70 Coming
“Liu Shi, don’t forget how Ah Yu came about!” Old Madam w.a.n.g said sternly. “We shouldn’t have taken this out, but there are so many people in the family. If used it, it’s naturally for everyone’s survival.
Our family at the very least must be of one heart.
Can you guarantee that your family won’t gossip about us? Can you guarantee that they won’t suspect Ah Yu? Can you guarantee that all of them will be on your side?”
With every question from Old Madam w.a.n.g, Liu Shi’s head lowered. In the end, she could no longer speak.
She could not refute. Her family was too poor.
If not for the fact that she was too poor, she would not have been willing to marry herself to Old man w.a.n.g’s family for the betrothal gift of only five kilograms of grain.
Old man w.a.n.g’s family had always had a bad reputation in the surrounding villages.
Everyone said that they were lazy and poor, and their family was vicious.
Especially since everyone said that Old Madam w.a.n.g of the w.a.n.g Family was simply an old woman who loved to torture her daughters-in-law.
According to the rumors, Old Madam w.a.n.g had tortured several daughters-in-law to death!
Other boys were pretty much ready for marriage when they were 14 or 15 years old, but only w.a.n.g Chuanman had to wait till the age of 19. This was because no family liked him.
When he was 20 years old, he was finally able to marry Liu Shi, who was 19 years old and had yet to marry.
“Mother, I understand. I won’t bring it back.” Although Grandma’s mouth was fierce, she never scolded people for no reason.
Liu Shi knew what was good for her.
Seeing that Liu Shi was willing to listen, Old Madam w.a.n.g’s expression softened slightly. She only reminded her, “Remember, don’t mention anything about Ah Yu! Unless you don’t want this daughter anymore.”
“I want, I want!” Liu Shi’s expression changed drastically as she hurriedly said, “How can I not want her? Ah Yu is my life!”
Liu Shi had never been a mother, but she had fantasized about it countless times.
Her child should have been like Ah Yu. Ah Yu was her child.
No one could take her away!
This was her obsession.
“Tomorrow, the matters at home will be more or less settled. You and Fourth will bring Ah Yu back to your family for them to take a look. Remember to bring everything back.”
It had been a long time since the snow disaster. She knew that her daughters-in-law missed their families. She could not possibly suppress them and not let them return.
“Alright, thank you, Mother.”
“Go and do your work. Keep the gourd well.”
Old Madam w.a.n.g let Liu Shi out and pondered for a while.
She felt that she had missed something, but she could not remember it for a moment.
Little Ah Yu was jumping around in the field.
The adults were holding hoes and loosened the ground. Sometimes, they would dig up some straw roots and pick them up to put aside. When Ah Yu appeared, they would let her take them to eat.
Little Ah Yu had a small flower basket in one hand and a small hoe in the other. She plucked flowers here and dug the ground there, looking very busy.
There were also many fruits in the small bag hanging on her chest which were basically all picked from the fields.
The other children climbed up the trees and gave her the good-looking ones.
“Ah Yu, your bag is too small. Let your mother make a big one for you.” Someone reminded her with a smile.
Little Ah Yu patted her bag and smiled. “Ah Yu likes this!”
She waved the small flower basket in her hand. “And the small flower basket Grandpa made for me!”
There were too many things!
“Little Sister Ah Yu, let’s go pick mushrooms!” A boy ran over and pulled her back.
He sniffed and smiled honestly.
“Hu Zi, don’t touch my sister!” w.a.n.g Wulang descended from the sky and pushed Hu Zi away. “Your snot is falling into your mouth!”
Hu Zi subconsciously wanted to suck the snot into his mouth. Seeing that Little Ah Yu was looking at him without blinking, he felt a little embarra.s.sed and wiped it away with his sleeve instead.
His snot ran down his face like a stream.
Little Ah Yu’s eyes widened. She looked down at her sleeve and raised it to gesture.
She wanted to try.
w.a.n.g Wulang picked up Little Ah Yu and ran a few steps away. “Ah Yu, don’t learn from him. It’s so disgusting!”
He had completely forgotten that he had done it before too.
“Fifth Brother, where are Sixth Brother and Seventh Brother?” Little Ah Yu looked behind w.a.n.g Wulang and only saw him.
w.a.n.g Wulang said, “They went to the back of the mountain with Doctor Hu. They said they wanted to see where the donkey feces were found.”
Many boys followed but he did not want to go.
