"Ai..." The man squatted beside the dying woman.
All along the way, the woman had given almost everything she could eat to the man and the child, while she herself collapsed.
Seeing her youngest child crying so painfully beside her, he gritted his teeth, "You said that?"
He directly hoisted her up and walked towards the pit where the deer had been buried. He tossed her in. The woman, already dizzy, tightly shut her eyes, prepared to die.
"Little brat, what are you doing? Do you think I'm dead?"
As A Jiu was about to step forward, she discovered that A Nai had somehow gotten ahead of everyone and shoved the man several meters away, sending him crashing heavily to the ground.
The man scrambled to his feet, looking terrified, "A... A Niang?"
A Jiu quickly stepped forward and pulled the woman out of the makeshift earthen shelter.
She groggily managed to open a sliver of her eyes, "I can't live anymore. I don't want to be a burden to everyone..."
Zhuang Er, who had been hungry all along, stopped crying abruptly. His dirty little face, with its large eyes, stared intently at A Jiu.
She felt a sense of familiarity, but was too afraid to recognize this older sister.
Da Zhuang, who had eaten his fill in the woods, rushed over upon hearing the commotion, "A Niang, A Niang."
He suddenly looked up at A Jiu's face, and she was so startled she fell onto the ground.
"Sister, you... you aren't dead?"
As Da Zhuang spoke, a chill ran down A Jiu's spine. When had she died? She didn't even know!
Meanwhile, Madam Wang unleashed a torrent of slaps, attracting curious onlookers from Ma Peng's group of brothers.
Meng Shaokang cupped his face, not daring to utter a peep, "Mother, stop hitting me... I had no choice. I thought I could at least get some food by following the mountain king, but who knew it would turn out like this... Ah, Mother!"
"No choice? I know very well what kind of person you are." With that, he moved to slap again.
Meng Shaokang quickly raised his elbows to protect his head.
A Jiu looked at her disheveled and stubble-covered uncle. It was fitting that A Nai was scolding him, so she didn't intervene. She simply took out her acupuncture kit and administered a few needles to her uncle's wife.
Then, she took out a water pouch and gave some to her to drink.
Da Zhuang suddenly seemed to recall something, "A Die, Jiu'er jie jie has water."
He then went to snatch it.
A Jiu deftly dodged his small hand, her eyes widening in astonishment. Was it true that children took after their parents?
"Your mother is about to die, and you're still snatching?" A Jiu's eyes held a sharp glint. She hadn't expected that after so long, her uncle hadn't changed, and his child had learned his ways too.
Da Zhuang's hands became awkward under his sister's gaze, but his eyes remained fixed on the water pouch.
A Jiu glared at Da Zhuang and turned back to continue giving water to her uncle's wife.
Unexpectedly, Madam Wang seemed to be playing her part. She picked up a long, thin twig and swiped it down towards Da Zhuang's backside;
"You little brat, trying to hoard for yourself... I'll teach you."
That strike was clearly delivered with full force, causing Da Zhuang to jump high, rubbing his backside, his cries choked with emotion.
The onlookers were stunned. Only Ma Peng began to sense something.
This girl was the person Jiu'er wanted to find, otherwise why would he be beaten like a grandson?
"Cough cough cough..." The uncle's wife in A Jiu's arms began to cough violently. Luo Xiuying, who had just recovered her breath, cried out,
"What a sin... what a sin!"
"Da Zhuang, kowtow to your mother. Everything good was for you three, so why did you bury her?"
This was also what A Jiu wanted to say, but Madam Wang, who had been watching from the side, spoke first.
He knew this girl was soft-hearted and couldn't say harsh words. So, he decided to speak.
Da Zhuang, watching from the side, was dumbfounded. His mother had barely any breath left, yet she was sitting on the ground crying loudly.
He walked forward shakily and suddenly said,
"I don't have a mother like you. A Die said you are useless, and it's a waste of food to be alive. A Die said he's done his best to bring you this far."
There was no trace of affection in Da Zhuang's eyes. The intense disgust was like a thousand knives stabbing Luo Xiuying.