thinking of raising pigs? That, I know something about. Technically, individuals are allowed to raise pigs now, but our village hasn’t started doing it. I’ll ask the Brigade leader, about it.”
Song Wei nodded. “I can ask him myself.”
“I’ll come with you after dinner,” Lin Zhen offered.
After dinner, the three of them set out with a flashlight. As they walked, Song Wei shared her discovery.
“I caught a sika deer in the mountains. If we’re not allowed to keep it, I’ll have to release it. It has a little fawn with it, just this big.” She gestured to emphasize its small size.
Lin Zhen stared at her in astonishment. “You went into the deep mountains again? Do you know there are wolves and tigers in there? What if something happened?”
Song Wei waved off his concern. “I had my knife. If I can’t fight it, I’ll run.”
“Wolves hunt in packs, and a tiger’s one bite could cripple you. Even with your strength, it’s dangerous. If you’re set on going in, wait until my leg heals. I’ll go with you. Don’t go alone again.”
Song Wei wasn’t offended by his concern and nodded. “I don’t plan to go back anytime soon. I already dug up a lot of yams and kudzu and need to process them into powder.”
“Kudzu is a medicinal herb,” Lin Zhen remarked.
“You know it?”
“Of course. When I was looking for medicine for my mom, I learned to recognize a few herbs.”
His tone grew darker as he mentioned his family, and a cold gleam flashed in his eyes—a stark reminder of the grudges he harbored against his relatives.
“The old hunters here know about the herbs in the mountains,” he continued after a pause. “I’ve even heard stories of one finding wild ginseng. Back then, it was hard to sell, so he just used it to brew wine.”
Wild ginseng! Song Wei’s eyes lit up.
She had been hoping to find some but hadn’t had any luck yet. Still, she wasn’t too fixated on it; the mountains were full of treasures, and there was always something else to gather.
Before long, they arrived at the brigade leader’s house.
Aunt Xinghua greeted them warmly, her eyes flicking knowingly between Song Wei and Lin Zhen. The smile on her face couldn’t have been more obvious.
“Out so late? Come in, come in!”
Song Wei smiled politely. “Auntie, I need to ask the brigade leader about something.”
“He’s inside. Go ahead and talk to him,” Aunt Xinghua said, ushering them in and pouring them hot water.
Before Song Wei could explain, Lin Zhen got straight to the point.
“Uncle Lei, why doesn’t our village allow individuals to raise pigs? Other places do.”
The Brigade Leader raised an eyebrow at the question but quickly explained:
“A couple of years ago, some folks here tried raising pigs. But they didn’t know what they were doing and didn’t take it seriously. The piglets grew thin, didn’t meet the weight requirements, and were sent back to be fattened. Some even died. In the end, everyone who tried it ended up losing money.
“After that, no one was willing to raise pigs anymore. Now, we stick to collective farming. But honestly, even the communal pigs aren’t doing great. I’m worried we might not meet this year’s quota.”
He sighed and took a puff from his pipe.
“Raising livestock takes skill, you know? Chickens and ducks are easier, but we limit how many families can raise because we’ve had bad experiences with that too.”
He recounted how one family had raised too many chickens, neglected their crops, and ended up causing a village-wide outbreak of chicken disease. Many families lost their flocks, and some even fell ill after eating infected chickens.
“The losses were huge, and people were scared to raise poultry for a long time. It took a lot of convincing to get folks to start keeping chickens again,” Brigade Leader Lei finished, shaking his head.
Lin Zhen and Song Wei exchanged glances, both realizing just how cautious the village had become about private livestock raising.
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