Chapter 19: Lingering Fear

It took everyone a long while to calm down. The events of this evening were terrifying; if Wang Dazhu had actually found something in their rooms, the quiet life they had been enjoying these past few days would have come to an abrupt end.

Fortunately, they had finished all the porcini and chicken mushrooms that morning, leaving only the eggs that might still be in Sister Xia’s and Tong Lingxian’s rooms. They wondered where the two had hidden their eggs, as Wang Dazhu had failed to find them.

Wu Meixia also pondered this. "Lingxian, where did my eggs go? I clearly put them under the bed. How did Wang Dazhu miss them?" She added, "And how could he be so certain that I had forbidden books here? When has he ever been to our side of the house?"

Tong Lingxian’s eyes narrowed. "It was most likely a frame-up. Judging by what happened in the fields yesterday, he clearly dislikes us and wanted to use that as an excuse to plant evidence. There’s another possibility, too: his words were constantly aimed at the Brigade Leader. If he had found forbidden books, the Brigade Leader would certainly be accused of negligence. I suspect his ultimate goal was to use this opportunity to cause trouble for the Brigade Leader."

As for why he would target the Brigade Leader, Tong Lingxian and Fang Bosong exchanged a knowing look. They had delivered the porcini mushrooms just last night, and today, Wang Dazhu had shown up, clearly intent on dragging the Brigade Leader down with them. If forbidden books had indeed been found in the cowshed, not only would they be unable to clear their names, but the Brigade Leader would surely be held accountable, perhaps even stripped of his position. It was possible that Wang Dazhu had accidentally discovered what happened yesterday; holding a grudge against the Brigade Leader, he had decided to seize the opportunity to stir up trouble.

Tong Lingxian recalled that during the lunch break, Wang Dazhu had gone home. For the past few days, they had been working side-by-side, and usually, Wang Dazhu would lie down on the ground to sleep as soon as work ended. Today, however, he hadn't slept and had instead insisted on going home to eat. When he returned for the afternoon shift, Tong Lingxian had clearly noticed that the back of his clothes was dirty, as if he had been rolling around on the ground. She hadn't said anything at the time, assuming he had just found somewhere else to nap, but now it seemed certain he had used that time to hide the so-called forbidden books in his own home while no one was around.

Wang Dazhu’s failure to mention last night’s incident was likely because he didn't feel his plan was foolproof, which was why he had specifically hidden the books. It was unclear what had gone wrong—perhaps he couldn't find the book, or he hadn't found any food in their rooms—which explained his frustrated demeanor.

Having deduced the whole situation in a few short sentences, the two felt a heavy burden. In the end, the Brigade Leader had been implicated because of what they did last night; they should never have gone.

Wu Meixia, unaware of the underlying complexities, nodded as if she understood. "So, it’s fortunate the Brigade Leader is rational and didn't listen to Wang Dazhu’s one-sided story, otherwise he might have fallen into his trap. But why is Wang Dazhu so obsessed with the Brigade Leader? Do they have a past grudge?"

Old Yu, who had been there the longest, shook his head. The intricacies of the situation were beyond them, and it wasn't a matter they should be discussing.

Time had slipped away, and everyone was ravenously hungry. It was Fang Bosong’s turn to cook. As he stepped outside, he finally remembered the two children. The three of them hurried toward the neighboring room, fearing the children might have been too frightened to come out. However, as they stepped out, they were met by Tang Yao, whose eyes were red, and Fang Mingxi, who was on her back, still sleepy-eyed.

Tong Lingxian asked in surprise, "Yao Yao, Xi Xi, where did you go? Weren't you at home?"

Fang Bosong quickly took Fang Mingxi from Tang Yao’s back and held her in his arms to soothe her back to sleep. "There are leaves on you. Yao Yao, did you go up the mountain this afternoon? Were you there the whole time?"

Tang Yao didn't answer. She buried her head in Wu Meixia’s arms, holding her tightly. "Grandma, are you alright?" She had witnessed the whole ordeal and had been terrified that the forbidden books the bad uncle spoke of would appear in their home. Her grandfather had passed away because of such things, and she couldn't bear to lose her grandmother to the same fate. Thankfully, her grandmother was safe; she didn't know what she would have done otherwise.

Wu Meixia hugged Tang Yao and patted her back. "Yao Yao, Grandma is fine. Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid, I won't leave you."

Wu Meixia was not one to keep things inside. After soothing her for a while and ensuring Tang Yao was calm, she pulled her away. She held Tang Yao’s shoulders and asked, "Yao Yao, did you know anyone came to our house today? And do you know why the eggs and mushrooms I hid under the bed are gone?"

Tang Yao sniffled and said chokingly, "I don't know. I went out while Xi Xi was sleeping. I don't know if someone came inside. I came back at noon to cook, and I reached under the bed—the mushrooms should have still been there."

"Under the bed." Wu Meixia hurried back into the room. Heart aching, she lit the kerosene lamp. Tong Lingxian helped hold the light so she could crawl under the bed to search.

The space under the bed wasn't completely open; there was only a square gap at the head of the bed to push things into, while the other sides were blocked by wooden boards. One could only fit their upper body inside. Usually, to hide things, Wu Meixia would place the basket slightly further in, estimating the distance so she could reach it easily, which kept it out of sight while ensuring the food was hidden.

Now, she reached in and felt nothing. She swept her hand back and forth several times but still couldn't find the basket. Tong Lingxian lowered her head, holding the lamp closer. With the light, Wu Meixia looked carefully and spotted a dark shadow in the deepest part of the under-bed area, but it was completely out of reach.

Wu Meixia quickly found a stick and went back inside to hook the shadow out. It was indeed the missing basket. She lifted the straw covering and saw that the five wild eggs and the remaining porcini mushrooms were still there.

Wu Meixia felt a lingering fear. It was fortunate that Yao Yao had moved the basket at noon, accidentally pushing it to the very back, which had caused Wang Dazhu to come up empty-handed. She thanked the heavens a few times and finally felt at ease, having dodged another bullet.

Tong Lingxian felt a chill down her spine. The space under their own bed was completely empty, and anything hidden there would be seen at a glance. They had only been using a trunk to block the view, but it didn't seem safe anymore. She decided she would have to get Bosong to seal off the space under the bed so no one could get in.

After a day of fear and anxiety, everyone unanimously decided to finish off all their remaining food that night to prevent such a situation from happening again. Just as they were about to eat, Tang Yao suddenly remembered something she had forgotten. She scurried out in a rush and returned shortly after.