Starting the story by spying on the mother-in-law—Is this right?
“Because we need to catch them in the act.”
Hu Honghua’s head felt like it had been hammered, Stone Meilan’s echo buzzing loudly in her ears.
“Come over early tonight.”
Because we need to catch them in the act.
“Come secretly.”
We need to catch them in the act.
“Auntie doesn’t need you.”
We need to catch them in the act.
“You’d better go back early and rest.”
Catch them in the act.
“Talking to you, did you hear me?” Auntie Shi’s beautiful phoenix eyes widened slightly as she asked, “What are you daydreaming about again?”
Hu Honghua snapped back to reality, nodding vigorously.
She instinctively wanted to reply loudly, but then remembered she wasn’t supposed to, so she nervously lowered her voice, “Don’t worry, Auntie, I heard you.”
Stone Meilan was satisfied and nodded, “Go back early.”
Hu Honghua nodded and walked home with her soul unsettled.
Li Family Village was a small village; from one end to the other, there were about a hundred households.
The houses faced each other in pairs, connected side by side.
The two Old Li families lived in the very center of the village, but Hu Honghua’s family lived near the foot of the mountain, so to get back to the village, she had to walk all the way back.
It was around six or seven in the evening.
The red sunset hung like an egg yolk at the end of the village, and the clouds were dyed orange.
The bright light shone on every rooftop, illuminating the path Hu Honghua walked.
As she walked home, many aunties sat on small benches in front of their houses, shelling sunflower seeds while chatting with Hu Honghua.
“Oh, the Hu family’s little Honghua is going to the Old Li family again?”
“Unmarried and running off like that?”
“Where’s Tianci? Why didn’t he see you home?”
There were no secrets in the village.
Since every family lived so close, if two families were about to get engaged, everyone could hear it clearly, so gossiping behind backs was inevitable.
Stone Meilan was usually competitive and feisty; she could argue with anyone.
Others didn’t dare offend Stone Meilan, so they would secretly talk about Hu Honghua instead, their words laced with subtle mockery and sarcasm.
“Little Honghua, you better be careful. Those who pick fights aren’t worth anything.”
“I heard your Auntie Shi has been busy lately, going around the villages to check on other girls.”
“Li Second Uncle’s eldest son is about to take the college entrance exam. He won’t look at just anyone.”
Hu Honghua knew their ill intentions well.
While they spoke, their eyes gleamed with anticipation and excitement, hoping Hu Honghua would argue back so they could refute her and claim they only had her best interests at heart.
If she got angry enough to cry, that would be even better—it would give them something to savor for days.
Her family’s background was poor, with few descendants and no land.
Plus, Hu Honghua was slow-witted.
So, in the village, they were considered lower class and an easy target.
These gossipy women had strength in numbers and didn’t fear a young girl like Hu Honghua.
The busybodies often found pleasure in toying with the genuine feelings and dignity of a young girl.
The more she reacted, the more entertaining it was to them.
Hu Honghua’s retorts were pitiful—she pretended not to hear and hurried away with her head down.
Otherwise, Stone Meilan wouldn’t look down on her so much! She had no backbone, no spirit; when others trampled on her and spat at her, she could only silently wipe it away.
Everyone said she was hopeless—and, well, they were right.
If they wanted to bully her, then fine! She wouldn’t dare make a sound.
Stepping on the hot dirt road of summer, Hu Honghua ran all the way home.
The Hu Family Courtyard was about the same size as the Li family’s but more secluded.
The house had only two rooms—simple yellow mud and cement walls mixed with stones, not as refined or pretty as the Li family’s.
The walls were low enough that passersby could see her uncle’s back inside.
Her uncle was tall.
The low wall reached only to his chest.
The man in his thirties was in his prime, with muscles bulging on his arms and a broad back marked by healed scars.
Drops of sweat gleamed on his bronzed skin under the setting sun, rolling down his back and disappearing below his waist.
As she got closer, Hu Honghua saw her uncle was in the yard butchering a wild boar.
In his hand was a heavy butcher’s cleaver, which he brought down sharply.
The dull thud of the cleaver cutting through flesh echoed throughout the yard.
With smooth movements, the blade scraped between flesh and bone, splitting them apart.
Blood splattered on the ground; broken bones pointed skyward, and the smell of blood hung in the air.
Turning around, Hu Chengjun’s entire face was visible.
He was the epitome of a strong, sturdy man, covered in thick sinewy muscles.
His cheeks and jawline were sharp and lean, his hair shaved short.
A faint beard had begun to grow on his chin.
His single, sharp eyes looked calmly downward, bored as he handled the task he had done hundreds of times.
A massive creature was being dismantled in front of him.
With the tip of the knife, he neatly tossed pieces onto the chopping board.
From the hide to the flesh, blood, and bones, everything was cleaned up swiftly and efficiently.
Because of the effort in his arms, the muscles of his upper body tensed.
