Chapter Fifteen: Repairing the Dike

That evening, the Lin family dined on a simple version of wild pheasant stewed with mushrooms. The pheasant had been hunted by Meng Xuan and a few little ones, while the mushrooms were gathered by Mrs. Wu, who took advantage of a lull in the farm work at noon to climb the mountain with the village women, collecting wild greens and other things to enrich the family’s table. The whole family was eating in the courtyard.

“Mother, mother, something’s wrong…” Meng Yun was soothing Fubao, who for some reason was restless tonight. Mrs. Lin, watching her granddaughter fussing in her daughter-in-law’s arms, asked curiously, “What’s the matter with the little one today? Why is she so agitated?”

Mrs. Wu, serving meat to her two sons, glanced up at Fubao and said, “Is she feeling unwell?” Mrs. Li chimed in, “Maybe she got too much sun, the weather was hot today.”

Mrs. Lin took Fubao from Meng Yun, touching her head and examining her face carefully. “No, she doesn’t feel hot, and her face isn’t flushed,” she said, puzzled.

“Could she have been frightened?” Meng Yun wondered aloud, thinking of her unreliable brother who had taken her precious daughter up the mountain that day—perhaps something had scared her.

“Goudan, tell Grandma what your Uncle Meng did when he took you up the mountain today,” Meng Yun prompted, and Mrs. Lin turned to ask her eldest grandson, “Goudan, you went to the mountain too, are you feeling alright?”

Mrs. Wu, hearing her son had also gone up the mountain, quickly pulled Goudan over and asked anxiously, while Lin Dalang looked over as well.

“Mother, it’s nothing. We followed Uncle Meng up the mountain to catch rabbits…” Goudan rattled off, seeing his mother so worried, feeling a bit helpless.

—

Goudan recounted what happened on the mountain. “You mean you met people with red feathers and bows?” Lin Erlang, who had been silent, quickly asked.

“Yes, Second Uncle, we met four or five of them! They were fierce, asking Uncle Meng if he’d seen anything unusual. We were just looking for rabbits and didn’t see anything strange,” Goudan admitted, a little afraid of those men, who seemed terrifying.

“It seems hunters have arrived,” Lin Erlang said quietly. The Lin family was startled, exclaiming, “Hunters? How could there be hunters here?”

“Could something have escaped from the Little Mountain?” Lin Dalang said gravely.

“I don’t know, hopefully it’s not anything strange,” Lin Erlang shook his head.

Seeing everyone’s expressions, Meng Yun felt puzzled and asked, “Mother, what exactly is in the Dabie Mountains, and why are you so afraid of something coming out?”

Meng Yun, pampered and raised in the county, knew little of such matters. She only knew the endless Dabie Mountains were mysterious, rumored to hold rare treasures and even said to be home to immortals deep within—but no one had ever seen them. People went in, but none came out.

Mrs. Lin shook her head, “I don’t know what’s in that mountain that eats people.”

“What else could it be? Rare treasures, maybe… or raptors,” Mrs. Li said, pausing at the word “raptors.”

For a moment, the Lin family fell silent. Even little Cenhai felt scared when hearing “raptors.” Only Fubao kept babbling, “Here, here, baby is here.”

Sadly, no one understood her.

—

It wasn’t until the next day that Meng Yun discovered why her daughter had been so out of sorts, and it truly frightened Lin Sanlang and the couple.

Mrs. Lin thought for a moment, “This won’t do, we must tell Erde. This concerns the safety of the village. If it’s something good, all is well, but if it’s a mountain monster or dangerous raptor, it could kill people—even destroy the whole village.”

“Alright, I understand. I’ll go right away,” Lin Dalang nodded, rising to leave.

“No rush, finish your meal first; it won’t be too late after,” Mrs. Lin said.

“Alright.”

—

Meanwhile, Lin Sanlang was at the home of the village chief, Lin Erde, discussing important matters—the repair of the Cangjiang river embankment. Cangjiang was a tributary of the Canglan River, flowing through Lijia Village, Wujia Village, Xiahe Village, and over a dozen others. Over the years, flooding had been rare. The Lin family village was crossed by a branch of Cangjiang, and occasionally children or adults would catch fish there to improve their meals.

“Erlang, I asked you here today about the repair work on the Cangjiang embankment. The county has sent orders that each village must dispatch ten people to work on Cangjiang. After much consideration, I’ve decided to appoint you as the leader. Ershuan will go with you,” Lin Erde said, having weighed his words carefully.

“Uncle Erde, is there some benefit to this job?” Lin Sanlang smiled, understanding his uncle well—he never acted without profit, sharp and calculating. If there were no perks, would he send his own son? Afraid his son wouldn’t handle it well and that someone else might reap the rewards, he chose Lin Sanlang as the representative. Though he didn’t mind, he had to ask, just to be sure.