"However, their other children have completely turned their backs on the old couple this time. They didn't even ask a single question when they saw the old couple peeling bark from the tree."
"There are still many tough days ahead. The old couple are not young anymore, and they still have to support a useless son."
Auntie rolled her eyes: "Isn't that their own fault? They look down on the filial children and dote on the younger one all the time. They deserve to suffer because of them."
"I think Qian Wangcai is a real troublemaker. We'd better stay away from him from now on. Aunt Huang said she saw him once and said his eyes were creepy and gloomy."
Is this some kind of perversion?
"My goodness, our village is quite lively!" This is incredible; Qian Wangcai's family alone could put on a grand show.
"Oh dear, what kind of things don't you encounter in daily life? Alright, you've been out all day, eat your meal and get some sleep."
Qian Xiao nodded. She was really tired. The grain was all new grain, which looked suspicious at first glance. She and Sun Kaicheng had to fake it for a long time. It was all pure physical labor.
Qian Xiao cracked pine nuts while watching Old Zhang fiddling with pills: "Old man, can't you take a break in the dead of winter? Tell me if there's any other work, and I'll do it."
"I don't need you. Don't ruin my medicine if you don't know how to handle things. How are you doing at school? Have I been bullied?" You're sitting there so steadily, why don't you move a little?
"No, I'm fine. I'd like to ask you, how's Qian Wangcai's leg?"
"Why did you suddenly ask that kid? He's not a good person. Stay far away from him."
"Hey, I just heard that kid got his comeuppance, so I came to hear some good news and have a good laugh. Do you think I'm that blind? How could I possibly be interested in such a thing? Besides, I'm still a kid."
Old Zhang patted the dregs of medicine off his body, sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and took a sip of tea: "That kid's leg, if a skilled doctor could set it properly, at most he'd walk a little more awkwardly in the future. I'm not an expert in bone setting, and I told them to go to a big hospital, but they wouldn't go."
That's basically saying, "Whether you become lame or paralyzed in the future, it's not your problem anymore." That old man is cunning.
"Damn, I heard he was injured in other places too?" Qian Xiao asked gossipy, craning his neck.
Old Zhang pushed away the head that was reaching out to him: "Little brat, don't ask about everything." Anyway, there will be one more old bachelor in the village in the future, and even if he can be cured, he won't be.
Old Zhang didn't say anything, but Qian Xiao understood everything. He patted the pine nut shells off his hands and said, "Don't be stingy with your food, old man. Make some porridge with the grain I brought from time to time. It's all good quality rice, which is very nourishing."
When she came, she took out ten catties of rice from her spatial storage and brought it with her. At this time, food was better than any gift.
"Don't worry, you silly girl, would I ever mistreat myself? Would your grandparents know you're taking out food?"
"I know. If you're running low on food, just let me know and I'll try to get some back for you."
Old Zhang shook his head: "Don't worry, I've prepared plenty. How much can I eat by myself? I'm not stupid."
That's right, this old man is incredibly afraid of death, even more so than she is of herself.
"Hold out your hand so I can see it," she said, looking at the girl's sallow face. Had she been eating too much?
Qian Xiao didn't refuse and extended his hand for the old man to take his pulse. After a while, the old man put his hand down and said, "Not bad, you didn't lose out. So what's wrong with your face?"
Qian Xiao rattled off several medicine names, and Old Zhang chuckled, "You're such a clever girl, good for you. You've learned to be shrewd."
Qian Xiao... No, explain what you mean by that. Who are you calling a fool?
These herbs together are not very effective, but if you apply them to your skin, they can cause your skin to develop an unhealthy color. I don't know where they got this recipe from.
"Do you need it, sir? If you do, I'll write down the portion for you." This old man shouldn't let his unhealthy skin tone cause him to actually starve himself into health problems.
"No need, I'm an old man with sharp eyes. Even if I eat well, no one will notice anything. Don't go to the back mountain, okay? You didn't see that big tiger. He almost lost his life. Just stay at home. If you need anything, just come and tell me, and I'll find a way to get it for you."
"I know you have many connections, so don't worry, you won't lack anything. But you should be careful, things can get chaotic in the city."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I don't know what my old buddies are thinking, but it would be so much better if they were like me, so that nothing bad could happen in the future."
"Everyone has their own destiny. You've already reminded them, but they don't want to listen. What can you do? These days, it's most important to take care of yourself."
Old Zhang chuckled and tapped Qian Xiao's head: "Little brat, always talking like an old man."
"Alright, I'm fine here, don't worry about me. Don't buy me any more clothes, I have enough to wear. Use that money to buy yourself a few more outfits, a proper young lady should dress up nicely." Why doesn't this girl know how to dress herself up?
"Oh dear, these days everyone's into living frugally and simply. I'm in perfect shape, so no one's eyeing me."
The old man and the young man had a lot to talk about, and after talking for a long time, Qian Xiao finally said goodbye and went home.
When big snowflakes were falling from the sky before the New Year, the villagers were overjoyed. Regardless of how cold it was, they all came out and looked up at the sky, wondering if this meant the weather would return to normal the following year.
Before the snow got too deep, Qian Xiao and Sun Kaicheng went to the fields. They looked around for a long time before shivering and returning home.
Who said it's not cold when it snows but it's cold when it stops snowing? Look at how cold they are, it looks like their snot is about to freeze out.
This was something the two of them had just thought of. Generally, severe droughts are often followed by other natural disasters, such as floods or insect plagues. Qian Xiao didn't remember that there had been floods in this area during this period, so he suddenly thought of the locusts that farmers hated.
To check for insect infestations, you need to see if there are too many insect eggs in the field. The two of them spent a long time looking through books before finding the most convenient way to check. Fortunately, even though it snowed heavily today, the soil was still visible. If it had all been covered by snow, it would have been a real problem.
The two of them rushed out, putting on their cotton-padded coats as soon as they left, and now their faces and ears were red from the cold.
Grandma Qian quickly gave each of them a bowl of hot water: "Why didn't you wear hats when you went out? Aren't you afraid your ears will freeze off? Can't you even look around the yard? Where have you been?"
Sun Kaicheng picked up the bowl, drank some hot water, and gave her money with a smile and a wink, signaling her to speak.
Qian rolled her eyes: "I just suddenly remembered to go check the fields to see if there are many insect eggs. If there are too many, it will affect next year's harvest."
"What? You can tell that thing?"
Old Man Qian quickly joined in: "What did you say? Insect eggs? What insect eggs?"
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