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

Ye Youliang's eyes were bloodshot with anxiety. "Why did you come back if you weren't waiting for anyone?!"

"Dad, I...I came back to get something."

Ye Dali wanted to speak but dared not, afraid of scaring his father, and rubbed his fingers together so that sweat beaded on his forehead.

Ye Youliang pounded on the window, "What are you carrying? What's wrong? Tell me quickly, who are you trying to kill with anxiety!"

Ye Dali's face turned purple with frustration. "I... I came back to get my wood-chopping knife and went up the mountain to look for it... The villagers who went up the mountain to chop wood came back and said they heard wolves howling in the forest."

I'm scared, I'm scared that Qingqing and Cuicui will encounter wolves.

"Huh? A wolf!"

Ye Youliang's head went blank, and his whole body went numb.

He raised his hand and patted his head; his face was pale and bluish.

I was so stupid, really!

All I know is that in winter, the grass-eating animals all hibernate in their dens. The jackals and tigers on the mountain, unable to hunt, will rush down the mountain, making it easy to run into them. Why didn't they stop Er Ya from running up the mountain?

If something happens to her, how can I face my benefactor in the afterlife?

"Father, don't worry, they only said they heard the wolf howling; they might not actually encounter it!"

Ye Dali was in a panic. "Qingqing and Cuicui must have taken the wrong path. I'll go up the mountain to meet them... they'll be fine!"

He was simple-minded and clumsy with words. Chunyan had clearly told him not to tell his father yet, but he blurted it out as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Dali, quick, take twenty catties of grain and go find the village head!"

Ye Youliang was covered in cold sweat, his voice trembling with anxiety, "Tell the village head to gather a few more people to go with you. Each person who goes up the mountain will receive two jin of grain! Go and find Er Ya and the other girl!"

"I know, Father! Don't worry, Father, I'll go find the village headman right now..."

Ye Dali hurried to the woodshed, grabbed a bag of millet without thinking, and ran towards the village head's house.

A large crowd gathered at the village entrance.

The hunter, Ye Jinquan, wearing a tattered sheepskin coat stained with grease, pulled a pipe from the hemp rope around his waist, lit it, squatted on a large rock, took a few puffs, and said with spittle flying everywhere,

"Speaking of wolves, there really are! After winter comes, there are fewer prey, and when these things can't find food, they will run out of the forest, and they might even come down the mountain."

I saw it a couple of days ago when I was hiking in the woods. It was a lone wolf, about the size of a calf!

The villagers all gasped and began to chatter amongst themselves.

"That's terrible! The two girls from the Liang family haven't returned from the mountain this morning. Could they have been carried off by wolves?"

"No way, they were just gathering firewood at the foot of the mountain. She's reckless; would she dare go up the mountain?"

"If you're not going up the mountain, why was Er Yatou picking up chickens and rabbits the other day?"

"Exactly! It's not like Second Sister has been acting like a brat all day..."

……

"If she really dares to go into the mountains and forests, then who knows!"

Ye Jinquan tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe, then sighed dramatically, "Even an old hunter like me has to hide when I see wolves. If those two girls go, they'll be eating them one after another."

Everyone be careful when you go up the mountain to chop firewood from now on. Alright, everyone disperse!

"Uncle Jinquan, you...you're scaring me!"

Li Chunyan felt a pang of panic. Seeing him about to leave, she quickly stepped forward, her face contorted with distress, and said, "My second and third daughters haven't come back yet. Please, have mercy and help me look for them up the mountain!"

Ye Jinquan glanced at her. "What are you looking for? Those who went up the mountain to gather firewood should have already returned. If you really encountered wolves, looking won't help!"

Li Chunyan's legs went weak at that moment, and she grabbed his sleeve, refusing to let him leave.

"Maybe he's lost... Uncle Jinquan, please come with my Dali to look for him and bring him back. My dad will definitely throw a feast to thank you properly!"

Ye Jinquan pulled back his sleeve, glanced at her, and said nothing kind.

"Your second daughter was picking up pheasants and rabbits the other day. Isn't she fierce? Why would she be afraid of encountering wolves?"

I can't help with this. Let's talk about it when I really can't come back.

As an old hunter, he had returned empty-handed from the mountains these past two days. How could he not feel bitter?

The more he said this, the more the villagers felt that Ye Qingqing and her sister were doomed, and they whispered among themselves.

"I never expected Second Sister to be so reckless; she's practically delivering food to the wolves!"

"At this time of year, if she dares to run into the mountains, who else but her is reckless?"

"I think it's like throwing a meat bun to a dog—it's gone forever... The Liang family had two wonderful young ladies; what a pity!"

……

"Uncle Jinquan, don't go, don't go!"

Ye Dali, carrying a sack of millet, panted as he stopped him. "My dad said he'd give you millet if we went up the mountain to look for someone. Come with me, and all this millet is yours!"

Ye Jinquan's eyelids twitched.

This bag of millet weighs over ten or twenty kilograms, but even if we exchange it for money, it wouldn't be enough to cover the cost of buying a son.

Shouldn't he seize the opportunity and ask for the bigger one?

"Wow, Brother Youliang is really generous!"

He glanced at the grain sack, then waved his hand dismissively, "It's not that I'm not going to help, it's just that the wolf on the mountain is easy to deal with."

"I'm the only one in the whole village who can still hunt. I need to go back and sharpen my knife and get some new arrows so I'm prepared!"

As he spoke, his eyes kept glancing at the grain sacks, his words carrying a hint of ulterior motives.

"Uncle Jinquan, I'm really anxious, please come with me right away!"

White breaths were puffing out of Ye Dali's nose; he didn't understand what he meant.

He didn't understand what she meant, but Li Chunyan did, and quickly gave him a wink.

"Uncle Jinquan, once we find Erya and Sanya, my father will definitely throw a feast for you!"

"Yeah, these days we can't even afford to eat, why would we drink?"

Ye Jinquan pursed his lips, but his feet remained rooted to the spot.

Ye Youliang, leaning on a tree branch, limped over and waved to him from afar.

"Brother Jinquan, we can't wait any longer! We can't wait any longer! I'm afraid I'll regret it if we wait any longer..."

"Alright, you know I'm the only one in the whole village who can help you out, old brother."

Ye Jinquan scratched his chin, deliberately looking worried, and said, "But I still haven't figured out how to pay for my son's marriage. I was just about to go to his neighbor's aunt's house to borrow some money... Sigh, it's really a dilemma."

"Brother Jinquan, why don't you and Dali go find someone first, okay?"

Ye Youliang's cloudy eyes were bloodshot, and he looked so haggard it was heartbreaking. He pleaded, "Once we find them, I'll thank you however you want!"

Hearing this, Ye Jinquan reluctantly nodded.

"Brother, what are you saying? We're all from the same village, do you think we'd really take your things?"

As he spoke, his hand touched the grain sack.

"Father! Eldest brother and sister-in-law..."

A clear, melodious voice came from the village entrance, "We're back!"

Ye Qingqing, supporting Ye Cuicui, appeared before everyone.

In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn to it.

What caught everyone's attention was not the Ye sisters, but the tall, burly, and fierce-looking stranger following behind them.