During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

While we were eating, several people came into the courtyard and started asking questions all at once.

Is my second uncle home?

Old Li frowned, quickly put on his shoes, and got off the kang (heated brick bed). "I'm here, I'm here. What's up...?"

"Second Uncle, I heard you have relatives visiting. Everyone, come and see them."

The two young men looked around and asked, "We heard from Old Sheep Restaurant that your relatives dug up several large turtles in the river bend. Is that true?"

Old Man Li waved his hand, inwardly very unhappy, and said...

"Hey, what big turtle? It's just..."

"Look, a giant turtle!"

A sharp-eyed young man spotted the basket on the stove and exclaimed, "There really are giant turtles in the Hetao region! How much would you sell one for, given how big it is!"

Everyone's eyes lit up instantly, and several people swarmed around Old Man Li, chattering away.

"Second Uncle, where in the Hetao region did you catch this? Tell us!"

"Yes, Second Uncle, the price of food has gone up so high that we can't afford it anymore. We're thinking of catching a big turtle to exchange for some food."

"Second Uncle, why don't you ask one of your relatives to put in a good word for you..."

……

Old Man Li clicked his tongue inwardly and said with a reluctant expression,

"She just got lucky. Who knows where she caught it from? If you want to catch it, go find it yourselves. Maybe you'll run into it too."

Actually, he also wanted to ask Ye Qingqing where she caught it, so he could catch it after dinner.

Although the eldest daughter brings food and meat home, it is ultimately given by her husband's family. Can we expect them to keep giving to her indefinitely?

If he could catch two big turtles, he could at least exchange them for a few pounds of coarse grain flour, enough to eat for several more days.

"Second Uncle, look at you, so stingy!"

The young man in charge was unhappy and complained, "Sister Yan'er brought back grain and meat when she went back to her parents' home. The whole village is envious. It's not enough for you to eat for a whole winter."

Why are you still trying to steal this big turtle from us? Hiding it away like this is really pointless!

"Hey you brat, how dare you talk badly about your second uncle!"

Old Man Li spat out a word, then raised his hand dismissively, "It's not that I'm unwilling, but I didn't catch the big turtle; it was Yan'er's sister-in-law who caught it. How could I speak up if she didn't say anything?"

"Then let us in, and we'll ask them ourselves."

The young man leading the group snorted and tried to barge into the house.

The noise disturbed her meal, so Ye Qingqing put down her chopsticks, got off the kang (heated brick bed), and was about to leave.

"Second Girl, what are you doing?"

Li Chunyan grabbed her arm. "You're not going to tell them where we're digging for turtles, are you? We haven't dug enough for ourselves yet."

Ye Qingqing smiled faintly, "It's okay, if they want to ask, I'll tell them, to avoid making a fuss."

Digging for this stuff depends on luck; not everyone can do it.

Once the divination slip is completed, it becomes invalid; it simply tells them where it was dug up, but there's nothing inside.

However, she still wanted to tell these people that even if they couldn't find the big fish, they might find some fish that had slipped through the net.

With rising food prices, most families are having a tough time this year.

She did a good deed that very day.

"Uncle, since everyone's asking, there's no harm in telling you."

Ye Qingqing lifted the curtain and came out, glanced at the several pale-faced and muscular men, and said indifferently,

"There's a large patch of withered reeds in the riverbed near your village. I should still have some of the mud I dug there. You'll see it when you look."

I've seen them occasionally while I'm out for a walk; you guys should look for them, maybe you can find some more.

By the way, this thing hides under the mud, but it leaves a small hole in the ground to let it breathe. When you get there, just look for a hole about the size of your little finger...

Everyone's eyes lit up instantly when they saw that it was a tall, thin girl.

He was only fifteen or sixteen years old, but he was incredibly handsome, with a small, pointed face, a pair of bright, large eyes, and wearing a thick cotton-padded coat. He smiled faintly at everyone.

Everyone had heard that Li Chunyan's family had a greedy and lazy girl who made their lives miserable. They couldn't help but wonder, could it be this girl?

But judging from their appearance and speech, they don't resemble each other at all!

Under the strange gazes of several people, Ye Qingqing frowned slightly.

"I already told you the location. Is there anything else?"

The leader quickly looked away, "No, no, it's alright... thank you, sister!"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions.

"Girl, you have such a kind heart..."

"Absolutely! We're all struggling to afford food right now, everyone's worried. Girl, you've really helped us out!"

……

Ye Qingqing waved her hand, "Everyone here is from the same village as my sister-in-law, so there's no need to be so polite. But let me make it clear first, I'm only responsible for pointing out the location; whether I'll actually find it or not is another matter."

Just don't come back and blame me when you can't find anything.

"How could that be!"

The young man leading the group gave her a special look, then chuckled awkwardly, "Then let's go dig for giant soft-shelled turtles. If we find one, I'll treat you and Sister Yan'er to soft-shelled turtle soup later!"

Ye Qingqing raised an eyebrow. "You're welcome."

"father……"

Just as everyone was about to leave, a woman's voice, filled with sorrow and grievance, came from behind her, "Father, Mother... I... I'm back."

The air suddenly became still.

Li Chunlian held a toddler of one or two years old in her arms, with a thin little bundle slung over her arm. She stood shivering in the cold wind, her red eyes filled with fear and tears as she peered inside.

She was wearing a tattered coat and trousers patched upon patched, with sleeves that couldn't cover her wrists and trouser legs that couldn't cover her ankles.

On her feet were a pair of single-layer shoes, so worn that you could almost see her toes.

She was shivering from the cold, curled up in a ball, her face pale and her nose bright red.

Ye Qingqing frowned unconsciously.

This is... the younger sister that my sister-in-law mentioned, the one who married a family of beasts?

How did you end up in such a miserable state?

"Chunlian?"

Chunyan's mother didn't even bother to put on her shoes; she rushed out of the house, and tears welled up in her eyes the moment she saw her daughter.

"Chunlian, why are you back? You... you came back alone? What happened to you?!"

"Chunlian!"

Li Chunyan felt as if her heart had been stabbed, and ran over to hug her tightly with open arms.

"What kind of weather is this? What are you wearing?! You must be freezing! Give me the child, come inside and warm up..."

"sister……"

Li Chunlian opened her mouth, but before she could finish a single word, tears streamed down her face.

Li Chunyan took the child from her sister's arms, tears streaming down her face, and pushed her into the house.

"Come in quickly, Mother! Quickly, get a bowl of hot soup... Chunlian is freezing!"

The mother and daughter tearfully welcomed Li Chunlian into the house, serving her soup and warming her hands. But Li Chunlian stood there blankly like a wooden doll, not saying a word, only shedding tears.

Ye Qingqing then noticed that she was walking with a limp, and her big toe was bleeding.

His neck and wrists were covered in bruises, and his hands were covered in chilblains, which were frighteningly swollen.

The little one in her arms seemed frozen stiff, only her eyes filled with terror as she looked at people, her lips trembling as she burrowed into Li Chunyan's arms.

There were two bloody marks on the child's face!

Ye Qingqing took a deep breath.

brute!