Chapter 78: Cunning Beyond a Fox

Bai Xi pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Everyone needs to stay alert these days. Keep an eye out for strangers coming into the village, and talk to your children at home—make sure they don't let anything slip. We don't know how things will turn out yet, so don't touch the stored grain. Make do with wild vegetables for now."

"If you really can't manage another meal, you can apply to bring seven or eight pounds home to use secretly."

Several neighboring villages had already had their grain confiscated; only Niuluo Village hadn't lost much. If other villages were forced to survive on wild vegetables but Niuluo Village's people didn't have to, wouldn't that raise suspicions?

No one here was foolish. Once Bai Xi spoke, everyone thought it over and nodded in agreement.

Had someone else said this, hardly anyone would have listened. After working hard for half a year, with grain finally in hand, who would willingly go hungry?

But in Niuluo Village, such resistance didn’t exist—especially when Bai Xi spoke. Her authority was unquestioned.

Wild vegetables were nothing new; every household was accustomed to mixing them into their food for days at a time.

As for the children, the older ones could be sternly warned and would understand; the younger ones were simply kept in the dark and restricted from contact with outsiders. It was unlikely to pose much problem.

Still, some parents were already planning to give their children a beating at home. Children tend to be forgetful; only after a thrashing would they remember to keep their mouths shut. Better a beating than causing trouble that could leave the whole family, or even the village, starving.

Rumors spread that Niuluo Village had had its grain seed searched and taken, but nothing else was found in any household. Other villages were skeptical and resentful. Wang Damao even went to the commune to report that Niuluo Village was secretly hiding grain.

But as soon as he returned home, thunder suddenly struck—three bolts hit the Wang family’s house, collapsing half of the building and scorching the persimmon tree in the courtyard.

Wang Damao stared at the shattered teacup on the ground, looked up at the empty roof above him, then at the burning persimmon tree. He swallowed hard, his eyes filled with fear.

Was this some kind of curse?

He hadn’t even been anywhere near that little child, and yet she still knew? Were those three bolts meant as a warning?

His mother was bedridden and wouldn’t be able to get up for ten days or more. If he was struck too, then…

The more he thought, the more frightened he became. Wang Damao repeatedly raised his hands to the sky, muttering, "I was wrong, I was wrong, I won’t dare again..."

Bai Xi had no idea that just because she had muttered in annoyance before bed about reporting people deserving to be struck by lightning, Wang Damao nearly got hit.

But it was this incident that made the Wang family behave themselves for quite some time.

A few days later, Bai Xi learned from Xiao Shunzi and his friends that strangers were occasionally coming into Niuluo Village.

Don’t be fooled by how Xiao Shunzi and his friends spent their days running around the village; precisely because of this, they knew exactly who came in and what they were up to.

The villagers, reminded of Bai Xi’s warning whenever they saw strangers, became even more vigilant. No one wanted their grain stolen.

Those who could talk simply sidestepped outsiders’ questions, changing the subject. Those afraid of being tricked into revealing something, upon seeing strangers approach, would either go home and shut the door, take up their hoe and head to the fields, or grab a bamboo basket and knife to forage for wild vegetables and firewood.

Unable to glean information from the adults, the visitors turned their attention to Xiao Shunzi and his friends.

Thanks to Bai Xi’s earlier guidance, the kids would accept candy but run off with a grin when questioned, or feign ignorance, frustrating the investigators into thinking the entire village was slyer than foxes.

Candy cost money, after all; nobody was willing to waste it frivolously.

After several failed attempts, and seeing that Niuluo villagers were foraging wild vegetables like everyone else, with every household’s food smelling of wild vegetable bread at mealtimes, the grain requisition team gave up their investigation.

This situation dragged on for more than two months. Even Bai Xi, unable to resist, ate coarse grains for half a month. Just as she was on the verge of losing her temper, the ordeal finally came to an end.

In the blink of an eye, November was nearly over, and Xiao Hei had grown noticeably.

Now it wasn’t just adept at catching wild chickens and rabbits—occasionally, it could even nab a wild deer. Bai Xi, however, didn’t see this as anything remarkable. After all, a spiritual beast ought to have some abilities; otherwise, how embarrassing would that be?

The people of Niuluo Village, seeing how quickly Xiao Hei grew, were worried at first. But observing Bai Xi directing it here and there, and seeing it obediently serve as her temporary seat on outings—never displaying any aggression—they relaxed.

Of course, Bai Xi was no ordinary person!

Winter hadn’t officially begun, but Bai Xi’s preparations were already complete.

Her mattress had been washed and aired; the cotton in her quilt had been fluffed, feeling thick and soft. She could sense the warmth even before using it.

Her supple, warm deerskin boots were made from a wild deer hunted by Li Qingmei’s father and several hunters, with the hide crafted into two pairs of shoes as a gift for Bai Xi.

The blue cotton jacket was trimmed with rabbit fur, sourced from wild rabbits caught by Xiao Hei.

She also had two cloaks, both lined with rabbit fur.

Not only that, thanks to Xiao Hei’s frequent catches, Bai Xi generously distributed many rabbit pelts, allowing the elderly villagers to make warm rabbit-fur hand covers.

Of course, the wild game Xiao Hei hunted wasn’t kept all for herself. Some was cured into preserved meat, and Bai Xi shared portions with the villagers.

She never sold it; with grain so scarce in the city, she had nothing she needed for now. Selling for money wasn’t worth it compared to sharing with the villagers—she couldn’t eat meat while everyone else looked on.

If Chen Daliu tried to sell it and got noticed, any trouble would outweigh the benefits.

A dozen or so pounds of meat given out daily might not seem much, but with Xiao Hei hunting every other day, it was enough to go around the whole village. In the past, they might not taste meat for two or three months, but now, thanks to the beneficence of their young mistress, they could enjoy it three or five times a month. Who wouldn’t be grateful and delighted?

Even if they were eating wild vegetable bread, paired with stewed potatoes and meat, or cabbage with slices of pork, it was a fragrant, hearty meal.

Whereas before, hunger crept in less than an hour after eating, now it only struck at mealtime. Though the food was coarse, their faces weren’t pale.

The people of Niuluo Village felt their days were blissful, and when Chen Daliu returned from the city describing people squatting by the roadside, too weak to stand, and the pervasive pallor in city folk’s faces, they were both frightened and thankful.

Bai Xi noticed that every time Chen Daliu went to the city, she’d receive gifts—bought with money or grain pooled by the villagers for him to exchange on her behalf.