Chapter 162: Chapter 162
After this incident, combined with various factors, those thieves received unusually lengthy sentences by the standards of that era—punishments that could be considered extremely severe. With this precedent set, the following days in the small courtyard became much more peaceful.
Captain Zhang, however, came by one day carrying the last remaining pieces of wild boar meat to formally apologize. It was then that An Ning's family learned that just a few days before the attempted theft, the captain had organized a hunting expedition deep into the mountains...
The results, unfortunately, had been disappointing. While they'd caught some game, several young men from the village were injured in the process. The most severely wounded was none other than Eldest Uncle Yang—in his panic upon encountering the wild boars, he'd not only startled the entire herd but also caused chaos among the surrounding villagers.
By the time help arrived, Eldest Uncle Yang was already drenched in blood, with one leg barely attached, hovering between life and death. Without money for proper medical treatment, he passed away the very next day after being carried home.
Captain Zhang clicked his tongue as he recounted the story: "Ah, niece, you wouldn't believe it. Eldest Ya had already been promised to that old bachelor hunter from the neighboring mountain. But before they could finalize the bride price, Yang's eldest happened to die. Then your aunt started making a huge scene, absolutely refusing—so the whole arrangement fell through."
What Captain Zhang didn't mention was that with one less mouth to feed, and the compensation of wild boar meat, mountain yams, and foraged greens the village provided after Yang's death... combined with Wang Dahua's dramatic public weeping, even Old Man Yang couldn't bring himself to force the marriage through and lose face completely.
"Tsk, who would've thought Uncle would actually do something decent right at the end," Third Sister remarked during dinner that evening.
An Ning raised an eyebrow. Through her ever-curious system companion, she'd already learned the full story. The recorded footage revealed that Eldest Uncle Yang's death was no accident—her biological father Yang Jianye had subtly tripped his own brother during the chaos, sending him directly into the path of the charging boar.
But there was more...
No wonder the aunt had been driven to such extremes. Even the most ruthless actions have their reasons when pushed too far.
Ironically, with Eldest Uncle gone, Yang Jianye's life actually improved. Faced with the loss of his eldest son and the unreliability of the third, Old Man Yang finally started showing kindness to his previously neglected second son. Meanwhile, the bedridden grandmother was completely ignored by both men.
Watching this bizarre family drama unfold, An Ning fell into rare silence. Well... her cheap father had gotten exactly what he wanted.
After confirming this mess wouldn't affect their household, An Ning promptly stopped paying attention. In the following days, thanks to their well-stocked cellar, while others struggled through the famine, An Ning's family of four lived like careful little squirrels in their cozy nest, managing relative comfort through cautious living.
It wasn't until 1962, when the sisters were nearing high school graduation, that signs of the prolonged natural disaster finally began fading...
The day rationed grain supplies finally arrived as reported in newspapers, crowds of emaciated people gathered with rare smiles on their gaunt faces...
By June, thunderstorms brought days of torrential rain that lasted until mid-month. Only then did everyone truly feel—the disaster that had taken so many loved ones had finally ended.
Amidst the mingled tears and joyous laughter, the sisters exchanged glances. Suddenly, Third Sister let out a loud cry and—before An Ning could react—swept her younger sister into a crushing embrace.
"Waaaah!" she sobbed uncontrollably. It was over! Finally over!
Silently peeling off her sister's snot-and-tear soaked jacket, An Ning paused for a long moment before delivering a ruthless slap to the other girl's shoulder.
That evening, Li Xiaocao outdid herself—braised crucian carp, steamed pork with rice flour, eggplant in sauce, stir-fried greens, all cooked with generous amounts of their freshly pressed oil, served alongside a huge pot of fragrant white rice. Even after three years of hardship, Little Brother Yang still managed to wolf it all down without looking up.
With the famine ended and high school classes resuming, An Ning—armed with perfect test scores that convinced teachers against holding her back—joined her nearly-burning-the-midnight-oil sister in preparing for university entrance exams...
But when Third Sister saw her younger sibling's application forms, she froze mid-sentence: "Wait... little... little sister, you..."