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墨書 Inktalez
Lu Zheng caught a rabbit and went to the riverbank to skin it before heading home.
In the yard, he ran into Zhang Yan, who looked at the rabbit in his hands and swallowed hard, glancing behind him. Where was Lu Yao? Hadn’t he been told to stick close to Lu Zheng? It seemed he had disappeared again, probably off somewhere slacking off.
As the sky gradually darkened, Lu Yao still hadn’t shown up, and both Zhang Yan and Cui Zui began to feel anxious.
“Zhang Yan, where is Lu Yao? Why hasn’t he come back yet?”
“Mother, I don’t know. When Lu Zheng returned this afternoon, he was alone; I didn’t see Lu Yao at all.”
At that moment, Lu Yao was in the mountains, panicking and sweating profusely. He had never been up the mountain before; he hardly even visited the foot of it. He couldn’t find his way home, and with nightfall approaching, he didn’t know what to do.
As darkness enveloped the area, Zhang Yan recalled the rabbit Lu Zheng had brought back earlier that day. An idea sparked in her mind.
She grabbed Cui Zui and said, “Mother, this afternoon Lu Zheng had a rabbit with him. He wouldn’t have gone up the mountain with it, would he? Lu Yao has never been there; he must have gotten lost!”
“What?”
“That scoundrel! How dare he leave my son in the mountains? I’ll go kill him!”
With that, Cui Zui grabbed a kitchen knife and stormed toward the yard’s exit.
Zhang Yan quickly pulled her back. “Mother, you can’t go! If you do, it’ll alert him and ruin everything we’ve done so far.”
“What about little Yao?”
“We should ask Lu Zheng first, then we can go look for Lu Yao.”
Zhang Yan stumbled over to the thatched cottage door and knocked. “Big Brother, did you see Lu Yao this afternoon? He still hasn’t come home!”
Lu Zheng flung open the door with a startled expression. “I don’t know; he should have gone up the mountain looking for me!”
Cui Zui pushed her way forward and pointed an accusing finger at Lu Zheng. “You heartless bastard! How could you leave little Yao all alone in the mountains? You black-hearted fiend! I’ll kill you!”
“Big Brother, Mother is just worried and saying foolish things!” Zhang Yan hurriedly pulled Cui Zui away while awkwardly smiling at Lu Zheng.
The villagers were already fed up with their family, especially the village chief.
Zhang Yan and Cui Zui decided to search for Lu Yao themselves first; if they couldn’t find him, they would ask others in the village for help. They couldn’t let their family’s reputation suffer any further; they still had to live in this village.
They walked outside with the lantern in hand, closely side by side, while Lu struggled to keep up and decided not to join them.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Zhang Yan and Cui Cong were so nervous that they could only swallow hard. Although they had been to this mountain many times, they had never come at night, especially not in such a desolate situation.
As they walked, they called out Lu Yao's name softly. Gradually, they had almost reached halfway up the mountain, yet still heard no response from him.
Listening to the rustling leaves in the forest, Zhang Yan and Cui Cong shivered nervously, gripping each other’s arms tightly.
“Lu Yao! Lu Yao!”
Finally, it seemed they heard Lu Yao's voice nearby. Zhang Yan hurriedly called out again, “Lu Yao, is that you? Where are you?”
“I... I’m here... I’m here!”
Zhang Yan and Cui Cong were overjoyed and rushed toward the sound, but when they saw Lu Yao lying weakly on the ground, their faces turned pale in an instant.
“Son, what happened to you? Are you okay?”
Lu Yao struggled to point at his leg beneath him. His face was pale, his lips even more so, and his eyelids drooped weakly.
Zhang Yan shifted the lantern and realized it was all blood. She looked at the hunting trap on Lu Yao's foot and gasped in shock.
“What happened? How did you get caught in a hunting trap?”
“Who the hell left this lying around? My poor son! You’ve suffered!”
The two women cursed angrily, completely forgetting about Lu Yao’s weakness.
Until he weakly spoke up, “Mom, please take me away quickly! If a wolf comes smelling the blood, we’re done for.”
“Yes, yes! Let’s hurry!”
But now Lu Yao couldn’t walk on his own; Zhang Yan and Cui Cong realized that only one of them could carry him down.
Cui Cong pushed Zhang Yan and glared at her. “Hurry up and carry Xiao Yao! Are you expecting me to do it as an old woman?”
“Mom, how about I go down the mountain to find someone to help carry Lu Yao? I definitely can’t lift him; what if I drop him?”
Zhang Yan’s reasoning wasn’t without merit, but Cui Cong still raised her hand and pinched her hard, gritting her teeth as she said, “Useless! You eat every day without doing anything! I raised a useless child.”
“Let’s go quickly!”
Lu Yao felt himself fading fast; he had been caught in the trap since the afternoon and had already fainted once from the pain. Now hearing Zhang Yan and Cui Cong arguing made him feel like he might pass out again.
Reluctantly pushed by Cui Cong’s insistence, Zhang Yan bent down to carry Lu Yao on her back. However, after just two steps, it felt like he would fall off her back entirely.
Cui Zui angrily hit her, "You useless thing, son, son!"
Finally, Zhang Yan carried Lu Yao on her back while Cui Zui supported them, and the three of them slowly made their way down the mountain.
However, as they walked, Zhang Yan suddenly swayed. Cui Zui was startled and quickly grabbed Lu Yao. In her panic, she tugged at Lu Yao's foot that was caught in a hunting trap, causing him to kick out with his other leg in a desperate attempt to free himself.
Just then, he kicked Cui Zui right in the side. They were standing on a steep slope, and the kick caused Cui Zui to lose her balance, teetering dangerously close to falling down the mountain.
Cui Zui swayed, fear gripping her as she tried to find something to hold onto for stability but found nothing around her. Her mind immediately made the most advantageous choice. She grabbed onto Lu Yao's leg, but unexpectedly ended up clutching his ankle instead. This time, Cui Zui exerted all her strength.
Just as she steadied herself, Lu Yao reacted in pain, kicking his legs wildly. Cui Zui, standing behind him, was suddenly kicked several times, causing Zhang Yan to lose her balance as well due to his erratic movements.
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