CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28: ENCOUNTERING VILLAINS ON THE ROAD

EDITOR: CTCTRANS

Shen Qinglan stepped forward and said, "Uncle, let me lead the way."

"No way!"

Without thinking, Shen He refused, "It’s too dangerous here, let me do it."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qinglan felt a warmth in her heart; the Shen Family truly treated her well!

Shen Qingzhu suggested, "Uncle, why don’t we go back? Forget about the big game; if we encounter a poisonous snake next time and get bitten, what then?"

Shen Qinglan said, "With me here, there’s nothing to fear!"

Somehow, when she said this, Shen Qingzhu inexplicably felt a sense of relief, as if having her there really meant there’d be no trouble.

They walked in another dozen meters and still didn’t see any big game, leaving all three somewhat disappointed.

Along the way, Shen Qinglan had hunted two pheasants and a dozen birds.

Every time she hunted a wild animal, Shen He was amazed, until later on, he finally calmed down a bit.

Though Shen Qingzhu caught no game, he did gather a few nests of bird eggs and picked some semi-ripe wild fruits.

Shen Qinglan glanced over and saw that the wild fruits Shen Qingzhu picked were non-toxic, so she said nothing.

This trip up the mountain didn’t yield much; the only gain was what Shen He caught in a trap earlier, and there was nothing after that.

Seeing the sun already high in the sky, their stomachs began to grumble, prompting them to regretfully descend the mountain.

Just as the three of them reached the foot of the mountain, they were blocked by some people.

Shen Qinglan didn’t recognize these unsavory-looking individuals, but she stood calmly behind Shen He and Shen Qingzhu.

The faces of Shen He and Shen Qingzhu looked a bit unpleasant, but they could only stand still.

A young man, about twenty, with a stalk of grass in his mouth, swaggered up and said, "Yo— isn’t this Uncle Shen and our little brother Qingzhu? Quite the haul today, eh? The guys and I were just about to head up the mountain to check the traps, but it seems you beat us to it."

Someone shouted, "Zhou Si, why waste words with them? Hurry up and take the game; Brother Sun is waiting for us to come back for drinks."

The others chimed in, "Yeah, can’t waste our drinking time, can we?"

Zhou Si chuckled a few times and said to Shen He and Shen Qingzhu, "Uncle Shen, Brother Qingzhu, you heard them, Brother Sun is waiting for us to come back for drinks. Besides, it’s not good to see blood in broad daylight. Why don’t you be sensible and hand over the game? It’ll be easier to talk next time, won’t it?"

Brother Sun was a local bully from Lishui Village, named Sun He. His parents died early, and he lived with his grandparents until they died when he was fourteen, leaving him alone.

At fifteen, he suddenly disappeared from Lishui Village, and no one knew where he went.

Five years later, he suddenly returned, bringing a girl with him.

However, within a year, he beat the girl to death.

Nobody knew who the girl was, so no one was willing to seek justice for her or offend Sun He.

Since returning, Sun He gathered some local thugs from inside and outside the village. They did nothing but eat and drink, brawled during the day, harassed decent women at the village entrance, and stole from nearby villages at night, committing all sorts of evil deeds.

The villagers usually avoided them whenever possible.

Shen He and Shen Qingzhu never expected to encounter this group at the foot of the mountain today.

"What? Not willing to give it up?"

Seeing their hesitation, Zhou Si’s tone shifted from his previous mocking to a more serious one.