The bright red chicken blood spilled onto the ground, a gruesome, vibrant sight.
A heavy scent of blood hung in the air.
"Achoo!"
Little Xi Tian sneezed, twitched her little nose, and looked up at the roof.
Something was hiding behind the chimney, partially concealed.
Only a wrinkled, brown-furred red face was visible.
It seemed famished, its pair of dark green eyes fixed on the rooster in Zhao Guihua's hands.
"Yiyiyiya!" Little Xi Tian, carried in Zhao Guihua's back basket, narrowed her bright, lively eyes.
Her mission was complete!~
Zhao Guirong, plucking chicken feathers, chuckled, "Sweet Treasure is craving meat, isn't she? But you don't have teeth yet, so you can't eat it. Big sister-in-law will stew some chicken soup for you later!"
After preparing the rooster, Zhao Guirong returned to the kitchen to start lunch.
However, as soon as she stepped inside, a dark brown animal leaped down from the roof.
It scaled walls and moved with agility, emitting chirping sounds.
The rooster's innards had not yet been removed, and the creature pounced, grabbing the liver and kidneys and devouring them voraciously.
It was a brown monkey, not particularly large.
It seemed to have mistaken the courtyard for its own home.
Every night, it would cause trouble, leading villagers to believe the place was haunted, deterring anyone from approaching.
It so happened that Steward Hu's wife had hanged herself here, and his son and daughter had also died of sudden illness.
The villagers, superstitious and believing in spirits, were therefore very wary of this courtyard.
"What's that noise? Eldest daughter-in-law, is Sweet Treasure awake?"
Gu Shi emerged from the storeroom, carrying a broom.
Upon seeing a brown monkey squatting by the old well, she gasped and stumbled back two steps.
How did a monkey get into their yard?
Zhao Guihua, carrying Little Xi Tian on her back, exited the kitchen. "Mother, Sweet Treasure is awake, lunch will be ready soon!"
"Eldest daughter-in-law, take Sweet Treasure inside, quickly!" Gu Shi said with a stern expression.
She dropped the broom and picked up a carrying pole.
Zhao Guihua also saw the brown monkey and was too frightened to speak.
Monkeys not only stole food but also attacked people.
Especially vulnerable women and children like them.
They looked so easy to bully.
With the chicken offal eaten, the brown monkey turned its head and stared menacingly at Little Xi Tian in the basket.
"Get inside!" Gu Shi roared.
Zhao Guihua shivered, turned, and ran towards the house.
The kitchen had cleavers, knives, and pot hooks.
If all else failed, there were rolling pins and spatulas for self-defense.
Unexpectedly, as Zhao Guihua stepped over the threshold, she bumped into Liu Cuirong with a 'bang'.
"Oh, big sister-in-law, are you deliberately bumping into me? Don't you know I'm pregnant?"
Liu Cuirong clutched her belly, crying out loudly.
Zhao Guihua frowned. "Move aside, hurry back inside!"
"I refuse!" Liu Cuirong blocked the doorway, refusing to budge.
Zhao Guihua was furious, wishing she could strangle her.
The brown monkey scratched its face and slowly walked towards Zhao Guihua.
Its eyes were fixed solely on the baby.
It wanted to eat Little Xi Tian.
Liu Cuirong glanced behind Zhao Guihua and her legs immediately trembled, her face turning pale.
She saw the brown monkey, its face smeared with blood, its gaze fierce, exuding a bloodthirsty aura.
"Ahhh! A mountain demon!"
Liu Cuirong no longer bothered blocking the door, scrambling and crawling into the house.
Just then, Xue Ling rushed in from outside.
Before the monkey could react, Xue Ling bit its neck and tore at it fiercely.
"Squeak..."
The brown monkey cried out in pain, emitting a strange cry.
It thrashed its limbs, leaving Xue Ling's body covered in bloody scratches.
Monkeys were cunning creatures.
Even knowing they were doomed, they wouldn't let their opponent off easily.
Gu Shi didn't have time to think, swinging the carrying pole and striking the brown monkey's head.
With a dull thud, the brown monkey met its end.
Little Xi Tian, lying in the basket, finally let out a sigh of relief.
Her plan had succeeded.
First, she had her eldest sister-in-law kill a chicken to lure out the monkey, and then let Xue Ling deal with it.
Killing the chicken didn't scare the monkey, but it exposed it, creating an opportunity for Xue Ling.
Without eliminating this brown monkey, their family would never have peace.
"Is... is it dead?" Liu Cuirong asked.
Gu Shi dropped the carrying pole. "Dead!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Cuirong's face lit up with excitement. "That's great! I heard monkey brains are very valuable. While it's still warm, let's sell it quickly!"
"All you think about is money. When mother was fighting the monkey, why didn't you help her?" Zhao Guihua said resentfully.
Liu Cuirong rolled her eyes. "You dare to talk about me? Didn't you not help either?"
"You..."
"Stop shouting!"
Gu Shi was annoyed by the commotion. She glanced at Xue Ling. "Second daughter-in-law, go get some medicine and bandage the big white dog's wounds!"
Meanwhile, Old Man Yun, holding his pipe, took a stroll around his fields.
"Father, this plot of land is very flat, and the soil is fertile. We can plant soybeans, corn, or wheat!"
Yun Erman squatted by the furrow, rubbing the black soil in his hands.
Old Man Yun sighed. "Planting anything now is too late. Autumn equinox is approaching, and after the Frost Descent, any seedlings planted will freeze to death!"
Dashui Village was located in the northern part of Daliang Kingdom, with a significant temperature difference between morning and evening.
When they left Feiyan Village, it was the height of the Little Heat season.
After more than two months of bumpy travel, they had missed the best sowing period.
Yun Erman couldn't understand. "That's not right. In our hometown, we can still plant rapeseed at this time."
"Are you stupid? Don't you know the climate here?" Old Man Yun shot him a look.
Yun Jinhe and Yun Jinshan ran around, chasing and playing, overjoyed.
They couldn't believe that these thirty mu of fertile land all belonged to them.
In Feiyan Village, their entire family's grain-producing land was less than four mu.
"Grandpa, can we plant vegetables?" Yun Jinhe asked.
Old Man Yun tapped his pipe and grunted, "We can plant some garlic and radishes to save for winter!"
"Then we'll go into town tomorrow to buy seeds!"
"Good!"
After their stroll, the family headed home.
Old Man Yun was still contemplating how to host a grand and impressive full moon banquet for his youngest daughter with the least amount of money.
But as they passed a patch of grass, they heard a rustling sound.
Old Man Yun stopped, his eyes widening.
"Father, there seems to be something in here!" Yun Jinshan hid behind Yun Erman.
Suddenly, a flock of sand grouse took flight with a flurry of wings.
These chickens were larger than quails but smaller than pheasants, preferring to inhabit grassy areas or dry sandy ground.
Twenty-odd sand grouse flew out from the thorny bushes.
They seemed blind, flying directly towards people's chests.
"Quick... quickly catch them!" Old Man Yun shouted.
These were wild game!
The family reacted, and began chasing the chickens.
Old Man Yun even dropped his pipe.
A moment later, each of them held two or three chickens, totaling eight or nine.
Before their excitement had subsided, another commotion arose from the grass.
A light brown roe deer, startled, dashed out on its hooves.
"Wow, what a big roe deer!" The entire family was stunned.
The thorny bushes were covered in sharp spikes.
As the roe deer leaped out, sharp thorns directly tore its legs.
The foolish roe deer struggled for a moment before collapsing weakly in front of Old Man Yun.