Chapter 3

Tang Qingqing asked Wang Cao'er to drive the two groups of sheep back to the sheepfold first, but Wang Cao'er was unwilling.

"I lost the sheep, so I have to find it myself. But if I go back, I'm afraid I won't be able to get out. Brother Heizi, can you take the sheep back?"

To walk here from the sheep pen, you have to pass by Wang Caoer's home.

Every time she came home from herding sheep, she had to do a lot of work. If she was seen by her family, she would not be able to escape.

She was the one who lost the sheep, and it was already very kind of Tang Qingqing to be willing to help. She couldn't bear to let others go through the trouble of helping to find the sheep while she could just stay at home and do nothing.

Wang Heizi was not very happy. He wanted to know how Tang Qingqing found the sheep, and he also wanted to go with her to find the sheep.

Tang Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "You drive the sheep back first. If you want to come over, you can come over after dinner. When you get home, just tell Cao'er's parents and my parents that we will stay at their homes and will not go back at night."

Tang Qingqing and Wang Caoer have a good relationship, and they have lived in each other's homes before.

This situation is not uncommon in the village. If there are guests coming to the house and there are not enough rooms, the children will be sent to stay in someone else's house for a night, leaving the bed empty for the guests.

Most people don't mind as long as you don't eat at their home.

The two families were quite far apart, and based on past experience, they would not communicate with each other, so there was no need to worry about the food being exposed.

Especially when they don't go home for dinner, their families will assume that they are eating at other people's homes.

According to the personalities of the two families, they would not ask for anything, otherwise they would have to bring something as a gift.

Only then did Wang Heizi agree and went back waving his sheep whip.

Tang Qingqing hid the vines she had cut in a corner to prevent them from being picked up by others, and then began to patrol the area.

"Sister Qingqing, where should we look for her?"

Wang Cao'er had no idea where to look.

"No hurry, let's go take a look first."

Tang Qingqing half-knelt and stared at the ground. Wang Cao'er didn't know what she was looking at, but followed her obediently without saying a word.

But Tang Qingqing had been circling around the mountain and had no intention of looking around. As it was getting darker, Wang Cao'er couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

"Sister Qingqing, what are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at the sheep's hoof prints."

“Hoof prints?”

"Well, if we find the hoof prints, we can tell where the two sheep went."

Wang Cao'er felt like crying. It was not that she did not trust Tang Qingqing, but this sounded too unreliable.

"But with so many sheep, how can we tell which footprints are from 'White-headed Old Man' and which are from 'Little White Cabbage'?"

'White-headed Mang' and 'Little White Cabbage' are the names Wang Cao'er gave to the two lost sheep. As a shepherd, Wang Cao'er is very serious and responsible.

This was a task assigned to her by the organization, and she dared not be careless.

Wang Cao'er can not only remember the appearance of each sheep and recognize them at a glance, but also give them names.

But no matter how familiar you are, you can't identify sheep by their hoof prints.

The hill she chose was relatively close to the village. Both the flock of sheep that Tang Qingqing was in charge of and another group of sheep had passed by this place, making the hoof prints even more difficult to identify.

"Each sheep has a different hoof print. I remember their hoof prints. If I find them, I can follow them to see where they ran to."

Wang Cao'er was stunned. "Is this different?"

"White-headed sheep is steady and heavy, and it uses a pressed hoof, while Little White Cabbage uses a half-hoof. Each sheep has a different age, weight, temperament, etc., so its gait is also different, and the hoof prints it creates are also different."

Wang Cao'er's eyes were almost turning into mosquito coils. She tried to look at the messy hoof prints on the ground to understand what was said, but she still couldn't tell what was different about these hoof prints.

Human footprints can be divided into big and small ones, but sheep's footprints are really not much different.

Especially since these sheep are all of similar age and of the same breed, it is even harder to tell them apart.

"Sister Qingqing, how did you figure that out? And how do you know what the hoof prints of White-headed Old Man and Little White Cabbage look like?"

"You can tell them apart if you look at them often and think about them frequently. Once you get the hang of it, it's easy to remember the characteristics of each sheep."

Tang Qingqing often hangs out with Wang Caoer and is very familiar with the flock she is in charge of.

She didn't remember the names Wang Cao'er gave to the sheep, but their appearances were engraved in her mind.

"When you played hide-and-seek before, were you looking for people based on footprints?"

