Xiao Xiao walked over, picked up the little clothes from the sewing basket, and looked them over again and again.

This was made by altering Yuan Ping'an's old clothes for Tuantuan.

Children grow up quickly, so they usually wear hand-me-downs from their older brothers.

It can be worn after some repairs and alterations.

We only wear new clothes during the Chinese New Year.

Even a small family is no exception.

Although their family had no shortage of money, food, or cloth.

But it wouldn't be wasted like that.

There's nothing to make others envious.

“Mother, although we have grain, it is all prepared for our own family.”

Last year, the village chief reminded everyone to buy and store grain.

But they refused, thinking it was a lie.

This year, I reminded them again that if they had gone to buy it earlier, they might have been able to get it.

But they still wouldn't listen.

Now that it's hard to buy them, they come to the village chief.

The village chief is really kind-hearted; he even tries to find a solution for them.

You said you knew perfectly well that we had grain stored up at home.

He came to me saying all this simply because he wanted me to take out some food to help the villagers.

I can't possibly give them all the food I have.

With so many people in the village, how much grain would we need?

Our family needs to eat too, right? Everyone here has a huge appetite and can eat a lot.

I would rather give the food to others than let my own family go hungry.

So I only told him that we still have 8,000 jin (4,000 catties) of food.

At most, only half can be divided.

That's already the best I can do.

As for my repeated emphasis that they should use money to buy it.

Human hearts are never satisfied.

Even if you help him, he might not remember your kindness.

They might even be staring at you longingly after they've finished eating all that food.

Those 10,000 jin must not be exposed under any circumstances.

I wonder what the future holds?

We also need to save our own lives.

Xiao Xiao sat to the side, holding clothes in her hand, explaining to Yuan's mother what she had just done and thought.

Mother Yuan nodded: "You're absolutely right."

When it comes to saving lives, who will care about whom?

Besides, we haven't even reached that point yet, and the village chief has already come.

It seems they really came prepared.

I wonder if he'll go to Tiesheng's house.

She nodded slightly: "I'll most likely go."

Tiesheng's family has 10,000 jin of grain.

They didn't eat as much as we did.

They might agree to give some out.

Mother Yuan immediately became worried: "Oh dear, that boy Tiesheng, he won't take out a lot, will he?"

What will he eat when there's no more food?

What she didn't say was that, given how close Xiaoxiao and Yuan Min were, it was impossible for Xiaoxiao to watch her family go hungry.

They might give them their own grain.

She didn't mind the small amount of food.

If other people found out, they'd wear out their doorstep.

Xiao Xiao said confidently, "Mother, don't worry about them."

Fan Tiesheng is a shrewd man; he wouldn't possibly produce a lot of grain.

I guess they're at most the same as us.

Perhaps even fewer than ours.

Mother Yuan nodded in agreement: "You're right. I forgot about Tiesheng. He's been a shrewd little devil since he was a child."

Sigh, these people are really something.

Even though there's no grain to eat, there are still sweet potatoes and potatoes, right?

There's plenty of food on the mountain, so we're not going to starve to death.

They're making a scene now; it's obvious they're trying to exploit the village chief, thinking he's a good person who cares about them.

Xiao Xiao just smiled and said, "No matter which village you're in, there are always some people you don't like."

Luckily, we live in the mountains.

Although going down the mountain is very inconvenient, at least we won't starve to death by staying close to the mountain.

"How do people live without mountains?"

At this point, she began to feel melancholy.

I wonder how her brother is doing?

Sigh, it's so inconvenient to even go out these days.

There's no good transportation either, so where are we supposed to find him?

Besides, I don't even know where he lives. It's really worrying.

As the two were talking, Yuan Ping'an returned with Yuan Gungun, jogging along.

Yuan Gungun is now Yuan Ping'an's little follower.

He followed me wherever I went.

Yuan Ping'an was happy to let him come along.

They took good care of him.

Ever since Yuan Ping'an and Yuan Tiezhu had that fight last year.

The children in the village are quite united and often play together.

Apart from some minor arguments and disputes, there have been no major fights.

Looking at the two children's flushed faces and their sweaty brows.

Mother Yuan scolded, "Look at you two brothers, where have you been?"

He was sweating profusely from running.

"Take a break first, don't rush to wash."

There's a saying among rural people.

Don't wash with cold water immediately after running, or you'll get cramps.

Yuan Gungun truly lives up to his name, being round and chubby.

It has a chubby, tiger-like face, just like a little cannonball.

He was also very sturdy, and his skin was dark from running around outside every day.

When they run, they make a "thump-thump-thump" sound, and their little movements are incredibly nimble.

He's a little over three years old now.

He does everything himself, and if there's something he can't do, Yuan Ping'an will help him.

Without pausing for a moment, he ran into the kitchen.

They brought out two bowls of plain water that had long since cooled down.

One bowl was given to Yuan Ping'an, and he took another bowl and gulped it down.

After finishing his drink, he blinked and offered his personal opinion:

"Grandma, next time you boil water, please put some chrysanthemum flowers in it."

That stuff tastes much better.

I feel this boiled water has an earthy taste; it doesn't taste good.

Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at him: "With your little mouth, how can you tell whether it tastes good or not?"

Be happy that you have something to drink.

In some places, there isn't even water to drink.

Yuan Gungun blinked his big, round eyes; he was practically a carbon copy of Yuan Shitou.

"Mom, whose family doesn't have water to drink?"

Are there still people who don't have water to drink these days?

Are they too lazy? There's water everywhere on the mountain; they could just take a bucket back and drink it.

Hearing him say that, Xiao Xiao quickly gave him and Yuan Ping'an a serious talking-to:

"I'm reminding you again, you must not drink untreated water on the mountain, understand?"

The water on the mountain is unclean; it contains parasites, and drinking it can be fatal.

Yuan Ping'an nodded in agreement.

He never drank untreated water outside, nor did he allow Yuan Gungun to drink it.

Even if you're extremely thirsty, you have to go home and drink boiled water.

Yuan Gungun nodded his little head as well:

"I understand, Mother."

You've said it many times: there are leeches in the mountain water.

When a leech burrows into your stomach, it will give birth to many babies inside.

They will also eat our stomachs until they are empty, then burst open and crawl out.

So I have always been obedient and have never drunk untreated water on the mountain.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have run back and immediately gone to the kitchen to get some water.

Xiao Xiao nodded in agreement: "Good to know."

Remember not to drink water indiscriminately. If you feel extremely thirsty, you can fill a bamboo tube with water and carry it with you.

That way you won't get thirsty.

Their family has many bamboo tubes that can be used to hold water, all of which were made by Yuan's father himself.