Chapter 48: The Wang Family Comes Begging for Food

"I really don't know whether you're being too honest, or if those travelers passing over the mountain are just too sly... Nobody ever told me those earthy lumps were worth this much!"

Originally, Zhang Yang didn't want to reveal too many details about the black market transactions, fearing it would worry the old man. But seeing how out of touch Old Man Zhang was with market prices, he couldn't help offering a few more words of advice.

"Uncle Jiang, other herbs are fine; trading them for a bit of grain is worthwhile. But wild ginseng is a different story... Especially the aged ones, city people fight over them."

Old Man Zhang stroked his goatee. "So that's how it is... That was actually my first time digging up one of those things. I'll pay more attention in the future and be a bit more careful."

Zhang Yang nodded. Not planning to linger long at Old Man Jiang's place, he exchanged a few brief words and prepared to leave with his brothers.

However, Old Man Jiang stopped him. "Yangzi, actually, I have one more unreserved favor to ask..."

Zhang Yang was startled. "Go ahead."

"There have been bears roaming in the mountains lately! Although I haven't run into one head-on yet, I've heard them roar several times! You young men are strong—can you help me set up a few traps around the area? I don't want to kill the bear, I just need to catch it so it doesn't eat me..."

A bear?

Zhang Yang was both surprised and delighted. He had never heard of bears roaming near Jiazi Gully; he never expected to find traces of one this close to the city! In Zhang Yang's eyes, this wasn't news of a blind bear, but rather a notification that a massive fortune was about to fall from the sky!

Zhang Yang replied, "Don't you worry, leave this to me! But digging traps to catch a bear is much harder and more costly. How about we head back to the city first to get our rifles, and then come back to help you hunt this bear? We can figure out what to do with it then."

Old Man Jiang was overjoyed. "Alright, alright! Anyway, thanks to the rations you brought, I don't need to go out looking for food these days! I'll just wait for you boys to come back at home!"

After handing over the supplies to Old Man Jiang, the handcart was empty, making the four men's journey home lighter and faster.

After walking for the better part of the day, the silhouette of Zhang Family Village finally came into view. Zhang Yang wished he could fly straight home.

Just as he reached the entrance of the village, someone called out to him.

"Yangzi! You're finally back! Something's happened at your place!"

Zhang Yang's heart skipped a beat.

The fellow villager didn't beat around the bush. "That bunch from the Wang family is here again! This time they're saying your sister's mother-in-law's younger sister starved half to death, and they've come to demand rice and meat..."

Hearing this, the veins on Zhang Yang's arms bulged with anger.

Wang Zhaodi starved half to death?

In all these surrounding villages, you couldn't find another girl who ate the way she did—fat-headed, big-eared, and with grease dripping from her mouth!

If they claimed that Wang Jie, that useless shriveled string bean of a man, had starved half to death, he might have believed it!

Whoever might starve to death, it would certainly never be Wang Zhaodi!

Zhang Yang broke into a run.

Sure enough, before he even reached his house, he saw the open courtyard in front of his door packed with people.

"Zhang Yan! How can your heart be so cruel?! Shutting yourself up at home to eat delicacies all alone while completely ignoring whether your husband's family lives or dies!"

Qian Chunfen was sitting on the ground, wailing and crying to the heavens. Beside her sat a dilapidated small handcart, and lying on the handcart was a stout, thick-waisted woman.

It was none other than Wang Zhaodi!

However, this time they were clearly following someone's advice and had changed their strategy. The people brought to block the door were not the adults of the Wang family, but a group of dirt-covered little children.

As Qian Chunfen cried, these little children joined in, creating a chaotic uproar that disturbed the peace.

Qian Chunfen kept chanting, "Even if you can harden your heart and make us adults suffer, these children are your own nephews and nieces! Can you bear to watch them go hungry?"

Prompted by Qian Chunfen's words, the little children cried even louder. Several of them even shouted, "Auntie! Auntie! I want to eat!"

No matter how fiercely the villagers of Zhang Family Village usually scolded others, facing these little kids who couldn't even speak in complete sentences, they really didn't know where to start!

Some wanted to go over and persuade Qian Chunfen to stop making a fuss, but as soon as any villager showed intent to approach, the little kids immediately turned alert and rushed over to hug Qian Chunfen.

"Don't hit my grandma!"

"My grandma has no choice; she wants to get us some food!"

"My grandma did nothing wrong!"

"Hit me instead if you want, stop bullying my grandma... Wuwu..."

Watching this scene, Zhang Yang was so angry he laughed.

It really took the Wang family to come up with something like this—sending a group of kids to beg for food in such freezing weather!

A villager whispered to Zhang Yang, "The brigade captain just came by and saw the situation. He tried to persuade your sister's mother-in-law... talked until his mouth was dry, but this stubborn old hag simply refuses to leave!"

"The brigade captain was helpless too. He told us to keep an eye on things here to prevent them from causing trouble... He went back to the commune to get some grain, saying he'd bring a bit to shut their mouths."

Over there, Qian Chunfen began a new round of wailing.

"Zhang Yan, you ungrateful, white-eyed wolf!"

"Back when you were pregnant, which one of us in the Wang family didn't serve you the best food and drink?"

"Even the candies in the children's hands were broken in half just to give you a share, all because carrying a Wang family baby made you a great contributor!"

"And yet the moment you gave birth to the child, you turned around and ran off! I thought we'd done something wrong to let you down, but who would've thought you secretly sneaked back to your maiden home to eat meat!"

"Never mind that you have meat to eat and don't care about us! At least pay back what you consumed from the Wang family first!"

"Seeing that we all can't get enough to eat, and your sister-in-law has starved half to death, how can you have the peace of mind to hide in your room and stay silent?"

"Are you really going to sit back and watch our Zhaodi starve to death right outside your Zhang family's door?!"

Finally, Zhao Dong's roar came from inside the house.

"Judging by Wang Zhaodi's layers of fat, she wouldn't starve to death even if she went another three days without eating! Stop your blind howling!"

"What kind of thing are you? Is it your turn to speak to me?"

With Qian Chunfen turning fierce, the crying of the little children dropped by half.

Initially, she had only wanted to curse Zhao Dong a couple of times to keep the brat from sticking his head out. But suddenly, she realized something:

There was a man hiding inside that house, and since he wasn't a member of the Zhang family, who else could he possibly be?!

Qian Chunfen's deflated body instantly inflated as if being pumped full of air, her combat power skyrocketing!

"No wonder Zhang Yan was in such a rush to run back to her maiden home... Turns out she was hiding a lover here!"

"Oh dear, my poor son! Pouring his heart and soul out, wholeheartedly treating Zhang Yan well, yet look at how this cheap woman treats you!"

"Not only does she shut herself up at home to eat meat, but she's even keeping a paramour!"

"Everyone come and take a look! Zhang Yan hasn't even divorced my son yet, and she's already raising a wild man in her house! My poor son has been so bitterly deceived!"

Zhao Dong, driven mad with fury inside the house, rushed out. "You damn old hag, spewing utter filth!"

Zhang Yang, accompanied by Gao Wen and Gao Wu, also stormed up to the entrance.

Zhang Yang fixed his hawk-like gaze on Qian Chunfen.

"If you dare utter another word of nonsense, I'm going straight inside to get my gun!"