After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

Chen Dashan put down his axe and tiptoed over. Before he could get close, the thing vanished. He shook his head, thinking it was probably just a squirrel, and didn't pay it any mind. He then picked up the firewood and headed down the mountain.

He hadn't walked far when he felt uneasy, as if something was following him. He stopped and looked back, but the woods were quiet and empty. He took a few more steps, and the feeling returned.

"Strange." Chen Dashan frowned and decided to take a detour. He turned a corner and headed towards the bamboo forest. The terrain there was open, with a good view, allowing him to see the surroundings clearly.

The bamboo grove was quiet; the wind whistled through the bamboo tips. Chen Dashan chose a sunny, north-facing slope, put down the firewood, and looked around. There was no one there, nor any suspicious signs.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it." He breathed a sigh of relief and began looking for winter bamboo shoots.

The ground in the bamboo forest was covered with a thick layer of bamboo leaves, and finding winter bamboo shoots required experience. Chen Dashan squatted down and carefully observed the ridges and cracks in the ground. After walking around for a while, he finally found a suspicious spot where the soil was slightly raised and felt soft underfoot. He gently dug away the topsoil with his machete, and sure enough, a tender yellow bamboo shoot tip was revealed.

"Found it." He carefully dug along the direction of the bamboo rhizome, afraid of damaging the bamboo shoot.

Just as he was concentrating on digging bamboo shoots, he suddenly felt a strong shove on his back. Before he could react, he lost his balance and fell forward. The slope was steep, and he rolled down it, his head hitting a rock. Everything went black, and he knew nothing more.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Chen Dashan vaguely felt someone calling him. The voice was very distant, as if it were coming from underwater.

"Big mountains! Big mountains!"

It was his father's voice. Chen Dashan tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as lead. He struggled for a moment, and finally opened them a crack, seeing his father's face facing him, full of anxiety.

"Dashan, how are you? Can you hear me?" Chen's father's voice trembled.

Chen Dashan opened his mouth, wanting to say he was alright, but no sound came out. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and when he touched it, he found his hand covered in sticky blood.

Chen's father's expression changed drastically. Without asking any more questions, he quickly helped Chen Dashan up. Chen Dashan's legs were weak and he couldn't stand steadily. Chen's father half-dragged and half-carried him onto the oxcart. Straw was laid on the cart. After settling him in, Chen's father tore a strip of cloth from his own clothes and wrapped it around Chen Dashan's head to stop the bleeding.

"Father...why are you here?" Chen Dashan was finally able to speak, though his voice was very weak.

As Chen's father drove the cart, he said, "It's almost dark, and you still haven't come back. I was worried. I searched everywhere and finally found you under the bamboo grove. Did you fall down there?"

Chen Dashan nodded, then shook his head: "Someone... pushed me."

Chen's father's hand trembled, and the oxcart swayed. He glanced back at his son, his voice tense: "Did you see who it was?"

Chen Dashan shook his head: "I didn't see clearly... he pushed me from behind."

After a moment of silence, Chen's father quickened his pace. The oxcart bumped along the mountainside, and Chen Dashan leaned against the cart, his head buzzing, his consciousness beginning to fade again.

Upon arriving home, Chen's father parked the oxcart and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Xiao Yin! Quickly grab the money and come with me to the county town! Da Shan is injured!"

Su Xiaoyin rushed out of the kitchen and saw Chen Dashan covered in blood; her face turned deathly pale. Without asking any questions, she turned and ran into the house, grabbed some silver and a few warm clothes, and said to Su Xiaoqing, "Xiaoqing, take good care of the child. Mother, I'll have Er Mu's aunt come over to keep you company tonight. We'll talk about everything when we get back."

When Chen's mother came out of the main room and saw Chen Dashan's condition, her legs went weak, and she had to hold onto the doorframe to keep from falling. Su Xiaoqing quickly supported her, saying repeatedly, "Mother, it's alright, eldest brother will definitely be fine. Don't worry."

Father Chen had already harnessed the mule cart. Su Xiaoyin jumped onto the cart, and Father Chen cracked the whip, sending the mule cart speeding away.

Standing at the courtyard gate, Chen's mother watched the mule cart disappear into the twilight, tears streaming down her face. Su Xiaoqing helped her into the house and then went to ask Er Mu's aunt to come and keep her company. After the children were settled on the kang (heated brick bed), Qingqing asked softly, "Auntie, what happened to my father?"

Su Xiaoqing forced a smile and patted her head: "It's okay, your dad just fell. We'll go to the county town to get him checked out. Qingqing, be good and go to sleep with your little brothers."

Although the children were worried, they were still young and soon fell asleep.

Su Xiaoqing sat in the main room, clutching her embroidery hoop, but unable to embroider a single stitch. Gazing at the dark night outside the window, she prayed repeatedly in her heart: Brother, you mustn't be hurt.

----

Chen's father's whip cracked in the air, and the mule galloped along the dirt road. The oxcart's planks creaked and groaned as it bounced. Chen Dashan leaned against the cart, a cloth wrapped around his head. The bleeding had stopped, but his face was as white as paper, and his lips were bloodless. Su Xiaoyin held him tightly, her hand gripping his clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Dashan, hang in there, we'll be in the county town soon." Su Xiaoyin's voice trembled, but she tried her best to steady herself and not let her tears fall.

Chen Dashan closed his eyes, nodded slightly, and didn't speak. The wound on the back of his head was still throbbing, and his head was buzzing, as if a thousand bees were buzzing around inside. He felt Su Xiaoyin's hand trembling, and he wanted to comfort her, but he didn't even have the strength to speak.

The road was pitch black, with only a few cold stars hanging in the sky. Father Chen hung a lantern on the cart shaft, its dim light illuminating a short stretch of road ahead. The mule panted heavily, its hooves clattering across the empty fields. Father Chen was burning with anxiety, but he dared not go any faster, lest he jolt his son.

After finally reaching the county town, Chen's father drove the mule cart straight to Doctor Li's clinic. Seeing the lights still on at the clinic entrance in the distance, he felt a sense of relief and almost fell off the cart.

"Dr. Li! Dr. Li! Help!" Mr. Chen jumped off the cart, not even bothering to tie up the mule, and rushed into the clinic shouting.

Dr. Li was tidying up the medicine cabinet behind the counter when he heard the shout and rushed out. Seeing that Mr. Chen's face was covered in sweat and his clothes were soaked, he felt a pang of anxiety and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"My eldest son is injured. He fell down the mountain and his head is covered in blood!" Mr. Chen said, pulling Dr. Li away.

Dr. Li followed them out and saw Chen Dashan lying in the car. His face darkened, and he turned back to shout, "Come out and help!"

Two apprentices ran out and helped carry Chen Dashan into the clinic, settling him on a bed in the inner room. Doctor Li lit several oil lamps, illuminating the room brightly. He cut the strips of cloth wrapped around Chen Dashan's head, revealing the wound, and frowned.

"The injury is quite serious. The skull isn't fractured, but the impact was severe. It needs immediate treatment," Dr. Li said, while instructing his apprentice to prepare medicine and gauze.