After unloading the seeds and grain, the horse-drawn wagon returned, leaving the mule cart behind.
Madam Cui handed the reins to Old Master Li and said with a smile, "We have many mules on our estate, but we usually use horse-drawn carts, so the mule carts are all idle. It just so happens that our Daqing ran away, so let's keep this one for now. Of course, it's a loan, and we'll have to pay you back when we have more money."
The Li family could easily guess that she was indirectly helping the family.
Old Mrs. Li didn't refuse the offer. "Alright, then we won't stand on ceremony. It's really inconvenient to go anywhere without the mule cart. We'll pay you back the price when we earn money in the future. For now, you can owe us."
As expected, Madam Cui was even happier, and the Li family members surrounding the mule cart were also all smiles.
Daqing was hit by an arrow earlier, which caused Grandma Li and Jiayin to fall. He then disappeared and we haven't been able to find him.
The new mule that has arrived looks young, with strong and healthy teeth, and is even more imposing than Daqing.
When the villagers heard about it, they all came over to see it, which made the new mule feel quite flattered.
In the end, it was Grandma Li who named it Xiao Qing, making it Da Qing's brother.
Madam Cui sat for a while longer, but couldn't offer any help, so she took Sister Qiong back home.
The house was bustling with activity. Jiayin, along with her two mischievous older brothers, ran all the way down the hillside, causing quite a commotion.
Because the village's mischievous boys, upon seeing the snack box, were like wolves seeing a rabbit; they all swarmed over behind the three siblings.
Jiaxi and Jia'an opened the pastry box and saw all sorts of pastries inside, making them lick their lips with envy.
But they still shoved the box into the younger sister's hand, urging her, "Sister, eat, sister, eat."
Jiayin grinned, showing off her white teeth, took a pastry, and took a big bite. Sure enough, the naughty boys all swallowed hard.
Jiayin laughed heartily, no longer coveting their food. She took some pastries with her chubby little hands and shared them, one piece for each of them.
There were seven or eight naughty boys, and one box of snacks was hardly enough to share.
In the end, Jia'an and Jiaxi each got two pieces, while the rest of the boys each got one piece.
Jiayin had eaten her fill at noon with Madam Cui, so she only had one pastry to nibble on slowly.
The mischievous boys ate with gusto, but didn't complain about wanting more. They quickly scattered around, playing mischievously.
In spring, all things revive, and birds naturally begin to reproduce.
The mischievous boys were quite lucky; they actually found a nest of bird eggs.
Someone suggested, "Since Fu Niu shared her snacks with us, let's roast some bird eggs for her."
"Okay, I'll light the fire."
"Firewood, gather more."
The mischievous boys got right to work and quickly lit a fire in front of the stone.
Jiayin sat on the rock, and no one could stop her. She tried to climb down the rock, fearing that they would roast her too.
Unfortunately, that's often how it is; what you fear most often comes to pass!
A mischievous boy, worried that Jiayin might fall, tried to catch her, but forgot that the firewood in his hand was still burning. He accidentally poked Jiayin's clothes, startling the boy so much that he threw the firewood away.
The fire on the firewood had gone out, but the embers were still glowing red, so they immediately set the surrounding weeds on fire.
The wildfire, aided by the spring breeze, spread rapidly.
The mischievous boys were terrified. When they came to their senses, they ran off screaming for help.
"Help! Fire! Fire!"
"Waaaah, Dad, there's a fire!"
Jiayin lay on the edge of the big rock, not knowing whether to go down or go up, and was completely terrified.
Good heavens, did she step in dog poop? Her luck is just too bad!
Jiaxi and Jia'an were so anxious when they saw the burning wildfire surrounding the large rock that they jumped up and down in a panic.
"Sister, sister!"
They were scared too, but others could run away, while they couldn't.
With a heavy heart, the two rushed in through the burning weeds, picked up their younger sister, and ran out.
The wildfire quickly caught fire on their trouser legs, causing them to run and howl in pain.
When the villagers arrived, they saw Jiayin with a pale face, being supported by her two older brothers.
Jia An and Jia Xi's legs were like fireballs!
Fortunately, Li Laosi was washing up when he heard the noise and came over with a bucket of water.
He rushed forward like the wind, picked up the two boys, and shoved them into the bucket, shouting, "Daughter, hold on to Daddy, don't let go!"
Jiayin immediately hugged her father tightly, clinging to him.
Li Laosi, carrying a bucket in each hand and his nephew with his daughter slung across his chest, ran back home as fast as he could.
"Dr. Zhang, help me! Help me!"
The Li family rushed over at this moment, and were terrified when they saw him like this!
Jiayi took the bucket and ran to the shack. Doctor Zhang was taking a nap and was stunned.
During this period, the villagers were busy settling down, and he couldn't help them much. Every day, he just changed the dressings and prepared medicine for a few seriously injured people.
He thought he could go to Xindu in a few days, but the naughty boys found him some more work to do.
Jia'an and Jiaxi were pulled out of the bucket by Jiayi, and they cried out in pain.
Fortunately, the old lady was meticulous in raising her grandchildren, adhering to the principle of "dressing warmly in spring and lightly in autumn." Even though it was already the end of March, she still dressed her grandchildren in padded jackets and trousers.
Li Laosi rescued them just now in time; Jia An and Jia Xi had a lot of blisters on their feet and calves, but there wasn't a big problem.
The cotton-padded pants were completely ruined; they were burned beyond repair and could no longer be worn.
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru, carrying half of the cotton-padded trousers, were so frightened that their legs went weak.
Grandma Li held her sobbing granddaughter, gently patting and comforting her. The way she looked at her grandson made her want to give them a good beating.
Jia'an and Jiaxi sat bare-legged in the shack, shyly covering their crotches. Seeing their family members like this, they were frightened. They looked at each other and burst into tears.
"Waaah, we just wanted to roast bird eggs for our little sister to eat."
"We didn't mean to roast my sister! We didn't do it on purpose!"
Jiayin was still frightened when she thought about how she had been hanging on the rock with the fire all around her.
She almost became a hot plate grill!
"Waaah, Grandma, I'm scared! I don't want to get roasted!"
Grandma Li hugged her granddaughter tightly, walking around with a heavy heart. "Don't cry, Fu Niu, don't cry, Grandma's here. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! We'll never talk to you two silly brothers again, we'll stay far away from them!"
Everyone felt sorry for them and kept rubbing their hands. They were burned, and they even set themselves on fire while running back to save their sister.
I just can't feel better if I don't beat him up!
At this moment, the villagers also put out the fire and came over, each carrying their son by the ear.
"How are Jia'an and Jiaxi? Are their injuries serious?"
Li Lao Er glared at his two nephews and cursed, "They only burned a few blisters, but they scared Fu Niu. Fu Niu was put on a rock and almost got roasted!"
The other mischievous boys were quite loyal; they covered their ears and bottoms and loudly admitted their mistakes.
"I'm the one who wants to roast bird eggs."
"I found the bird eggs!"
"It was warm on the big rock; I carried Fu Niu up there."
Everyone was both angry and amused. "You guys are quite loyal, aren't you? vying to admit your mistakes, aren't you?"
The village chief was so angry that he glared and puffed out his beard. "How many times have I told you? It's windy, don't light fires outside! Where are your ears? The adults are so busy they don't even have time to eat, and you're just being naughty everywhere!"
"Remember this, everyone: don't give them any food tonight or tomorrow morning. Let them go hungry for half a day, and see if they still have the energy to cause trouble!"
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