The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: I Will Raise Him

At this time of day, most families had just finished their meals and were gathering in the alleys to chat. When they saw the village chief hurrying past with the boy from the Hu Family, they sensed something was amiss and followed along.

They ran into others along the way who, not knowing what was happening but sensing some excitement, also tagged along. As a result, quite a crowd had gathered.

Everyone guessed that something had happened, but they never expected it to be something as serious as a death!

Amidst the hubbub of chatter, Ji Huan learned that the grandfather and grandson had arrived in Dafeng Village just five years ago. After settling in this remote corner, they kept to themselves day in and day out, rarely showing their faces in the village.

Moreover, the old man was sullen and withdrawn, hardly ever speaking, almost as if he were mute. The villagers weren’t keen on interacting with such a strange person. Over time, they had all but forgotten this family even existed.

It was no wonder Ji Huan couldn’t find any memories of them. The original owner of her body had been reclusive and introverted enough herself; it was only natural she’d have no impression of a pair who were even less conspicuous.

Gossip was one thing, but the man was dead. He had to be laid to rest.

The village chief selected a few able-bodied farmers. They pulled the worn-out mat from the bed, wrapped the body in it, and carried it up to the burial mound on the southwest hill to be interred that very night.

For a widower with no other family, last rites were usually just a hasty burial like this. There was no need to even erect a tombstone.

The crowd sighed and lamented, but few were genuinely sad.

Even the child, watching as the grandfather who was his only family was carried away, showed no reaction.

Ji Huan couldn’t tell if he was scared stiff or just naturally cold-hearted.

Sure enough, someone started to gossip.

"His own grandfather died and he hasn’t shed a single tear. This kid is truly heartless!"

"Isn’t that the truth? I saw him when they first came to our village. He was just a tiny thing wrapped in swaddling clothes. His grandfather bought a nursing ewe from my family and raised him on goat’s milk!"

"Don’t just jump to conclusions. He’s only five. What does he know about being heartless? If you ask me, there’s probably something wrong with his head..."

"What? You’re saying he’s a simpleton!"

"Why else would he not say a single word..."

The matter of the old man was settled, but the child remained a problem.

A few of the old women chattered endlessly while the village chief paced with a grave expression.

"You all..." the village chief began, and the other voices quieted down.

The village chief cleared his throat and said, a bit awkwardly, "Is there any family that’s a little better off? See if you can take the child home... Not for long, just for a few days..."

The quiet crowd instantly erupted again.

Dafeng Village was notoriously poor. Families selling their sons and daughters were not uncommon, but adopting a child was unheard of. Who would be willing to raise someone else’s kid? Especially one with such a strange disposition.

Someone immediately piped up, "It can’t be my family. I can’t even feed my own five brats. One more mouth and we’d definitely starve."

"My house won’t work either. It’s tiny. We’ve already got seven or eight people crammed onto the heated bed. The kids’ father has to sleep on the floor every day..."

Those who couldn’t come up with an excuse just tried to laugh it off. "Oh my, I didn’t realize it’s gotten so late. I’d better get back, or the wife will have my hide..."

"Wait for me! We can go together..."

In an instant, the crowd had mostly dispersed.

The few who remained all had excuses of their own. The real reason they stayed was that they’d only seen half the show and wouldn’t be able to sleep without seeing how it ended.

The village chief was at a loss. He sighed, "The boy... he’ll just have to stay here. Whichever family has extra rations, for the sake of this pitiful child, can take turns bringing him a bite to eat."

No one responded. A middle-aged woman muttered under her breath, "The village chief’s house is big and he has plenty of grain. Why doesn’t he take the boy home himself?"

The person next to her called her a fool. "With that shrew he’s married to? Would she let him? Don’t you remember when the village chief’s sister came seeking refuge with her son? The shrew said one word and the village chief didn’t dare make a peep."

Ji Huan was dumbfounded by this solution.

To be honest, this village chief wasn’t a terrible person. His biggest flaws were that he was weak-willed and ineffective.

But no matter what, he was still the head of the village. When something like this happened, the villagers had the right to refuse, but he did not. In other words, properly handling the situation and its aftermath was his inescapable responsibility as village chief.

’Otherwise, what’s the point of having a village chief? To be a mascot?’

"Village Chief," Ji Huan tried to reason with him. "Isn’t this a bit improper? He’s only five and can’t take care of himself. And if we leave a child here all alone, what if something else happens..."

Ji Huan hadn’t even mentioned that in all the time since the incident began, no one had thought to give the child something to eat.

The village chief waved a hand, cutting her off.

"This is the only way. What choice do I have... Sigh... Times are hard for everyone... Without an adult, he’ll have to get used to being alone eventually..."

With his hands behind his back, sighing every few steps, the village chief walked away.

Ji Huan was speechless.

In truth, she knew when she spoke up that her words carried little weight and no one would listen. But she still couldn’t accept this kind of blatant shirking of responsibility.

Seeing the village chief leave, the remaining few villagers certainly weren’t going to stay. Ji Huan even heard their snickers as they turned to leave.

"That girl had a spell of sickness. Did it make her stupid? She barely knows how to survive herself, and now she’s worrying about others..."

"...You forgot what a powerful jinx she is. Whoever she cares about dies fast..."

"...A jinx... and an evil spirit..."

Everyone had gone, leaving Ji Huan and the child facing each other.

More precisely, Ji Huan was looking at the child, while the child was staring into space, seemingly lost in his own world, oblivious to everything.

Except, like a wind-up machine, he would periodically let out one or two hoarse, nearly inaudible croaks of the word "hungry."

It was then that Ji Huan remembered Hu Liang had been gone for a while. ’Why isn’t he back yet?’

Speak of the devil. Hu Liang and Widow Hu walked in, each carrying a bowl of noodles, with Hu Dacheng following closely behind, holding a ceramic jug of water.

It turned out that after he had fetched the village chief, he had been afraid Wan wouldn’t be able to explain things clearly and would get taken advantage of, so he had rushed home to get help. When he got back, he found his mother and older brother in the kitchen, one tending the fire and the other rolling out dough.

"I heard from Liangzi that the child has been starving for days. The steamed buns at home are cold and hard, so I made him some noodle strips... Where is everyone? Where’s the village chief?"

Widow Xie hadn’t expected things to be resolved so quickly.

Ji Huan gave a brief account of what had happened, then took the jug of light saltwater from Hu Dacheng. The sides of the jug were warm, just right for drinking.

She ladled a spoonful to the child’s lips. At first, she worried he wouldn’t open his mouth for a stranger, but the moment the water touched his chapped lips, he lunged forward, swallowing half the spoonful and clamping down on the spoon, refusing to let go.

Ji Huan used a bit of leverage to pull the spoon free. Not daring to feed him with it again, she held the rim of the jug directly to his mouth.

When a person has been starving for a long time, their need for water is actually far greater than their need for food. He drank fiercely and urgently. Ji Huan couldn’t even get him to slow down; he clung to the jug, refusing to let go.

’He’s been starving for so long, where is he getting this strength? It seems that whether he’s simple-minded or not, the instinct for survival trumps all.’

Watching from the side, Widow Xie found the sight truly pitiful. "This child... what’s to become of him..."

Ji Huan paused for a moment, then said, "I’ll raise him."

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