Chapter 93: Unearthing My Father’s Skull

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“Head, this child is excessively mischievous. Perhaps it would be best to send her to the village for a time?”

The village, located halfway up the mountain, is inhabited by the indigenous people of Fufeng Mountain. Secluded from civilization, their community lies beyond legal jurisdiction and is perceived by outsiders as a haven for the unruly and impoverished.

“A one-year-old child, how much trouble could she possibly cause? She’s merely unaware,” remarked Song Yu, as he gently wiped away his tears with the back of his hand. This little girl reminded him profoundly of his own daughter.

Honestly, what chaos could a toddler create that he couldn’t manage?

“You should also ensure that the villagers refrain from engaging in human trafficking,” Song Yu expressed, showing his distaste for such activities.

Yet, the villagers of Fufeng Mountain had inhabited this area for generations, maintaining their traditional behaviors. Most were either descendants of or themselves kidnapped individuals. Song Yu, along with a band of bandits, had later settled among them. Initially, there was no interaction between the villagers and the bandits, but occasionally, the villagers would inform the bandits of incoming royal forces, aiding in their mutual defense. Consequently, Song Yu included them under his protection. Nevertheless, he could never fully accept their way of life. Though he engaged in raids and plunder outside the village, his targets were exclusively the wealthy and corrupt officials. The women he occasionally brought back were discarded concubines of affluent men, who, having nowhere else to turn, were taken in by the village.

“Find a chance to send those three women in my residence down the mountain. We don’t want them to be seen by others,” Song Yu stated indifferently. “Take these mushrooms down and prepare them in a chicken soup,” he added, noting her fondness for them, he reluctantly spoke. “And warm some milk for her. Give her a piece of the roast suckling pig we had today.”

Lu Chao Chao instantly beamed with joy. Upon seeing her happiness, she embraced Song Yu’s leg and exclaimed cheerfully, “Dada…”

Song Yu???

The little one gripped him tightly, chanting: “Dada, Dada!! Where there’s milk, there’s a Dada!”

Song Yu paused, momentarily stunned; the term “Dada” overlapped with a voice from his memories, stirring a rare surge of emotion in the typically stern bandit leader. His eyes slightly reddened, but he said nothing, simply holding Lu Chao Chao’s hand tightly and inhaling deeply. “Good child,” he murmured.

Sister Dong, this time, seemed to have kidnapped the right person. This one, he would never send back.

Song Yu lifted her with one arm, and Lu Chao Chao, showing no fear of strangers, affectionately kissed her new father on the neck.

“Dada… Chao Chao is one year old now,” Lu Chao Chao declared, patting her chest.

Song Yu was taken aback: “When?”

Lu Chao Chao counted on her fingers once more and then confidently declared, “Tomorrow, tomorrow is my birthday.”

Song Yu tousled her hair: “Then, tomorrow we’ll celebrate your birthday.”

“I want to invite friends, lots and lots of new friends,” Lu Chao Chao exclaimed, dancing with excitement.

Yuan Man trembled, watching her with terror. So many new friends??? Seriously?

Under the boy’s frightened gaze, Song Yu nodded. “Very well, everyone will be invited to celebrate your birthday. Chao Chao, that’s a beautiful name,” Song Yu pondered, perhaps this child was heaven-sent to compensate for the loss of his daughter.

“Head, quite a few people have arrived from below the mountain,” someone suddenly reported.

Song Yu’s brow furrowed.

“Head, both the magistrate and the capital have sent letters. We may be facing trouble this time,” the third-in-command reported with a pale voice, his hands trembling as he clutched the letters.

They had managed to live in relative peace on Fufeng Mountain for many years, thanks to insiders within the royal court. Even the local magistrate had been bribed.

“What’s there to fear? We’ve robbed a second-rank official before, and you weren’t frightened then,” Song Yu remarked, glancing at him.