What was so good about donkey dung?
[Kid, did you forget something?]
Meatball was very helpless. When she left in the morning, Ah Yu had promised that she would seriously farm today.
However, as soon as she ran out of the door and saw the wild flowers on the hill, she ran to pick them.
After a while, she chased another b.u.t.terfly far away.
As she ran, she heard someone calling her and ran to the fields to chat with everyone.
There was no planting work done, and the small bag and flower basket were filled up again.
Little Ah Yu patted her head pitifully. “Wu… I forgot!”
[…]
In the next moment, Little Ah Yu pulled w.a.n.g Wulang home and rushed to Old Madam w.a.n.g. She stretched out her hand. “Grandma, Ah Yu wants to farm and plant grain!”
Old Madam w.a.n.g looked at her in amus.e.m.e.nt. “I thought you’d forgotten. What’s wrong? You still want to play? Farming is very tiring.”
“No, no.” Ah Yu shook her head and pushed w.a.n.g Wulang out. “Fifth Brother will help Ah Yu.”
w.a.n.g Wulang “???”
Under Old Madam w.a.n.g’s gaze, w.a.n.g Wulang could only bite the bullet and say, “Ah-yes, I’m helping Little Sister Ah Yu farm.”
“Alright, Grandma will point out a piece of land for you to plant there.” Without another word, Old Madam w.a.n.g grabbed a handful of wheat from the house and exchanged it for the things in Little Ah Yu’s pocket.
She brought them to the hill behind the back room and pointed at a patch of overgrown land. “You can plant it here.”
“Sure, sure!”
Little Ah Yu was in high spirits. When Old Madam w.a.n.g left, she started digging with her small hoe.
After digging for more than ten times, she was tired.
Her mouth opened and closed as she panted like a fish on sh.o.r.e.
“Fifth Brother… I’m so tired. Help Ah Yu farm!”
w.a.n.g Wulang, who was forced to cut the gra.s.s: “…”
[Kid, give him your water to drink.] Of course, Meatball could not bear to let Ah Yu really farm the land. As long as she helped spread the grain seeds and watered the land, it would be considered partic.i.p.ating in the mission.
Little Ah Yu said, “Fifth Brother, I’ll bring you some water. Sweet water!”
w.a.n.g Wulang did not believe it. Previously, he had asked Little Ah Yu to bring water over. The water was not sweet at all!
Little Ah Yu ran back and picked up the water ladle at home.
This time, she learned her lesson. On the way, she only picked up an empty ladle and pretended that there was water in it as she walked slowly.
Old man w.a.n.g saw her from afar and asked, “Ah Yu, where did you bring the water ladle?”
“It’s for Fifth Brother. He’s helping Ah Yu farm. It’s so tiring!”
“Ah Yu is so obedient.” Old man w.a.n.g continued, “Let him come back and drink it himself next time!”
He even asked Ah Yu to serve him water.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Little Ah Yu agreed casually.
When Little Ah Yu arrived at the foot of the hill, she quietly filled half of the water in.
w.a.n.g Wulang picked it up and took a sip. His eyes widened.
“Little Sister Ah Yu, how much land do you want for farming? Fifth Brother will cover it for you, as long as you give me water to drink every day!” w.a.n.g Wulang said heroically.
Little Ah Yu smiled. “Alright!”
When w.a.n.g Wulang was working hard to farm, Little Ah Yu watched for a while and felt a little bored, so she ran away.
Little Ah Yu rode the little lamb and ran to the village entrance. Old Master Hu was teaching the children in the village.
“Little Ah Yu, you’re here? Come and sit with Grandpa.” Old Master Hu waved at Little Ah Yu.
However, Little Ah Yu circled around the big yellow-horned tree and ran a few steps forward. She happened to see someone walking at the foot of the mountain.
A carriage b.u.mped along the not-so-wide road.
Coincidentally, the carriage stopped on the road as someone lifted the curtain and a young man appeared.
“Little Brother! Little Brother! Here, Ah Yu is here!” Little Ah Yu shouted in surprise, her little hands dancing above her head.
Qin Huai had just alighted from the carriage when he seemed to sense something. He looked up and saw a small thing that was almost indiscernible jumping on the cliff in front of him.
He could not hear the voices clearly, let alone see the movements, but he caught it.
Suddenly, the corners of his mouth, which had been stiff and cold for a long time, slowly curled up.
He had found her.