Accidentally-Born_C11

Chapter 11

Grandma Li pondered for a moment and instructed Wang Sufen, “You stay here and peel the corn with the child. I’ll go find Dongzi’s father and borrow a cart to haul the wood.”

Wang Sufen nervously looked around, her face on the verge of tears. “Mother, what if someone comes by and sees us?”

“It won’t be that coincidental,” Grandma Li reassured her. “This area is flat, with no wild vegetables or mushrooms, and people who frequently come up the mountain know we’ve been clearing land here. It’s not harvest season, so no one will come wasting their time.” Seeing that Wang Sufen was still worried, Grandma Li came up with another idea. “If someone really does come, just tell them we’ve used the medicine your elder brother sent from the south on the land, and after two months, the crops are maturing early.”

Wang Sufen looked at Grandma Li in shock. “Is there really such a magical thing?”

“Are you stupid?” Grandma Li said as she pulled out her smoking pipe and tapped Wang Sufen lightly. “This is just an excuse I came up with to fool them! Alright, hurry up and peel the corn here. I still have to call your husband.”

Grandma Li returned to the field, dug up some potatoes, and placed them in the basket. She then took a torn piece of clothing to cover them before walking down the mountain. Wang Sufen watched Grandma Li as she moved, and after she had walked about ten meters, she couldn’t help but ask again, “What do we say if we bring the stuff home?”

“Just say your elder brother had someone send it from Fujian,” Grandma Li replied without turning back, her small feet surprisingly managing to stride with a strong, confident air.

Wang Sufen dared not put Zhenzhen back on the ground. After nursing her, she tied Zhenzhen back to her back and continued peeling corn while muttering to her, “Daughter, don’t do such scary things in the future. What if someone sees us? It’s fine if they get scared, but what if a bad person comes and takes you away? How would I ever find you then?”

Zhenzhen lay on Wang Sufen’s back, looking frustrated. She thought to herself: How was I supposed to know I had this ability? I couldn’t even pick two correct numbers in the lottery in my past life, and now I’ve somehow ended up winning a huge prize in this one.

Wang Sufen peeled one corn after another, tossing them to the side. Zhenzhen, feeling bored, glanced around and suddenly noticed a bunch of wild blueberries. She silently calculated that she was almost seven months old, so she should be able to eat some fruit. Taking advantage of Wang Sufen’s distraction, she quietly reached out her hand towards the blueberries not far away.

A branch heavy with blueberries suddenly stretched out and grew until it reached right in front of Zhenzhen. Zhenzhen smiled in delight, quickly reaching out her little hand to pick a blueberry and pop it into her mouth. With her tiny milk teeth, she bit down hard, and the sour-sweet juice of the blueberry flowed down her throat. Zhenzhen closed her eyes in satisfaction.

After swallowing the fruit, Zhenzhen tossed the skin aside and picked another one. Wang Sufen, having finished peeling a corn cob, took a few steps forward, and the blueberry branch extended another half meter, stopping steady beside Zhenzhen.

Zhenzhen ate one after another. By the time she had finished the fourth, Wang Sufen was resting her waist and panting when she suddenly heard Zhenzhen munching behind her. Turning around quickly, she was startled to see that Zhenzhen’s face and hands were covered in purple juice. “What have you eaten?” Wang Sufen asked, shocked.

Zhenzhen silently picked a blueberry from behind Wang Sufen’s head and innocently handed it to her. Wang Sufen turned around, and when she saw the long blueberry branch, she was once again stunned. “…Has this blueberry become a spirit?”

Zhenzhen smiled sweetly. She wrapped one arm around Wang Sufen’s shoulder, tried to climb a little higher, and attempted to feed Wang Sufen a blueberry. Though she had already realized her daughter had some remarkable abilities, the sudden appearance of such a long branch still took Wang Sufen by surprise. She hurriedly stood on tiptoe, looking around, afraid someone might see this strange sight.

The forest echoed with the clear calls of birds. Aside from the bizarre blueberry branch, nothing else seemed unusual. Wang Sufen turned around to speak to Zhenzhen, but before she could, Zhenzhen shoved a blueberry into her mouth. The sweet-sour taste filled her mouth, and Wang Sufen suddenly realized how parched she had been.

All the words she wanted to say were swallowed back down. Wang Sufen loosened the straps and picked Zhenzhen up, taking a blueberry from the branch and placing it in Zhenzhen’s hand, before eating several herself.

It was Zhenzhen’s first time eating blueberries. Though they were delicious, she knew her small body couldn’t handle too many, so she put the rest of the blueberries into Wang Sufen’s mouth.

