The Villagers
When they got to the courtyard, Du Xiao Li began to worry again. Aside from a pot, there isn’t any other kitchenwares in the house, not even a knife. How are they going to kill the rabbit like this?!
“Big brother, when we came out, did we not bring anything with us?” Du Xiao Li asked.
Du Xiu Heng shook his head and said, “Eldest aunt said that everything was used to repay the debt, and didn’t let us take anything.”
“That Cui-shi!” Du Xiao Li was so angry her teeth itched. Although in the beginning, they certainly did borrow some money for Su Su Xin’s doctor fees, it wasn’t to the point where they needed to use everything to repay the debt!
“How about I go find uncle Shi to borrow some things?” Du Xiu Heng also noticed their current situation and said.
Uncle Shi was previously their neighbor. His character was honest and straightforward. Seeing the two siblings were pitiful, he thus gave them a pot and a bit of food, letting them be able to cook something to eat, so as to not starve to death.
“No need, big brother.” Du Xiao Li stopped Du Xiu Heng and said, “Borrowing uncle Shi’s things, we would still have to return them tomorrow. And when we need to use it again next time, don’t tell me we’ll have to go borrow again?”
“This….but if we don’t borrow, how are we going to kill the rabbit?” Du Xiu Heng asked.
“Let’s go demand back the things that belong to us!” Du Xiao Li said, “It’s already enough that eldest uncle forcibly took our house. Those furnitures all belong to us, and also our clothes and whatnot. All need to get back.”
“But eldest aunt won’t let us take them!” Du Xiu Heng said. Last time, he’d already tried, but eldest aunt not only didn’t agree, she even had him scolded, and kicked out.
“Just watch me. Big brother, in a while you…..” Du Xiao Li explained her plan to Du Xiu Heng.
After Du Xiu Heng finished listening, he hesitantly said, “Will this method really work?”
“Whether it works or not, we’ll knew with a try.” Du Xiao Li took the hare and mushrooms into the house. And after confirming once again that the hare’s legs were properly bounded, and won’t run away when it wakes up, she finally went out again. She pulled along Du Xiu Heng and descended the mountain together.
At the moment, the sun was already leaning to the west, and quite a few people already began preparing to return home. On the rural path, from time to time, they would see people heading home with a hoe in hand.
“Yo, Xiu Heng, how come you’ve come down the mountain?” A fellow villager saw the two and asked, “Li girl, heard you were sick, are you better now?”
“Thank you uncle Shi Er[1], I’m already better.” Du Xiao Li recognized uncle Shi’s younger brother, and sweetly replied with a smile.
This uncle Shi Er was the same as uncle Shi, both thirty some year old men, with a honest character, and possessed the warmheartedness that farmers usually had. Seeing the two of them coming down the mountain this late, they thus stopped and greeted them.
“Haha, this Li girl had a bout of illness and now seemed to have grown up quite a bit. Seems to be different than before oh!” When uncle Shi Er saw Du Xiao Li fluently reply to himself, even knowing to say thank you now, he heartily laughed out loud.
“Hee hee, what was I like before?” Du Xiao Li tried to let herself appear like a child as much as possible, as she asked with a playful laugh.
“Li girl in past didn’t have this big of guts, and when seeing us, didn’t dare to speak either.” Uncle Shi Er said, “That’s right, what did you two come down the mountain for?”
Hearing uncle Shi Er’s words, Du Xiao Li’s face immediately lowered and said, “We want to go to our original house to get some things. That shabby house on the mountain doesn’t have anything. Big brother and I are about to freeze to death, starve to death…wuu wuu….”
The house at the waist of the mountain, everyone in the entire village all knew about, so naturally they also knew that there was nothing inside. Although the weather was already beginning to warm up, but at night, it was still rather cold, especially when raining. Uncle Shi Er thought about the two little dumplings’ life living there and couldn’t help but heartache for them, saying: “What do you need to move? Uncle Shi Er will help you move it up the mountain.”
