During this time, everyone instinctively hid when the wolves appeared.
It was only when it was safe that they started to poke their heads out.
Liu Mei sat on the ground in a daze, the smell of urine wafting from below her. Xiu Cheng, being young and still dazed from the shock, noticed the ground he was pressing on was somewhat wet. He was very familiar with this smell and turned his head to ask, "Mom, did you wet your pants?"
As soon as his words fell, some of the people who had just hidden couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Spring pants are not very thick, and many people tiptoed to look under Liu Mei, only to vaguely make out a wet mark and couldn’t help but turn their gaze away in disgust, astonishment, or sneers.
Liu Mei’s face turned a pale shade of green and white, feeling the mocking glances of the people around her. She screamed, covering her face as she ran back into the inner room.
"What on earth is going on? Why are there wolves?"
"It’s pretty normal, you know. We had wild boars come down before, it’s just that the Xiu Family was unlucky this time, not a dead wild boar, but a wild wolf."
"It’s retribution for the Xiu Family, for her doing things all day that no good person would do."
Once the wild wolf was gone, the onlookers began to talk, some even called out for the Ruanlin Family to come out and chat. The Ruanlin Family was busy preparing lunch, not interested in their idle chatter. She responded perfunctorily and brought Ruan Jiaojiao and the others inside.
There was no one else at the Ruan Family’s home, so the Ruanlin Family spoke without reserve. She stood at the entrance of the main room, looking at her two children behind her, and whispered, "Ignore everything else, just be careful yourselves, don’t get hurt, understand?"
The words were said cryptically, but Ruan Jiaojiao and Xiu Xi exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.
The Ruanlin Family patted their heads and told them to play in the courtyard while she got busy in the kitchen.
But Ruan Jiaojiao was still very interested in what was happening outside and walked to the door to continue watching next door.
Some people who hadn’t had their fill of excitement went into the Xiu Family’s courtyard to check the situation, and what they saw was terrible. Nowadays, chickens and ducks are the most precious property of every household. People can’t bear to eat them even during festivals, hoping they lay more eggs to exchange for money.
But all the Xiu Family’s chickens and ducks were killed by the wolf overnight, torn to bits here and there, no longer fit for human consumption. Even the roe deer was eaten by the wolf, leaving only some viscera in their kitchen, which was disgusting and bloody. Several people covered their mouths, feeling like vomiting, and quickly retreated.
There were also those who sympathized, offering a few comforting words.
Of course, there were also those who made sarcastic remarks, implying that they had brought this disaster upon themselves by not being decent people.
However, those who made such remarks were chased out and scolded by Liu Mei. If Xiu Jianlin hadn’t held her back, she would have ended up fighting with them.
After everyone had left, Liu Mei, looking at her kitchen plundered like it had been robbed, sobbed and wailed, cursing the heavens, cursing her husband, cursing her son, and more than anyone else, cursing what she saw as the bringer of disaster.
She blamed everything on Xiu Xi, feeling as if the roe deer he had brought had attracted the wolf, and went on mumbling nonsensically in front of the Ruan Family’s door. The Ruanlin Family dismissed it as the raving of a mad dog.
Close to noon, as usual, Ruan Jiaojiao went to the head of the village to call Ruan Jianguo back for lunch. This time, Xiu Xi went with her, walking side by side.