The next day, Lin Xiaoxiao slung a basket over her shoulder, took a sickle, and headed up the mountain. Her goal for the day was still to gather pig feed.

Ever since she discovered that she could easily earn work points by cutting pig feed, she no longer wanted to go to the fields to do that hard and tiring work.

"Sister Lin!" Da Niu and the other little ones shouted excitedly when they saw Lin Xiaoxiao, and the other friends immediately gathered around.

They all tasted the sweetness of exchanging pig feed for sugar, so one after another they came.

Today, not only boys came, but also two or three girls. They followed behind the boys, very shy, and kept their heads down the whole time.

Lin Xiaoxiao told them that as long as they gathered enough pig feed, they would get candy.

It doesn't matter whether you're a boy or a girl.

In this era, most girls were not valued by their families. They were said to be a burden on money, and their clothes were covered in pudding.

Their short stature suggests they're not having a good time at home.

Some of them have to start working at a very young age.

She didn't care about these things; she didn't have the ability to do so at the moment.

"Sister Lin, do we get candy too?" a girl asked uncertainly. They had known since they were little that doing things was expected, and there were no rewards for it.

Because sometimes we don't even have enough to eat.

“Of course! Today, I’ll gather more pig feed. As long as you give enough pig feed, I’ll give you candy,” Lin Xiaoxiao said with a smile.

The children cheered with joy when they heard this.

The family members were highly motivated after receiving the reward. In just one morning, Lin Xiaoxiao earned four work points thanks to their help.

The scorekeeper was puzzled when he saw so much pig feed, but considering that the children were doing it voluntarily and seemed to be enjoying it, he didn't say anything more.

The children hardly eat any candy all year round, so it's good that they can earn their own candy, since they can't help out at home anyway.

At least being with Lin Xiaoxiao makes me happy.

In just a few days, Lin Xiaoxiao had become the undisputed leader of the children in Wangjia Village, and it seemed that a bunch of kids followed her wherever she did.

Except for the time when you go home to eat.

This afternoon was the same as usual.

The children can get something to eat as long as they do chores. A few days ago it was candy, but today Lin Xiaoxiao is going to give them something different and let them eat glutinous rice strips.

When the children heard that there would be glutinous rice strips to eat, they all buried their heads and worked hard to cut pig feed.

Lin Xiaoxiao would work for a while and then rest for a while. If she worked too much, there wouldn't be any room for the little ones to do anything.

Just as Lin Xiaoxiao sat down to drink water, she heard a rustling sound ahead. She immediately became alert, still holding a lot of small stones in her hand.

She roughly estimated that the source of the sound was some distance away from the little kids.

She then walked forward with peace of mind.

As she walked, she suddenly heard a faint "cooing" sound, which was particularly clear in the quiet mountain forest.

It turned out to be the call of a pheasant; she had thought it was something else entirely.

But the thought of eating pheasant meat made her stop instantly, hold her breath, and scan her surroundings with eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

In the grass not far away, a brightly colored pheasant was looking down for food.

The pheasant's feathers shimmered with iridescent colors in the dappled sunlight, red like fire, green like jade, incredibly beautiful. Its claws gripped the ground firmly, occasionally pecking at small insects in the soil, completely unaware of the impending danger.

Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a smug smile.

She picked up a stone with her right hand, carefully adjusting her breathing and posture, holding the stone tightly in her hand, feeling its texture and weight.

Suddenly, she exerted her strength, her arm springing out like a spring, and the pebble flew towards the pheasant like an arrow.

It was so fast that it left only a blurry shadow in the air.

The pebble struck the pheasant precisely on the head. The pheasant didn't even have a chance to struggle before it was stunned by the sudden blow. It flapped its wings weakly on the ground, trying to take flight again, but ultimately collapsed in the grass.

Lin Xiaoxiao happily went over and picked up the pheasant.

He picked up the pheasant and headed back.

Da Niu finally saw the person and was relieved.

"Pretty sister, you're finally back."

"I'm fine, you don't need to worry so much. You've been working for so long, so I'll treat you to some chicken." Lin Xiaoxiao held up the pheasant in her hand.

The little radishes' eyes lit up when they saw the meat.

The pretty lady not only treated them to candy, but also to chicken—and it was chicken, no doubt!

If someone has meat, they certainly wouldn't want to share it, but the pretty lady was willing to give them meat.

Many children thought that if there were no more candy in the future, they could at least cut pig feed for their older sister.

Each person gathered some firewood, and soon they found a place where they wouldn't be easily discovered, and started a fire.

After they finished, Lin Xiaoxiao also prepared the chicken, and she marinated it with salt and soy sauce.

Then they set up a pheasant rack and roasted it there.

At first, things were fine; those little brats were still focused on cutting pig feed. But once the aroma of roasted chicken started to waft out, none of them had the energy to work anymore.

Within minutes, they all gathered around.

"Pretty lady, is the chicken ready?"

"Not yet, you'll have to wait a while."

They all stared at the pheasant, their mouths watering. It was meat! They hadn't eaten meat in a long time.

Seeing a whole chicken here makes my mouth water.

About ten minutes later, the whole chicken began to change color, and a drop or two of oil dripped onto the firewood, making a sizzling sound that was quite pleasant.

When it was almost ready, let them find the leaves themselves, wash them clean, and use them to hold the chicken later.

The little radishes, having received instructions, all ran.

After washing everything, Lin Xiaoxiao distributed the meat to them, keeping only one chicken wing for herself and giving the rest to the others.

Several sensible children offered to trade their own flesh for Lin Xiaoxiao's.

Lin Xiaoxiao disagreed; she preferred to eat meat with bones.

This gesture touched the children deeply, and at this moment, Lin Xiaoxiao's position as the leader of the children was unshakeable.

They were actually eating meat.

There were many children, and each child could only get one piece of food, but they were all very content.

Especially for the girls, no one fought with them for the meat they got today, and they weren't scolded. They ate their meat quietly.

Anyway, Lin Xiaoxiao's pheasant meat today moved them to tears.

When it's time to deliver the pig feed, you'll see a bunch of little kids following behind Lin Xiaoxiao.

It has become a scenic spot in the village.

Many children told their families after they returned home that Lin Xiaoxiao had treated them to meat...

Some parents let it go after hearing it, but many others remembered Lin Xiaoxiao's kindness and thought that if Lin Xiaoxiao needed anything in the future, they would help her if they could.