Li Xianglu stared at the bowl of noodles in front of her, momentarily lost in thought, her eyes somewhat sour. She had been in this family for quite some time, 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 meal, 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 , 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 Sanmei hurriedly dropping her sickle and rushing over from the other side of the field, immediately 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 Sanmei choked on her words, her eyes nearly popping out in astonishment, speechless.
Crouching on the ground, Ge Sanmei 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 something good, why are you so relentless."
At this moment, 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 meal.
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 Sanmei 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 Sanmei bit into a cornmeal 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 Sanmei, who had a strong-willed personality, shot back upon hearing her husband's words, "Didn't I do the same 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 times 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 Sanmei took another annoyed bite of her pancake but then heard her son-in-law, Yuan Cheng, say, "Mom, Jianhong is still at home sleeping, and the young auntie got up early to prepare and deliver food. Don't blame her."
The more Ge Sanmei heard, the angrier she became, everyone seemed to be siding with the girl!
Meanwhile, Li Xianglu had reached the bottom of the mountain. Here at the side was a small forest near the river bank, with a large dammed pool. Every day, Li Xianglu would cut some 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 something 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."