Chapter 4 He Peeped at My Sister Taking a Shower

When Molly got home, it was already dark, and her family had already eaten.

"I left you a bowl of wild vegetable soup and a flatbread. The flatbread is a bit hard, eat it with the soup." Mo He reached out to take the basket from Molly's back. "Don't come back so late next time. Although there are no wild animals in the mountains, sometimes people are scarier than wild animals, oh—"

Mo He looked at her sister in surprise; the weight of the basket on her back was wrong.

"I'm all sweaty, I want to wash up first, then have some soup and bread." Molly took Mohe's hand and led her into the house.

Before Mo He could speak, shouts and curses came from the main house.

"All you ever do is wash! Nobody else washes, you're the only clean person in the whole village!"

"We don't even have water to drink, and you still want to waste it? May you be struck by lightning! What kind of girl is so inconsiderate?"

"Oh my god, they're doomed! Your father and brother went all out, working themselves to the bone to bring back a little water, only to have it wasted like this!"

"......"

"Tomorrow, your sister will fetch water so you can have a good, relaxing bath," Mo He said, deliberately raising her voice.

Now things have calmed down at the main house.

The two sisters went inside and closed the door.

"What's in the basket? It's so heavy!"

"It's good stuff." Molly lowered her voice and squatted down to take the pieces of roasted meat out of the basket.

Two pieces of meat were given to Zhao Jian'an, leaving seven pieces remaining.

Where is Xiao An?

"He's asleep. He said he was so hungry that he didn't feel hungry when he was asleep."

"Go wake him up, there's something good to eat."

The three siblings slept in one room, which was only five or six square meters. Besides a bed, there was only a peach wood chest. The chest was the original owner's mother's dowry, and the wild vegetable soup and cakes left for Molly were placed on the chest.

Molly took two pieces of meat, split the leaves, and beckoned Molly and the sleepy Moan to come and eat.

"Sister, am I dreaming? I can smell the aroma of meat."

"Shh-"

"Keep your voice down, it's not a dream, there's real meat in it."

"Meat!"

Moan and Molly were both surprised.

At this time of year, even wild vegetables are hard to find, so where would meat come from?

“I was lucky today; I found a snake that was barely alive,” Molly explained.

Mohe: "And then?"

Molly: "And then it became the food in your hand."

Mo An: "Second sister, you're so lucky. Can I go into the mountains with you tomorrow? I want to pick a pheasant and a rabbit."

"........"

In the room, none of the three of them spoke; only the sounds of chewing and swallowing could be heard. Molly finished eating first, took her bowl, went out, washed the bowl in the dark, rinsed her mouth, washed her face and feet, and then returned to the room.

She lay down on the bed and said, "I'm a little sleepy, I'm going to sleep now."

Mo He: "Go to sleep. You've had a long day. Get some rest. It's okay if you get up a little later tomorrow."

Mo An ate without even looking up.

It was very hot tonight. Molly woke up twice because of the heat. In the middle of the night, raindrops the size of pigeon eggs fell from the sky and pattered on the thatched roof.

This year's drought resulted in no harvest. With nothing else to do, Mo Gaofeng led his family to cut thatch and replace the straw on the roof. Otherwise, the roof would probably be making a lot of noise by now.

In the darkness, someone shouted, "It's raining!" and then, as if echoing, the cry of "It's raining!" resounded through the night, mixed with excited shouts and cries of joy.

"It's raining!" Mo He exclaimed in surprise, jumping up and rushing outside without even putting on her shoes.

"I'll go take a look too." Mo An also wanted to run outside.

"Don't come out." Mo He turned around, her expression serious. "You're weak, don't get wet in the rain."

Mo An stood at the doorway. "I'm not going out. I'll just stay here and look around."

Molly also heard the rain, but she was too sleepy, so she turned over and went back to sleep.

When Molly woke up the next day, it was already bright. As usual, Mo He was not home, and Mo An was still asleep.

She opened the door, and a wave of steam rushed out. The water tanks, buckets, and basins in the yard were all filled with water and lined up neatly in two rows.

"The sun's already high in the sky before you get up! Whose daughter sleeps so late!" Liu Ahua glanced at Molly, her expression unfriendly.

Molly didn't even glance at her, and went to wash up on her own.

"I'm talking to you, are you deaf!" Liu Ahua walked up to Molly, and just as she was about to spit on Molly, Molly dodged to the side.

Molly: "Your son isn't up either."

“How can girls be treated the same as boys? They are the pillars of the family. They need to eat well, drink well, rest well, and take good care of their health,” Liu Ahua said confidently.

Molly: "Mo Honghong's brother is 18 years old and can earn ten work points, while your son is 20 years old and can earn six work points."

Molly heard this from someone else.

My stepbrother, Mo Zhong, is lazy and cunning, only earning six work points. No girl wants him, so his marriage has been delayed again and again.

Liu Ahua choked, her large chest heaving with anger. "You little slut, hurry up and wash. Once you're done, go out and find some wild vegetables. Don't come back if you can't find any."

After saying that, Liu Ahua turned around and wiggled her hips as she walked toward the kitchen.

The rain only stopped for half a morning, and then it started raining again around eight or nine o'clock.

Molly didn't go out; she and Moan moved some stools and sat under the eaves to watch the rain.

Mo An: "Second sister, where did you think eldest sister went?"

Molly shook her head. "I don't know."

No one suggested bringing an umbrella to Mohe, because the family didn't even have one.

Mo An: "I'll go boil some water, and there will be hot water for a bath when my older sister comes back."

Molly blinked. "Do I need to use hot water for a bath?"

"I'll go with you."

Mo He returned home in the evening. The rain had stopped for several hours, and her clothes were half-dry. There were only a few wild vegetables in her basket, less than usual.