Wang Sufen quickly finished the blueberries on the branch. Zhenzhen blinked, and the branch retracted. If it weren’t for the empty branch and the blueberry scent still lingering in her mouth, Wang Sufen might have thought it was all a dream.

Grandma Li walked quickly, and when she reached the foot of the mountain, she saw Mingbei carrying a basket from another direction. She immediately called out to him. “Why are you by yourself? Where’s your sister-in-law and your third brother?”

Mingbei pointed to the direction he came from. “There’s a huge patch of mushrooms and wild vegetables over there. I’m taking this basket of vegetables home first, and then I’ll bring back some water and two vegetable dumplings.”

As he spoke, he raised his leg and hurried to leave.

Grandma Li quickly grabbed his arm. “Why are you rushing so fast? I still have something to tell you.”

“What is it, Grandma? I’m hungry!” Mingbei rubbed his stomach and grimaced. “You gave me a vegetable dumpling this morning, but it’s mostly wild vegetables with just a little sweet potato flour. It doesn’t fill me up.”

Hearing her grandson complain of hunger, Grandma Li thought of their own land on the mountain and couldn’t help but laugh. “Go and do something for Grandma. When you come back, I’ll make you some stewed meat.”

“Really? What are you cooking, Grandma?” Mingbei’s eyes immediately brightened, and he quickly went behind Grandma Li to peek at what she was hiding under the ragged clothes in the basket.

Grandma Li hurriedly swatted his hand away, a delighted expression on her face that she couldn’t hide. “Hurry up and go do the task. There’ll be plenty to eat for you.”

“Alright, Grandma, what do you need me to do?” Mingbei hadn’t had a full meal in half a year, let alone meat. He thought that if he could have a bite of meat, he’d be willing to do anything, even run errands or fly if necessary.

Grandma Li took a puff from her smoking pipe, sat down, and rubbed her swollen little feet before giving instructions. “First, take the basket home. Then go to the grain shop and tell your father to take ten days off. He needs to hurry back home. I have something to discuss with him.”

“What’s the matter? Why does he need ten days off?” Mingbei didn’t quite understand.

“Don’t worry about the details. Why is a child asking so many questions?” Grandma Li gave Mingbei an impatient look. “By the way, if your third uncle asks, just tell him to stay there and manage the grain. He doesn’t need to worry about anything else.”

Grandma Li is the head of the household. Ming Bei noticed that Li Laotai was unwilling to say more and didn’t dare to ask further. Seeing that Li Laotai didn’t seem to be leaving, he couldn’t help but urge her, “Grandma, I’ll go home first to put down the basket. You should go home and stew the meat.”

“What are you rushing for? There’s plenty of meat for you to eat.” Li Laotai had rested long enough and stood up, leaning on a thick tree branch as she slowly made her way home.

Ming Bei ran home quickly as if a wolfdog was chasing him. He opened the door and threw the basket into the yard, not bothering to lock the door, just slamming the yard gate shut before running towards the grain shop.

Once again, there was no work to do today, and neither Li Mu Wu nor Li Mu Sen had eaten the wild vegetable dumplings they brought along. They decided to bring them back in the evening. Each of them had drunk a bellyful of cold water and found a cool spot to wait.

Ming Bei rushed in and grabbed Li Mu Wu’s hand, gasping for breath, “Dad, hurry up and go home, Grandma wants to see you.”

“What’s wrong?” Seeing Ming Bei so anxious, both Li Mu Wu and Li Mu Sen’s faces changed, and they quickly surrounded him. “Is Grandma unwell?”

“No, no!” Ming Bei waved his hands repeatedly. “Grandma’s legs are nimble, she just came down from the mountain.” After a few deep breaths, Ming Bei finally calmed down and added, “Dad, Grandma said to ask you to take ten days off.”

“Why take ten days off?” Li Mu Wu asked, somewhat confused.

“I don’t know!” Ming Bei couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Grandma didn’t tell me, how would I know?”

When his mother orders something, no matter what, it has to be followed. Li Mu Wu nodded and walked toward his office. Li Mu Sen saw this and was about to follow, but Ming Bei quickly grabbed him, remembering Li Laotai’s instructions. “Uncle, Grandma said for you to behave and work. If the grain is released, our family will rely on you to buy it back.”

Li Mu Sen sighed again and sat back down on the steps.

Now, since the grain shop wasn’t busy and no wages were being paid, Li Mu Wu easily got ten days off. The two of them quickly jogged back home. When they got near the door, they saw smoke rising from their chimney. Ming Bei immediately smiled, “Grandma must be stewing meat.”

Upon entering the house, there was indeed a pot of potatoes stewing rabbit meat, giving off a delicious aroma. Ming Bei’s mouth watered, and without fearing the heat, he picked up some meat from the pot and began gnawing on it.

