Chapter 3

There were some salt, peppers, and chili.

The conditions of this family were too harsh!

Chu Qingzhi felt like she had fallen from heaven to hell.

She thought for a moment and walked to the door of her house to look into the distance.

The village was surrounded by endless mountains. Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the mountains were dyed golden, like a painting.

It was said that the people living next to the mountains relied on the mountains and people living next to the sea relied on the sea. There must be food in the mountains. Why not go and take a look?

With this thought in mind, she walked into the mountains with light footsteps.

Just as she reached the foot of the mountain, a man walked out of the forest.

The man was a head taller than Chu Qingzhi. His eyes were as black as ink, sharp and lively. His thin lips were pursed slightly. He was wearing a blue robe and his figure was straight. There was an indescribable aura around him.

Chu Qingzhi’s intuition told Chu Qingzhi that this man was not simple.

Tang Jinghong was also sizing up Chu Qingzhi. The little girl was thin and tall. She was wearing a light green dress and had a ponytail. She was very energetic and her eyes were especially bright and good-looking.

He said in a low voice with kindness, “It’s dark. It’s not safe to go into the mountains.”

Chu Qingzhi looked at Tang Jinghong’s hand. He was holding two fat rabbits and two fat pheasants.

She did not want to go into the mountains either. This body was not particularly strong. She was panting after taking a few steps. She felt that she was about to die of exhaustion.

“Brother, can you finish the meat? If you can’t, can you give me a rabbit and a pheasant? I’ll hunt them for you tomorrow.”

If she had money, she would have bought it. Now that she didn’t have money, this was the only way.

Tang Jinghong was very generous and gave half of the meat to Chu Qingzhi. “I don’t need you to return it. I’ll give it to you for free.”

Hunting was not as easy as people thought. If not for the fact that people were poor, they would not have come into the mountains to try their luck. Since they came to the mountains, it meant that hunting was their last resort. It was not a big deal to help someone from the same village.

Chu Qingzhi took the pheasant and rabbit. “Thank you. I’ll return them to you.”

Tang Jinghong did not take Chu Qingzhi’s words to heart. “It’s almost dark. It’s dangerous in the forest. Let’s go down the mountain.”

“Ok.” Chu Qingzhi turned around.

On the way back, the two of them got to know each other. Then, Chu Qingzhi began to think about what to cook later. She had never eaten such wild animals.

She reached home not long after. Chu Qingzhi turned around and said to Tang Jinghong, “Brother, thank you.”

Tang Jinghong smiled. “You’re welcome. I’m leaving.”

“Okay.” Chu Qingzhi waved at Tang Jinghong and watched him walk away. Then, she carried the pheasant and the wild rabbit into the kitchen and began to cook.

…

On the other side, Tang Jinghong was carrying the prey home. When he reached the door, a mean voice was heard.

“Tang Chuncheng, don’t learn from some lazy people. When it’s time to work, some people are nowhere to be seen, but when it’s time to eat, they show up.”

These words were clearly directed at Tang Jinghong. He frowned and his gaze landed on the pheasant and rabbit in his hand. Then, he let them go. “Run. You are spared.”

When Zhang Xiuqin, Tang Jinghong’s stepmother, saw that Tang Jinghong did not bring the prey home, she was so angry that she scolded even more fiercely, “Ever since there’s an extra person at home, there’s not enough food to eat every day. Tang Shan, aren’t you going to do anything?”

When Tang Jinghong returned home, he gave Zhang Xiuqin fifty taels, which pleased her very much, but three days later, her attitude changed drastically.

“What have I done to deserve this life? I have to take care of the family. Everyone is counting on me. My stepson is not close to me and doesn’t listen to me. He’s going to anger me to death.”

“What’s more infuriating is that he doesn’t work all day long even if he is tall and strong. He expects me, a woman, to manage the fields alone. I’m so tired that I can’t straighten my back.”

However, the truth was that Tang Jinghong watered the fields from the afternoon to evening. He worked for four hours without resting. Then, he went to the mountains to hunt without stopping.

She kept cursing and cursing. Tang Shan could not stand it anymore. “Can you stop?”

Zhang Xiuqin started to make a fuss. “Why should I stop? Tang Chuncheng is also your son. Why do you want him to work all day long? Why don’t you let Tang Jinghong do it?”

Tang Shan was helpless and angry. “Jinghong has done a lot more than Chuncheng. Can you not be so unreasonable?”

Zhang Xiuqin roared, “Yes, I’m being unreasonable. Tang Shan, I know you’re biased towards your son. You’ve never treated me and my son as family!”

Tang Jinghong turned around and left.

Tang Shan looked at his son’s lonely back and felt sad. However, Zhang Xiuqin was a shrew. Standing between them, he felt extremely hopeless.

Zhang Xiuqin glared at Tang Jinghong, who was walking away, and said, “If you are so capable, don’t ever come back!” As she spoke, she walked over and slammed the door.

Tang Jinghong did not look back, nor did his emotion fluctuate. It was true that with a stepmother, his family was no longer the way it used to be. There was no need for him to go back home that often anymore.

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