“Aunt Wang, do you know what happened when Old Lady Lin got married back then?”
Still curious, Song Wei sat with a group of elderly women, munching on sunflower seeds while eagerly listening to the gossip.
Aunt Wang said, “Oh, we know a bit about it. Back in the day, Old Lin was absolutely smitten with Old Lady Lin.
“Don’t judge her by how she looks now—when she was young, she was one of the prettiest girls in Dazao Village. The problem was her temper; her whole family had bad tempers.
“But Old Lin? He was head over heels. He caused all kinds of commotion chasing after her.”
From aunt Wang’s account, Song Wei pieced together a picture: A young Old Lin inexplicably fell for Old Lady Lin. Despite her disinterest, she kept him on a string.
Even when Old Lady Lin got engaged to someone else, Old Lin didn’t give up.
But then something happened—the engagement was called off.
“It seems the guy’s family got into trouble with the law, and they were all arrested. Naturally, the engagement fell through.”
With her engagement over, Old Lin renewed his pursuit.
This time, Old Lady Lin surprisingly didn’t reject him. Old Lin ignored all opposition from his family and married her.
“Here’s the thing—Lin Dahai was born eight months after their wedding. They claimed Old Lady Lin had fallen in the fields while pregnant and went into early labor. The fall really did happen; we all saw it.”
“But that child didn’t look premature,” Aunt Wang added.
Back then, no one thought much of it. But now…
Aunt Wang slapped her thigh. “You think Old Lin volunteered to wear a green hat? And now he just stands by while she bullies their own son? Is he even a man anymore?”
Song Wei glanced at Lin Zhen. So, it seemed Old Lady Lin was Old Lin’s first love.
Lin Zhen’s expression didn’t change, but the air around him seemed heavier.
Aunt Wang coughed awkwardly. “Uh, maybe we’ve gone too far—Lin Zhen’s still here. We didn’t mean to disrespect your grandpa.”
Lin Zhen shook his head. He wasn’t angry.
Just then, the wolf pups in Song Wei’s arms started whining hungrily. Song Wei took that as her cue to leave. She bid the women farewell and left with Lin Zhen and Heidan.
After they left, the women dove even deeper into their gossip, thrilled at the discovery of such juicy secrets.
On the way back, Song Wei kept stealing glances at Lin Zhen.
Lin Zhen patted her head gently. His large, warm hand felt like a hat covering her.
“I’m fine. My parents have been gone for years. I’ll just watch from the sidelines as the Lin family tears itself apart.”
When needed, he’d be more than happy to fan the flames.
Song Wei nodded, deciding not to mention the Lin family anymore.
Once home, they milked the deer. Surprisingly, the mother deer seemed to have grown used to it and didn’t resist as much this time.
After feeding the wolf pups, Lin Zhen gathered some sugar and flour.
“I’ve been back a while now. I should take Heidan to visit my great-granduncle’s family.”
Song Wei chose not to go along—after all, she and Lin Zhen had only recently started dating.
Lin Zhen had mentioned that his great-granduncle’s family had visited him once before, though Song Wei hadn’t known at the time. Back then, Lin Zhen’s leg had been in bad shape, so they advised him to stay put and recover first.
Recently, Lin Zhen had been diligently undergoing acupuncture and drinking herbal medicine prescribed by the old doctor in the village. His condition had improved significantly since returning, though he still couldn’t walk without pain.
Once Lin Zhen left, Song Wei got restless. The snow had stopped, and she decided to head into the mountains.
The wolf pups, however, posed a problem.
She considered asking Li Juan to look after them, but the pups were too smart. They could distinguish her scent from anyone else’s, even with their eyes still closed. They would wail if handed over to someone else, even if it was Heidan or Lin Zhen.
With no other choice, Song Wei made a makeshift pouch, lined it with old clothes and cotton scraps, and hung it around her chest like a baby carrier. The pups seemed content in their new “nest.”
Thus equipped, with the pups snug against her chest and a basket on her back, Song Wei set off at a brisk pace into the mountains.
At this time of year, there wasn’t much left on the trees except nuts. But Song Wei wasn’t picky. With the wolf pups nestled against her, she climbed trees with ease.
While knocking down pine cones, she noticed a squirrel.
The little critter, bigger than a mouse but much cuter, was busy stuffing its tree-hole stash with nuts.
Song Wei’s eyes lit up.
Squirrels are notorious hoarders, often forgetting where they’ve hidden some of their caches.
Feeling a bit like a bandit, Song Wei decided to raid its stash.
She waited patiently as the squirrel emptied its cheek pouches into the hole and covered it with leaves and moss. After a final glance around, it flicked its bushy tail and scampered off.
Song Wei approached the tree. It was half-dead, making it easy to chop open with her machete.
A cascade of nuts tumbled out.
“Jackpot!” Song Wei exclaimed, her eyes gleaming.
She shook open a sack and quickly scooped up the loot—pine nuts, hazelnuts, acorns, and even some peanuts.
In total, she estimated about twenty pounds of nuts.
“Sorry, little guy,” Song Wei said, her hands deftly bagging the haul. “Next time, hide your stash somewhere else.”
Though she said sorry, her actions were anything but remorseful.
Sensing her glee, the wolf pups squirmed and whined in their pouch, trying to peek out.
Song Wei adjusted the pouch slightly and was delighted to see their eyes starting to open.
Abandoning her heist for the moment, she settled down to watch the pups open their eyes.
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