Gu An'an isn't crazy.
But without food, he's not far from going crazy.
She quickly reached the top of the hill and looked down at the persimmon trees growing from the cracks in the rocks. Gu An'an studied how to pick these persimmons.
There were a few places to step, but it was uncertain whether the protruding rocks were sturdy or not.
Gu An'an did try rock climbing when she went out into the wild, but at least she had the equipment back then.
What about now?
Looking at the entrenching tool in her hand, she coughed lightly.
Turning around, I saw Jiang Mingyi take a step back, seemingly afraid to look down.
"Afraid of heights?"
The young boy seemed not to hear these words; he turned his head away, his gaze seemingly fixed on somewhere else.
Alright, Gu An'an originally wanted to tell him, but seeing his expression, she realized he wouldn't listen anyway.
Gripping the entrenching tool in her hand, Gu An'an checked the location of the stones several times before twisting a hemp rope and tying it to a big tree. After making sure the rope was securely tied, she carefully carried the bamboo basket down the mountain.
Gu An'an was very careful, and it took her about fifteen minutes to move down only six steps.
Just one more step and I'll be able to step on that persimmon tree.
Go Gu An'an!
When people are driven to desperation, they're capable of anything, from risking their lives to picking wild fruit to committing murder and arson.
Jiang Mingyi, who was left on the mountaintop, turned around and found that Gu An'an was nowhere to be seen. When he noticed the hemp rope trembling on the tree, a bold idea popped into his mind.
Untie it.
Nobody knew it was me; no one knew I had done it.
This thought drove him forward, and before he knew it, his hand had already grabbed the rope.
This is a dead end.
Once the knot is untied, that woman will never again be able to... humiliate the brother and sister.
The boy stared intently at the knot of the hemp rope, his mind filled with the image of the woman wielding a broom handle and whipping him and his sister with a feather duster.
Pearl felt wronged. The youngest child was left standing in the yard during the winter and almost froze to death. Even the most adorable Bao'er was repeatedly teased and tormented by her.
Once you put your hand on the rope and untie it, everything will be over, and no one will suspect anything.
Just like no one will ever know that he tricked this woman into going there and pushed her into the water, unaware that Pearl bumped into her and almost killed her.
No one will know that they were saved by this woman today...
The rope suddenly began to sway, and Jiang Mingyi snapped back to reality. Watching the rope dangle along the cliff edge, rubbing against the rocks, his expression grew serious. If this continued…
The person who felt dizzy just looking down from the mountaintop carefully moved over and, sure enough, the woman was now climbing up the rope.
Having probably discovered something, Jiang Mingyi saw her smile at him. "I picked a lot of persimmons. We can go to the county town later and sell them to get some money to buy rice and flour."
The risk was worth it; after all, nothing comes for free.
She picked a whole basket full of persimmons.
Jiang Mingyi realized for the first time that this woman's eyes crinkled when she smiled, and she didn't seem so unpleasant after all.
He nodded reluctantly, watching her carefully grip the rope and continue climbing. Only then did he realize that one strand of the three-stranded rope had broken, and the remaining two strands wouldn't hold for much longer.
"Rope..." Jiang Mingyi swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He hesitated for a moment, then quickly grabbed the rope.
Gu An'an was completely unaware of this. It wasn't until she had climbed up and was lying there resting, panting heavily because she was exhausted, that she teased, "I guess I didn't save you for nothing."
I know she struggled to climb up and I pulled her up.
As he spoke, he took a ripe persimmon from the bamboo basket and tossed it to the little boy, saying, "Try it and see if it's good."
It tastes best when made into dried persimmons.
However, it depends on the weather; you can only get a good tan. I might give it a try later.
The bright red persimmons are perfectly ripe; you can peel off the skin without much effort.
It has no astringent taste.
Jiang Mingyi's mouth was full of sweetness.
"Is it tasty?"
The sudden question startled Jiang Mingyi. Seeing Gu An'an sitting there watching him eat, he felt a little embarrassed. "That's too dangerous. Don't do that again."
If Gu An'an hadn't been certain that she was older than this brat, she would have been completely intimidated. "You brat, I'm your mother."
Don't get it wrong, okay?
Do you understand the importance of hierarchy?
Climbing up and down to pick persimmons exhausted Gu An'an, so she ordered someone to do the work, "You carry this basket of persimmons back, or I won't give you any food."
Jiang Mingyi didn't even bother to look at her when she said that her last sentence was all bark and no bite.
As he stood up, the young boy glanced at the rope he had just hidden behind his back and kicked it aside.
Gu An'an was not carrying any weight and walked home lightly. On her way back, she made a new discovery: she actually saw golden cherry blossoms.
This is a huge gain!
As a traditional Chinese medicine, Rosa laevigata has always been loved by many men, and Rosa laevigata medicinal wine is even more sought after.
Why is this thing supposed to treat male reproductive system diseases such as nocturnal emission, spermatorrhea, and frequent urination?
Unexpectedly, there are large patches of rose hips here.
If she had known about this thing, would she have risked picking persimmons?
Jiang Mingyi had no idea what was wrong with this woman again, but hearing her muttering to herself, he couldn't help but lean closer and ask, "Who are you saying you're giving this to?"
“You can’t eat that, you’re too young,” Gu An’an said instinctively. “I have to go to the county town this afternoon, then we can have a good meal tonight.”
Jiang Mingyi didn't understand what she was saying. This woman was talking nonsense, like she was sick.
To pick this thing, I even took off my outer clothes.
He was only wearing that tattered padded jacket.
Without her warm coat, Gu An'an shivered, but the thought of selling the rosehips to pharmacies to make money made her feel warm all over.
Selling rose hips is obviously a much better way to make money than making persimmon cakes.
...
The four children of the Jiang family looked at each other in bewilderment at the large pile of small, spiky fruits on the ground.
"Mother plans to sell these in the county town. Is there any lucky one who wants to come with me?"
Jiang Mingzhu was the first to grab her elder brother's sleeve, her voice low and aggrieved—she didn't want to sell these fruits; how much money could she possibly make from them?
They clearly want to sell them out!
Jiang Xiaosan and Bao'er, who were standing nearby, had the same idea as their sister and grabbed Jiang Mingyi's arms.
Seeing the children trembling with fear, Gu An'an was stunned. Pointing at herself, she asked the children, "No way? Sell you? How much money could you possibly fetch?"
How can these children be so imaginative? They must have been terrified by the original owner's wicked stepmother.
Old Mrs. Jiang, who had just arrived in the courtyard, changed her expression upon hearing this and slammed her cane down hard. "Third son's wife, what were you saying just now?"
Gu An'an didn't react at first, but after the four children hid behind her, she realized—
The legendary wicked mother-in-law has made a grand entrance!
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