“Really? Thank you, uncle Shi Er!” Du Xiu Heng gratefully said, “But we don’t know if eldest aunt will let us take those things or not.”
“Your eldest uncle’s family really did go a bit overboard over this time. Don’t worry, I will help you two.” Uncle Shi Er patted his own chest and said.
“Thank you uncle Shi Er!” Du Xiao Li rubbed her eyes and said.
“What’s there to thank, everyone’s all neighbors. Goudan’er[2], you go back and tell your mom I’ll be back a bit later.” Uncle Shi Er handed the hoe on his shoulder to a small boy behind him and said.
“Alright, dad. I’ll go back and tell mother, and afterwards also come help!” Goudan finished saying this, then swiftly ran towards his house.
“Let’s go then.” Uncle Shi patted Du Xiao Li’s head.
Along the way, they even ran into a few other villagers. Seeing Du Xiao Li and her brother, along with Shi Er heading towards Du Fu’s family, they curiously followed after. When they were about to reach Du Fu’s home, they saw a figure just coming out of their courtyard, heading towards their direction.
“Doctor Niu!” Du Xiu Heng saw the person directly coming towards them and waved his arm.
Doctor Niu’s name was Niu Jing , probably fifty to sixty years old, and he was tall and skinny, looking very benevolent. Because he didn’t work in the fields much, his skin was rather white. Heard that he previously lived in the big city, though exactly which city, no one knew. They only knew that it was very very big. Two years ago, he returned to his old hometown. Everyone all a.s.sumed that because he felt he himself was getting old, he wanted to find a quiet place to retire to.
“Doctor Niu, thank you for replenishing younger sister’s medicine last time. This is the money I made today from selling firewood, pay you back the medicine money from last time.” Du Xiu Heng took out a few copper coins and handed it to Niu Jing, saying: “The rest, I’ll pay back in another two days.”
Niu Jing waved his hand, saying: “You probably only have this bit of copper coins now right? Take it back for now. Wait until you have more money, then give it to me. I’m not in a hurry.” Afterwards, he looked to Du Xiao Li, “Looks like your complexion is pretty good, presumably this illness is mostly cured. Let me check your pulse again.”
Du Xiao Li stretched out her right hand, and Niu Jing checked her pulse for a while, “En, the typhoid is already mostly cured, however, this little body is somewhat malnourished! Need to quickly fix this.”
“Thank you doctor Niu!” Du Xiao Li withdrew her hand. She also knew that she herself was malnourished, and planned to properly replenish later. Not only herself, but also that skinny like a monkey big brother of hers.
“Doctor Niu, did you just come from Du Fu’s house?” Shi Er asked.
“Yes, this Cui-shi accidentally fell down from the mountain yesterday. Today, it was aching unbearably, so they let me come and have a look. And you all are..?” Niu Jing saw that there were this many people, and asked.
“It’s like this, Xiu Heng and his sister are planning to go to their old house and move some things to the house on the mountain. You also know, that house on the mountain doesn’t have anything in it. These two siblings even have a hard time getting their meals prepared. I’m following along to see if there’s anything I can help with. Those larger items, with these two being this small, they can’t move on their own!” Shi Er said.
“Since that’s the case, this old man will also stay behind and see if there’s anything I can help with.” Niu Jing stroked his own beard and said.
“Then let’s go.”
When the party reached Du Fu’s home, Du Fu was currently wiping on medicine for Cui-shi. Inside, a sharp scream that sounded like a dying monkey could be heard, making Du Xiao Li secretly laugh to herself inside endlessly.
“Du Fu, Du Fu, come out for a moment.” Shi Er stood at the courtyard gates and shouted towards the house.
A while later, a man just as round as Du Xiao Tian walked out and saw the crowd standing outside his own courtyard. And when he saw Du Xiao Li and her brother, his expression dropped, asking: “What are you doing here?”
[1] Since he’s the second brother, so ‘Shi two’
[2] Ok so, his name translates to ‘dog egg’ literally, and I’m pretty sure it’s suppose to be a nickname. I looked it up and it’s supposed to be an intimate way to refer to someone.