Hunting 81: Gathering Goods in the Mountains, I Spoil My Ex-Wife to the Extreme

"Yunlan, sit down."

Once inside, Huang Zhifang gestured for Li Yunlan to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Mother, what's wrong?"

After Li Yunlan sat down, she looked at Huang Zhifang.

Huang Zhifang didn't speak, but instead reached out and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen across Li Yunlan's forehead behind her ear.

She studied Li Yunlan for a while before gently stroking Li Yunlan's thin cheek: "My child, you must have suffered a lot at Yuanchao's house, right?"

"Yuanchao is an honest and good-tempered boy, his mother knows that; but when I first saw Yuanchao's mother, I knew she was not an easy person to get along with, she liked to put on airs and act high and mighty."

"Back then, your mother and your eldest brother told you not to marry so far away, but you wouldn't listen. If you had married closer to home, you could have come back and complained to your family if you suffered any grievances at your husband's family. Even if you were bullied at your husband's family, your eldest brother and third brother would have rushed over to support you."

As she spoke, Huang Zhifang's voice became choked with emotion.

Li Yunlan looked at Huang Zhifang and knew that her mother was right.

She was blinded by love back then, thinking that Wang Yuanchao was honest and had a good temper. Although she was married to someone who lived hundreds of kilometers away from her parents' home, she went ahead without hesitation. But she never expected that while she thought Wang Yuanchao was honest and had a good temper, she didn't expect him to be a mama's boy, nor did she expect that his mother was a sharp-tongued and mean woman.

Less than six months after marrying Wang Yuanchao, she regretted marrying someone so far away.

But what good is regret? She was already five months pregnant at the time.

At the time, she thought that once the baby was born, her mother-in-law would probably be less harsh and more kind to her.

Unexpectedly, the birth of her child did not bring her the harmonious relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law that she had envisioned. Instead, because Qianqian was a girl, she was met with coldness, harsh words, and cruel treatment from her mother-in-law.

"Mother, please stop talking."

Hearing Huang Zhifang recount old stories from the past, Li Yunlan felt a pang of sadness.

"It breaks my heart to see you so thin!"

Huang Zhifang clutched her chest as she spoke.

Even when Li Yunlan was young, when her husband was still alive, thanks to his hunting skills and her own thriftiness, she never let her four children go hungry, even though there was a great famine everywhere at that time, nor did she let them become so thin.

Li Yunlan was her youngest daughter. When she was a girl in her maternal home, her face was rosy and radiant, and her cheeks were plump.

But now, after only three years of marriage into the Wang family, she has become so thin. Her once rosy face has lost its luster, her full cheeks have sunken in, her eye sockets are deep, her face is full of sorrow, and it is hard to see a smile.

"Mother, I..."

Li Yunlan had just opened her mouth when Huang Zhifang waved her hand to interrupt her: "Your eldest brother and third brother mean that you should stay at your parents' house for a few more days. Now your eldest brother works at the forest farm, and your third brother has also made a lot of money hunting. Our family can't do without you and Qianqian. Just stay at home in peace. If Yuanchao calls, just say that I'm not feeling well and that I need to stay at my parents' house to take care of me for a while longer."

"You and Qianqian should also take advantage of this time to eat well at home and nourish your bodies."

"But what if my sister-in-law and Xiulan..." Li Yunlan asked worriedly.

"This is your maternal home, and it's also your home. You have a share in it. Besides, your eldest brother is in charge. He values ​​family ties and is reasonable. He won't let you suffer."

"As for your third brother, your sister-in-law Xiulan has a good personality and you can get along with her. She won't gossip or make things difficult for you."

"Mother, I...I understand."

Li Yunlan nodded, feeling a warmth in her heart, and couldn't help but want to cry.

At this moment, Huang Zhifang took out a wad of cash from his pocket and stuffed it into Li Yunlan's hand.

"Yunlan, this is the money your mother has saved. Take it and spend it. If you need more, just ask your mother."

"Mom, please keep it. I... I have money. When my third brother came in to check on Qianqian before dinner, he gave me three hundred yuan."

Li Yunshan felt too embarrassed to take the money his mother was putting into his hand.

The money her mother gave her was the result of her hard work, saving every penny for a long time. She was a married daughter with a husband and a family to support her. Although her mother-in-law was sharp-tongued and her husband was a mama's boy, she was still too embarrassed to accept the money her mother had given her.

"Take it if it's given to you. It's your third brother's kindness that's giving it to you, and it's your mother's kindness that's giving it to you." Huang Zhifang's tone left Li Yunlan no room to refuse: "Your mother has your eldest and third brothers, so she won't go hungry or cold. You've married so far away, what if you get a headache or fever? How can you manage without some money on you? Do you expect to rely on your sharp-tongued and mean-spirited mother-in-law?"

Only after Huang Zhifang said that did Li Yunlan tighten her grip on the money in her hand.

At that moment, she felt the weight of the money in her hand; it was all her mother's love for her.

"Thank you, Mother."

Huang Zhifang waved her hand and said, "Yunlan, tonight, you and Qianqian can sleep in my room, and we can talk."

"Okay, Mother."

