Chapter 37: You Think You're the Only Ones Who Can Report Others?

Zhao Dong felt a chill run down his spine as the three of them stared at him.

"What on earth are you all doing?"

Zhang Yang wore a sinister grin, deliberately trying to scare him. "If you don't have the heart to strike, then I'll do it. But I'm warning you now, I don't know how to pull my punches..."

"I—I'll do it myself!"

With a sharp *thwack*, a bump sprouted on Zhao Dong's head as well!

The blow was heavy, and blood began to ooze out, glistening in the light. Gao Wen instinctively reached for the medicinal herbs but stopped halfway, her hand hovering in the air.

"Everyone, just bear with it! We can apply the medicine once the Captain has left. These minor injuries look frightening, but they won't affect our brains!"

...

As the morning light rose and bathed the earth, the four men—Zhang Yang and the others—laid out some hay on a pile of firewood in the shed. Curling their legs and hugging their stomachs, they fell into a deep sleep.

Li Huifang came over to make breakfast for the children. When she saw the scene, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Zhang Wen and Zhang Fei tried to come in to help, but Li Huifang stopped them at the doorway.

"Your brothers had a hard night on patrol and haven't had enough sleep. Don't go in and wake them."

The two girls stopped in their tracks. As they walked hand-in-hand back to the house, they glanced toward the front yard in passing.

"Sister, why are there so many soybeans in the yard?"

Zhang Wen followed her sister's gaze to the ground. Indeed, a large handful of soybeans was scattered across the yard in a chaotic mess.

"Could it be that the brothers knocked over the bean jar when they came home last night?" Zhang Wen muttered to herself.

She reached for a broom to sweep them up. Just then, Zhang Yan stepped out of the house to fetch water. Seeing the scattered beans, she immediately called out to stop her.

"Wenwen, don't touch them!"

"Huh? Why, Sister?"

Zhang Yan took the broom from Zhang Wen's hand and asked, "Did you spill these beans?"

"No, they were already there when we woke up. Maybe the brothers spilled them," Zhang Wen explained.

"Then you can't sweep them!" Zhang Yan said gravely.

Zhang Fei was full of curiosity. "Sister, why can't we sweep them? These beans have been roasted; they smell so good! If we pick them up, rinse them, and toast them on the stove, we can still eat them! They’re delicious!"

"You little glutton!" Zhang Yan tapped her youngest sister's nose, then pulled both girls into her arms. Lowering her voice, she whispered, "You two are still young and haven't heard the stories of the mountains... In these mountains, besides wolves, wild boars, and bears, there are weasels, snow ferrets, and snakes..."

Zhang Wen and Zhang Fei listened without even blinking.

Zhang Yan continued, "Some things can be fought, but others are not to be trifled with. I remember Father saying that if you strike a weasel and kill it instantly, that's one thing. But if you don't kill it and offend it, that weasel will hold a grudge!"

"Ah!" Zhang Wen felt a shiver of fear and tucked herself further into Zhang Yan's embrace. "I think I've heard Father say that too! Weasels can speak... they can speak human words!"

Zhang Fei, bold as ever, puffed out her little chest. "I've never heard a weasel speak! Where are they? I want to hear it!"

Zhang Yan couldn't help but chuckle. "Our Fei is so brave! You'd dare to listen to a wild beast speak?"

"I dare!" Zhang Fei declared proudly.

Zhang Yan laughed heartily before continuing the story. "Weasels are spiteful. I heard of a family once who injured a weasel while hunting, but let it escape. Half a year later, everything went wrong for them. When they built a house, it collapsed. When they repaired the stove, it caught fire. Even their children almost fell into the well! It was truly terrifying."

Zhang Wen huddled closer to her sister.

Zhang Yan patted her head. "However, if you do offend a weasel, there is a way to resolve it. If you scatter soybeans in the yard, the weasel will lose its way. If it can't find its way, it can't come back to take revenge."

Zhang Fei understood instantly. "Oh! So the brothers must have run into a weasel! They scattered the beans on purpose so it couldn't find our house!"

Zhang Yan smiled even more broadly. "Look at that, our Fei isn't even four yet, and she speaks so clearly—except when it's time to eat meat! Her little mind is so sharp!"

The three sisters chatted as they went into the house, believing the incident was merely about a weasel.

Zhang Yan, concerned about new shoes for Zhang Yang and Zhao Dong, spent the morning diligently stitching new pairs. Zhang Wen and Zhang Fei learned beside her, and even Yaya, instead of fussing for milk, lay quietly to the side, playing with her own little feet.

Just as the house was filled with peace and harmony, Zhao Minde came and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

Li Huifang opened the door and, seeing Zhao Minde, invited him in. "Come on in and sit!"

"No, I came with the Captain. Oh, and there are people from Wulipu as well." Zhao Minde's smile was somewhat awkward.

Li Huifang looked past him. Indeed, there were four or five people standing there, and their expressions were grim.

Back when Zhang Yan was telling the story about the weasels, Li Huifang had been busy near the kitchen door and had overheard it all. She had also seen the beans in the yard and knew that the previous night had been unsettled, though she didn't know what kind of trouble had occurred.

The Captain was here again...

Li Huifang stepped closer to Zhao Minde. "What happened?"

"It's not exactly big, but it's not small either... To be honest, you'll have to ask Yangzi and Dongzi. Are they still asleep?"

Zhao Minde knew how exhausted they must be from the night patrol—he had been there himself. But the people from Wulipu had gone to the brigade to complain, and the Captain had demanded to speak with them; he had no choice.

"Sister, wake them up. If it's quick, they can get it over with and go back to sleep," Zhao Minde said, steeling himself.

Li Huifang felt uneasy. Wringing her hands, she returned to the shed and shook Zhang Yang.

"Yangzi, the Captain is here to see you..."

The first thing Zhang Yang did upon waking was to pull his hat down. The cotton cap was as large as a pot lid, pulled low enough to cover the injury on his forehead. He let out a deliberate yawn, said "I know," and then kicked Zhao Dong awake. "Get up, the Captain is here."

Zhao Dong wasn't as quick-witted; he scrambled up, yawning uncontrollably.

Li Huifang immediately spotted the bruise on his forehead. "Dongzi! Where did you hit your head?!"

"Huh?" Zhao Dong’s face tightened as the pain registered. He suddenly remembered the brick incident.

He was still dazed, but Zhang Yang was already pulling him toward the door.

"Mother, keep the door locked for a while. Don't let anyone in, and don't touch the beans in the yard. I'll explain everything when I get back!"

Li Huifang watched them leave with a heavy heart.

When the two groups of men met, the tension in the air was palpable. Zhang Yang shut the yard gate behind them.

He turned and pushed Zhao Dong forward.

"We couldn't beat them last night, but are you afraid of them in broad daylight?"

"Do you really think they’d dare to come to our home and beat you?"

"Since the Captain is here, he’s clearly here to uphold justice. Just tell him exactly how they attacked us last night!"