Having experienced her future life, she had seen many fine things.
But this body was lacking in nourishment.
The gluttonous worm in her belly was utterly uncontrollable.
Alas, poverty was to blame.
However, this wild chicken could help nourish her family.
Thinking of this, Lin Tang wore a pleased expression and walked briskly towards the foot of the mountain.
She had not gone far when she came across a plump, snow-white rabbit.
"...Such a little cutie," Lin Tang swallowed her saliva.
Just as she picked up the rabbit.
Before she had a chance to take a good look, a familiar voice tinged with sobs reached her.
Lin Tang listened carefully, it was Goudan.
Her heart raced, worried that her nephew was in danger, she quickly ran down the mountain with the wild chicken in one hand and the wild rabbit in the other.
"...Auntie, Auntie, where are you?"
Goudan, fearing that his auntie had been snatched away by the big bad wolf, cried while his imagination ran wild.
His dark, thin face was streaked with tears.
If he had lost his auntie, he would be beaten to death when he got home.
His parents would no longer have a son like him.
His younger brother would have no one to play with...
The more he thought, the more afraid he became, the more he thought, the more wronged he felt.
Goudan couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into even louder cries.
Lin Tang emerged from behind, placing the wild chicken with its neck twisted and the rabbit with its legs tied into the bamboo basket.
She patted Goudan on the shoulder, "Goudan?"
Goudan's small face went blank, he wiped his face, smeared with tears and snot, and turned his head.
"...Auntie?"
The child's eyes and nose were red.
His crying abruptly stopped, and he uncontrollably let out a small hiccup.
Lin Tang found his dazed and cute appearance so funny she almost laughed out loud.
But she knew this was not the time to laugh, and said with a smile in her eyes, "It's me."
Goudan stared at her blankly, not understanding why, but he couldn't help bursting into another round of sobbing.
"...Auntie, where did you go? I thought you were taken by the big grey wolf... I was so scared..."
Lin Tang had not realized that disappearing for such a short while had frightened Goudan to this extent.
Seeing the little guy crying his eyes out made her feel embarrassed and guilty.
She hurriedly took out a handkerchief to wipe Goudan's face.
"...It's okay, it's okay, it was my fault.
I just thought I'd go a bit further to see if I could catch some game, I didn't do it on purpose."
"Forgive me this once, okay? Otherwise, I'll give you both chicken legs?"
Goudan was taken aback by Lin Tang's mention of chicken legs, nearly drooling.
"You're lying, Auntie, where are the chicken legs? It would be amazing enough to have eggs to eat."
The crying stopped in an instant.
With each breath, he blew a transparent bubble from his nose.
Lin Tang's face was marked with a black line.
This was terrible!
She had scared her nephew silly, to the point where he could no longer see the fat wild chicken.
"Goudan, what is this?" Lin Tang asked, holding the plump wild chicken up to Goudan.
How could Goudan, such a clever and sensible child, get so scared by her?
She felt incredibly guilty.
Goudan's eyes mechanically fixed on the wild chicken that suddenly appeared in front of him, his little mouth slightly agape.
He was stunned for a long while before he came to his senses.
"...It's really a wild chicken!!"
Lin Tang fell silent, "..."
What else could it be?
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Goudan looked all confused, as he poked at Dahua's splendidly feathered wild chicken with his fingers, his eyes shining like little suns.
"Auntie, it's real, it's a real wild chicken..."
He sighed like an adult and said admiringly, "Auntie is so amazing! I wish I could be that great."
If he could catch wild chickens like Auntie, he would have enough to eat.
Then he wouldn't wake up hungry at night.
The young boy stared at the chicken, constantly swallowing saliva.
Lin Tang didn't know what he was thinking, but she felt that children needed encouragement.
So she said, "Goudan is great, too. You're still young now, but you'll be amazing when you grow up."
Goudan, worshipped by his new idol, lifted his little chin upon hearing his auntie's praise.
"Mhm, I am smart like Auntie, I will definitely be amazing in the future."
Lin Tang quietly gave herself a thumbs up in her heart, feeling proud of herself for comforting her nephew.
"Let's go, back home, we're having meat tonight." Lin Tang waved her hand and declared confidently.
Goudan pulled on her, "Auntie, you're just going to go back like this?"
As he spoke, he pointed at the wild chicken she was holding, his little face full of disbelief.
His granny had said that everyone was short of food now, and anyone who had something to eat would hide it.
People outside would go crazy over Bean Cake, let alone meat.
Meat was so delicious, everyone in the village would certainly want some.
Thinking this, Goudan decided to empty the basket full of firewood first.
And to his surprise, there was a fat rabbit inside.
"?!"
The little guy's eyes widened in shock.
"Auntie, Auntie, a rabbit? There's a rabbit!"
Lin Tang nodded her chin, "Mhm, I caught it on the way."
Goudan: "!!!" Auntie is so amazing!
He looked at Lin Tang with glowing eyes, as if looking at a deity.
"Alright, stop staring, we should head down the mountain!" Lin Tang said, patting his head.
Goudan quickly snapped out of it.
He looked at the fat rabbit with longing.
His eyes glowed red, and he couldn't help but swallow again.
It was meat after all!!
He first laid a layer of dry grass in the small basket, then placed the fat rabbit inside, and then covered it with another layer of grass.
He handed the small basket to Lin Tang with a serious face, "Auntie, you carry this basket on your back."
And then he placed the fat chicken upright in the bottom of the back basket and covered it with the small firewood on top.
Luckily, he had brought a big back basket today, otherwise, it wouldn't have fit.
Lin Tang, with her jade-like face, was slightly confused, "...Goudan, what are you doing?"
Why does this seem like thievery?
Goudan furrowed his little eyebrows into a tiny frown, disapprovingly said, "Granny said, these days people see food like dogs see bones.
This is meat, of course we have to hide it."
Lin Tang was somewhat slow to react, but she knew about the food shortage and thus accepted her nephew's approach.
Under Goudan's guerilla-like leadership, a mentally exhausted Lin Tang followed him home.
At this time, there wasn't much work in the fields, and everyone was able to head home after finishing their own tasks.
There was still some time before dinner.
In the countryside, with little to entertain oneself, the women would take their handiwork and sit in the brigade's shady spot, gossiping.
The topics were either about one family's long stories or another's shortcomings.
Lin Tang had the 'honor' of catching these gossiping aunties' attention.
"Why did that boy from the Liu Family want to break off the engagement with the Lin Family's girl? Weren't those two a good match?
Didn't that matter come about because Yang Chunfang from the Liu Family begged for it?"
"I remember that too; it was indeed Yang Chunfang who asked for it.
She practically ran to the Lin Family's doorstep every day to secure the Lin girl—she nearly wore out their threshold!"
"The Lin girl used to be so cute when she was little, always smiling at everyone.
That little face of hers, my, she doesn't look like anyone else in the Lin Family!"
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