Because Qiu Ling'er is still young and Qiu Xu has to go to school tomorrow, Madam Ye didn't sleep well last night and was stumbling as she walked tonight.
Li Zheng then told the others to go back to sleep, while he went alone into the mountains to search.
Qiu Yan felt responsible since Gu Xiaoran was lost in her own home, and insisted on searching for her with Li Zheng.
With Gu Xiaoran missing, how could Madam Ye possibly sleep? But Li Zheng insisted, and Madam Ye reasoned that if they followed, they would have to divide their attention to take care of her.
Heeding the advice, he took Qiu Xu and his sister home to rest.
Upon reaching the mountains, fearing encounters with wild animals, Qiu Yan and Li Zheng did not split up but searched together.
They were genuinely afraid that Gu Xiaoran would be targeted by wild animals, and the thought of such an outcome made both of them tense.
The mountains and forests were so vast that the two of them found it extremely difficult to search.
Before they knew it, midnight had passed, and the constant gusts of mountain wind made Li Zheng's cough and wheezing even worse.
Qiu Yan and Li Zheng kept calling Gu Xiaoran's name, but still received no response.
Qiu Yan began to comfort herself, "Perhaps Xiao Ran went back on her own."
Li Zheng also harbored a sliver of hope, "Qiu Yun is at home, and there are two children." The implication was that someone at home was waiting for him.
Soon it was past midnight, but the two still didn't slow their pace.
But just then, Qiu Yan walked through the pine bushes under the moonlight and vaguely saw something strange next to the pile of stones in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't a pile of stones at all, but rather the same grave she had seen on the day she hunted the wild boar.
"Uncle Li!" Qiu Yan's expression changed drastically instantly. She pointed to the distant graves, "Look!"
Li Zheng stared blankly into the distance, then suddenly stood up and ran forward, with Qiu Yan doing the same, walking alongside him.
When the two approached, they saw Gu Xiaoran leaning against the tomb, curled up in a ball, fast asleep.
Finally found it—
This child has a really big heart.
Qiu Yan gently picked up Gu Xiaoran and, looking at his tear-streaked face, lost the urge to give him a good beating.
Li Zheng glanced at the grave, then at Gu Xiaoran. Suddenly, he turned his back, his breathing becoming heavy.
Looking at Uncle Li's trembling body, Qiu Yan thought to herself that the person in the tomb must be very important to Uncle Li.
Li Zheng took Gu Xiaoran from Qiu Yan and held her in his arms.
He carefully observed this child who was both infuriating and frustrating, without uttering a single word, but Qiu Yan saw affection in his eyes.
...
When I got home, it was already the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).
Li Zheng took Gu Xiaoran to the Li family.
After Qiu Yan returned home, she fell asleep immediately. When Qiu Xu woke up and inquired about the situation, he stopped sleeping, went to the west room to light a candle, and went to read.
Early in the morning, when Qiu Yan woke up, Qiu Xu had already prepared breakfast. This younger brother is always so sensible.
When Qiu Ling'er woke up and heard that Gu Xiaoran had been found, she ran to the Li family in a flash.
At noon, Qiu Yan made dumplings.
The mere mention of dumplings made Qiu Ling'er's mouth water. She had never eaten dumplings since she was born.
Meat dumplings with pure meat filling are too luxurious for Xiao Ling'er.
The villagers were content as long as they had enough to eat; no one dared to hope that they could eat meat regularly.
Qiu Yan spent almost half an hour chopping the filling and kneading the dough.
Little Ling'er was helping to wrap dumplings, her fair face covered in flour.
Qiu Yan cooked two large bowls of dumplings, putting them in the pot and then taking them out.
You can smell the steaming hot pork dumplings from a distance.
When Qiu Xu got home, he also craved the dumplings, saying, "My sister's cooking skills have been getting better and better lately."
The dumplings are incredibly fragrant when you take a bite.
The little gluttonous cat from the next yard smelled the meat and eagerly ran over, wanting to get some dumplings.
But knowing he had made a mistake, he hesitated to step forward.
Qiu Yan didn't argue with him, and as a result, the little glutton ate ten in one meal. If Qiu Yan hadn't been worried that he would overeat, the little glutton probably could have eaten a few more.
As Qiu Yan and her friends were eating dumplings, an uninvited guest, Qiu Dayu, suddenly arrived.
Qiu Dayu hadn't eaten lunch either, but now, looking at the fragrant meat dumplings at Qiu Yan's house, he was starving.
"I could smell the aroma of meat from afar, Qiu Yan, you're living the good life, even having dumplings now. Would you like to invite your uncle to stay for a simple meal... Who is this child?"
After Qiu Dayu finished speaking, he teased Gu Xiaoran. Gu Xiaoran wasn't shy at all, and grinned sweetly. "My name is Xiaoran."
Qiu Dayu is usually not around and is rarely seen. What's he doing here? Qiu Yan replied dryly:
"We don't even have enough to eat ourselves."
Regardless of whether Qiu Yan liked him or not, Qiu Dayu grabbed one from Qiu Xu's bowl with one hand and put it in his mouth. "Hmm, not bad."
Qiu Xu glanced at Qiu Dayu with disapproval and ignored him.
"Speak, what brings you here?" Qiu Yan didn't believe that Qiu Dayu was just visiting.
"I'm a little short on cash lately, could you lend me some money?" Qiu Dayu asked shamelessly.
He figured his older brother must have left some money for Qiu Yan and her siblings.
"No." Qiu Yan had guessed that would be the case. She didn't have much money on her, and she was still thinking about building a house.
Given Qiu Dayu's irresponsible attitude, even if she had a lot of money, she wouldn't lend it to him.
Qiu Dayu began to plead and beg, "Qiu Yan, we're all family, just lend me some money to spend. Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back in a month."
Qiu Yan would be stupid to believe Qiu Dayu's nonsense, "If you want money, go earn it yourself!"
"Before you can make money, you need some capital first." Qiu Dayu was penniless from beginning to end. He had originally planned to go to the gambling den to win some money, but because he had learned his lesson last time, he dared not gamble again.
However, he still owes the village chief five taels of silver, and the village chief never forgets to urge him to pay the debt whenever he sees him.
Recently, this matter somehow reached the ears of the village chief's wife, who went to his house and made a scene. Now, he doesn't even dare to go home.
"I have no money!" No matter what Qiu Dayu said, Qiu Yan would not give him the money.
In the end, Qiu Dayu, having failed to borrow money, managed to get a meal of dumplings and left dejectedly.
Qiu Yan spent several days going out early and returning late, but she didn't catch any more pheasants. However, because she set her own traps, she did manage to catch three rabbits.
Qiu Yan felt that Uncle Li's hunting was too difficult.
This morning, she's going to Baiyang again, as promised, to help Zhou Zifang make his business a success.
Before leaving, she planned to go into town with Uncle Li again.
However, since it wasn't arranged beforehand, Li Zheng went hunting early this morning.
Therefore, Qiu Yan decided to go on this trip by herself and sell Uncle Li's wild game along with it.
When Gu Xiaoran saw Qiu Yan, the furry child was much more obedient and quieter than before.
He has been staying obediently at the Li family's house these past few days and hasn't made any demands to live with Qiu Yan and the others.
But the child was mischievous by nature, and the Li family often staged a scene of chasing each other, which made Ye Shi pant for breath and curse Gu Xiaoran as a troublemaker, just as annoying as his father.
Recently, Ms. Ye has been feeling unwell, often unable to eat, and even her favorite dishes have lost their flavor. She also feels empty and weak every day.
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