The children walked step by step to the door, just in time to meet the adults returning from the fields.

For some reason, the work that usually takes until dark was finished early today. Since there were no adults at home all day, Grandma Xu still brought everyone back.

There are only a few plots of land; one day is more than enough for them.

"Grandpa, Grandma!" Xu Mao ran a few steps quickly, "Let's see what we brought back."

Seeing the children carrying bamboo baskets, the Xu family guessed that they had probably gone to the mountains to pick mushrooms and dig bamboo shoots, which they could eat a few times a year at this time.

But when the group emptied the contents of the bamboo baskets, Old Mrs. Xu was dumbfounded. "You carried all of this down from the mountain today?"

In the small kitchen, the floor was piled high with wild mushrooms and bamboo shoots. The bamboo shoots ranged in size from as thick as a child's arm to as large as an adult's arm.

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"Goodness, this bamboo shoot must weigh at least four or five pounds." Xu Genshan picked one up casually, peeled off the outer layer a little, revealing the white and tender flesh.

"These wild mushrooms seem bigger than the ones sold at the market." The adults present were all from peasant backgrounds and had grown up picking mushrooms and digging bamboo shoots, but this was the first time they had ever seen mushrooms this big.

“These things are good, and they’re all fresh. They won’t keep for long, and our family can’t eat all of them. We’ll get some to sell in town tomorrow.” Old Mrs. Xu said, her hands behind her back, her deeply lined face looking much kinder.

The villagers brought these things back to change their diet, since there weren't many things to eat at this time of year.

But if you take it to town, you can exchange it for money. There are many wealthy people in town, and they love the flavors of the mountains.

Since we were going to town to buy things, we had to get up very early the next day and set off before dawn. When we arrived at the market, we happened to meet the townspeople who were out shopping.

Upon hearing that they were going to town, all the boys in the family vied to go, each saying how much stuff they could carry, just to see the bustling market.

Although Fu Man'er had never been to town, she saw that her older brothers all wanted to go, so she wanted to go too.

She skipped past her older brothers and went to Grandma Xu's side, saying, "Grandma."

Grandma Xu was so annoyed by the child's noise that she immediately picked up Fu Man'er and put her on her lap, while also separating her grandsons from her.

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"Grandma, I want to go." Fu Man'er looked at her with longing.

The grandsons had already told them all about how they got the bamboo shoots and wild mushrooms, and it was unexpected that little Fu Man'er was so lucky.

"You can't sleep in when you go to town." These were the words I should have said, but somehow they just came out as a reply.

"I won't sleep." Fu Man'er nodded solemnly. "Grandma, you're so kind." After the little girl got to know everyone, she became used to being affectionate, saying one sweet word after another, which made Grandma Xu laugh heartily.

Liu Fang, who was cooking in the kitchen, peeked out from behind the laughter. "Man'er is such a lovable girl. I haven't laughed this heartily in ages."

Ma Hong sat by the stove, tending the fire. She placed firewood on her knees, then snapped it in two with a strong push and threw it into the stove, where the fire burned brightly.

"That's right, all the mouths in our family combined aren't as good as hers alone."

Thinking of Fu Man'er's well-behaved and adorable appearance, Liu Fang couldn't help but show a loving smile.

"Sister-in-law, do you think Mother really wants to keep Man'er at home?" Ma Hong pulled her stool closer, glanced at the doorway, and said in a low voice.

This is because some busybodies asked questions today, and their words were naturally not very pleasant. They simply said that the Xu family is so poor, yet they still have the nerve to talk.

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Despite her advanced age, Grandma Xu was still very proud and immediately retorted. Even if it meant having another mouth to feed, she wouldn't go to someone else's house for food.

Liu Fang paused in her stir-fry. She really liked Fu Man'er, and it would be wonderful if she could stay. But judging from her sister-in-law's tone, it seemed she didn't want to.

"Mother has her own thoughts on this matter." Ultimately, it's Mother-in-law who calls the shots in this family now.

Ma Hong glanced at her. These past few days, Fu Man'er had been calling her "Mother" all the time. It seemed that this sister-in-law really considered herself Fu Man'er's mother.

"I just don't know when Mother will make a decision on this matter," Ma Hong said casually. She had thought it would take a few more days, but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

After dinner, everyone was supposed to wash up and go back to their rooms to rest, but Old Mrs. Xu called everyone to her room.

"Mother, what did you call us here for?" When Ma Hong and Xu Genzhu came in, everyone else had already arrived.

"Sit down." Old Mrs. Xu said calmly, sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Now that everyone's here, I'll speak. I'd like to ask if you want to keep Man'er at home or send her back to the back mountain."

Ma Hong's heart skipped a beat. Could her mother-in-law have overheard what she was saying in the kitchen?

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She carefully observed her mother-in-law's expression, then looked at Liu Fang. Seeing that nothing seemed amiss, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Second daughter-in-law, tell me what you're thinking." Seeing her eyes darting around, Old Mrs. Xu prompted her to speak.

Ma Hong is a straightforward person, but she's not good at speaking. Her mother-in-law usually doesn't ask her anything, but when she suddenly does, it makes her panic. She signals to Xu Genzhu for help with her eyes.

Little did anyone know that Xu Genzhu, that simpleton, was staring intently at the candle next to him, not knowing what was so interesting about it.

"You good-for-nothing! Asking you to say something is like asking for your life!" Old Mrs. Xu couldn't stand it anymore and cursed her directly.

Ma Hong chuckled, "Mom, I'll listen to you." She was afraid that if she said it, her mother-in-law would be unhappy and scold her. These past two days, her mother-in-law had been very fond of Fu Man'er, and she wasn't blind to it.

"What does the eldest daughter-in-law think?" Knowing that the second wife's family couldn't say anything, Old Mrs. Xu turned to look at Xu Genshan and Liu Fang.

Liu Fang was in a state of great anxiety. She liked Fu Man'er and wanted to keep her, but given her family's situation, she couldn't bring herself to ask.

Seeing the difficulty on his wife's face, Xu Genshan spoke first, "Mother, just like you said today, if we open our mouths, how can we ask other families for help?"

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes fell on Xu Genshan. Was he going to keep that girl here?

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"Brother, our family is in such a state. If your leg hadn't healed, it would have been easier to say. But now at home..." Ma Hong was slapped by Xu Genzhu before she could finish speaking.

She immediately realized she had said the wrong thing, "Oh dear, brother, I'm clumsy with words, that's not what I meant."

She didn't mean to bring up her brother's limp on purpose; it's just that the family is facing real difficulties right now, and she's doing it for the good of the whole family.

Xu Genshan hesitated for a moment, "Although I can no longer go into the mountains to hunt, I can still work in town. The Xu family can't afford to let her live a very comfortable life, but we won't let that little girl starve to death."

The elderly couple from the Xu family remained silent, listening to the conversation between the two families.