"Yes, people are like sheep. Their footsteps and steps are different. You can tell them apart if you look carefully."

Wang Cao'er felt that she couldn't recognize her no matter how carefully she looked, and she was sure that there were many people like her.

Tang Qingqing smiled and said, "That's because you guys don't pay attention. If you keep staring at it, three to five years won't work. I don't believe you won't get the hang of it in ten years."

When Wang Cao'er heard this, she suddenly realized:

"No wonder the villagers say you have some demonic qualities. You always like to keep your head down and stare at the ground instead of looking at people. Sometimes you look dazed and your soul is nowhere to be found. So you are always thinking about footprints?"

Tang Qingqing gave her a slap in the face, "I helped you find sheep, and you actually insulted me."

Wang Cao'er touched her aching forehead and chuckled.

After hearing what Tang Qingqing said, Wang Cao'er's originally uneasy heart felt a little relieved, and she was no longer as frustrated and frightened as before.

Wang Cao'er trusted Tang Qingqing very much, and what she said made so much sense, so she thought that maybe they could really find the lost sheep.

"Here!"

Tang Qingqing suddenly squatted down, looked at it for a while, and spoke very confidently.

Then she bent her waist, half squatted and moved forward a little in one direction.

Her expression was so serious that Wang Cao'er, who was about to say something, immediately covered her mouth, fearing that the hoof prints would disappear if she spoke.

Tang Qingqing kept staring at the ground and following the hoof prints. She seemed to have completely forgotten the existence of her surroundings, with all her attention focused on the hoof prints.

Hoof prints are not everywhere along the way. It is quite dry now and there are rocks on the mountain, so hoof prints are not visible in many places.

Sometimes it suddenly disappears, and you have to look for it nearby to determine the direction you are walking in.

Sometimes you will come across a group of sheep hoof prints, which you have to identify carefully.

After walking about two or three miles, Wang Cao'er's stomach began to growl.

It is already evening, smoke is rising from the kitchen, and people usually start eating at this time.

Wang Cao'er didn't dare to say a word. She didn't care about being hungry until the sheep was found.

She pulled the belt of her pants tighter, trying to dull her hunger that way, and focused on searching for hoof prints.

Although she couldn't tell the hoof prints of the two lost sheep apart, she could find them and let Tang Qingqing identify them.

Tang Qingqing straightened up at this time. She had been bending over to check, and suddenly she felt particularly sore when she stood up straight.

She took out the mixed vegetable steamed bun from her pocket, broke it in half, and gave half to Wang Caoer.

Wang Cao'er was stunned when she saw the steamed bun, then she quickly pushed it away:

"I'm not hungry."

Tang Qingqing ignored her and stuffed it directly into her arms.

"Eat quickly, you never know when you'll find it."

"I... wuu ...

Before Wang Cao'er could say something, Tang Qingqing stuffed a bun into her mouth.

"Sister Qingqing..."

Tang Qingqing ignored her and continued to eat steamed buns while drinking water.

Luckily, she got some extra steamed buns today. She originally wanted to keep some for the old man, but she didn't expect something like this to happen. She can only wait until she gets something good next time to give it to him as a filial gift.

"Sister Qingqing, I am so grateful to you."

Wang Cao'er's eyes were red and she ate the steamed bun in small bites.

"Silly girl, who are we to blame? Besides, these sheep belong to the brigade, and they are public property. We, the members of the commune, have the responsibility to retrieve them."

If two sheep are lost, it will harm the collective interests.

Therefore, even if Wang Cao'er hadn't lost the sheep, Tang Qingqing would have done her best.

Although Wang Cao'er was still worried about the sheep, she didn't want to die like before.

She still wants to live. She is so young and has never even seen a movie.

————

Wang Heizi hurriedly rushed the sheep to the sheepfold and greeted the old man who was looking after the sheepfold. He did not say that the sheep was lost, but only said that he was taking the sheep home to play.

The old man didn't say anything, just reminded me to bring it back tomorrow.

As soon as Wang Heizi came out of the sheep pen, he ran to Tang Qingqing's house and greeted the Tang family. Tang Qingqing would not be back tonight.

Zhao Dahua was very unhappy when she heard this, "This damn girl, she only knows how to play all day long! She never comes home. I think she has become wild now, we can't let her run around anymore.

You have let too many sheep out to pasture, and you have even let yourself go like a sheep. If you have the guts, don't come back in this lifetime!"

