Chapter 236 Hunting the Wild Boar
Less than half an hour later, Ye Shenge saw several people running back, carrying a massive creature.
Ye Mu'en rushed to his sister's side first, pulling her to examine her from head to toe. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
Ye Shenge patted her elder brother's arm reassuringly. "I'm fine. We found a body."
Ye Shenge pointed to a spot not far ahead. Ye Mu'en's eyes flickered with surprise as he glanced at Zi Yisheng, who nodded and said, "Leave two people to guard the body, send one person to report to the police, and the rest should quickly take the wild boar to the village chief."
After Zi Yisheng finished speaking, he took Ye Shenge's hand and walked down the mountain, inwardly cursing the bad luck and wondering if he had frightened the little girl. Ye Mu'en also stayed behind to examine the body. He had initially thought Bai Rong Township was a peaceful place, but less than a month after arriving, things were already getting chaotic?
Ye Mu'en first observed the footprints nearby. He was far better at collecting clues than the police of this era. There weren't many footprints near the body. Although he couldn't get the tread pattern, he could at least collect the shoe size. A Sen and A Hong stayed behind to cooperate, and Ye Mu'en reminded them to be careful not to damage any evidence. Pushing aside the grass, Ye Mu'en saw a woman wearing a floral shirt, her clothes disheveled, her body facing the ground.
He carefully turned the body over and saw a face that had been smashed beyond recognition, making it impossible to discern any features. However, judging by her clothing, she seemed more refined than the villagers, though it wasn't impossible for her to be a villager from a well-off family. Beyond that, there were no other clues. Ye Mu'en felt a bit dejected, knowing that such cases were difficult to investigate in this era.
"How is it? Did you find anything?" A Sen inquired.
Ye Mu'en shook his head and stood up, looking around. "You two also look around the vicinity and see if you can find anything."
Upon returning home, Ye Shenge took water to the bathroom, which was actually her entrance into the space. She truly felt uncomfortable all over, likely due to the lingering disgust from finding the body. Since no one was home, Zi Yisheng took her home and then went to the village chief's house. As the village was waiting to distribute the meat, she had plenty of time to spend in her space.
Soaking in the bathtub, she couldn't stop thinking about the body. She wondered where the person was from. If someone had gone missing in the village for days, people would already be searching everywhere, so it was clear she wasn't from the village. Her curiosity was piqued, but she knew her family would never allow her to get involved. Ye Shenge's eyes darted around. She couldn't participate, but she could instigate her elder brother to find out more and tell her, or perhaps see if she could find any clues herself, given how many detective novels and movies she had watched.
Ye Shenge spent several hours in her space. When she emerged, no one had returned home yet. She took out a plain dress from the wardrobe, put on a straw hat, and headed towards the brigade headquarters. Not long after she left, she heard the lively sounds from the threshing ground, and Ye Shenge felt as if all the villagers had gathered. The scene was truly a sea of people. Ye Shenge stood at a distance, first looking for her family members, as she didn't want to push through the crowd directly to find them.
As Zi Yisheng walked out of the village chief's house, he spotted her elegant figure and quickly walked over, taking her hand. "Why did you come over?"
Ye Shenge turned and smiled, pointing to the crowd. "Is anyone from our family going to get their share of the meat?"
Zi Yisheng playfully pinched the little girl's cheek, liking the sound of "our family." "You want to eat wild boar meat?"
"Yes, I want to taste if the prey my elder brothers hunted tastes better." Ye Shenge actually didn't like wild boar meat, finding it tough and less flavorful than domestic pork.
"Okay, this is the wild boar our family hunted. The village chief gave us several dozen catties, so you'll definitely get your fill."
"Are our family members inside?" Ye Shenge tilted her chin towards the crowd.
"Yes, they're all inside watching the excitement. Do you want to go in and take a look?" Zi Yisheng, seeing the curiosity in the little girl's eyes, smiled and led her into the throng.
Their intimate gestures and striking appearances quickly drew the attention of many, especially the educated youths who often looked down upon the villagers. Even a simple floral dress and a straw hat adorned with a hairband sparked envy and jealousy in them. They found Ye Shenge's exceptionally beautiful appearance even more unbearable.
"Is that the family that just settled in the village?"
"Yes, their family members are all good-looking. I heard the two who just walked past are dating." Gao Jiaojiao's questions were always answered by her two followers, who also acted as her informants.
"Hmph, dating at such a young age. I wonder how their parents manage them. Such uncultured people." Zhao Zhenzhen and Wang Zhenli exchanged glances, their eyes filled with disdain.
Ye Shenge actually wanted to ask about the events on the mountain, but considering that it would take two to three hours to travel to the county town and back, people probably hadn't arrived yet. After finally squeezing through, she first saw Ye's mother and Aunt Zhen, who were engrossed in conversation within a circle of women, listening with great interest. Her maternal aunt and cousins were also among the crowd, and her male cousins were enthusiastically watching the butchering of the pig.
"Shenge, come quickly." Ye's mother pulled her daughter into the circle. Zi Yisheng, seeing the little girl being pulled away, could only stay nearby and talk with Ye's father.
"Oh my, is this your daughter? How did she grow up so pretty?"
"Yes, I've never seen anyone so beautiful."
"Beautiful? She's just ordinary." Ye's mother said these insincere words, but her lips were almost reaching her ears. Ye Shenge just smiled and did as her mother instructed. Her eyes, however, couldn't help but stray towards the bloody wild boar.
"Is that your future son-in-law?" a middle-aged woman nudged Ye's mother's arm and whispered. Ye's mother turned to look at Zi Yisheng, her face beaming with a smile. "Yes, our future son-in-law."
"Oh my, how beautiful will their children be?"
"Indeed! When are you planning to have their wedding?"
Ye's mother, who had been happy, became uncomfortable upon hearing about the wedding. She was satisfied with Zi Yisheng, but the thought of marrying off her daughter was still a bit difficult to accept. "My daughter is not yet sixteen, there's plenty of time."
"Plenty of time? Who doesn't get married at sixteen or seventeen? Do you want her to become an old maid?" This was exactly why Ye Shenge wanted to watch the excitement but dared not come. These aunts and grandmothers could make you the center of their conversation all day long.
"Mom, I'm going to see my cousins. You all carry on chatting." Ye's mother, seeing her family members nearby, didn't worry and casually waved her hand, paying no more attention to her daughter. Ye Shenge pouted, feeling as though her mother was paying less attention to her now. She walked through the crowd and saw Mo Lin and Xiao Tiantian squatting beside her male cousins, both staring wide-eyed at the butcher wielding his knife, which made her want to laugh.
Suddenly, Ye Shenge was roughly shoved aside. Her feet stumbled, and she lost her balance. There was no one or anything to grab onto, and she was about to fall face first.