A prominent arc of muscle pushed from his chest, and a vein throbbed on his right pec with each movement, making him look full of life.
Hu Honghua admired him deeply.
Her uncle Hu Chengjun was the most renowned hunter in the nearby town.
Wild boars that intimidated groups of ten people could be hunted by him alone.
At his age, taverns and large hotels in town loved buying wild boar meat.
Wild boars weren’t yet untouchable like tigers, and since their meat was expensive and the mountains were full of them, her uncle had earned quite a bit recently.
That was why he could buy her books and new clothes.
“Uncle.” Hu Honghua slowed down at the doorway, her voice lower and timid as she looked at him.
Her uncle rarely spoke, never sat at the same table with her, and made decisions without explaining why.
She dared not argue, especially since he was busy and often gone for ten days to a month.
Though he gave her money generously, which was his way of showing affection, she didn’t dare get too close to him.
To her, he seemed even fiercer than Auntie Shi.
Auntie Shi was loud and quick to scold, but she wouldn’t do anything truly harsh.
She was reasonable and wouldn’t gossip for sport like the village busybodies.
Her fights and insults were only because others had done wrong.
Hu Honghua thought Auntie Shi was fierce outside but warm inside.
As long as you didn’t do wrong, Auntie Shi wouldn’t bully you.
But standing there with the cleaver, her uncle made Hu Honghua feel cold.
She tightened her clothes and heard him grunt lowly.
Her uncle seldom talked, even to her.
Most of the time, he was like a silent mountain—day after day, year after year, quietly standing.
Hu Honghua hesitated at the yard’s entrance for two seconds.
In those two seconds, Hu Chengjun turned his head, his sharp eyes piercing as he asked, “What is it?”
Even the slightest movement from her made this silent mountain suddenly come alive.
Heavy, sharp edges emerged beneath the hard stone.
The earthy, heavy smell and his imposing aura washed over her.
The trees quietly watched her, their branches swaying in the wind, as if trying to pry open her mouth and see what secrets hid beneath her tongue.
Hu Honghua didn’t want to speak.
Auntie Shi had told her not to tell anyone.
But Hu Chengjun slammed the cleaver on the cutting board, and Hu Honghua weakly let out an “Ah,” unable to hold it in any longer.
Stammering, she revealed what Auntie Shi had told her that day.
“Auntie Shi asked me to go over tonight.”
“Auntie Shi said Uncle Li Er has been unfaithful.”
“With Auntie Wang next door.”
“She told me not to let anyone find out.”
“She said she’d take me to… to catch them in the act.”
After those words, the yard fell into silence.
Hu Chengjun frowned deeply as he looked at Hu Honghua.
Hu Honghua’s face flushed red with guilt after betraying Auntie Shi’s trust.
She was timid and weak by nature—when pressured, she lowered her head and ran away, hiding at home.
But with Hu Chengjun’s pressure, she had nowhere else to go.
Home was her only refuge, so he could easily squeeze the truth from her.
She became even more embarrassed, standing still, nervously fiddling with her clothes, eyes wide with panic as she stared at Hu Chengjun.
All the secrets were out now! Sorry, Auntie Shi!
Her uncle stood there, expressionless, calmly watching her.
Hu Honghua grew anxious.
She was afraid her uncle wouldn’t let her go.
He disliked her getting involved in dangerous things and hated her hanging out with shady friends.
He only wanted her to read and study.
If she weren’t so slow, he would have supported her to attend school.
Before, he wouldn’t even let her go out at night for fear she’d pick up bad habits.
And now, she was mixed up in Auntie Shi’s business of catching someone cheating.
He would definitely want her to stay home and not go anywhere.
But she couldn’t not go! If she didn’t go, what would Auntie Shi do?
Hu Honghua had to go!
She opened her mouth, biting her lip as she struggled between “begging Uncle” or “throwing a tantrum and threatening him.” Finally, she meekly blurted, “Please, Uncle.”
A coward, through and through.
If she really had any ideas, she wouldn’t be so helpless.
Hu Chengjun frowned, studied her for a long moment, then simply said “Hmm” and turned back to chopping meat.
Hu Honghua gasped in shock.
Did her uncle really let her go do such a bad thing so easily?
She didn’t understand why it went so smoothly but didn’t dare ask.
She quietly accepted this unusual agreement and hurried back inside.
The house had just two rooms, east and west, with a kitchen in the middle.
The back kitchen held some food her uncle had made—just some things boiled with salt.
The rice was slightly undercooked.
That was how Second Uncle cooked.
Hu Honghua had grown up eating like this and still did.
She grabbed a few bites and left the kitchen.
When she returned to her west room, Hu Chengjun was still in the yard, chopping meat.
His tall figure was dyed orange by the sunset, his shadow stretching long.
His expression remained unreadable, as if lost in thought.
The remaining meat lay before him, which he had planned to finish in ten minutes, but he couldn’t bring himself to move the knife.
The cleaver suddenly felt heavy, impossible to lift.