The words made Hua Jin feel a little guilty again as if she hadn’t shown enough concern for her younger brother.
"Then... be careful."
"Mmm, don’t worry, sister." Having achieved his goal, Xiaosi was very happy and smiled cheerfully.
"Sister, hurry up and eat." He was obviously a bit impatient.
Just then, the sound of children crying ca from the brothers’ room, and the siblings almost simultaneously turned their gaze toward that direction.
The little ones woke up. It seed they were either wet or hungry.
Hua Jin was about to stand up but was interrupted by Xiaosi, who eagerly said, "Sister, I’ll go, I’ll go," and this half-grown boy quickly ran out.
Seeing Xiaosi, who was slightly limping but not noticeably so, Hua Jin’s guilt suddenly lessened a lot.
Truly, the little guy was too nimble, and if not paying attention, no one would have guessed he was injured.
Being sturdy has its benefits, like recovering quickly and not being delicate.
Shaking her head, Hua Jin calmly continued eating, then went to lavish affection on her nephews, chatted with her two sisters-in-law for a while, and then grabbed a bamboo basket with a lid in one hand, while Xiaosi, who wanted to help, wasn’t allowed to. She was about to go out when she bumped into Luo Song, who was raising his hand to knock on the door.
"Brother Luo Song!" Xiaosi’s eyes lit up as he happily shouted.
"Brother Luo Song." Hua Jin was slightly startled but smiled and said.
"Brother Luo Song, is there sothing you need? Grandpa, grandma, dad, and mom are all not here; they’re working by the wall base."
"I... I’m here to check on Xiaosi." The person in front made Luo Song a little surprised, and he looked at Hua Jin without blinking, his eyes unable to hide their eagerness, which even Xiaosi, as a child, noticed and glanced at him curiously.
Hua Jin: "...Xiaosi?"
"Xiaosi’s foot injury is partly my fault," Luo Song said hastily, looking apologetically at Xiaosi.
"Brother Luo Song, I’ve already said it’s not your fault; it was an accident."
"How could it not be related?" With such an aboveboard reason to visit daily, even if it wasn’t related, Luo Song wanted to make it so. "If I had been more careful and noticed sothing was wrong earlier, your foot might not have been injured."
"But it really was an accident. If it weren’t for Brother Luo Song, I guess my foot would have been injured more seriously."
Hua Jin listened in confusion, wondering what the main point was.
"What exactly happened?"
"Sister, it was when we were working, bricks fell from the wooden scaffold just as I was passing by. I pushed the person below away, and then, unlucky as I was, my foot got caught by the wooden scaffold cart that ca from behind. Brother Luo Song was over there at that ti and kept blaming himself for not noticing the danger imdiately. It really had nothing to do with Brother Luo Song; he’s too kind-hearted."
The kind-hearted Brother Luo Song blushed, secretly grateful that his skin had turned much darker now.
"So that’s how it was." Hua Jin glanced at Luo Song.
...This guy, she didn’t know what to say!
Only soone as simple as Xiaosi would believe such an excuse!
"It really was my carelessness. If I had realized sooner, Xiaosi wouldn’t have been injured," Luo Song said very seriously, though his burning ears revealed his current feelings.
"That’s it!" The "ah" sound was elongated significantly, and Hua Jin glanced at his red ears for a mont before moving her gaze away, swallowing the other words she was going to say.
Never mind, if he’s willing.
Luo Song nodded earnestly, his eyes not missing the chance to radiate heat toward Hua Jin.
"Yes, Sister Hua Jin, I haven’t seen you for a few days. I heard you’ve been busy; can I help with anything?"
Facing Luo Song’s eager and enthusiastic gaze, Hua Jin, however thick-skinned, couldn’t quite stand it and averted her eyes.
"No need," she said.
"Alright then," Luo Song looked regretfully at Hua Jin, then as if suddenly rembering the items in his hand, handed them to Xiaosi: "By the way, Xiaosi, here’s so freshly made pastry from ho. I know you like it, so I brought it over right away. Happy?" He said, shaking the lotus leaf-wrapped package.
"Happy, happy. Thank you, Brother Luo Song." Xiaosi’s eyes lit up, eagerly taking it, and judging by his skilled movents, he must have received things from him frequently these days.
"Didn’t I say, you don’t need to thank your brother for giving you things?" Luo Song smiled warmly, glancing at the two bamboo baskets at the door, raising his eyebrows: "Are you planning to go out?"
"Mmm." Xiaosi nodded, holding the two bags of pastries, cautiously glancing at his sister.
"Can I co along?" Luo Song eagerly looked at Hua Jin again.
"It might not be convenient. Brother Luo Song, aren’t you going to help over there?" Hua Jin pointed towards the wall.
The intention to refuse was obvious. At the thought of taking this guy along, Hua Jin felt uncomfortable. After all, this guy was like a peacock flaunting its feathers, endlessly exuding his male charm in front of her. Since Hua Jin had no plans to marry now, it would be better to keep a distance.
Besides, the guy wasn’t an ugly beast, and Hua Jin wasn’t fully confident in herself, as she did judge people by their appearance.
Most importantly, she wasn’t planning on letting more people know about the gunpowder matter, at least not unless they heard about it from grandpa or dad first.
So... she had to refuse.
"Alright then, take it slow."
"Otherwise, let help you carry the things over. Xiaosi’s foot isn’t convenient," Luo Song said, not giving up.
"No need, I’m strong. Brother Luo Song, go do your work!"
"Goodbye, Brother Luo Song," Xiaosi, noticing that his sister didn’t want to bring Luo Song along, waved cooperatively.
Even though they had just received sothing from him, nothing could compare to his sister; he had to side with his sister.
Luo Song: "..."
With an aggrieved look at the two siblings at the door, he had no choice but to leave under their gaze.
"Sister, what kind of look was Brother Luo Song giving just now, it was quite creepy," Xiaosi rubbed his arms.
"Maybe there’s sothing wrong with his eyes! Let’s go."
"I think so too," Xiaosi nodded in agreent.
"Sister, wait for ..."
"Sis, let carry one. I’ve grown up and I’m very strong now..."
"Sister..."
"Shut up..."
"Oh..."
"Sister, where are we going..."
As Hua Jin took him out through the village backdoor, chatterbox Xiaosi couldn’t help but ask.
Hua Jin’s answer was a big eye roll.
...She kind of regretted bringing her brother along; this guy talked too much.
Nowadays, the back mountain, after floods, extre cold, extre heat, and earthquakes, was no longer the back mountain it used to be, with many differences now.
The once dense forest had beco much sparser, with several small hills that seed to have sprung up suddenly, none taller than a dozen ters, forming a low-lying area in between. Perhaps due to the rain so days ago, a small lake had already ford.
The grass and plants around the lake were exceptionally lush and verdant, and the birds that had disappeared after the earthquake had reappeared, sotis soaring high, sotis chirping happily with delightful songs.
So bolder ones even landed not far from Hua Jin, pecking on the ground, and there were bees lingering on flowers, chasing and dancing with fluttering butterflies. This lively scene made Hua Jin slow her steps, bringing a sudden calm over her previously tense mind, as she quietly admired the beautiful scenery before her.
"Sister..." called Xiaosi, but seeing no response from his sister, he wisely shut his mouth.
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