Chapter 36: The Crime of Gender 36

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: The Crime of Gender 36Upon hearing that exclamation, Qin Shuangshuang’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Fang Yaoyao’s arrow hit someone? Such bad luck—Fang Yaoyao had only shot two arrows today. The first almost hit herself, and who knows if the second hit someone. The three hurried into the forest. Fang Yaoyao was so frightened she was almost in tears, her voice quivering as she said, "I’ll never shoot an arrow again!" The three quickly entered the woods. Luckily, the worst-case scenario didn’t happen. Fang Yaoyao’s arrow hadn’t hit anyone but had landed in the bushes. Not far from the arrow, sitting on the ground, was the Eldest Lady, who had been scared out of her wits by the sudden arrow from the sky. When the Eldest Lady saw Qin Shuangshuang, she got up and threw herself into Qin Shuangshuang’s arms, sobbing. She had already been scared when she got lost in the mountains and was nearly hit by the arrow. Unlike Qin Shuangshuang, she didn’t have the mental fortitude and was utterly terrified! Qin Shuangshuang comforted the Eldest Lady for a long time before she stopped crying. After being questioned by Qin Shuangshuang, the Eldest Lady stammered out the reason she appeared there. It turned out that after Qin Shuangshuang entered the mountains today, she was so excited to meet Fang Zhongyi that she forgot to go home. Usually, Qin Shuangshuang would leave the mountains within half a day, and today, as time passed without her returning, Mrs. Bai and the Eldest Lady started to worry. Mrs. Bai, being an adult, managed to stay calm, as sometimes Qin Shuangshuang would come back late when she had a good harvest. However, the Eldest Lady couldn’t sit still; she was so worried she daringly sneaked out into the mountains alone! The Eldest Lady had never been in the mountains before. She got lost shortly after entering and wandered further away, becoming increasingly frightened, when suddenly, a stray arrow scared her stiff! The Eldest Lady was scared half to death, and Qin Shuangshuang was equally frightened by her actions! This little rascal had so much gall—she was so young yet dared to venture into the mountains alone! Angry, Qin Shuangshuang grabbed the Eldest Lady and started scolding her. The theme of Qin Shuangshuang’s lecture was: The mountains are not a place for little girls like the Eldest Lady to venture into! What if you encountered a wild boar? A black bear? A tiger? A wolf... Even if she were lucky and avoided any danger, what would she do if she got lost and couldn’t find anyone, or if she ran into someone with ill intentions? Qin Shuangshuang grew more and more furious while lecturing, and the Eldest Lady, head bowed and fingers fidgeting, didn’t dare to say a word. Neither Qin Shuangshuang nor the Eldest Lady felt there was anything wrong with their behavior, while Fang Zhongyi and Fang Yaoyao, observing on the side, tried hard not to laugh! A little girl was scolding another girl several years older about how daring she was to run into the mountains! It was utterly unconvincing since the scolder herself set a bad example first! After scolding for a while, seeing that the Eldest Lady genuinely realized her mistake, Qin Shuangshuang finally let her go with a huff, then introduced her to Fang Zhongyi. Fang Zhongyi was very tall and strong, quite imposing in front of children. The Eldest Lady was somewhat afraid of him and greeted him timidly, then stayed close to Qin Shuangshuang without moving. Seeing that they weren’t far from the foot of the mountain, Qin Shuangshuang carried two rabbits and a wild chicken, bid farewell to the Eldest Lady and Fang Zhongyi, and went down the mountain. Fang Zhongyi stayed back to help Fang Yaoyao gather some commonly used medicinal herbs. Qin Shuangshuang didn’t head straight home but took the Eldest Lady to Old He’s house at the village’s end. Old He wasn’t a village resident, so naturally, no land was allocated to him. He also hadn’t bought any land, so his way of making a living was by transporting goods and people by cart and helping with plowing during busy farming seasons to earn wages. When Qin Shuangshuang arrived, Old He was bathing his old yellow ox with warm water after a half-day of work, chatting with it as he scrubbed. The ox occasionally mooed as if responding, full of spirit. Seeing Qin Shuangshuang and the Eldest Lady, Old He greeted them with a smile, "What brings you two young ladies here today?" He looked the Eldest Lady up and down, nodding approvingly, "The Eldest Lady looks well; there’s color in her cheeks now." The Eldest Lady, reserved and shy, usually didn’t talk much in front of strangers, nodded to Uncle He, murmured a small thank you, and then said no more. When the Eldest Lady fell silent, Qin Shuangshuang stepped forward, placing two wild rabbits and a couple of old ginseng roots on Uncle He’s millstone. She smiled and continued, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle He. My big sister is fine now, thanks entirely to your help that day. We two kids didn’t know how to thank you properly. These gifts, small as they are, are our sisters’ heartfelt gesture. Please accept them, Uncle He." Qin Shuangshuang spoke so nicely that Old He couldn’t help but grin but still refused to take the gifts, "I appreciate your gesture, but I can’t accept these. It’s not easy for two young girls to get some meat, and the Eldest Lady needs nourishing; how could I take them? Keep them for yourselves to build your strength." "Uncle He, you must accept these. Though we’re young, we understand gratitude. This is our sisters’ token of appreciation. If you don’t accept, how could we possibly ask for your help in the future? These items may be hard to come by, but I’m strong and can always gather more in the mountains. By not accepting, would you be rejecting our sisters’ sincere gift as too modest?" Qin Shuangshuang’s words left no room for refusal. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Uncle He finally accepted, tapping Qin Shuangshuang’s forehead with a smile, "You clever little girl, you sure have a silver tongue!" Not taking Qin Shuangshuang’s gifts without giving in return, Old He gave her a dozen finely milled black buns. Black buns are made from unpeeled wheat, milled to remove some of the coarser parts. Some families, who value taste in food despite not affording white flour, will go to the trouble of refining the black flour several times, resulting in a product slightly inferior in texture to white flour. However, this method of refining black flour causes greater loss compared to regular black flour, which many families can’t afford. Carrying the three remaining three-year-old ginseng roots, a wild chicken, and some wild vegetables, Qin Shuangshuang headed back home with the eager Eldest Lady, who anticipated the ginseng chicken soup Qin Shuangshuang had promised to make her! On their way home, Qin Shuangshuang encountered a middle-aged woman dressed in silk and satin, with heavy makeup and hair adorned with gold and silver hairpins, whom Qin Shuangshuang had never seen before. The woman walked alongside a young wife from the village. Qin Shuangshuang thought the woman’s gaze was very strange. The way she looked at Qin Shuangshuang and the Eldest Lady gave Qin Shuangshuang an inexplicable chill. Moreover, for some reason, seeing this woman made Qin Shuangshuang feel a heavy unease and restlessness! seaʀᴄh thё NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.