Seeing Zhao Dahua starting to curse again, Old Lady Wu said:

"Qingqing is sensible. She knows how to save food for our family."

Zhao Dahua calmed down after hearing this. The harvest was good this year, and their family had enough to eat. They could eat as much mixed-grain steamed buns as they wanted.

Tang Qingqing is eating more and more. If she doesn't come back, she can save a lot of food.

Zhao Dahua rolled his eyes and said, "Mom, let's beat two eggs today. The three Xingwang brothers haven't tasted eggs for a long time."

Although Grandma Wu dotes on her grandson more, if there is something delicious at home, she will not give it only to her grandson and not to her granddaughter.

It’s just that the grandson gave more and the granddaughter gave less.

They have a large family, so they always beat the eggs into soup when they eat them so that everyone can have a sip.

Tang Qingqing is not here today, so her share can be saved for the three Xingwang brothers.

"All you do is eat. You need to exchange the eggs for money! Without money, we can't even buy salt."

Zhao Dahua snorted coldly: "Mom, even if you are partial to your natal family, you can't ignore your grandson. It's just two eggs, look at how you are trying to get them. You gave ten yuan as a betrothal gift to your nephew from your natal family, but you are reluctant to give even an egg to your grandson. How can Xingwang and the others be willing to be filial to you if they know about it?"

This undoubtedly touched Mrs. Wu's vital point. "Eat, eat, eat. They are just two eggs. You won't die if you eat them. No one in the family has a sense of accomplishment. How can we be so rich that we keep asking for eggs every day..."

The situation at Wang Cao'er's home was similar. They didn't mind that Wang Cao'er didn't come home at night and were even happy to have one less person to eat with.

After Wang Heizi finished speaking, he slipped into the kitchen, grabbed a few freshly made steamed buns, and rushed out without caring about the cursing of the family members.

"I won't be back tonight. I'm going to play with Shuanzi and the others. Don't leave the door open for me!"

Wang Heizi ran far away from home and was almost hit on the head by my mother's shoes.

He ran all the way, fearing that he would not be able to find Tang Qingqing and Wang Caoer if he arrived too late.

But not long after he ran out of the village, someone suddenly grabbed the back of his collar and lifted him up.

Although Wang Heizi was already twelve years old, he was still very small. When he was lifted up like this, he struggled in the air with his claws and teeth bared.

"Let me down! I'll get angry if you keep messing around!"

"Oh, it's only been a few days and you already dare to call yourself the old man."

A deep voice sounded, with a hint of ridicule.

As soon as Wang Heizi heard the voice, he knew who it was and stopped struggling with a sullen face.

"Zhai Zhiqing, please put me down quickly. I have something important to do."

"You actually called me Zhai Zhiqing? It seems like something serious has happened."

Wang Heizi cried, "Brother Yi, Brother Yi! Can you please let me down? I found a snake hole in the mountain today. I will help you catch snakes and we can roast them and eat them!"

Zhai Hongyi put Wang Heizi down and said, "Don't look back. Let's go now."

"I really can't today. I have something to do."

"What can possibly happen to you? The sun is setting, and you are running out of the village now. Are you tired of living?"

Although few wild animals come down the mountain now, it is still very unsafe to be in the suburbs late at night.

Wang Heizi touched his neck which was hurt by the clothes and said, "I really have something to do."

"What is it?"

"I can't say that."

Zhai Hongyi smiled, and that smile was just like the bully in the anti-Japanese war movies that Wang Heizi had watched in the commune before, which scared Wang Heizi so much that he shuddered.

When Tang Qingqing and Wang Cao'er finished eating their steamed buns, Wang Heizi came over following the marks they left.

"How's it going? Did you find it?"

As soon as Tang Qingqing turned around, she was attracted by the tall figure beside Wang Heizi. The man was standing in the light, so her face could not be seen clearly. She could only feel the sense of oppression brought by his tall figure.

Tang Qingqing looked up at the man. He was so tall, at least 1.80 meters tall. Tang Qingqing had no impression of such a person in the team.

"Heizi, is this your uncle?"

When Zhai Hongyi heard this, he was immediately unhappy: "Uncle? I'm only sixteen this year."

Tang Qingqing's mouth opened into an 'o'. She couldn't grow so fast even if she ate chemical fertilizers!

No, this voice sounds so familiar!