Chapter 10 - 9 Wild Grapes
Watching Gong Tao flee in panic, Cai Meina always felt something was wrong, but no matter how she pressured Gong Ruini, her daughter claimed she didn’t know.
After trying various methods, Cai Meina finally learned that her daughter knew about the family’s need for a house.
Cai Meina was dumbfounded; the father and daughter’s panicked look was actually because they would have a new house to live in, and she couldn’t help but admire them.
"Ni Zi, are we going to the mountains or the village?" Cai Meina initially planned to take Gong Ruini to the village, but upon reconsideration, she thought it might be better to look around the mountains.
Rather than dealing with village people, Cai Meina preferred going to the mountains, where they could forage for food and avoid potential issues with local interactions.
On the way there, Cai Meina decided not to interact too much with the villagers until she understood their temperament.
Even once familiar with them, Cai Meina didn’t plan to develop deep connections, not out of disdain, but because, compared to the village’s generational ties, it was better for her as an outsider to stay quiet.
"To the mountains," Gong Ruini also wanted to explore the mountains and understand the surrounding situation better.
The mother and daughter locked their house door in unison and headed to the mountains. There was no need to lock the yard gate, as the area’s security was reportedly good.
Breathing the fresh, unpolluted air and looking at the blue sky with white clouds, Gong Ruini felt comfortable, "Mom, let’s plant fruit trees in the yard later."
It’s now September 1973, and they would certainly leave the Northeast in four or five years at most, so Gong Ruini didn’t want to live in discomfort.