Chapter 41.1

Translated by Aviana

Lin Qingwan got up, jumped off the kang, hastily wore the shoes, and ran out.

Yao-shi followed behind her, “Second sao, don’t run in such a hurry, be careful of falling down.” As soon as Lin Qingwan opened the door of the room, she saw Dahei barking at her door. Dahei cut a sorry figure, covered in dirt from head to foot. But Lin Qingwan didn’t pay any heed to it.

嫂 (sǎo): older brother’s wife / sister-in-law

Where is Yang Tiezhu?

She turned her head and looked all around, but there wasn’t Yang Tiezhu’s silhouette anywhere in the courtyard or outside the courtyard.

Dahei was still barking, anxiously pawing on the ground.

Lin Qingwan’s heart thumped and suddenly felt the situation wasn’t good.

She squatted down and hugged Dahei’s neck.

“Where is Tiezhu? Where is Tiezhu?” Her complexion at once became pale, and her eyes became frantic.

Dahei struggled out of Lin Qingwan’s embrace, ran out, and turned back as he kept running.

Lin Qingwan picked up her skirt and followed after it.

Yao-shi also had a feeling that something bad must have happened. But didn’t know what to do. She quickly turned to her room and called Yang Tiegen to go behind the second sao.

Yang Tiegen, after hearing Yao-shi’s words, quickly got up from the kang, wore his shoes, and quickly chased after her. While running out, he left Yao-shi with these words, “Quickly go and call father and eldest brother.”

Yao-shi once again turned around and went to look for Yang laoyezi and Yang Tieshuan.

老 爷子 (lǎoyézi): polite appellation for an elderly male

Yang Tiegen didn’t run for long before he caught up with Lin Qingwan. Dahei was still running in the front with Lin Qingwan following him while staggering and stumbling.

“Second sao, don’t worry–” Yang Tiegen didn’t know what else to say. Currently, he wasn’t even aware of what the situation was –

Not paying attention to him, Lin Qingwan kept chasing after Dahei with her head lowered and holding her breath.

After running for a while, they reached the foot of the mountain. But Lin Qingwan still saw Dahei running deeper into the mountain. She suddenly felt her legs become weak and slumped down.

One, because she was tired, and the other, she knew that something surely must have happened.

Something happened, something happened to her man…

Yang Tiegen wanted to take her hand and help her up but didn’t dare to do it.

(In ancient times, males weren’t allowed to casually touch females.)

Dahei, seeing the two of them not following, turned around and ran back, anxiously barking at them.

“Something happened, something bad happened to Tiezhu…” Lin Qingwan gasped roughly and frantically kept murmuring something about Yang Tiezhu. Her eyes lost focus; her hands kept shivering. At this moment, her brain completely went blank, but she could clearly see her hands continuously trembling as if she was having something like seizures.

Something happened to her man…

Seeing his second sao panicking appearance, he also didn’t know how to persuade her not to get scared. Wiping his face, he, who was usually reticent, for the first time ever became decisive.

“Second sao, you stay here. You can’t walk now, and also lack stamina and won’t be able to keep up with us. I will follow after Dahei and look for the second brother.” Saying so, Yang Tiegen waved his hand to let Dahei lead the way.

Dahei also recognized Yang Tiegen, and knew that he was Yang Tiezhu’s family. It quickly turned around and ran into the mountain. Yang Tiegen, in passing, picked up a branch and ran behind him.

Soon, silhouettes of one man one dog disappeared.

Lin Qingwan kept sitting on the ground without moving, feeling her heart thumping. At this moment, her brain was completely blank.

Only when she heard Yao-shi’s yelling from behind along with few light footsteps, she absent-mindedly reacted faintly.

Turning her head around, she saw Yang-shi, Yang laoyezi, Yang Tieshuan, Wang-shi, He-shi, Yang Damei, and Yang Ermei coming. Yang Xuezhang didn’t come, but she knew that Yang Xuezhang was at home because he didn’t go out today.

Here, Yang Damei( 大妹) is eldest sister Yang. For few chapters, it has been bugging me whether Damei is used as an appellation or is her name like Yang Ermei’s. Damei is used to address the first younger sister in the family, as I have mentioned in the earlier chapter. In the previous chapters, as I myself wasn’t clear and to not confuse the readers I wrote as eldest sister Yang everywhere. But, when I was reading this para, I felt using the first younger sister to address her won’t make sense, so I thought Damei must have been her name. I am sorry for the confusion.

Nevertheless, at this moment, she didn’t pay any attention about others. Seeing Yang laoyezi and Yang Tieshuan, she became excited, pointing her finger in the direction Yang Tiegen and Dheu went, she said, “Father, eldest brother, third brother, and Dahei went in that direction, Can you go and see….Yang Tiezhu might have met with mishap….” She said with her tears dripping down continuously.

At this moment, with her hair in a mess and complexion wan, she cut an extremely sorry figure.

Yang laoyezi, hearing Lin Qingwan saying so, was about to go after them but was pulled by He-shi from behind.

“Where are you going after them? With these old hands and old legs…”

Yang laoyezi thought so too. With his aged body and short breath, he would be unable to keep up with them with his legs.

He looked at Yang Tieshuan, “Laoda, you quickly go and catch up with laosan and accompany him to look for laoer. Dahei is innately sensitive; he must surely know where laoer is.”

老大 (lǎodà): appellation used to address the eldest child in a family

老三 (lǎosān): appellation used to address the third child in a family

老二 (lǎo’èr): appellation used to address the second child in a family

Looking at the dense montane forest in front of him, Yang Tieshan suddenly felt timid.

He gave out a hollow laugh, “Hehe. Father, it had been so long since laosan had went in; how would I be able to find him. Besides, I don’t know where to look either, the mountains are so big. What if, while looking for laoer and laosan, I get lost. “

When Lin Qingwan heard these words, her heart at once became cold.

Sitting on the ground, she lifted her head to look at this group of people. Usually, like vermins, they mooch off on Yang Tiezhu, but now that Yang Tiezhu had encountered a calamity….

Lin Qingwan, even after growing this big, had never hated anyone before. Even in her previous life, when her life was rough or when she transmigrated into this world in a bizarre way or even in this lifetime, soon after transmigrating when she was sold in exchange for a wild animal, she had never hated her fate for being unfair. But now she very much hated this group of people, truly hated them. She gnashed her teeth ruthlessly…..she even had this crazy thought in her mind – if something untoward truly happened to Yang Tiezhu, she would take all of them to be buried with him. Anyhow, after watching all sorts of TV dramas and reading mystery novels from the 21st century, she has many ways to put all of them to death without letting the official authorities catch her…

But again, what was even the use of killing them? If Yang Tiezhu won’t be able to come, what will she do? Only at this moment did Lin Qingwan realize what position this rough man had in her heart…. Even though it was just her conjecture, she still can’t even begin to imagine…

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