Dragon, Truly Shameless (Yuri Futa, Farming) - Chapter 23

Winter was approaching, making their remaining time precious. When the last batch of dried persimmons was fully dry, it would be time for them to sell them.

“A-Qing, do you really want to come with me?” Although Long Qing had said she would accompany her in anything, Shen Qingming was concerned that Long Qing was hiding in the mountains, perhaps due to some unspoken difficulty or even to avoid enemies. In truth, she didn’t genuinely demand Long Qing accompany her, but Long Qing’s willingness to go with her naturally made her happy.

Long Qing took out the dried persimmons, looking at her teasingly, “Yes, I can’t let you go alone with all this stuff. Besides, you’re so clumsy, what if you get lost on the way back?” She said it so seriously it sounded real.

Shen Qingming’s face flushed, and she was immediately a little displeased. Who was clumsy? Clearly, Long Qing was clumsier.

Long Qing watched Shen Qingming’s muttering, pouting expression with a smile. She was clearly angry but dared not speak her mind in front of Long Qing, always mumbling softly like this. She looked just like those village women gossiping behind people’s backs, but unlike them, she wasn’t annoying; in fact, she was rather cute. Long Qing loved to tease her; whenever she saw Shen Qingming’s shy and irritated little expressions, an inexplicable joy would well up in her heart.

Placing a layer of banana leaves at the bottom of the bamboo basket, Long Qing then loaded the dried persimmons. She squatted in front of the basket, grabbed the straps, looped them twice around her shoulders, and stood up in one breath. The bamboo basket, filled with dried persimmons, was surprisingly heavy. She seemed not to have expected it to be so heavy; her center of gravity immediately shifted backward, and she couldn’t stop retreating. Shen Qingming rushed to steady her.

“Let me do it; this is too heavy,” Shen Qingming supported the heavy bamboo basket, afraid Long Qing might strain her back.

Long Qing gasped a few times, struggling to regain her balance. She hadn’t expected it to be so heavy! She had just felt like a mountain was pressing on her back, almost sending her tumbling. If it was so strenuous for her, wouldn’t the Bean Sprout be crushed?

“No need, I can do it. Let’s go,” Long Qing tightened the rattan straps digging into her shoulders, securing the basket more firmly. The bamboo basket was woven by Shen Qingming herself a few days prior. Initially, Long Qing hadn’t realized the little girl was so multi-talented; there was nothing those hands couldn’t make. But speaking of talent, why, despite being so capable, was she despised by the entire village?

Seeing Long Qing’s firm stance, Shen Qingming had no choice but to pick up the other smaller bamboo basket. This basket, also woven by her, contained the most precious velvet antlers. To avoid drawing attention, she covered the basket with an old piece of clothing.

Long Qing walked in front, and Shen Qingming followed behind. The enormous bamboo basket obscured Long Qing’s slender back; from Shen Qingming’s angle, she could only see a tuft of Long Qing’s hair. It seemed truly too heavy. Long Qing’s breathing quickly became ragged, and her back stooped lower and lower until she was almost bent double, leading with her head as she walked.

Shen Qingming watched uncomfortably.

Finally, they reached a dirt slope not far from the village. Long Qing was truly exhausted, her back strained so tight it felt like it could break with a little force.

“Let me take it. It’s flat ground from here on out, let me do it,” Shen Qingming eagerly tried to take the bamboo basket, but was again refused by Long Qing.

Long Qing took a few heavy breaths, shaking her head, “I’ll do it.”

“A-Qing.”

“You go ahead,” Long Qing said, then continued walking down the mountain, her face a little pale.

Shen Qingming was exasperated. She should have known this thing would be heavy. Even making a cart back then could have eased the burden, instead of letting Long Qing exhaust herself like this. Seeing Long Qing’s faltering steps, she quickly chased after her, “Walk slower. I’ll go borrow a cart. You’ll wear yourself out like this.”

Without waiting for Long Qing to respond, Shen Qingming hurried towards the village, her steps quick. Perhaps this was the first time in her life she had so boldly entered the village where she was born and raised.

At this moment, Taohua Village was a scene of contentment.

Having just finished the autumn harvest, after a year of hard work, they had finally reached the slack farming season. Rural people had little entertainment, so they gathered to gossip in their free time.

The village women would gather daily under the large banyan tree at the village entrance, chatting animatedly. There wasn’t much gossip in the small village, but in Taohua Village, the Old Shen family monopolized half of it. The women still remembered the great flood that had swept through the Dragon King Temple in early autumn, and later, the incident of Shen girl going into the mountains. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed. Taohua Village was still Taohua Village, and the Old Shen family was still the Old Shen family. The difference was that the figure who always kept her head down and shoulders hunched was gone. Whenever they thought of Shen girl, these illiterate women would feel a little lost.

“Do you think Shen girl is still alive? It’s been over three months, and she hasn’t come down the mountain,” Madam Li gazed at Black Dragon Mountain. In fact, she had been keeping an eye on the back of the mountain these past few months. The Li family and the Old Shen family were neighbors, and lived close to the back of the mountain. If Shen girl had returned home, she would definitely know, but Shen girl had vanished as if into thin air, never reappearing.

