"You guys are sending up the mountain like this, but don’t faint halfway yourselves. Brother Chengwu, go find so firewood."
Jiang Xiaoxiao believed that kind-hearted people shouldn’t suffer, and what others couldn’t see wasn’t her concern.
If she saw it and did nothing, then she’d be heartless.
Although she couldn’t offer much, a little help was better than nothing.
Li Chengwu hesitated for a mont. If they stayed longer, it would be dark soon, and if they encountered wolves, both he and his brother would be in trouble.
"Forget it, you co with ."
Jiang Xiaoxiao’s eyes twinkled! She originally intended to send Li Chengwu away, leaving Li Chengwen behind whom she could easily fool, while she found a way to bring out so food.
Now she had an idea.
Li Chengwu, at a loss, followed Jiang Xiaoxiao to the roadside snowbank.
He saw Jiang Xiaoxiao digging around sohow and then forcibly pulled out a bag of sothing.
The bag wasn’t big, probably could only hold twenty pounds, but what was this?
Hidden in the snow?
Jiang Xiaoxiao had quite a few things in her space, and this was a bag of rabbit at. It was the surplus from the rabbits she roasted daily, stored bit by bit in her space. Who knew when it might co in handy?
She was prepared for unforeseen circumstances.
Now it was a boon for these two brothers.
"Take it back with you; this is rabbit at we raised ourselves. Don’t tell anyone, quietly take it back as a small token from . We don’t have much, but it’s better than nothing for you."
Jiang Xiaoxiao tossed it over.
Li Chengwu took it, opened the bag, and felt warm in his heart.
Inside were five rabbits, frozen solid, already cooked.
In these tis, even grain was scarce, let alone at.
He couldn’t help but swallow a gulp.
He had to swallow—the stomach growled in response.
"Why is it here? Aren’t you afraid soone might find it?"
Li Chengwu didn’t even catch the main point. Was that the point?
The point was this was at!
Jiang Xiaoxiao laughed, who could she bla?
Wasn’t it due to being forced by these two brothers?
"It was ant to be taken back secretly. If I had taken it to the team leader, wouldn’t the commune’s educated youths have been in an uproar? And those who saw it wouldn’t keep quiet. I also didn’t want people to say your father accepted bribery, and besides, this isn’t bribery.
It was originally brought down for you to have a taste, but with all these comings and goings, it was tough to bring in. So, I hid it by the roadside, intending to carry it back later, but now, while you two are escorting up the mountain,
otherwise, I’d have had to carry it back myself. Luckily, you were the ones escorting back. If it had been Fang Peizhong and the others, I couldn’t have taken it out."
With such heartfelt persuasion, Jiang Xiaoxiao almost believed her own words.
Li Chengwen and Li Chengwu both believed her. Their hearts were ward. They knew their father’s straightforward temperant all too well; anyone who dared give him gifts would certainly be driven away with curses.
If pushed too far, he might even hit soone.
It seed Jiang Xiaoxiao had been contemplating finding a way not to get scolded by his father, so she didn’t dare bring it in.
Now seeing it was just the two brothers, she brought it out.
But how could they possibly accept? This was at, after all, more precious than grain.
"You should take it up the mountain; you don’t have much food yourselves. If my dad knew, he would definitely break our legs."
Li Chengwu thought about his father’s stubborn temperant and didn’t dare take it ho, knowing his dad would really break his legs if he did.
"Alright, take it back. Tell your team leader that at tis like this, survival is more important than anything. Besides, I’m not asking him for a favor, at most just to make a call, not asking him to bend the rules.
What’s the harm in accepting a bit of at? If he really feels awkward, he can send 20 pounds of rice after the harvest next year, and we’ll call it even. Consider it a debt owed now."
Jiang Xiaoxiao knew Li Dahu’s temperant too well, as his youngest son starved to death in the end back in the day.
Watching a vibrant life possibly being starved over a bit of food,
with so much stored in her space, could she still call herself human if she just watched them starve?
Helping a little was still helping; it wasn’t about being a Holy Mother, but she couldn’t just watch these people die.
Li Chengwu was still hesitating, while Li Chengwen looked longingly at the bag.
"Alright, alright, as a man, act more generously, escort up the mountain quickly. Otherwise, it’ll be troubleso going down in the dark."
Jiang Xiaoxiao interrupted his thoughts to stop the kid from hesitating.
Li Chengwu had no choice but to carry the bag. Regardless, he had to escort Jiang Xiaoxiao up the mountain first.
Probably because he was carrying food, knowing it was dozens of pounds of at on his back.
While it wasn’t light, it didn’t feel burdenso at all.
On the way, Jiang Xiaoxiao even handed them each a handful of dried peaches.
They quietly took a small bite in their mouths, afraid to eat more. Such precious stuff was to be brought ho for their parents and siblings to taste.
Yet sohow, whether psychological or from eating the peach, there was a sense of energy.
They marched on with pride.
Though they didn’t walk fast, it was until Jiang Xiaoxiao was up the mountain.
It was only when Li Chengwen and Li Chengwu saw the educated youths raising rabbits and chickens in their dwelling.
They were utterly envious; they had at least five or six dozen rabbits, and even the pheasants numbered thirty or forty.
Before Jiang Xiaoxiao left, she even insisted on giving them a basket of eggs, glancing at which contained at least 20 eggs.
Initially, they refused to accept, but in the end, the educated youths warmly saw them off the mountain, and they had no choice but to leave before darkness fell.
They truly feared encountering wolves along the way, and so they returned with the bag and basket in tow.
When they reached ho, it was already completely dark, with not a soul on the road.
Upon entering the house, Li Dahu happened to co out to have a look.
He was anxious as the boys hadn’t returned despite the nightfall, and he was worried.
After all, wolves frequently road the hills around them, not sothing to be taken lightly.
But then he saw the two boys entering with things in hand.
"What’s this? How could you take things from others? What kind of decency is that? I’ve taught you long enough, and now you’re acting so shallow."
Li Dahu was furious, picking up a pole with one hand.
Li Chengwu and Li Chengwen, startled, hurriedly explained.
"Dad, please don’t be like this. Let’s discuss inside. What would the neighbors think hearing this?"
Li Dahu realized it would be disgraceful to cause a scene in the courtyard, which wouldn’t reflect well on the family.
Once inside, Li Dahu slamd the table.
"Speak. If you two brats don’t explain clearly today, I’ll break both your legs. Daring to take others’ things, don’t you know it’s the ti when households can barely get by? What will those educated youths eat now that you’ve taken their food?"
He was indeed angry.
"Dad, it’s not food. It’s rabbit at and wild chicken eggs. We went up and saw their educated youth spot. It’s incredible; they caught rabbits and wild chickens on the hill and have raised at least five or six dozen this winter, with wild chickens numbering three or four dozen.
The educated youths said we should bring these back. If you still feel bad, after the spring harvest next year, you can send them 20 pounds of rice as an exchange.
Especially Jiang Zhiyi said that at tis like these, living is more important than anything else. If you don’t accept, do you really want to watch the family starve? They can’t offer much help, just a little bit."
Li Dahu pondered. This made sense.
They had raised so many rabbits and wild chickens, looking better off than them.
He knew the educated youths were trying to help in different ways. However, stubbornness at this point would be pointless. Pushing away their goodwill for the sake of being upright, was it worth letting the family starve?
He slowly gazed around at the emaciated figures of his wife and children, with the old mother on the bed already weak from hunger.
Li Dahu sighed.
"Keep them."
He appreciated the sentint of Jiang Zhiyi, knowing he would repay it in the future.
There’s still a long way to go!
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