Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 397: Stirring Up a Wolf’s Den

Recalling the scene at that time, Da Lang felt a chill run down his spine.

Amidst the snowy ground, suddenly, pairs of glowing green eyes popped out from the inconspicuous crevices between the rocks, as if they had seen food that delivered itself to their doorstep, drooling all the while.

Da Lang meekly reminded, "Uncle Ah Wang, we seem to have stirred up a wolf’s den..."

Uncle Ah Wang remained expressionless, showing no hint of emotion, but he reacted swiftly. Before Da Lang could finish his sentence, Uncle Ah Wang had already thrown him onto his shoulder, turned around, and started running.

The moment they ran, the wolves howled and gave chase.

A particularly large wolf leader caught up from behind, leaping and pouncing towards Da Lang!

Da Lang was so scared his face turned pale.

Fortunately, Uncle Ah Wang ran even faster, and Da Lang only had to endure a whiff of stinky breath, escaping unharmed.

If he encountered this pack of wolves alone, Uncle Ah Wang was not afraid.

But there was also Da Lang to consider.

He had promised Qin Yao that he wouldn’t let the little guy get hurt, so at the first sight of the wolf pack, he decisively abandoned the trial and carried Da Lang as he ran.

The wolves were fast, but Uncle Ah Wang’s Qinggong was even better, quickly leaving the wolves behind.

It was unclear when this wolf pack had reached the outskirts, perhaps unable to find food deep in the mountains, and with the weather clearing up these past two days without snow or wind, they came down the mountain in search of food, settling on the rocky forest outskirts.

Unlucky for them to run into these two.

The wolves, seemingly famished for a long time, relentlessly chased them. The wolf leader howled all the way, summoning the pack to encircle and intercept them, stopping only when they reached the outskirts of the village, intimidated by human territory.

What followed was the embarrassing scene upon meeting Qin Yao.

Qin Yao’s teasing remark made Uncle Ah Wang’s ears turn red with embarrassment.

Da Lang awkwardly brushed off the twigs and dead leaves from his head, and embarrassedly traced circles on the ground with the toe of his boot.

Qin Yao shook her head helplessly, gesturing with her hand, "Let’s go home."

The two behind exchanged glances discreetly, nodded, and obediently followed along.

As they walked, a howl worthy of a roar suddenly resounded from the mountain top.

The three paused in their steps, turning to look behind them all at once. Through the layers of tree shadows, a pair of wolf eyes glowing faintly green in the dim thickets were greedily and hungrily staring at them.

Qin Yao furrowed her brows, contemplating whether to roll up her sleeves and take action, when Sanlang and Si Niang’s cries rang out.

"Mother!"

"Wife!"

Liu Ji came rushing over with the children anxiously.

Qin Yao responded with a shout, stopping them, "Don’t come over!"

Turning back to look, the wolf had already vanished, along with the unpleasant animal scent in the wind.

Uncle Ah Wang reminded, "Madam, we ran into a wolf pack at the outskirts; something’s not right."

Qin Yao nodded. She knew something was off too, but with the Liu Family Village having many residents, wolves rarely ventured to actively invade human territory.

"Let’s keep an eye on it." Qin Yao signaled for the two to follow. They quickly made their way down the mountain to meet up with Liu Ji and the children.

Sanlang still hadn’t finished gnawing on his pork knuckle, completely unaware he almost encountered a wolf pack. His little cheeks puffed out, savoring his meal.

Seeing Ah Wang and his elder brother following behind Qin Yao, he tilted his head curiously, "Big brother, you and Uncle Ah Wang came back so fast!"

Liu Ji gently patted the silly head of the child, "Eat your pork knuckle."

Sanlang looked pitifully at his dad, "Oh."

Second Lang and Si Niang ran up, worriedly checking their big brother from head to toe. Seeing only a tear on his clothes from branches, they couldn’t help feeling a lingering fear.

"Big brother, did you run into wolves?" Second Lang asked nervously.

Si Niang also looked at Uncle Ah Wang with concern, "Uncle Ah Wang, are you alright?" She quietly helped remove the dead leaves from his backside.

Uncle Ah Wang gently shook his head.

Si Niang noticed his disappointment and embarrassment, softly patting his hand in comfort, "It’s okay, Uncle Ah Wang."

Uncle Ah Wang felt a warmth in his heart, his gaze softening as he nodded to the little girl, indicating he was fine.

Da Lang recounted the thrilling encounter with the wolf pack. Listening, Liu Ji’s hair stood on end, mixed with a hint of envy.

After all, he’s lived a good half of his life without ever seeing a wolf up close.

Qin Yao noticed Liu Ji’s eagerness and advised him:

"You go and inform the Clan Leader, see what he says. I’ll take the kids home first."

Liu Ji acknowledged with an "Oh". He loved tasks like these, opportunities to brag and get a drink or two, so he happily went off.

Qin Yao and Uncle Ah Wang took the kids home, passed by the old house, and reconsidered, turning back to inform the elders.

"A wolf pack has been spotted nearby, so don’t let the children go out these few days," Qin Yao warned.

Old Liu and Mrs. Zhang tensed up at the news, realizing it was no small matter.

Every year, children being snatched by wolves was not uncommon; it just hadn’t happened in their village yet.

Old Liu sternly instructed Jinhua and Jinbao, "Stay at home these few days. Don’t stray, or you might be snatched by wolves and eaten!"

Hearing this, Jinhua and Jinbao scurried to hide behind their parents.

Seeing they understood the danger, Old Liu felt a bit relieved.

Qin Yao advised everyone to be vigilant of any unusual noises from the mountains, to secure their livestock and poultry, and declined Mrs. Zhang’s invitation for dinner, heading home.

She had just stepped through the door when Liu Ji returned, reeking of alcohol.

He had only had two drinks, but his face was uncontrollably flushed.

Qin Yao teased, "You have a lousy tolerance. You’re bad at holding your drink but love it nonetheless."

Liu Ji chuckled. Such teasing was hardly bothersome; he didn’t mind.

He lazily lounged in the chair inside, "The Clan Leader said not to worry. He’ll inform every household to be careful, and as long as we lock the doors and windows at night, it’ll be fine. Wolves neither pick locks nor scale walls."

Knowing the Clan Leader would inform the villagers, Qin Yao felt at ease. She called Ah Wang and Da Lang over to inventory their belongings and see what was lost.

The food was all gone, leaving only their weapons and a small iron pot.

Ah Wang sighed, "Lucky animals." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Although the family was considered well-off, the value of food was deeply ingrained in the children’s minds.

Losing enough food for two people for three days deeply saddened Da Lang, filled with guilt.

To ease the child’s burden, Qin Yao assigned him the task of cleaning the entire house.

Da Lang exclaimed, "Huh?"

Qin Yao pointed to the broom in the corner, "Go on, let the sweat of labor calm your inner guilt."

Da Lang felt his stepmother made a valid point, nodded vigorously, and grabbed the broom to clean up!

At night, the occasional distant wolf howl kept Qin Yao and Ah Wang on edge, resulting in a restless sleep.

Thankfully, the night passed without incident.

The villagers, initially nervous after the Clan Leader’s warning, began to relax when nothing happened that night, joyfully preparing for New Year’s Eve.

It wasn’t until the morning of the 28th of the lunar month that Sister-in-law Zhou frantically shouted, claiming a wolf took her chicken.

Seeing the ground covered in chicken feathers and marks of struggle, the villagers felt a chill down their spines and started to take the matter seriously.