Chapter 50 - 50

Chapter 50 GunshotsAfter the New Year, the leisurely winter days will come to an end.Everyone is about to start work and prepare for spring plowing.After the ground thaws, level the land, clear away debris from the fields, and repair farm tools (such as plows, harrows, and hoes) to prepare for sowing.The farmyard manure (such as livestock dung and straw compost) accumulated during winter needs to be transported to the fields to ensure soil fertility, but this work is mostly done by male comrade.Yun Ting was assigned to clear debris from the fields, which she could accept. After hibernating for a while, many people couldn't adjust to working all at once.However, Yun Ting is doing well. She has always been consistent in exercising and didn't stay in bed all the time during the winter. Now that she's back at work, she's adapting quickly.At lunchtime, everyone saw the Brigade Leaderleading a group of people, and they all looked at them curiously.Yun Ting felt heavy-hearted. He could tell at a glance that these were people who had been sent down to the countryside. The two elderly people in front looked disheveled. In this era, some things really make people indignant.Yang Qingqing understood that these were people who had been sent down to the countryside, so she glanced at them and left.Some curious people asked, " Brigade Leader, who are these people?""These are all people who have been sent down to the countryside for reform and labor. But let me make this clear first: our brigade must not follow the practices of other places, where people are tortured to death. Just do your own jobs. Now, everyone, go home!""So it's that stinking intellectual...""They look so pitiful..."The villagers were talking amongst themselves,while the Shen Family kept their heads down and remained silent.The Brigade Leader arranged for a few able-bodied men to repair the house next toCowshed, and then led the Shen family toCowshed.Everyone's gone home to rest and eat. Nobody wants to cause trouble. We're already tired enough from work, so why would we bother with other people's business?It can be said that the Shen family's arrival inXiangyang Brigade was a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune. First of all, having an upright and kind person like the Brigade Leader who would not allow the villagers to engage in the kind of criticism and struggle sessions would save them a lot of suffering. Otherwise, like in other brigades, people would be dragged out and struggled against several times a day, which would be a torment to their spirit and body.These people who were sent down to the countryside did nothing wrong; the problem lay with certain policies and ideas of that era.Yun Ting returned to the courtyard, first fetched water to wash her face and hands, and then began to cook.She read this book a long time ago in her later life, so she didn't remember many of the plot points. In addition, because of her, it seemed that many things had deviated from the original plot.She had little recollection of those people who were sent down to the countryside; she only knew that after they were exonerated, people realized that their family had been high-ranking officials in the Capital City.However, this has nothing to do with her. Although she sympathizes, there's nothing she can do. She should just take care of herself!She simply cooked some noodles, not wanting to make anything too complicated, added some mushroom meat sauce and chili, and it smelled delicious. She could finish a whole big bowl in one go.When Yang Qingqing first saw her eat so much, she looked at her with a complicated expression.Yun Ting, on the other hand, remained very calm and did not feel embarrassed at all. Being able to eat is a blessing!After finishing lunch, she checked the time and realized she still had two hours before work. She decided to go up the back mountain to pick some wild vegetables; it was springtime, and there were plenty of good things to see on the mountain.Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain, manychildren were digging for wild vegetables.Everyone greeted her with a smile, "Little Sister Yun...""Oh...good boy, you're all digging for wild vegetables? Don't go too deep into the mountains."Yun Ting gave them some instructions and then went up the mountain.Now, with the upgrade of her Wood Element Ability, she can sense the presence of all the plants and animals around her as soon as she enters the forest.After a winter, many Wild Chicken rabbits came out to forage again. Coincidentally, Yun Tingharvested another batch and put them directly into her space.We collected a lot of fresh wild vegetables along the way, including dandelion, wild lettuce, and shepherd's purse."Hey...we'll have shepherd's purse dumplings tonight..."Hazel mushrooms, pine umbrella mushrooms, oil mushrooms, and Xiao Huang mushrooms—I collected them all along the way. I urgedSupernatural Ability to help the smaller ones grow bigger, and once my basket was full, I put them away in my storage space.Don't ask her how she knows so many varieties. Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run, right? Besides, she has Wood Element Ability; she can sense which plants are poisonous and which aren't."Huh... isn't this the legendary Murraya paniculata?"The Murraya paniculata, also known as the wrinkled-cap Boletus, is one of the earliest and best-tasting mushrooms grown in Northeast China. It grows to a large size when fully mature, has a mushroom aroma when fresh, and is tender and delicious when stir-fried.It's delicious when stir-fried with meat.Yun Ting was busy at work when suddenly a loud "bang" startled her, causing her to stumble.Yun Ting's ears twitched, and after listening carefully, there was no sound. She was certain that the sound just now was a gunshot. It seemed that she couldn't stay on this mountain for long and had to make a quick escape.As we descended the mountain, we encounteredBrigade Leader leading several strong men on their way up."Captain, what's going on here?"" Young Yun, did you just come down from the mountain? Did you run into anyone?" the Brigade Leader asked hurriedly."I didn't see anyone, but I heard gunshots just now, so I didn't dare to linger and quickly went down the mountain.""Yes, it is indeed dangerous. You should go back now! Don't go up the mountain for a while.""Captain, with that gunshot, you shouldn't go up there rashly. We don't know who they are. What if they outnumber you and have guns? You should call the police!" Yun Ting didn't want to get involved, but the Brigade Leader and Aunt Meihua's family had always been very kind to her, so she hesitated for a moment before advising them.These days, anyone with a gun is either a soldier or a spy. Soldiers generally don't fire indiscriminately, so gunshots usually indicate the presence of a dangerous individual.Upon hearing Yun Ting's words, the several strong men hesitated, turning to the Brigade Leader. " Brigade Leader, what do you think…"The Brigade Leader thought for a moment and said, "Let's go back! I'll go to town."Yun Ting breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, she vaguely remembered some plot points from the original book. There seemed to be a scene where the village heard gunshots from the mountain.Brigade Leader led several strong men up the mountain to investigate and encountered Spy. The men who went up with Brigade Leaderwere all killed by Spy. Brigade Leader was lucky enough to survive, but his leg was shot and he became crippled. The families of those strong men came to Brigade Leader's house to make trouble, demanding compensation. Brigade Leader felt guilty and dejected because of this.Yun Ting couldn't remember what happened next, but these things were important; if things really turned out like in the story, the consequences would be unimaginable." Young Yun, remember, don't go up the mountain for the next few days. I'll let the villagers know later.""Okay, I understand, Captain. You should go and report it to the police right away!"Yun Ting watched them walk away before returning to her courtyard." Educated Youth Yun, you've gone up the mountain again?" Zhou Yang asked casually when he saw her basket full of wild vegetables and two wild chickens."Yeah, otherwise we won't have anything to eat…" Yun Ting chuckled."After work tonight, I'll call Brother Lu to go and get some game to add to our meal.""No, don't go up the mountain for the next few days. There were gunshots on the mountain just now. The Brigade Leader said not to go there for the next few days. He has already reported it to the police.""What? Gunshots?" Zhou Yang raised his voice,and Yan Zheng, who was passing by, paused. No one noticed his unusual behavior.