Chapter 5: Obstructed Descent from the Mountain

“Little sister, why did you follow me up the mountain? Grandma will scold us if she finds out.”

“Big brother, it’s boring at home. Besides, I’ve never been up the mountain before…”

A child’s voice. Tang Yao dared not linger, clutching her belongings tightly as she quickened her pace down the slope.

Not far ahead, figures suddenly emerged from the woods to the left. Upon seeing Tang Yao carrying Fang Mingxi, they all instinctively stopped.

“Big Gao, who are they? I’ve never seen them before!”

Among the group, a chubby boy holding a bamboo basket stared in surprise at Tang Yao and the girl she carried.

Tang Yao, too nervous to speak, quietly stepped back—a clear sign she wished to avoid any interaction.

The one called Big Gao by the chubby boy was a slender boy of about ten, with sharp features and slightly dark skin.

His name was He Gao, the eldest grandson of the He Wei family at the village entrance. The boy who spoke was Li Pang, their neighbor.

A few other boys, aged between five and ten, accompanied them.

He Gao glanced indifferently and said, “Don’t recognize them. Maybe they’re some relatives?” He adjusted the little girl in his arms.

The girl, about two years old, wore a floral dress. Her face was pale and round, resembling a soft rice dumpling.

Her large, dark, grape-like eyes studied the two quietly.

Fang Mingxi suddenly felt a chill at her back and quickly lowered her gaze—something felt cold and eerie behind her.

Li Pang stepped forward, asking, “Whose family are you from? I’ve never seen you before.”

Tang Yao lowered her head, “We’re from the cattle shed.”

At the mention of the cattle shed, everyone’s expressions changed simultaneously.

They had heard adults constantly warn them not to associate with those on that side.

They were told those people were bad, and contact with them would make one bad too.

Li Pang’s smile vanished as he awkwardly returned to He Gao’s side. “Big Gao, let’s go. Don’t go over there.”

He Gao and the rest were about to leave when they noticed the basket of red berries Tang Yao carried.

He asked in surprise, “Where did you pick those red berries? I was here chopping firewood this morning and searched everywhere but never saw any. Where did you find them?”

Could it be deep in the mountain?

The other children looked over too, spotting the bright red fruits nestled among the leaves in Tang Yao’s basket.

Their mouths watered simultaneously. They rarely had sweets; wild fruits scattered all over the hillsides were their only treats.

Suddenly, everyone grew excited.

“She must have picked them up there.”

“Big cousin, let’s hurry and pick more for little Xi Xi.”

Xi Xi? The little girl’s name was also Xi Xi?

Fang Mingxi glanced quickly from the corner of her eye.

The little girl remained silent and calm, but instead of looking at Fang Mingxi, her gaze now fixed on Tang Yao.

They spoke entirely in dialect, so Tang Yao struggled to understand. She pointed upwards, “Picked up there, but I don’t know if there’s any left.”

He Gao nodded, thanked her, and continued up the mountain with He Xi in his arms.

The others followed, except for two boys about five or six years old who glanced at Fang Mingxi and the carried He Xi before muttering a few words and trailing behind.

Fang Mingxi, with sharp hearing, caught their whispered conversation.

“Brother, that baby shares the same name as Xi Xi, right?”

“Probably, there’s only one baby in the cattle shed.”

Fang Mingxi’s eyes darkened; an uneasy feeling stirred within her. These people somehow irritated her.

After He Lei and the others had been out of sight for some time, Tang Yao suddenly hurried down the mountain, clutching her things tightly.

In that brief moment, Fang Mingxi felt dampness on her back. She sighed and tightened her arms around Tang Yao’s neck.

Poor child—she must have been terribly frightened.

...

He Gao carried He Xi, with a basket strapped to his back filled with dry twigs he had collected along the way.

The combined weight, along with the effort of climbing, left him breathless though not overwhelmed.

He Xi wriggled, wanting to get down. “Big cousin, I can walk by myself.”

He Gao gently set her down. “Then Big cousin will hold your hand.”

“Yes.” He Xi grabbed his hand, her short legs taking steady steps.

He Lei and He Tian, carrying bundles of firewood behind them, watched and relaxed.

They were He Xi’s older brothers, six and four years old respectively. Knowing they couldn’t outmatch their cousin, they didn’t volunteer to carry anything.

Last time, they tried to carry their sister and ended up falling, earning a harsh scolding from their mother.

So now, they dared not take the initiative to carry her, fearing the thick wooden stick at home might strike again.

This time, their sister insisted on climbing the mountain, and luckily Big cousin was home or else they couldn’t have managed.

The group soon reached halfway up the mountain. Without a word, they naturally spread out.

He Lei, distracted, picked up firewood while glancing around, searching for the red berries.

But even after gathering most of the wood, no red fruits appeared in the woods.

“Who are these people? If they won’t say, then forget it.” He Lei was frustrated, suspecting Tang Yao hadn’t told the truth.

He climbed these mountains several times daily and knew well where the berries grew. If not here, then they must have gone deeper.

The mountain was home to big beasts, and they dared not venture there. These two must be very bold.

“Big brother, come quickly.” He Xi’s sweet voice came from ahead.

“Coming.” He Lei snapped back to attention, shouldering the basket and joining her.

But as he took a step, he suddenly stumbled, lost his balance, and fell flat on his face.

“Big brother! Brother!”

He Xi and He Tian were alarmed, dropping their loads and rushing over. He Gao and He Xin, who had been gathering firewood nearby, also hurried up.

“Are you okay, big brother?”

“Get up, brother!”

Together, they helped He Lei to his feet. He grimaced, holding his head. When he lowered his hand, a swollen bump was clearly visible.

He Xi pouted and gently blew on it. “Big brother, it doesn’t hurt now, huff huff.”

Whether by magic or mind over matter, the cooling breath did ease the pain noticeably.

He Lei smiled, patting He Xi’s head. “I don’t hurt anymore. Thanks, Xi Bao.” But then he wondered, what exactly tripped him?

Looking down, he spotted the culprit.

A moss-covered stone, partially buried with a sharp edge sticking out.

Anger flared; he crouched and dug the stone out, throwing it down the mountain.

Damn stone, bullying me too. You trip me, I throw you—fair’s fair.

As he prepared to move on, keen-eyed He Tian suddenly noticed something odd on the ground.