Li Laotai quickly put the spatula aside, pulled Li Mu Wu into the east room, and whispered, “I need to tell you something. Don’t be scared, and don’t make a sound.”

“What is it? Stop being so mysterious.” Li Mu Wu couldn’t help but ask.

Li Laotai tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to lower his voice, and then carefully explained everything that had happened on the mountain.

Li Mu Wu was the slowest of the Li family, and after Li Laotai finished speaking, he didn’t react for a long time. Li Laotai impatiently pulled him again, urgently asking, “Did you understand what I said? Hurry and go to Old Wang’s house, borrow his cart, and let’s bring the grain back first. Leaving it on the mountain is not an option.”

Li Mu Wu stared blankly at Li Laotai, then suddenly burst into tears, crying loudly, “Mom, what’s wrong with you? Has hunger messed up your mind?”

This sudden outburst startled Ming Bei, who almost fell into the stove, and made Li Laotai furious. She grabbed the smoking pipe from her waist and gave Li Mu Wu a few hard knocks on the head, “It’s your mind that’s messed up! Stop talking nonsense and quickly go out and borrow the cart. And when you leave, keep your mouth shut! If you say one more word of nonsense, I’ll break your legs.” Li Mu Wu immediately swallowed his tears, quickly ran out, and dashed off.

Li Laotai went to the kitchen and looked at Ming Bei, who was chomping on rabbit meat with a greasy face, both disgusted and heartbroken. “Stop squatting there eating. Wait for me to serve it.” She took out several small bowls and set them aside for Li Mu Sen’s family, Ming Dong, Ming Xi, Ming Nan, and Gui Hua, leaving the last one to bring to Wang Sufen on the mountain later.

Once everything was divided, she served the remaining food and placed a bowl of freshly baked cornmeal flatbread on the table. She patted Ming Bei’s head and smiled confidently, “Eat your fill today.”

Ming Bei almost choked on the cornmeal flatbread, drinking two mouthfuls of water to clear his throat. He looked suspiciously at Li Laotai, wondering if something was off. “Grandma, you wouldn’t be trying to poison us, would you? Mixing poison in the rabbit meat to kill us?”

Li Laotai nearly choked from anger and knocked Ming Bei on the head with the smoking pipe. “Always talking nonsense! If I wanted to poison you, why would I waste good rabbit meat? I could just open your mouth and pour it in!”

Ming Bei yelped, dodging as he defended himself, “That’s how it was in the story second brother told.”

Li Laotai put away her smoking pipe and retorted, “Your second brother likes to tell nonsense and trick the idiots, and there’s one idiot who believes in these brainless things.”

Ming Bei was taken aback, but seeing the smoking pipe on the table, he dared not speak further. He quietly chewed the rabbit meat without saying a word. Li Laotai glanced at him and disdainfully said, “After you’re full, hurry up and go up the mountain to call back Gui Hua and Ming Nan for dinner. Don’t go out this afternoon, I have things for you to do.”

Li Mu Wu returned with the cart, just about to enjoy some rabbit meat, when Li Laotai handed him two flatbreads, “You’ll eat tonight. Hurry up and go with the cart.”

In the Beicha area, many families used such large carts to haul wood, so it wasn’t surprising. Li Mu Wu drove the cart to the foot of the mountain, and Li Laotai got down from the cart, handing him the food, shoulder pole, and large basket. “Take the food up, and bring the grain down. Remember to cover it with the felt, and if you see anyone, just say it’s wild fruit you’re gathering. Don’t let anyone see.”

Li Mu Wu looked at Li Laotai with some concern, but she immediately raised her smoking pipe, and he quickly waved his hands. “Don’t hit me, I’m going now.”

He skillfully wove through the forest, and after fifteen or sixteen minutes, Li Mu Wu arrived at the farmland they had cleared. Looking at the corn, potatoes being dug up, and the vibrant green cabbage, he was stunned.

Wang Sufen was digging up potatoes when she suddenly heard a thud, scaring her into quickly looking back…

“Why are you kneeling there?”

“…My legs are weak…”

In the translation, “grain” was used as a general term to describe food resources, particularly crops like corn, sorghum, potatoes, and cabbage, which are mentioned in the text. These crops are commonly associated with staple grains or harvested food supplies that sustain families, especially during times of scarcity.

However, to clarify:

Specific mentions of 苞米 were translated as corn.

高粱 was translated as sorghum.

土豆 was translated as potatoes.

白菜 was translated as cabbage.

When referring to these collectively, “grain” was sometimes used as a catch-all term to imply harvested food staples that sustain the household, especially in the context of storage and preparation for winter.

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