“Head, I fear the issue may involve these two children. This boy is the sole grandson of the current prime minister, a descendant of a prestigious line spanning ten generations,” the third-in-command explained.

Song Yu’s face darkened: “Send him back then.”

The third-in-command hesitated. “And the girl you’re holding…” he said, his voice strained. “She’s the legitimate, though underappreciated, young daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong. She’s the reason for this considerable trouble!” he nearly wept. A confidential message from a capital official urged their immediate return. There was no error.

Song Yu’s expression was stern as he gazed at Lu Chao Chao in his arms, his face clouded with doubt.

“That official directly warned, if the head refuses to return them, I fear Fufeng Mountain cannot stand,” the third-in-command added, his eyes puzzled as he looked at the girl.

“It’s odd, the Marquis of Zhongyong’s household holds little sway in the court,” the second-in-command remarked. “I did hear that both the king and the dowager were furious before we left the capital, but this has not been widely publicized.”

Song Yu’s eyes narrowed, his fists clenched. “Let’s discuss this tomorrow,” he decided, signaling an end to the conversation.

The others were anxious but powerless in changing the head’s mind.

“What’s that bulge in your arms?” Song Yu inquired, noticing something odd.

Lu Chao Chao smacked her lips: “Ball, play ball.”

“Daddy will play ball with you later,” Song Yu reassured her with particular tenderness.

This gentle care mirrored his feelings for his deceased daughter. During her lifetime, he was often absent and spent little time with her. Even when she fell ill, and his wife sent three urgent letters, he did not return. Only when his daughter clung to her last breath, waiting for him, did he come back. Covered in blood, he held his dying child in his arms, and only then did she pass away peacefully. The little girl ceased breathing, and he trembled with grief.

Holding Chao Chao closely now, he resolved never to send her back. In a moment of leisure, he kicked the ball around with her.

“Where did you find this skull to use as a ball?” Song Yu joked as he kicked it, with Lu Chao Chao chasing after it.

She murmured vaguely: “Dug it up…”

Song Yu paid little attention to the skull’s origins.

“Who knows which poor soul you’ve unearthed,” he joked lightly; after all, he had become a bandit leader on the mountain and had little concern for righteousness and morality.

After some time, Song Yu kicked the skull into a corner.

“The chicken soup is ready, Head, it’s time for your meal.”

After eating roast suckling pig earlier, which was somewhat dry, it was refreshing to have some mushroom chicken soup to soothe his throat.

“This snow hasn’t melted yet; mushrooms shouldn’t be growing. Where did this little girl find such fresh ones?” the cook questioned, bringing over a small stove with the mushroom soup simmering invitingly.

The aroma filled the room, far more tantalizing than ordinary mushrooms. Lu Chao Chao swallowed hard, but when Song Yu offered her the bowl of soup, she shook her head vigorously, refusing repeatedly.

“Where did you find these? I’ve never seen mushrooms on the back mountain,” someone inquired.

Everyone took a spoonful; the soup was exceptionally delicious, delighting their taste buds immensely.

“The back mountain,” Lu Chao Chao pointed towards it.

“There were no mushrooms on the back mountain,” the cook muttered.

“In a box, they grow in a box…” she gestured towards a long box.

“Soil, dug up…” She toddled off, her little legs carrying her to the corner to retrieve the skull: “Bone, grows.”

“Pfft…”

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Suddenly, the room erupted in coughing. Everyone stared in shock at the skull in her hands.

“This… this, did this grow from a corpse?” the third-in-command’s voice cracked, his eyes nearly bulging out.

Yuan Man vomited on the floor.

“Wait…” Song Yu’s voice trembled, horrified as he watched her. “Which grave on the back mountain did you dig this from?” Song Yu suddenly felt an ominous chill.

Lu Chao Chao blinked her eyes. “The biggest, roundest one!”

Song Yu stood up abruptly, rushing towards the back mountain.

Dad!!

My dad!!

It’s my dad’s fifty-year calamity, come true!

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