Old Granny Zhang, what she takes the most pride in nowadays, is not only her own daughter but also Song Chongjin, her son-in-law who joined her family.
Whose son-in-law could compare to hers? He was handsome, wealthy, and had no parents or burdens to speak of, as if he was tailor-made for her daughter.
As soon as Mother Liu asked, Old Granny Zhang couldn’t help but show off.
Mother Liu patiently listened to Old Granny Zhang boast about her daughter and son-in-law for a while before she found an opportunity to speak up—hinting and asking Old Granny Zhang to find a reliable young man for Liu Xiaoqiao.
It didn’t matter if the family was poor, the Liu family would provide a dowry, and could even supply meat to the son-in-law’s family all year round.
Upon hearing Mother Liu’s intentions, Old Granny Zhang’s mind raced, and she began to draw her out.
What Old Granny Zhang and Mother Liu discussed, Wang Yongzhu and the others naturally did not know.
Following behind the Liu brothers, they took a path through the village and entered the woods.
The trees in the forest reached up to the sky and blocked out the sun, dimming the light as they walked in.
The sound of birds chirping came from the treetops now and then, with squirrels occasionally leaping between branches and pine cones falling occasionally.
This forest bordered Chongzi Gou and had no large game, so the Liu brothers did not quiet their voices and pointed out wild berries and mushrooms that could only be found deep in the mountains.
Song Chongjin had already noticed a kind of purple wild berry and picked a handful, cleaning them with nearby creek water and wrapping them with leaves to present to Wang Yongzhu.
Liu Dasheng laughed upon seeing this, "I didn’t expect Brother Song to know about these berries. Only women and children are fond of them, and although they are sweet and sour, too many can give you heartburn."
Song Chongjin’s face darkened, and before he could speak,
Liu Xiaoqiao stepped forward and dragged Liu Dasheng away, where it sounded like she was saying, "Why do you talk so much? Can’t you just shut up?"
Liu Dasheng tried to defend himself, "I only mean well, worried Miss Wang might get heartburn from eating too many..."
Wang Yongzhu, holding back laughter, popped a purple berry into her mouth, and indeed, they were sweetly tart, washing away the greasiness of lunch.
"These are delicious, you should try some too," seeing that Song Chongjin’s expression had lightened somewhat, Wang Yongzhu quickly offered him one.
Song Chongjin expressionlessly took the berry and put it in his mouth, then frowned slightly but forced himself to swallow it, pretending nothing was amiss.
Seeing he didn’t like them, Wang Yongzhu didn’t insist and caught up with Liu Xiaoqiao. The two of them shared the berries while chatting idly.
Whatever Liu Xiaoqiao said to Liu Dasheng, he did not approach Wang Yongzhu again after that.
They strolled along, and with a few professional hunters present, they weren’t empty-handed; the Liu brothers caught two wild chickens, and Song Chongjin caught a rabbit.
Seeing that it was getting late, they started to head back.
They hadn’t gone far when Song Chongjin suddenly stopped, "No noise—"
The Liu siblings also halted and instinctively raised their bows and arrows, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
Wang Yongzhu, whose senses were now extraordinary, hadn’t been as alert as the others, but after being tipped off by Song Chongjin, she too sensed something was off.
A distant roar seemed to emanate from deep within the forest; after a moment of silence, the underbrush began to rustle nervously.
Liu Xiaoqiao’s face changed, "Not good, Brother, hurry back and call for help! It might be Uncle Huzi and the others that have run into trouble!"
Liu Dasheng had already stopped joking and was full of concern, hesitating as he looked back at Wang Yongzhu and the others.
Song Chongjin immediately said, "Don’t worry about us, go take care of what’s important."
Without another word, Liu Dasheng ran toward the village.
Although she didn’t fully understand, Wang Yongzhu guessed from Liu Xiaoqiao’s words that something bad, perhaps very bad, had occurred.