Just like last year, the mushrooms were placed at the foot of the mountain, and Wenxi went over in the evening to weigh them, then put the money into their respective mushroom containers.
Before Qin Mi arrived at night, Wen Xi would collect the mushrooms. Then, after Qin Mi left in the morning, she would quickly collect the crayfish and eels that Shen Jiaojiao and the other three had caught that night, making them think that Wen Xi had sold the items.
School was out for break, and so was Jin Changqing. She went back to the Fengshou Brigade to stay instead of taking care of Gu Yuanshan. Although they had remarried, the rift between them was irreparable. Jin Changqing didn't want to take care of him in every little detail like before; she wanted to live her own life.
After returning to the village, Jin Changqing began to go up the mountain to pick mushrooms, gather wild vegetables, and chop firewood, keeping herself busy every day in an attempt to heal the wounds in her heart.
Betrayed by your most trusted friend, I doubt many people could accept that.
Life in the countryside was so comfortable that Jin Changqing's mood gradually calmed down, but she would never forget those things.
That day, Yan's mother brought Yan Lili to the countryside, but they were looking for Jiang Yue instead of Wen Xi. After all, Jiang Yue was Yan Zheng's girlfriend, so it was normal for them to come looking for her.
“Jiang Yue, Lili said she wanted to come to the village for a few days, so I brought her here. I'm sorry to trouble you with Lili these next few days!” said Mother Yan.
“Aunt Yan, Lili is very well-behaved, I don’t need to worry about her, it’s no trouble at all.” Jiang Yue pulled Lili aside and instructed her, “Lili, it’s fine for you to play in the village, but you can’t go to the river with the children. If you fall in and there’s no one else around, you could very well drown and never see your grandparents and parents again. So no matter who takes you to the river, you can’t go, understand?”
"Sister Jiang Yue, I understand. I won't go to dangerous places," Yan Lili assured him. After all, a primary school student shouldn't be so ignorant.
“Lili, you must listen to Sister Jiang Yue. Your parents will be back in a while. You don’t want to never see your parents again, do you?” Mother Yan threatened.
If Lili hadn't insisted on coming to the countryside, her mother would never have brought her there. Although staying at home was boring, it was safer than being in the countryside.
The countryside has mountains, water, and trees, and it's really dangerous for children to climb up and down. Most importantly, there are also people with ill intentions.
Sometimes, other things aren't dangerous; it's people who are dangerous.
“Aunt Yan, I will also tell the other children who play with her not to take Lili to dangerous places.” Taking care of other people’s children is also a dangerous thing.
If you take care of them, they won't thank you.
If you don't take good care of them, they'll hate you.
But now that Yan's mother has already sent Yan Lili over, Jiang Yue can only let Yan Lili play here for a few days, and she will naturally go back after she has had her fun.
When Wenxi returned home, she was somewhat surprised to see Yan's mother and Yan Lili. "Aunt Yan, Lili, you're here?"
"Sister Xiaoxi." Yan Lili ran up to Wenxi, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her.
Wen Xi saved Yan Lili, and Yan Lili felt a special closeness to Wen Xi.
Wen Xi smiled and said, "I'll go pick some cucumbers for you."
Wenxi washed her hands and face by the well, then took a vegetable basket to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables. She wanted to give some to her mother-in-law when she left in the afternoon, so she picked more than usual.
Cowpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, eggplants, water spinach...
Everything is ready to eat.
Wenxi quickly picked a full basket, went to the well, took out some food for lunch, and told Yan's mother to take the rest back later.
Wen Xi washed the vegetables for lunch, took a large cucumber, cut it in half, and gave it to Yan Lili so that she could take it and eat it with her grandmother.
The cucumbers she grew herself were crisp, refreshing, and incredibly fragrant—even better than real fruit. Wenxi also loved eating raw cucumbers, and sometimes when she cooked cucumber dishes, she used the cucumbers she had traded with Lin Yiwan.
Upon arriving in the kitchen, Wenxi began cooking. Today, she wasn't going to cheat; she would just eat whatever was available at home. After all, everyone knew what kind of life people in the countryside lived, and cooking something too fancy would only seem strange.
However, since Yan's mother brought a piece of meat, Wenxi cut the meat in half. One half was used to make stir-fried pork with green peppers, and the other half was used to make stir-fried pork with cowpeas, stir-fried water spinach, braised eggplant, smashed cucumber, and tomato and egg soup.
Five dishes and a soup are enough.
After Shen Jiaojiao returned, everyone sat down for lunch. Yan's mother also told everyone that Yan Lili wanted to stay here for a few days. Since this time she asked Jiang Yue instead of Wen Xi, Wen Xi did not express her opinion. Jiang Yue's agreement was fine. However, taking care of the child was a great responsibility. She couldn't take her eyes off the child for even a moment. Moreover, the child was lively and active. It could only be said that Jiang Yue would probably suffer a lot in the next few days.
Right after they finished eating, Yan Lili dragged Jiang Yue along, insisting on going out to catch cicadas. Hearing the cicadas chirping in the trees outside, Yan Lili was already eager to go.
Although she's already in elementary school and is starting to understand things a bit, she's still not as obedient and sensible as an adult.
Jiang Yue had no choice but to get a bamboo pole to use as a small tool for catching cicadas. She could simply wedge it onto the cicada and catch it. After that, Jiang Yue, wearing a straw hat, went out to catch cicadas with Yan Lili under the scorching sun.
Wenxi took the bamboo bed down from the wall of the storage room, washed it with clean water, wiped it dry, and then let Yan's mother take a nap. It was the hottest time of day, and it was not safe to go out, especially for middle-aged and elderly people. If they were to suffer from heatstroke and faint outside and were not discovered in time, they could really be roasted to death.
After a while, Jiang Yue and Yan Lili returned. Although they were wearing straw hats, their faces were still flushed from the sun, looking like pig livers.
"Did you catch any cicadas?" Wen Xi asked curiously as she handed the cool boiled water to Jiang Yue.
Jiang Yue took the cup and gulped it down. Children have such great stamina and energy, and they're so stubborn. She was almost at her limit.
Luckily, she caught a cicada, otherwise who knows when she would have been able to come back!
Yan Lili excitedly approached Wen Xi, holding a cicada in her hand, and said happily, "Sister Xiao Xi, Sister Jiang Yue caught a cicada for me, and it can even chirp!"
Yan Lili gently squeezed her hand, and the cicadas began to chirp loudly in her hand, their voices particularly piercing.
"Lili, your grandma is taking a nap. Don't wake her up," Wenxi reminded her. "Lili, why don't you go take a nap with your sister Xiaoyue and get some rest? Look how red your face is from the sun. You'll get tanned in a few days. What if your parents don't recognize you when they come back?"
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