Chapter 3: Assigning Tasks

Yang Santie woke up to the smell of something burning. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw the kitchen engulfed in flames. His mother was still slumped outside the kitchen, and he sprang up in a panic. "Big Brother, Second Brother, stop sleeping! There’s a fire!"

The group was roused from their sleep, and they were all stunned to see the kitchen raging with fire.

Yang Datou started crying and wanted to go find someone to help.

Jiang Ning didn't even open her eyes as she shouted, "Stay put! I set the fire."

Yang Datou’s body stiffened, and everyone looked at Jiang Ning in astonishment.

"Mother, why on earth would you do that? If you were hungry, you could have just called me to get up; you didn't need to light the fire yourself!" Liu Ye said, feeling helpless. She had assumed her mother-in-law had accidentally set the kitchen ablaze. It was bad enough that her mother-in-law had a nasty temper, but she was also lazy and gluttonous. She had heard that her mother-in-law’s maiden family didn't farm, and after being married into Banyan Village for over a decade, she still couldn't tell the five grains apart and didn't even know how to use a large stove. She was truly a freak among freaks—a freak opening the door for a freak, the ultimate freak!

Jiang Ning clutched her shriveled stomach, slowly opened her eyes, and said weakly, "Let it burn for a while longer. Wait until the weeds are burned away before going in."

The group: "???"

"Mother, you set the fire to burn the weeds inside?" Yang Erdan scurried to the kitchen door, stood on his tiptoes, and stretched his neck to look inside, but he couldn't see a thing.

Jiang Ning opened her eyes to glance at him. "If I don't burn it, what if there are snakes, insects, rats, or ants inside?"

The ants she referred to weren't the small kind, but the poisonous ants common in the wilderness. They were large, and their movements were incredibly sharp. If you accidentally stepped on their nest, a dense swarm of poisonous ants would pour out. Being bitten wouldn't kill you, but it would leave you red, swollen, and itchy for days—it was agonizing.

Yang Erdan suddenly realized. "Mother! You’re so smart!"

Yang Datou: "..."

"Mother, next time you want to do something, tell me. I’ll go borrow a hoe; there’s no need to set a fire!" Yang Datou frowned, sensing that Jiang Ning had set the fire just to be lazy, not because she was afraid of any snakes or insects.

Country folk didn't have so many delicate concerns!

Jiang Ning couldn't be bothered to argue with him. The fire burned for a while, and by the time the sky was about to brighten, it had burned itself out.

Yang Erdan was the first to sneak in. The four walls of the room were all blackened by smoke. He kicked one of the walls, and to his surprise, it cracked.

He felt a chill run down his spine. "Mother! Come look! The wall is about to collapse!"

The group crowded in, only to quickly retreat. Yang Datou’s eyes turned red. "Mother! This house is no longer fit to live in! I’ll go beg Grandfather and Grandmother; let’s move back."

"Stay put!" Jiang Ning shouted urgently, stopping Yang Datou. "Come here!"

Yang Datou walked weakly and helplessly to Jiang Ning and squatted down.

Afraid of giving herself away, Jiang Ning mimicked the original owner and grabbed his ear, scolding him crossly, "Are you a pig? We finally managed to separate from the family and even got two mu of paddy fields and four mu of dry land. If we go begging to go back now, it won't be so easy to separate again later! Even if we did, do you think your Grandfather and Grandmother would still give us those fields?"

Yang Datou was sullen. "But we have nowhere to live."

Thinking of that shocking cracked wall, Yang Datou couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. If his mother hadn't burned it, they might have moved in blindly, and if the wall had collapsed while someone was inside, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Jiang Ning let out a long sigh. Looking at the cooking smoke rising in the village, she said in a low voice, "First, find a way to get food. Looking at the weather, it shouldn't rain for the next few days. If that doesn't work, we'll build a grass shed to get by for a while, and we'll figure out the rest later."

Just then, Xiaoya shouted excitedly, "Mother, brothers, look! What is this?"

"What is it?" Yang Sizhuang was the first to run over. Soon, the two children came rushing out of the kitchen, holding a nest of roasted eggs. "Look! It’s wild eggs!"

Jiang Ning’s eyes lit up instantly. She held out her hand to Yang Datou. "Quick, help me over to see!"

The group of children automatically made way for her.

Jiang Ning leaned in to take a closer look and beamed. "It really is wild eggs! Xiaoya, you’re amazing! Later, Mother will reward you with an egg to eat!"

Liu Ye’s expression stiffened. She asked weakly, "Mother, shouldn't we save the wild eggs and eat them slowly?"

They had no other food.

Jiang Ning’s mind was filled with eggs; she was so hungry her eyes were turning green. Without a second thought, she shook her head. "Boil them all! We’ll all eat together!"

Liu Ye was so scared that cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Even if they were being extravagant, they couldn't be this reckless! It felt like they were living as if there were no tomorrow. Knowing her mother-in-law was unreliable, she could only look at Yang Datou for help.

Yang Datou had to speak up to stop her. "Mother, let’s save half for tonight!"

Thinking of the situation at home, Jiang Ning understood the pressure Yang Datou felt as the eldest, so she went along with his suggestion.

Terrified that she might change her mind, Liu Ye quickly took the wild eggs to cook. She cooked half and hid the other half, acting furtively, clearly guarding against Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning couldn't help but twitch her lips, pretending she hadn't noticed.

The wild vegetable and bean soup with the added wild eggs didn't have any seasoning and tasted just as bad, but at least it was more filling than the meal from the night before and provided some nutrition.

Jiang Ning ate until she was full, and the feeling of panic gradually faded. Seeing Yang Datou about to leave, she immediately asked, "Where are you going?"

Yang Datou sighed helplessly. "Mother, the work in the fields hasn't been done yet. Ye and I have to go to the fields, and the younger ones have to go into the mountains to find food. If you have nothing to do, just play with Xiaoya, or bring back some bamboo to build the grass shed."

He didn't expect Jiang Ning to do any work; he just hoped she wouldn't go around the village provoking the other women and causing chaos.

Jiang Ning’s gaze fell on the rolling Qingfeng Mountain behind the house. She pondered, "I’ll go into the mountains with Santie and Sizhuang. Erdan, you take Xiaoya to cut bamboo."

In her memories, the Yang brothers were frequent visitors to the mountains. Climbing trees, catching fish, and working the land—they were capable at everything. They knew what was in the mountains, though their range was limited to the outer edges of Qingfeng Mountain.

The Yang brothers were shocked by Jiang Ning’s words.

Yang Santie grumbled reluctantly, "Mother, you should just go with Sizhuang and Xiaoya to cut bamboo. Second Brother and I will go into the mountains."

He really didn't want to accompany Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning ignored his protest entirely, grabbed a basket, and headed straight toward Qingfeng Mountain.

Yang Datou smiled bitterly. "Santie, Sizhuang, I’m leaving Mother to you both. Whether you find anything or not, ensure Mother’s safety first. After all, she’s the only mother we have left!"

Although their mother was unreliable, as long as she was there, they weren't orphans, and they wouldn't be mocked or ridiculed by the people in the village.

Yang Santie nodded, his head drooping, looking listless.

It was closer to Qingfeng Mountain from the east side of the village. They walked along the outskirts, climbed a few slopes, and crossed a few field ridges before arriving.

The villagers were out early in the summer to work. They ran into a few people along the way. Jiang Ning felt she was smiling quite kindly, but whenever people saw the three of them, they acted as if they had seen a plague god. They either pretended not to see them or dodged away as if they had seen a ghost, terrified of being swindled by them.

(End of chapter)