This stuff needed to be roasted slowly. To get what Du Heng needed, he couldn't be impatient; it was a classic example of slow work yielding fine results. The fire couldn't be too big, or it would burn easily and the sheep's blood would be wasted. If the fire was too small, it wouldn't dry easily. Even if the fire was moderate, a mont of carelessness or stirring too slowly would still cause it to burn. Therefore, Du Heng was prepared for a long battle.
Du Ping was bored alone in the living room. He had been ho by himself for the past month and was going stir-crazy. So, after a short while, he brought his al and a Small Stool to the kitchen, having his al while chatting with Du Heng.
Du Heng was also bored. He couldn't afford to be distracted while doing this work. If he looked at his Mobile phone while cooking, he might make a mistake. Now that his Big brother had co over, he could gossip with him. It had been a long ti since they had a chance to talk, so this was a good opportunity to catch up.
"Big brother, what exactly happened with Du Jun's Wife?" Du Heng asked in a low voice, stirring gently with the spatula.
Du Ping slowly took a mouthful of his al, leaned against the kitchen door, and watched the busy Du Heng with amusent in his eyes. "What else could have happened? It's just that nasty business between Du Jun and his sister-in-law."
"His sister-in-law?" Du Heng couldn't help feeling disgusted in his Heart. "Wasn't it because of this Thing that Du Jun was crippled by his brother-in-law last year? And his Wife even attempted suicide by hanging herself, nearly getting his mother implicated in a murder charge. But that Thing was supposed to be over. How did it flare up again?"
Du Ping also looked disgusted. "Well, Du Jun's brother-in-law is a real piece of work—no backbone at all. I don't know what's so great about Du Jun's sister-in-law that the idiot actually remarried her."
Although Du Heng was also repulsed, he wasn't as resentful. He sighed and said, "What about their two Children? The younger one is only two years old. It must be for the sake of the Children, I suppose. Who else could put up with this Thing?"
"It's hard to say. People keep their true thoughts to themselves. They'd never tell us the truth." Du Ping crossed his legs, rested the bowl on his Knee, and said softly, "Speaking of Children, this ti the problem really is with one of the Children."
"What do you an?"
"Du Jun's sister-in-law's second Child fell ill last week and was taken to the Hospital. Sohow, they found out the Child isn't her husband's—Du Jun's brother-in-law's, that is."
Du Ping sighed. "So, this ti the brother-in-law really couldn't take it anymore. He sent both his wife and the Child to Du Jun's house. For the past few days, you could hear Du Jun's Wife crying and raising hell at their place. Then yesterday, sohow the woman just up and ran off. The shepherd said she went into the Mountain."
Du Heng sighed softly. Du Jun's family, including his Wife who went into the Mountain, are a real piece of work. It's hard to sympathize with any of them; you can't find an ounce of empathy, just an overwhelming sense of schadenfreude. Even though Du Heng knew such thoughts were wrong, that was genuinely how he felt.
"If she went into the Mountain, so be it. She'll co out on her own when she gets hungry."
Hearing Du Heng's irresponsible remark, Du Ping shot him a glare. "What kind of callous thing is that to say? That Mountain has been sealed off for over twenty years. Do you have any idea what's in there? So who've gone into the Mountain say there are wolves. I don't think it's likely around here, but there are definitely wild boars and foxes in the Mountain. Besides, you don't realize how dense the woods on the back Mountain are now. It's easy to get in, but getting out is a real challenge. You know Du Jun's Wife. Her weight is close to 100 kg. How long do you think she can last moving around in such dense Linzi?"
Du Ping shook his head. "We're not so much worried about her being attacked by sothing. We're mainly afraid she'll fall and injure herself, or fall to her death, or starve."
"No way. Du Jun's Wife is an adult. How could she not know how to protect herself?" Du Heng sounded skeptical. "She's probably just upset. When she gets hungry, she'll co out."
Du Ping shook his head. "Ever since that hanging incident and the poisoning, Du Jun's Wife hasn't been ntally well. There's no telling if she might snap and do a regrettable Thing."
Just then, Du Heng's first batch was ready. He quickly turned off the heat and started to clear it out. "Actually, I don't think Du Jun's Wife went into the Mountain. What if she entered the Mountain on our side and ca out near Shang Ling Village or Yujia Gully?"
"That's possible," Du Ping said. "But the village has already Called the police. The Police station also sent people to ask around in other places this afternoon. Still, there's been no news, so she probably did go into the Mountain."
Du Ping finished his al then, stood up, and slowly walked over to the stove to wash his bowl. "Alright, I won't keep you. You get back to your work. You look like you're struggling; I wouldn't want to distract you and make you ruin anything."
After washing his bowl, Du Ping was about to leave when Du Heng quickly called out, "Big brother, aren't we going to look for her this evening?"
"No. Where would we look in the dead of night? Besides, Du Jun and his family are already back ho, so we won't go." Du Ping shook his head and continued, "Besides, you know what a loudmouth Du Jun's mother is. When Du Jun's Wife took a al to her father-in-law in the fields, his mother had the gall to go around shalessly yelling that her husband was sleeping with their daughter-in-law."
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