“It’s probably unlikely. How could a little girl survive in the deep mountains and old forests?”

“Sigh, if she couldn’t survive, why didn’t she come back to the village? The grain has been harvested now, and everything is going smoothly. The Dragon King should have appeased his anger. If worst comes to worst, she could just go home.”

“That, I don’t know. Madam Li said she hasn’t come home once.”

“That girl is stubborn enough. What difficulty can’t be solved by coming home? It’s better than waiting to die in the mountains, right?”

“Exactly.”

At this point, the faces of several women grew a little heavy, and they sighed in regret again. While they were filled with regret, a harsh voice rang out from the other side, “Tch, you speak lightly. Come back? Will you raise her?”

In this village, the only one with such a sharp voice was Old Shen’s second daughter-in-law. In just three months, Second Aunt Shen seemed to have thinned down considerably. Her sturdy body had shrunk a size, and without the support of fat, the wrinkles on her face had deepened, and her appearance had aged somewhat. But this didn’t affect her imposing manner. She walked straight up to the group of women, shouting disdainfully, “Always pitying this and pitying that. When it’s time to shell out money, you run faster than rabbits. Who doesn’t feel pity these days? I’m pitying the New Year’s pig right now; are you not going to eat meat during New Year’s?”

She spoke too bluntly, and the women’s faces immediately flushed crimson. They stiffened and said, “What are you talking about, Second Aunt Shen?”

“Common sense! I’ll lay it out right here: I don’t welcome her back. It’s best if she dies in the mountains. Maybe then the Dragon King will be happy, and my Jinbao’s illness will get better one day.” Second Aunt Shen’s tone betrayed no affection, sounding like a curse directed at an enemy.

Madam Li glanced at her indifferently, saying unhurriedly, “You don’t welcome her, but perhaps she’d rather not come back anyway. After all, going back would just mean being drained by you. I heard that after Shen girl left, all the housework fell to Second Aunt Shen, right? Only three months, and you’ve withered so much. I think Shen girl left at a good time.”

As she spoke, her gaze intentionally swept across Second Aunt Shen’s aged face. Several women, upon hearing this, also turned their heads, letting out low snickers.

Second Aunt Shen couldn’t endure such humiliation and immediately lunged at Madam Li, howling, “You cursed woman!”

“Come on, you think I’m afraid of you?”

Madam Li was also a tough woman; she didn’t dodge and immediately started wrestling with Second Aunt Shen. The women from various families quickly stepped forward to break up the fight, and the scene became chaotic. Then, a woman suddenly screamed.

“Stop fighting! Look, isn’t that Shen girl?”

Madam Li looked in the direction, and saw a young girl walking quickly across a nearby field ridge. The wind blew her hair around her ears, and the sunlight illuminated one side of her face. Her appearance wasn’t entirely clear, but from her walking posture, it was recognizable: this was indeed Shen girl, unseen for several months.

The women’s expressions turned to those of onlookers enjoying a show, while Second Aunt Shen’s face instantly darkened.

“Hahaha, just now you were cursing her to die in the mountains, but bad luck doesn’t die that easily. Look, she’s back in the village, lively as ever,” one of the women laughed heartily, making it unclear why it was so amusing.

Second Aunt Shen scrambled up and quickly walked back. Shen girl was actually still alive, which just goes to show that good people don’t live long, while scourges last for a thousand years.

Shen Qingming didn’t notice Second Aunt Shen rushing back furiously. She hurried to the Old Shen family’s house but was blocked at the door. Her former home, where she was born and raised, now wouldn’t allow her to take a single step inside. A pang of bitterness rose in Shen Qingming’s heart. In truth, she wouldn’t trouble her family again; she only hoped they would give her a little help.

“You’re still alive?”

Was this what a grandfather would say upon seeing his long-lost granddaughter? Probably not, but Old Man Shen blocked the door, his murky eyes showing no hint of surprise, only impatience. Old Woman Shen couldn’t bear it and wanted to welcome Shen girl in, but Old Man Shen silenced her with a cold glare.

Shen Qingming forcibly suppressed the bitterness in her heart. When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with determination. “Grandpa, I want to borrow the cart.”

“Borrow the cart?” Old Man Shen looked confused. “You’re not trying to come back?” He looked as if he was afraid of Shen Qingming clinging to them.

“I’ve settled in the mountains. I picked some fruits and plan to sell them,” Shen Qingming said. Only then did Old Man Shen notice that Shen Qingming seemed different.

Because Shen Qingming had little presence in the Old Shen family and kept her head down for a long time, they actually didn’t know what she looked like very well. Looking closely, the girl in front of them, aside from her voice, didn’t resemble Shen Qingming. The timid girl from their memory had grown taller, her demeanor had changed; she had become bold, daring to look up and speak with them. Although still thin, there was a touch of liveliness in her brows, and at first glance, she even seemed to possess a certain grace.

Second Aunt Shen also rushed back, just in time to hear Shen Qingming’s remark about picking fruits in the mountains to sell. She looked at the bamboo basket in Shen Qingming’s hand and saw that it was covered with cloth. Could it be that Shen girl had found some treasure in the deep mountains and was about to get rich? Taking advantage of Shen Qingming’s lowered guard, she snatched the basket.