Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 182 - 182: 180: Fright

“No thanks! We’ve planted a few sweet potato fields in my home too, and I’m actually tired of eating them every day. Yet you still think that they are treasures.” As Guihua said that, she couldn’t help but laugh at herself.

Curiously, Liu Sisi asked, “If we have too many sweet potatoes, we could process them into dried sweet potatoes. They could be eaten directly or used for stir-fried meat. Moreover, we wouldn’t need to worry about them spoiling. Alternatively, we could grind them into sweet potato starch. Starch has many uses, and the leftover sweet potato residue can be made into fried balls or used to feed chickens and pigs. Such a win-win situation!”

“What a great idea! How come I never thought of that before?”

As the idea struck her, Guihua said excitedly, “We used to just dig up the sweet potatoes and store them in the cellar, covered with straw to keep them warm. By the time we got around to eating them, many had already spoiled. Now that you’ve mentioned it, if we just turn them into dried sweet potatoes, there wouldn’t be any wastage!”

“We can’t dry them all, though. We still need to save some for breeding.”

Both of them couldn’t help but laugh as Liu Sisi spoke.

“Mom, are the chive pies ready? They smell so good! YingEr wants to eat them, and my brother does too!”

While the two were chatting, Di Ying came hopping in from outside, followed by the two adorable puppies.

Ah-Huang and Ah-Hua were already half-grown dogs. One had a yellow coat, and the other a black and white one. Their fluffy tails wagged nonstop, one swinging to the left, and the other to the right. The two dogs stood in the kitchen doorway, not daring to enter.

They could only whimper softly, wagging their tails vigorously as they tried to get everyone’s attention.

This lively display naturally delighted everyone in the room!

“Oh, these dogs are so lovely! Their coats are smooth and sleek. It’s clear that you’ve taken good care of them.”

“These dogs only bark at strangers passing by, not at family members.”

Liu Sisi picked up a chive pie with her chopsticks, placed it in a small bowl, and offered it to Di Ying, “Careful, it’s hot. You’re lucky it’s just Aunt Zhang. If others saw how eager you are for food, they’d laugh at you.”

“What’s there to laugh about? Our YingEr is so adorable just the way she is. Don’t worry, eat up.”

“Thank you, Aunt Zhang. YingEr will bring some to her brother.”

YingEr took the bowl and happily left the kitchen. The two puppies followed her, wagging their tails merrily.

Guihua looked joyful as she glanced around, “Where has Xuan’er gone? Is he still studying? That boy is too serious.”

“Right? Xuan’er isn’t like a seven-and-a-half-year-old at all. He’s too sensible. Sometimes I forget that he’s just a child.” Liu Sisi felt touched by his maturity.

“I think he has great potential to be a successful scholar, even a top one. Once that happens, your family will reap the rewards.”

“I don’t care about reaping rewards. I just hope that my family stays safe and sound…”

The casual remark caused Liu Sisi’s smile to vanish as she suddenly became silent.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking that Ye Lei and the others have been in the mountains for almost ten days. Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, and I don’t know how they’re doing. I wonder if they’ll make it back in time for the festival.” Liu Sisi said worriedly.

Upon hearing this, Guihua’s smile also disappeared, and she couldn’t help but sigh.

Only then did Liu Sisi realize her mistake. Recalling that Zhang Peng and his father had also gone into the mountains, she knew that Sister Guihua’s worries were no less than her own.

“Sister Guihua, don’t worry! They will definitely return safely. Trust me.”

Liu Sisi couldn’t help but hold Guihua’s hand. Worry was evident in both of their eyes.

Where are they at this very moment?

Another sleepless night followed.

That evening, Liu Sisi repeatedly woke from nightmares. Her heart raced in anxiety, feeling as if something terrible was about to happen.

Unable to sleep, she got out of bed, put on her clothes, and stood under the eaves outside her room, looking up at the bright moon in the sky.

The mountain breeze blew, bringing faint intermittent screams that were so chilling.

Listening carefully, she found nothing.

The clear and cold full moon was exceptionally bright, illuminating everything around her in a completely white glow, but it could not light up her heart.

She hugged her arms and rubbed the goosebumps that were just visible on her skin.

The nights at the foot of the mountain were indeed cold! She wondered if Ye Lei felt the same cold on the mountain.

Thump!

A faint sound of something heavy falling to the ground was followed by a series of hastened footsteps approaching the bedroom.

“Woof woof woof…whimper…woof woof!”

The two dogs whimpered and barked for a while, then went silent.

Liu Sisi was startled!

Why did Ah-Huang and Ah-Hua stop barking? Could they have been dealt with by the intruder? Could it be another thief breaking into the empty house?

Memories of the past surfaced in Liu Sisi’s mind, and she immediately became alert, quickly turning back to run into the house.

She forcefully opened the door, and the wooden door made a slight creaking sound, which seemed particularly piercing in the quiet night. She didn’t have time to think much and rushed into the room, quickly trying to close the door behind her.

At that moment, the footsteps had reached the doorway, faster than her, firmly pressing against the door and even forcefully pushing it open!

Damn it!

The intruder was so hard to deal with!

Enraged and anxious, Liu Sisi didn’t dare to show any trace of it, using all her strength to hold the door firmly closed.

Without any mercy, the opponent gradually widened the gap between the door, and a peculiar smell rushed into her nostrils, causing her to instinctively hold her breath and almost vomit the food she had eaten. When she looked up, she saw an unusually tall and large shadow. At that moment, he was standing against the light, which leaked in through the widening gap between the door.

Good Lord! He was even taller and more massive than a black bear!

He towered all the way to the top of the door!

If he really broke through the door, she wouldn’t be able to withstand such a giant man!

In desperation, Liu Sisi didn’t know where the courage came from, and she used all her strength to close the door with a fierce push.

As she was about to feel relieved, the giant suddenly pushed the door open with great force.

“Ouch!”

She was caught between the door and the wall, and the sudden pain made Liu Sisi instinctively cry out in pain.

“Sisi…is that you?”

In the open doorway, the giant shadow with his back to the light asked,

“Ye, Ye Lei, is that you? Why is your voice…” changed!

Liu Sisi could no longer hold back her tears, as the tension in her heart suddenly burst forth, and she cried.