Things only got messier when Old Lady Lin’s eldest son and daughter arrived, along with the daughter-in-law from the Niu family. Suddenly, it was an all-out brawl.
Meanwhile, the boy who had caught the rabbit had hugged it tightly and backed away.
The hillside was filled with yelling, cursing, and screams as the fight intensified.
Seeing this, Aunt Xinghua shook her head, realizing it was getting out of hand. She slapped her thigh in exasperation. “This is going to end badly! I’m going to find Old Lei!”
With that, she abandoned her basket and hurried down the hill.
Song Wei, meanwhile, set Heidan safely in a tree to keep him out of harm, then hopped down and joined the other women who were trying to break up the fight.
But Song Wei had her own motives.
First, she ran behind Old Lady Lin, loudly telling everyone to stop fighting, all while cleverly restricting Old Lady Lin’s movements to make her an easy target.
Then, she moved behind the Niu family’s daughter-in-law and repeated the trick.
She was careful, though, watching for anyone who looked like they might lose control. If she saw someone picking up something dangerous, like a rock or knife, she quickly confiscated it.
This included Old Lady Lin’s daughter, who had picked up a large rock. Song Wei snatched it from her hands and gave her a good slap on the face.
“If you want to fight, then fight—but no weapons! That rock could seriously hurt someone. Can you afford to pay if someone gets hurt?” she scolded.
Old Lady Lin’s daughter clutched her face, glaring at Song Wei with resentment.
But most of the bystanders agreed with Song Wei. Instead of scolding her for slapping the woman, they praised her.
“Good thing Song Zhiqing stopped her. That rock could have seriously hurt someone.”
“Exactly! Imagine thinking it’s okay to use a rock that big. This girl has no sense—she could’ve killed someone!”
Meanwhile, Liu Guifen, who had nearly been struck, shuddered in fear and glared daggers at Old Lady Lin’s daughter.
Eventually, the Captain arrived with backup, his face dark with anger as he took in the scene of chaos.
“Everyone, STOP!” he roared.
Knowing that the fight was over, Song Wei quietly picked up Heidan from his spot in the tree and slipped away.
Behind her, she could still hear the Captain’s furious voice scolding everyone involved.
Amitabha. This time, no one can blame me for anything.
As she and Heidan walked deeper into the forest, they stumbled upon a bamboo grove.
It was a shame it wasn’t bamboo shoot season, but she made a mental note to come back in the winter for bamboo shoots.
“Be careful not to get bitten by a snake,” Song Wei warned, keeping Heidan close as they walked through the grove.
Heidan spotted something ahead and pointed, “Look, there’s a persimmon tree over there.”
It was late autumn, and many wild fruits in the mountains were ripening. The persimmons, which usually ripen this time of year, were hanging like little red lanterns from the branches of a wild tree, with birds already pecking at the fruit.
They hurried to the tree and immediately started picking. Heidan picked from the lower branches, while Song Wei climbed up to reach the higher ones.
“Pick both the ripe and unripe ones,” she instructed.
The naturally ripened wild persimmons on the tree aren’t that many; most of them look red but still feel quite firm to the touch.
For the fully ripened ones, Song Wei breaks them open directly. The tempting red flesh has such an enticing aroma that it makes your mouth water just smelling it.
She took a bite of one and her eyes lit up. “It’s so sweet!”
“Here, Heidan, try this one!” she said, tossing a soft one down to him.
Heidan, grinning with delight, savored the juicy fruit as they continued picking. They filled one basket with ripe persimmons and put the unripe ones in their large pack.
By the time they were done, they had a full load.
“Let’s go further in and see if we find anything else,” Song Wei suggested.
Not far from the persimmon tree, they found a cluster of wild kiwi vines. The wild kiwis were small, no bigger than an egg, but had a strong, enticing aroma.
They lined their backpack with leaves to prevent bruising, and Heidan found a whole patch of vines with plenty to pick.
Song Wei even broke off a few vine cuttings, planning to see if she could root them back at the dormitory.
Looking at their loaded packs, Song Wei was beaming.
As they walked, they snacked on the softest kiwis they could find.
“What’s that over there?” Heidan pointed to a peculiar mushroom with a lacy, white “skirt” around its stalk and a dark brown cap.
Song Wei recognized it immediately. “That’s bamboo fungus!”
Bamboo fungus was a rare treat, but it had to be picked quickly once fully grown, as it would soon begin to decay.
Among the cluster of bamboo fungus they found, some were already decaying—a pity, but they picked the fresh ones.
She showed Heidan how to cut off the brown cap, which wasn’t edible, and kept the white stalk and skirt-like netting, which were the best parts.
After this find, they discovered another patch a short distance away.
But the bamboo grove had its dangers too. While picking mushrooms, they found a small green snake coiled around one of the bamboo stalks.
Song Wei deftly grabbed the snake and tossed it aside.
Black Egg turned pale when he saw it. “It looked venomous.”
Song Wei nodded. “It is. Best to avoid it.” The snake was small, with barely any meat on it, so she just discarded it after killing it.
Satisfied with their haul, Song Wei announced, “Let’s bring some bamboo back too.”
With a small hand axe, she chopped down a dozen bamboo stalks as thick as her arm, tying them into a bundle with vines.
Despite the weight, she lifted the whole bundle with one hand, carrying it with ease as they headed down the mountain.
Heidan followed, carrying the persimmons on his back and covering them with a layer of grass to hide their contents from prying eyes—and to keep some leaves for feeding the rabbits.
They returned early with their full haul, earning curious and envious looks from the villagers they passed.
“Isn’t that Song Zhiqing? I heard she’s too delicate for fieldwork, so how is she carrying so much bamboo without even breaking a sweat?”
One of the women, who’d seen Song Wei before, just shrugged. “That’s old news. Don’t be fooled by her small frame and pale skin. She’s actually really strong. Even Old Lady Lin’s family couldn’t get the better of her in a fight!”
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