Liu Ahua looked at the few wild vegetables and her face instantly darkened. "There won't be any dinner for the three of you tonight."

"Why should I? This is what I got back." Mo He was indignant. She bit her lip and glared at Liu Ahua. Her lips were bloodless, and her eyes looked especially large on her thin face.

Liu Ahua scoffed, "These few vegetables aren't even enough to fill your dad's teeth, what are you going to eat!"

She snatched the basket from Mohe and walked straight towards the main room.

Mo He was so angry that her eyes turned red. She stood there stubbornly, like a statue, motionless.

"Big sister, we've boiled some water for you. You got caught in the rain, go take a shower first." Mo An grabbed Mo He's hand and squeezed it tightly, whispering, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health."

Just then, Molly came out of the room and said, "I'm going to the kitchen to boil some water. We'll have tree bark soup in a little while."

During the day, Molly and Moan had already taken a shower and washed and hung their clothes out to dry.

Feeling refreshed, Molly didn't bother arguing with Liu Ahua about those few wild vegetables. It was just a pity for Mo He, who had worked hard all day, only to have the fruits of her labor taken away.

"If she weren't a stepmother, I would have pounced on her and bitten her long ago," Mo He said fiercely.

Molly helped her fill the bucket with hot water. "She has two sons, and her father is on her side. You can't beat them."

Mo He's face stiffened. "Hmph, if there's a stepmother, there's a stepfather."

Her tone was filled with resentment and hatred.

Molly couldn't empathize; she wasn't the original owner of this body, much less Mo He.

Mo He carried two buckets of water. He hadn't bathed in a long time, and his body was covered in mud. He couldn't do without enough water.

"If you don't have enough water, I'll add more for you in a bit."

"OK."

It got dark quickly.

"ah--"

A scream came from the outhouse.

Molly flashed to the outside of the latrine and saw a dark figure leap down from the wall and run towards the back of the house.

"stop!"

Molly swung the wooden stick in her hand at the man's back.

thump!

The man fell to the ground.

What happened?

Who's calling?

The neighbor ran out.

Molly caught up with the man and stepped on his back. "This man was peeping at my older sister while she was taking a bath."

"Who is this scoundrel!"

"Bring me a torch."

"The torch is here."

Mo An, holding a torch, came over eagerly. As the torch shone, the face of the person on the ground became clear.

"What a joke! It's actually Mo Zhong!"

"He's Mo He's nominal older brother, how could he peep at his sister while she's bathing? Isn't that against human ethics?"

"They're not even blood siblings!"

"I'm not surprised at all that Mo Zhong, who is so old, wants a woman but can't find a wife, would peep at his sister while she's bathing."

"Who peeked at her while she was taking a bath? With her skinny frame and hardly any flesh on her body, we wouldn't even want to look at her naked!" Liu Ahua ran over, cursing.

"You're just making false accusations out of thin air, and you saw him peeping?"

"Mohomoli, even if you don't like your brother, you can't put such a big label on him. How is your brother going to find a wife in the future?"

“I saw him leaning against the wall of the outhouse,” Molly said matter-of-factly.

"It's so dark, you must be seeing things!"

Liu Ahua glared at Molly, looking like she wanted to devour her. "Alright, alright, it's getting dark. What are you doing here instead of going home to sleep? You're just bored and have nothing better to do!"

Liu Ahua pulled Mo Zhong up from the ground and led him into the house.

"Big sister, are we just going to let this go like this?" Mo An said angrily, her little fists clenched. "I'm going to beat him up."

"Don't go." Mo He pulled Mo An back. "It's dark. Even if he lies on the wall, he won't be able to see anything."

"But I'm still so angry." Mo An puffed out her cheeks like a frog. "You won't see it this time, but what about next time? I knew something was wrong when I saw Mo Zhong smelling your and Second Sister's dirty clothes—"

"What!"

Mo He gasped in shock, the anger she had just suppressed surging back to her head. She spat in the direction of the main room, "Pah, pervert!"

In another room, Liu Ahua slapped Mo Zhong's palm hard. "How could you do something like this? Your reputation will be ruined after tomorrow!"

Mo Zhong didn't take it seriously and gave up on himself, thinking, "So what if I'm bad? Anyway, no one's going to marry me."

While others get married at seventeen or eighteen, he's almost 21 and hasn't even held a woman's hand.

"Mother, I want to get married, I want a woman," Mo Zhong said, shaking Liu Ahua's hand and acting coquettishly.

Liu Ahua fell into deep thought, and after a long while said, "Okay, Mom will get you a husband, I'll spend money to get you one."

Mo Zhong: "Didn't you say you had no money at home?"

Liu Ahua smiled meaningfully, "Wouldn't it be easy to make money by selling one of your daughters?"

It started raining again that night and didn't stop until dawn.

"Sister, sister, the river is full!" Mo An ran back happily from outside.

Molly yawned. For some reason, she felt like she hadn't slept enough these past two days.

"We have water now, so we can plant crops." Mo He stayed home this morning, which was unusual for him.

Although it's almost autumn and they've missed spring and summer planting, they can still plant things in the fall, like sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes. These produce high yields, making them perfect for them.

“But we’re out of seeds at home,” Mo An said, conflicted.

Mo He's face darkened. "Not only do we not have any at home, but we don't have any in the brigade either."

When people in the team were starving to death, everyone went to the team leader and unanimously decided to distribute the grain seeds in the warehouse.

Just as Mo He was worrying about the grain seeds, Grandma Ge Damei arrived in a rage. She shuffled around with her small feet, muttering, "So shameful, so shameful! You bunch of scoundrels have disgraced the Mo family."

Molly glanced at Mohe instinctively; this old woman seemed to have ill intentions.