After a simple dinner, Qiu Yan and her two siblings prepared to go to bed.
Qiu Xu slept in the innermost room, Qiu Ling'er in the middle, and Qiu Yan in the outermost room. The door was not locked, so it was propped up with wood.
Luckily it's late spring, otherwise this drafty old house would have made people sick from the cold.
Because the old courtyard was unlocked, Qiu Yan didn't sleep soundly.
The next day, just after 3 a.m., Qiu Yan's daily routine made her open her eyes.
After getting up, she looked at the lush weeds on the roof, piled some stones on the side of the west room, leaned forward to run, and leaped onto the roof.
Then, we started clearing away the weeds.
As for the weeds in the yard, I'll clean them up this afternoon.
Although her physical condition is not good now, fortunately the house is only a little over one meter tall, so it is not difficult for her to climb onto the roof.
Although there were many weeds, the roof was not large, and it took her almost 15 minutes to remove them all.
Once off the roof, the same question plagued her again: what should she eat for breakfast?
Thinking of the excited looks on her younger siblings' faces when they saw the eggs yesterday, she had an idea. Who says you can't eat without a pot or bowl?
She closed the door for her younger siblings, then turned and went to the stream in front of the yard, where she collected some mud to take home.
After returning home, Qiu Yan took out three wild eggs, covered them with mud, placed them on the ashes at the stove, piled some dry firewood on top of the mud-covered eggs, and started a fire.
Although she knew that one egg per person wouldn't be enough to fill their stomachs, Qiu Yan wanted to take these wild eggs to the county town to exchange for money to buy some household items.
At dawn, Qiu Xu and Qiu Ling'er opened their eyes and got out of bed at the same time.
Seeing that their older sister had already gotten up, they went out at the same time and were puzzled when they saw her making a fire.
Qiu Ling'er scratched her head and asked, "Sister, we don't have a pot or any sweet potatoes left, why are you starting a fire?"
Qiu Xu asked, puzzled, "Sister, are you going to roast wood ear mushrooms or mushrooms? There's no such way to eat them." He couldn't think of any other possibility.
Qiu Xu's question sparked Qiu Yan's thinking: Who said there's no way to eat it this way?
Thinking about barbecue in the real world... well, she can only dream about it now.
Their wood ear mushrooms were freshly picked yesterday and need to be dried before they can be eaten.
Furthermore, there are no seasonings available if I want to grill it.
She smiled at the two of them and explained, "This morning, we'll have roasted eggs."
"Roasted eggs?"
The brother and sister exchanged a glance, somewhat confused about the older sister's meaning.
Eggs can be baked? This was the first time they had ever heard of such a way of eating eggs.
For them, it doesn't matter how they eat, as long as they have food.
"Yes, it's roasted eggs." Qiu Yan controlled the heat, cooking slowly over a low flame, constantly turning the eggs to prevent them from burning or bursting.
The two children simply watched quietly, asking no further questions.
To prevent the eggs from bursting, Qiu Yan told them to stand further away to avoid injury.
Fifteen minutes later, the mud dried completely. Qiu Yan extinguished the firewood, used a stick to pry out the mud-covered eggs, took them out, cracked the outer layer of soil, cleaned them, and handed one to each of the two children.
The roasted eggs are absolutely delicious, with a rich smoky flavor in addition to the eggy aroma.
Qiu Ling'er suddenly felt that her cousins' steamed eggs didn't taste as good anymore. "Sister's baked eggs are so delicious."
Qiu Xu chewed on the roasted egg in his mouth, "Sister, are we going to the mountains again today?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Ling'er exclaimed joyfully, "Sister, shall we go collect more eggs?"
Qiu Yan shook her head and smiled faintly: "Eggs aren't that easy to find. Let's go sell eggs first today."
Only by surviving can one aspire to a better life.
Selling... Qiu Xu choked on the egg yolk and coughed lightly twice while covering his mouth.
My sister actually thought of starting a business? Will they be able to sell their products?
Qiu Xu had never even considered that possibility.
He had originally planned to borrow some money from his aunt in the county town with his sisters to support their household.
If they had known my sister wanted to sell eggs, they shouldn't have eaten them.
Upon hearing the word "selling eggs," Qiu Ling'er's mind was filled with images of peddlers carrying their wares on shoulder poles.
Could it be that my sister is also going to carry a shoulder pole and go from house to house selling eggs?
Before leaving home, Qiu Yan took a running start and climbed onto the roof again.
Her unusual action left Qiu Xu speechless.
He was even more surprised when he heard that his sister was going to put the wood ear mushrooms on the roof.
Placing wood ear mushrooms on the roof serves two purposes: they can be dried and they can also keep out thieves.
Qiu Yan wrapped the eggs in a bundle and slung it over her elbow.
Just as the three were about to leave, they saw Qiu Laosan and his wife walk in.
Qiu Ling'er's eyes instantly reddened, and her whole body trembled with fear. This fear stemmed from five years of accumulated experience.
What was bound to happen has finally happened!
"Qiu Yan, so you really are here." Qiu Dayong greeted her warmly, and didn't seem like he was looking for trouble.
They returned late yesterday. As soon as they got back, Yang cried to the third son, telling him how Qiu Yan had beaten and humiliated her, and how she had forced her to write an IOU for twenty taels of silver.
When Qiu Dayong saw that his mother's legs were red and swollen and her back was so painful that she couldn't get up, he was furious. He and his wife, Qian, immediately searched the village and finally found the Qiu family's old house, but it was empty.
He had assumed the three of them were leaving to live like beggars, but when he heard from the villagers this morning that oil lamps had been lit in the Qiu family's old courtyard last night, he immediately came to confront them.
Surprisingly, the three of them didn't leave.
Qiu Yan glanced at Qiu Laosan and his wife indifferently. Qiu Laosan looked honest and simple.
But beneath that honest exterior lies a wicked heart.
Ms. Qian had a round face, delicate eyebrows, and a plump figure, giving the impression of an approachable young woman.
But Qiu Yan knew that Qian was a shrewd person.
Through a hole the size of a copper coin in the bundle, the sharp-eyed Qian saw the eggs inside and pressed her eyes against the bundle.
That bluish-brown color, isn't it just a wild egg?
It's so unfair! She's been in the mountains for so many years, how come she's never collected a single wild egg?
Qiu Xu clenched his fingers and stepped forward. "What are you doing here?" Although his words were calm, his trembling hands revealed the fear in his heart.
Qiu Dayong glanced at Qiu Xu sideways, smacked his lips twice,
"You brat, you don't even call your third uncle and aunt anymore? This old house is so dilapidated, how can anyone live here? Your third uncle is here to take you home. There's no such thing as holding a grudge overnight between family members."
He spoke in a tone completely like an elder caring for a younger person.
Madam Qian gave Qiu Dayong a reproachful look, her eyes fixed on Qiu Yan's bundle, and smiled gently. "Dayong, Qiu Xu has been raised without parents to teach him, so it's inevitable that he doesn't know proper manners. As his third uncle, you shouldn't take it to heart."
Qiu Yan was furious. She pulled her younger brother behind her and held her younger sister's hand tightly. "It seems that Madam Yang didn't explain things clearly to you yesterday. If you don't know the situation, go back and ask her! Remember, don't ever pretend to be elders in front of us again. You're not worthy!"
Back when they lived at Lao Qiu's house, Qiu Dayong bullied the siblings quite a bit.
Once, because his daughter Qiu Hui stole Qiu Yan's clothes, Qiu Yan argued with him, but Qiu Dayong slapped her.
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