"That's fine. That's fine." Grandma Zhao, of course, believes that her youngest daughter knows her limit. As long as she says it, there's no need for convincing. "Oh, child, your foot is really swollen. Did you trip?"
Shen Xingshen's slight smile stiffened.
No. Not really.
"No. He doesn't know how to run properly and pulled his muscl—"
Her mother's swift smack silenced her at the instant moment of impact, cutting her words short with a single, well-practiced blow.
"Don't bother with her. She often forgets that not everyone runs up and down the mountains, climbing trees, and crossing rivers."
Grandma Zhao nudged her tackless daughter out of the way and began fussing around her possible future son-in-law.
"Let me see, she already fixed it with the bandage, that's good. There's also the smell of medicine. Oooh, don't look at Xiao Miao acting wild, she's very attentive, isn't she?"
"It won't be easy to get back like this. Don't worry, I'll let Xiao Miao's eldest brother carry you."
Shen Miaomiao rubbed her stinging arm, obediently shut up for a few seconds, then turned and pouted at the Captain.
"It's fine to take children to hunt. They're at an age of learning. But how dare you take your partner?" Captain Shen subtly hinted at their relationship.
But the irritating Shen Miaomiao, their family's little ancestor, focused on clashing with the Captain.
Widening her eyes as if it could prove a point, she insisted, "I said I didn't. We accidentally encountered them in the shallow area of the stream, probably trying to cross, migrating for winter."
Captain Shen paused, "Which stream?"
"A new spot I found." Shen Miaomiao lowered her voice. "It's an upper stream, quite hidden. I checked the area, it's a migrating route."
"You…" Captain Shen massaged his forehead. "Don't always take the children of the clan in the mountains to eat. Our village is not only Shens. The brigade members will have opinions."
Shen Miaomiao rudely rolled her eyes, thinking, 'that's your responsibility to worry about.'
"What opinions, I'm taking my descendants to find some snacks that can't even fill the gaps in their teeth, so what? If they have the ability, no one's stopping them to eat the mountains bald."
No, actually, little ancestor, that's outright against the current policy, not to mention highly illegal.
If someone dares to strip the mountains bare, there would be a problem that couldn't be fixed with just a call to the police.
The Captain was too tired to comment. Everyone knew, and they were just talking.
"What about the other children? You can't always be biased towards the children of the old house."
"Bullsht, I'm their granddaddy! Who dares to point at this old man?! They're unfilial!"
Shen Miaomiao's mouth often tested people's tempers.
Speaking of being unfilial, Shen Miaomiao wasted no time arresting the two little shts as soon as everyone returned home.
While the aroma of meat spread through the village, the two boys were tied, dangling from a tree inside their yard, swinging pitifully with the branches.
Shen Miaomiao set up a table and chair beneath the tree, and when the extra plate of meat dish came out, the two rascals finally broke down, wailing with all their might and crying their hearts out.
Are they afraid of being tied up to a tree? Not really, rural children climb over trees and swing along the branches; it's just a common threat hanging over every child's head.
But withholding their much-awaited meat that got them in trouble while everyone is eating? Oh, it's digging their hearts out!
Meanwhile, all the children of the Shen family came out and gathered to appreciate the view. Shen Miaomiao dined at her leisure beneath the tree, savoring her meal and enjoying the tearful confessions of her reckless nephews.
Their mother, the second daughter-in-law Xu, wanted to protest and defend the boys, but her children were already blurting out their guilt before anyone asked if they knew what they had done wrong.
Obviously, these boys know exactly what they did wrong.
"We…Wuuuu we won't do it a-a-again hic!"
"It's just, just, just instant reaction! Instinct!"
At the side, Second Sister-in-law Xu's legs went weak after hearing the daring confrontation of her sons with death, but despite this, she still tried to speak up, "Xiao Miao."
"That's even worse." Shen Miaomiao finally reacted. "You don't care about your surroundings, that we aren't far away from the large herd, unprepared, and that you have people with you unfamiliar with the mountains, that those wild boars can outrun even experienced hunters. You just saw meat and had all your eyes on it! You're going to have yourselves killed and put everyone in danger!"
Second Sister-in-law Xu whispered, "Isn't it because they trust you are there that they are a bit reckless?"
Shen Ye and Shen Qiu wanted to nod with their mother, thinking she understood them best, but Shen An was gesturing with his hands, and Shen Hao kicked them stealthily, so they stiffened their necks.
Shen Miaomiao wasn't someone easily swayed. "If they want to rely on me, they have to listen to me. If you want me to take responsibility and clean up after their mess, then don't blame me for educating them."
And so, Second sister-in-law Xu joined the group of being scolded, standing under the tree with her head down. Not only that, Shen Miaomiao had her swear not to give the two reckless pig teammates any meat and forced her to distribute their portion to the other children.
In the final analysis, it's fine for the captain to settle scores with her, the only adult who should know better. However, as the responsible adult taking the blame, it's only fair for her to take matters into her own hands and punish them; let them know that certain actions won't be rewarded.
She can indeed take on a pack of wild boars if she wants, but that's her call to make. Was that trust in her ability? Nah, they just feel that someone will clean up after them, so they tossed caution to the wind.
Be thankful she didn't throw them to feed the boars, nor give them to the Captain to be sorted out.
Shen Miaomiao also did some reflection on herself.
In this era that was both chaotic and civilized, she had taken danger as rare, selective, not a constant occurrence in her life, something she could pick and choose at will, thinking she had control over the situations she put herself in, and had become comfortable as she grew up.
While there's risk in every action, she stopped treating it like a threat in her life; weighing them down as if death were in a mad chase, and calculating each and every one of them, and thought that such paranoia was already far away from her.
Therefore, she let her guard down too soon and became overly confident, causing an accident that put everyone, especially Shen Xingshen, in danger.
It was not too bad, though.
At least the crying, fussing, anxious little child, who cannot make sense of her nightmares, had long been nowhere to be found.