……

On the way home, it got dark and the north wind howled.

Li Yunshan held Dou Dou in his arms, while Lin Xiulan walked beside him.

"Yunshan," Lin Xiulan's voice drifted over from the side, "Yunlan has become much thinner than before."

"Yes, she has become much thinner than before, which is why I suggested that she stay at home for a few more days so that she can take good care of herself."

"Oh, right, I also gave her three hundred yuan as a last resort."

"Why are you telling me this? Yunlan is your own sister. Now that you're successful and have made so much money, it's only right that you help her out. I'm not as petty as my sister-in-law; I won't gossip about her."

Li Yunshan smiled, but tightened his grip on Lin Xiulan's hand.

The howling north wind whistled past her ears as DouDou asked in her childish voice, "Daddy, Mommy, can I go to Grandma's house tomorrow and play with Qianqian?"

Hearing DouDou's adorable words, Li Yunshan and Lin Xiulan both smiled slightly.

"Sure, of course."

Li Yunshan also recalled his childhood. His eldest brother was older than his second sister and him, so he usually had to work in the fields with his parents to earn work points. His second sister usually took care of him and his fourth sister, Li Yunlan.

She took him and his fourth sister to play, and also kept them in check.

When he and his fourth sister were hungry, his second sister would take them to the fields to secretly dig up sweet potatoes and bring them home to roast and eat.

However, after the second and fourth sisters got married, the four siblings could only get together on their mother's birthday and during the Chinese New Year.

Now, the second sister is divorced and lives at her parents' home; the fourth sister came back to celebrate her mother's 60th birthday and asked her to stay at her parents' home for a few more days. The four siblings can also catch up, and Dou Dou and Qian Qian, as well as the two chubby boys from the eldest brother's family, can play together and strengthen their bond.

The next day, after having breakfast at home, Li Yunshan and Lin Xiulan took Dou Dou to his older brother Li Yunshan's house.

Because she wanted to play with Qianqian, DouDou also brought her own rattles, dolls, and other toys.

Not long after they entered the house, the two little girls started playing together, their innocent laughter echoing throughout the room.

"Mother, where is my eldest brother?"

Li Yunshan looked around the house but didn't see his elder brother Li Yunshi, so he asked Huang Zhifang.

"Your older brother has to go to work. He left early this morning to go to the forest farm." As Huang Zhifang spoke, her gaze remained fixed on the two little girls playing around, her eyes full of affection.

"Then I'll go home and get my hunting rifle, and go into the mountains to see what kind of game I can catch so I can improve Fourth Sister's meals."

Li Yunshan smiled.

Be careful.

Huang Zhifang gave a word of advice.

"Mother, I understand, don't worry."

Li Yunshan nodded in agreement, then turned to Lin Xiulan and said, "Xiulan, you stay at your elder brother's house and keep Mother company. I'll be back soon."

"Okay, go ahead, and come back soon."

Lin Xiulan nodded.

Soon, Li Yunshan left his elder brother Li Yunshi's house.

After returning home, he went inside to get his hunting rifle and two boxes of ammunition. Just as he was about to leave, Director Zhou arrived in a sidecar motorcycle.

"Hey, Brother Yunshan, you're up early with your hunting rifle, getting ready to go hunting in the mountains again, huh?"

Director Zhou turned the car key, turned off the sidecar, and after parking it, he asked with a smile.

"Brother Zhou, what brings you here?"

Li Yunshan was very surprised.

Ever since I went to Hongxing Forest Farm to help Director Zhou and accompanied Old Liang on a hunting trip, although Director Zhou promised to replace the bullets for him, I haven't seen him since.

So, Director Zhou came this time to find Mosin-Nagant bullets and replenish his ammunition?

"I'm going to a meeting in the county town these past two days, and I was looking for some old comrades to help you get some bullets. Luckily, two of my old comrades have some left, so I brought them to you on my way."

Zhou Chang smiled and took out a cloth bag from his pocket. It looked heavy, and with the slightest shake, you could hear the metallic scraping sound coming from inside.

"Heh, that's quite a lot of bullets."

When Li Yunshan saw the cloth bag in Director Zhou's hand, he was as eager as an old cat seeing salted fish.

Last time, he helped Director Zhou by accompanying Old Liang on a hunting trip in the mountains. The bullets were used up to a few, which caused him to develop a fear of running out of ammunition recently.

Although one can purchase two boxes of shotgun ammunition per month with a gun license, totaling fifty rounds, shotguns have a shorter range than rifles, and their power and bullet penetration are not as great.

Now, Director Zhou has finally managed to get the bullets he promised and delivered them to him.

"I had to beg and plead to get fifty-three rounds from my two old comrades-in-arms. You'd better use them sparingly, or I won't be able to replenish them for you."

Director Zhou complained.

"You must use it sparingly."

Li Yunshan said with a smile.

Actually, the bullets that Director Zhou got for him last time wouldn't have been used up so quickly if he hadn't gone hunting in the mountains with Old Liang.

But then they encountered a pack of wolves and a bear, and to ensure Liang Lao's safety, he took out the Mosin-Nagant, this powerful weapon.