Li Xianglu stared at the bowl of noodles in front of her, montarily lost in thought, her eyes sowhat sour. She had been in this family for quite so ti, and it was only this third brother who showed her any concern.
A chopstick-full of noodles wasn't much; you could finish it in two quick bites, or slowly chew through it in two or three minutes.
After the al, both of them drank a large bowl of coarse grain rice soup. Li Jianqing was off to help with the farm work, and Li Xianglu was going to deliver food, so the two set off together.
The Li Family's allocated land was located on the western side of the village, consisting of a two-tier terrace. The entire expanse was like this, with Li Family Village situated atop this slope, providing a clear view of the terrace fields below from the top.
It was harvest season, and nearly all of the able-bodied villagers were out working in the fields.
Gazing upon the golden fields before her, Li Xianglu could hardly appreciate the sight, her feet briskly carrying her toward her family's plot of land.
As soon as she arrived, she saw Ge Sani hurriedly dropping her sickle and rushing over from the other side of the field, imdiately asking, "Did you make noodles for your second and third brothers?"
Li Xianglu indifferently placed down her basket and replied, "I did."
Upon hearing this, Ge Sani choked on her words, her eyes nearly popping out in astonishnt, speechless.
Crouching on the ground, Ge Sani took out the food while mumbling complaints under her breath, "This little miss, why are you always so irritating? Your second brother is studying now, what's wrong with eating sothing good, why are you so relentless."
At this mont, Li Erfu and Li Jianhong's husband, Yuan Cheng, also arrived, famished from working all morning.
Li Erfu had overheard his wife's earlier remarks and felt a wave of displeasure. He chided, "It's flesh from your own body, how can you be so partial? Aren't you afraid of chilling the children's hearts?" As he spoke, he stepped forward to take Li Xianglu's basket and swiftly placed it on a mat to set up the al.
With her basket emptied, Li Xianglu couldn't be bothered with this wife, so she simply took her small shovel and headed down towards the foot of the mountain.
Li Jianqing, seeing that his family had started eating, wasn't in a hurry to go back to work and swift as the wind, he followed his sister. Just as Ge Sani opened her mouth to call for her son, she heard Li Jianqing shouting, "Mom, Daddy, I'm going to help my sister cut grass."
Fuming, Ge Sani bit into a cornal pancake and grumbled, "This girl, I don't know who she takes after, why's she such a reticent person?"
Li Erfu, savoring a bite of pancake stuffed with salted vegetables, eventually said, "Who else would she take after? She's your own child. Treat the kids better. No other child in the village works as hard as her, cooking and tending to the animals like an adult."
Ge Sani, who had a strong-willed personality, shot back upon hearing her husband's words, "Didn't I do the sa when I was a child? At eight or nine, I could cook for the whole family and also raise pigs, chickens, and ducks. Why is it a problem now?"
Li Erfu sighed at his insistent wife, "These tis are different from the past. Just look around the village; no other child her age is working as hard as she is. Cherish the few years she has left by your side and don't let her grow cold-hearted."
Ge Sani took another annoyed bite of her pancake but then heard her son-in-law, Yuan Cheng, say, "Mom, Jianhong is still at ho sleeping, and the young auntie got up early to prepare and deliver food. Don't bla her."
The more Ge Sani heard, the angrier she beca, everyone seed to be siding with the girl!
anwhile, Li Xianglu had reached the bottom of the mountain. Here at the side was a small forest near the river bank, with a large damd pool. Every day, Li Xianglu would cut so reeds in this area to feed the pigs. A few days ago, Li Xianglu had excitedly spotted wild rabbits in the vicinity and pounced trying to catch one.
However, lacking agility, she only ended up with a mouthful of dirt and no rabbit. Thus, Li Xianglu craftily set up a small trap in the middle of the forest, planning to check it today. Unexpectedly, Li Jianqing followed her.
Feeling compromised, Li Xianglu spent half the day cutting pig fodder, glancing over towards the trap now and then. With Li Jianqing right beside her, she hesitated, repeatedly standing up until Li Jianqing noticed sothing was amiss and asked about it.
By then, Li Jianqing had already skillfully cut a basketful of pig fodder, and Li Xianglu, slightly embarrassed, said, "Third brother, I have a secret to tell you."
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