Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

Chapter 5: No Mercy
After the heavy door was closed, even though it was broad daylight, the cave was still pitch black and only vague silhouettes could be seen.

Cave dwellings are a unique type of living style in the Shaanxi-Gansu region.

A hole was dug against the mountain and the top was reinforced. It is warm in winter and cool in summer, making it very comfortable to live in.

But it's backlit.

Especially for cave dwellings facing east or north, the sunlight is very short in a day and the light inside is quite poor.

Sometimes we have to light lights in broad daylight.

Following his memory, Yu Qiutang fished out matches from under the mattress beside the railing and lit the kerosene lamp. The dim light projected the shadows of four people on the wall.

Yu Xiaowei and Yu Xiaoyun leaned against the wall, looking at their uncle Yu Qiutang nervously, while Yu Chunmei leaned against the corner of the door, looking uneasy.

The only sound in the cave was the breathing of a few people.

Yu Qiutang sighed inwardly, well, these three people are more introverted than each other. In comparison, he is the most extroverted person.

"Third sister, come to the kang."

Yu Qiutang patted the edge of the kang. Yu Chunmei's legs were not in good condition, so she had to hold on to the wall even when standing.

"Oh." Yu Chunmei carefully groped her way to the edge of the kang, leaning against the wall.

Her mother was basically dead, her own body was in this condition, and she had a very cowardly personality. In her previous life, she died alone in her forties.

Seeing her like this, Yu Qiutang didn't say much.

He also didn't expect to change Yu Chunmei's character in a short period of time.

Without a long-term stable and happy life, it is impossible to eliminate the cowardice that has accumulated in her heart for a long time.

Just take your time.

His eyes fell on Yu Xiaowei's face. The twelve-year-old boy was no longer as stubborn as he was outside just now. His eyes were filled with tears, but he stood against the wall without saying a word.

He was still holding his sister's hand tightly.

"Xiaowei, come here, let me take a look at your back."

"I am fine."

Yu Xiaowei quickly shook his head to refuse, but Yu Qiutang reminded him. He turned around and looked at the bloodstain on his sister's face, stroking it gently with his fingers with heartache.

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt." Yu Xiaoyun tried to force a smile, but the wound on her face pulled and she frowned in pain.

Yu Qiutang remembered something, jumped off the kang, rummaged through the chest of drawers in the corner, and pulled out a small brown glass bottle.

His face suddenly became happy.

This contains anti-inflammatory powder.

People living in the mountains go in and out frequently and it is easy for them to get scratched, so almost every household has anti-inflammatory powder on hand.

Yu Qiutang is not sure about the specific ingredients, but the effect is very good anyway.

"Xiaowei, come and lie down on the kang."

"I don't feel any pain. Give it to Yunyun." Yu Xiaowei was still trying to refuse, but Yu Qiutang pulled him to lie on the kang. "There are plenty of medicines. Hurry up and disinfect. We still have things to do."

Yu Xiaowei struggled but failed to break free, so he had to lie down obediently.

Under the light, Yu Qiutang suppressed his pain and slowly sprinkled anti-inflammatory powder on the bloodstains on Yu Xiaowei's back.

These bloodstains vary in depth, the shallow ones are just a red mark, while the deep ones are direct cracks.

Yu Dejin showed no mercy!
The anti-inflammatory powder was sprinkled on his back. Yu Xiaowei grimaced in pain. Although he didn't make any exaggerated sounds, his body was shaking. "Just tell me if it hurts."

"I told you it doesn't hurt."

Yu Qiutang smiled and said, "It's good that it doesn't hurt. Uncle knows that you are a good kid."

"of course."

Yu Xiaowei replied proudly, then asked in a low voice: "Uncle, why are you helping me?"

"If uncle doesn't help you, who will?" Yu Qiutang gently used his fingers to move the anti-inflammatory powder on the wound. "Besides, you did nothing wrong in the first place. You can't just be bullied for nothing."

"That's right, I did nothing wrong. The adults can dig in the ground, so if I dig, I'm stealing. Isn't this clearly bullying?"

Yu Xiaowei was filled with anger.

Yu Qiutang originally wanted to tell his nephew not to think too much about resentment, otherwise it would affect his mood. But then he thought about the pain the child had endured and the misfortunes in his previous life. Forcing him to think more positively would be cruel.

"Well, they are bullying, but it doesn't matter. When we separate in the future, uncle will definitely not let you be bullied again. You can follow me and eat delicious food and drink spicy drinks, making them jealous to death."

"We don't care what we eat or drink," Yu Xiaowei turned his head and looked at Yu Qiutang and said, "As long as we don't get mad at you, it's fine. I'll be mad at you a little bit, but Yunyun has to be mad at you too."

"You're a little hero."

Yu Qiutang rubbed his nephew's head. The child was so young, but he spoke and acted like a little adult.

"Uncle, are we really not going to live with you anymore?"

Yu Xiaoyun pinched the corner of her clothes, carefully moved to the edge of the kang, and stared at Yu Qiutang nervously.

"Needless to say, I've already said it, there's no reason to regret it," Yu Qiutang picked up Yu Xiaoyun and put her on the other side of his body, "Now that we've separated, no one will scold you or beat you anymore. As long as your uncle is here, you won't go hungry."

"Really?" Yu Xiaoyun's bright eyes were full of surprise.

"Of course," Yu Qiutang checked Yu Xiaoyun's face. The rope had just brushed against it, leaving a red mark. Fortunately, it didn't break. It will probably heal in a few days.

"very nice."

Yu Xiaoyun is only one year younger than Yu Xiaowei, but her character is obviously more naive. Under Yu Xiaowei's protection, she has not suffered much harm.

"Uncle, now that the family has split up, does that mean we won't eat together with Grandpa and... and that person... anymore?"

Yu Xiaowei was indeed mature in thinking and had thought of the crucial issue.

"Of course, we won't eat with them, and we won't have anything to do with them no matter what we do in the future... Oh, of course, it doesn't mean we'll completely cut off ties, we just live separately."

Yu Qiutang said with a smile.

"Okay, let's live our own life," Yu Xiaowei also became excited and seemed very excited.

"But, there are four of us now, and we need to have enough food and clothes every day. I am also planning to build a new yard and move out of this kang yard. All these can only be earned through hard work..."

"Uncle, we are not afraid of hard work. I can help you with the work." Yu Xiaowei quickly expressed his opinion.

"I can do the work, too, uncle." Yu Xiaoyun followed.

Yu Chunmei said softly, "Tangtang, my legs are like this. I may be a burden to you, but I will do what I can."

"Haha~" Yu Qiutang smiled and patted Yu Xiaowei's head, "I know you are all good, but as for living, it's better to leave it to the adults. Xiaowei, you and Yunyun should go to school in the fall, and your three aunts and I will be at home."

"I don't want to study, uncle." Yu Xiaowei shook his head hurriedly, as if asking him to accept a disaster.

Reading was not as common in those days as it is in later generations, especially in areas like the foot of the mountains. Many people had never been to school since childhood, so the government later organized literacy classes to barely enable some people to recognize the necessary words for life.

(End of this chapter)