Chapter 109: Cause of Crisis

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“If all of this is taken away by the higher-ups, people will survive,” said Xiao Wu.

The words Jiang Xia spoke before the Jiang family went up the mountain were etched deep in the villagers’ hearts. Earlier, they didn’t pay much attention, hoping for a miracle. But reality is reality, and no amount of prayers could change that. As the autumn harvest approached, the villagers grew more fearful.

Hearing Xiao Wu’s sigh, Jiang Chuan wasn’t sure how to comfort him. He didn’t dare to bring up the matter of growing vegetables now. After all, there were too many uncertainties in farming. He was afraid to disappoint those, like Xiao Wu, who genuinely cared for them.

Jiang Chuan momentarily forgot, but Jiang Xia remembered that the higher-ups were going to send someone for an inspection.

“Uncle Wu, don’t be too disheartened. Maybe there will be good news after the autumn harvest!” Jiang Xia said with a giggle.

After pondering for a while, Xiao Wu replied, “You’re talking about relief grain, right? Even if we apply for relief grain, we have to submit our crops first, and then it is reported up the chain. If the audit passes, the central court will issue instructions. It can take at least a month or even longer for the orders to reach us. By then, who knows how many people might not make it.”

Listening to Xiao Wu’s words, Jiang Xia was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected him to know so much. It seemed that the village chief really trusted Uncle Wu!

Seeing Xiao Wu’s low spirits, Jiang Xia told him what she knew. Of course, she couldn’t possibly say that it was because of her, and she couldn’t provide details either. She simply mentioned that she had heard in town that some big shots were coming for an inspection. If they found the autumn harvest to be bad, there might be some new policies.

Although Jiang Xia only mentioned it as a rumor, Xiao Wu’s eyes lit up. If what she said was true, they could indeed be saved.

Feeling a bit relieved, Xiao Wu stopped dwelling on the harvest issue. He began to chat about other things with the Jiang family. The main topic came from Jiang Xia’s question about the rumor that their family had been killed by wolves.

“Uncle Wu, what did you mean earlier when you said we wouldn’t make it back?” Jiang Xia asked.

Xiao Wu was stunned at first, then repeatedly said “No, no, It was just a slip of the tongue.”

His reaction made Jiang Xia chuckle, and she asked further, “Uncle Wu, I heard from the village chief about the rumor in the village. Do you know the specifics?”

Jiang Xia asked casually, not expecting Xiao Wu to give her some information that the village chief hadn’t mentioned.

“That rumor started with Sun Li’s wife,” Xiao Wu said, following with a click of his tongue. “I don’t know why she’s always stirring things up.”

After saying this, Xiao Wu continued to relay what he knew.

“A few days ago, when we went up the mountain, I was there too. I was following behind Sun Li and his wife, along with some other people. Sun Li and his wife disappeared soon after they started the climb. When they reappeared, they were covered in blood. They said they found your clothes, which looked like they had been eaten by wolves.”

Xiao Wu vividly described the situation, which made Jiang Xia frown.

It was Jiang Chuan who voiced Jiang Xia’s doubt: “Is this just hearsay? Did anyone actually see it?”

Xiao Wu nodded and continued, “Some people got scared and returned to the village first. I, along with a few other brave ones, went back with Sun Li and his wife. Then, in a forest, we saw your clothes torn to shreds, covered with quite a lot of blood.”

The scene described by Xiao Wu was unknown to the Jiang family. If the blood wasn’t theirs, whose could it be?

Jiang Xia’s thoughts drifted back to the day when they encountered danger, the wolves’ reckless attack. A sudden thought occurred to her.

Could that blood be from the wolves?

This conjecture startled Jiang Xia. Given Sun Li and his wife’s cowardly nature, they surely wouldn’t dare to provoke a pack of wolves. What kind of wolf had they harmed?

The answer could only be one: a wolf cub. They might have placed their clothes near the cub, letting the pack familiarize with their scent. The scent of humans and the death of the cub, it was easy to imagine what would happen next. No wonder the wolf pack attacked them so fiercely. There was this reason behind it.

However, these were all Jiang Xia’s guesses. Without solid evidence, she couldn’t place blame on the two..