Lin Dasheng’s wife was named Zhao Yu—Yu, as in “excess.”
Her parents had given her that name because she was the youngest of four children, with an elder sister and two elder brothers. Born into a family that valued boys over girls and already burdened with too many mouths to feed, she had been considered “excessive” from the moment she was born.
After marrying into the village, her life didn’t improve. On her second day as a new bride, she was sent to the river with a bundle of laundry.
While washing clothes, one of the village women asked for her name.
Zhao Yu, watching the small fish darting through the river, quietly replied, “Zhao Yu.”
The woman misunderstood, thinking “Yu” referred to the fish in the river. From then on, the villagers all called her “Xiao Yu”—Fish from the River.
Zhao Yu’s plight became a topic of discussion for two days, with everyone agreeing that this young woman had an incredibly miserable life.
After her miscarriage, Zhao Yu wasn’t fit to return home. She was still bedridden, and returning would likely mean being ordered around to work despite her condition. She couldn’t even sit up straight.
The brigade had an old, repurposed building set aside for treating the sick. Though rudimentary, it provided a roof over one’s head. Dr. Ji, however, still had to return to the cattle shed where he stayed after finishing his rounds.
Zhao Yu was now lying on a simple bed in that facility. Kind-hearted villagers occasionally brought her food.
“Grandpa Ji, I’ve brought you your meal!”
Heidan carried a lunchbox into the building, with Shuanzai following behind, holding a bowl of porridge.
Dr. Ji noticed the extra bowl and quickly understood.
“Alright, I’ll take it from here. You two run along and be careful on your way back.”
He smiled warmly at the two boys.
Once they left, Dr. Ji brought the bowl of porridge to Zhao Yu.
“Here, child, eat something. This was sent by Song Zhiqing and Lin Zhen.”
Zhao Yu held the bowl in her trembling hands and ate silently, tears streaming down her face as she did.
Dr. Ji sighed and walked away, leaving her to her thoughts.
At Ping’an Brigade, the school term had started. Tuition wasn’t much—just a small fee for books, totaling 50 cents.
Lin Zhen personally escorted Heidan to enroll.
When the teacher asked for his name, Heidan confidently replied, “My name is Lin Ping’an.”
Shuanzai also joined, and the two boys were excited for their first day of school.
But by the end of the day, their enthusiasm had completely vanished.
Song Wei, munching on a roasted sweet potato, noticed the boys dragging their feet as they entered the courtyard.
“Well, well, my dear students, you’re home from school?” she teased with a grin that radiated pure glee.
“Did the teacher assign any homework?”
The boys winced at the question, each word stabbing right into their little hearts.
“Big Sister Song, school isn’t fun at all,” Heidan complained.
Spending the whole day sitting in class, with hardly any time to play, had drained all their energy.
Song Wei handed each of them a roasted sweet potato.
“Of course, it’s not fun. But you have to go to school. Otherwise, when someone asks your name and you can’t write it, or you can’t even count numbers, you’ll be the laughingstock.”
“Big Sister, did you go to school like this too?” Shuanzai asked.
“Of course. Everyone has to go through it.” Song Wei lied without batting an eye.
“Come on, let’s go play in the mountains. But after having fun, you must do your homework, okay?”
The boys’ faces lit up instantly at the promise of adventure.
Song Wei packed a basket, grabbed a machete, and led the two boys and two wolves into the mountains.
Lin Zhen had gone to discuss rice seed procurement with the brigade leader, and if all went well, he would head out to purchase seeds the next day.
As soon as the wolves entered the forest, they bolted off, howling and running wild.
“Slow down! Watch out for snakes!” Song Wei called out.
The boys answered cheerfully, but their short legs moved just as fast.
Although the season offered little in terms of forage, there were still some herbs and tender wild greens to be found. Early spring greens were the freshest and tastiest.
Song Wei picked every edible plant she came across, tossing them into her basket. She planned to make fragrant wild vegetable pancakes later.
“Wild chicken, Big Sister Song, there’s a wild chicken!”
Song Wei had already heard the frantic flapping and panicked clucks of a wild chicken, along with the excited howls of Wolf One and Wolf Two.
“Over there! Wolf Two, block its escape!”
When Song Wei arrived, the scene was pure chaos. Two kids and two wolves scrambled to catch the chicken, creating a commotion fit for ten people.
“Ah-woo!”
Finally, Wolf One grabbed the chicken by its wing and pinned it down with its paw to prevent it from escaping.
Just then, Wolf Two lunged forward but accidentally collided with Wolf One’s head.
Both wolves froze in confusion.
Heidan and Shuanzai excitedly threw themselves into the mix, piling on top of each other in a jumble.
Song Wei stood there, watching the spectacle with a twitching eye.
Catching one wild chicken shouldn’t be this complicated.
Moreover, the wolves’ behavior resembled dogs more than predators.
She sighed, realizing it was her fault. With no wolves in the village and only dogs for reference, it was natural they’d pick up such habits.
I’ll need to take them deeper into the mountains to observe real wolves hunting, she thought.
The wild chicken, however, was dead—crushed under their weight.
Wolf One proudly trotted over with the chicken in its mouth, presenting it to Song Wei like a trophy.
She patted their heads. Despite the messy process, their first hunt deserved a reward. She handed them some dried meat, which they devoured eagerly before bounding deeper into the forest with renewed energy.
Unable to keep up, the boys stayed close to Song Wei, searching for wild greens instead.
Song Wei used a stick to poke around the underbrush, alert for any danger. She even uncovered a snake, but it was too small to bother with, so she let it go.
“Huh? What was that?”
Something darted past her, quick as a flash.
Instinctively, she grabbed the boys and gave chase.
The creature was fast, disappearing into a burrow in no time.
“Big Sister Song, that’s a rabbit hole!” Heidan exclaimed, beaming with excitement. He recognized it immediately, having dug up rabbit holes before.
“Was that a rabbit?” Song Wei frowned.
“No, it was thin, long, and purple.”
It resembled a weasel but didn’t match its typical color.
“Let’s search the other holes.”
They found three openings and blocked two, positioning themselves at the third. After about 20 minutes, something stirred.
A rabbit was shoved out first—it was dead.
Next, a small, sleek head poked out of the hole.
The little creature blinked its round, shiny eyes and scanned the surroundings.
Song Wei, Heidan, and Shuanzai lay motionless, watching from a distance.
The boys’ eyes widened in awe, their hands covering their mouths to avoid making a sound and scaring it away.
It was a beautiful sable—a rare purple variety.
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