What was originally just children playing around turned out to be a village full of gossips and secrets. Within a morning, most people knew that the Xu family had a new little girl.
"Which Xu family are you talking about?" someone asked.
"Which other place could it be? The one at the foot of the back hill, of course." The person who said this gestured with his chin towards the back.
"Oh, so it's his family. I just heard a few days ago that his second son became lame. And now there's a baby girl in the house?" There are more than one family with the surname Xu in this village, but there is only one family at the foot of the back mountain.
"That's right, I heard from the Wang family girl that the child isn't small at all, but she's not as tall as her, and she looks like an ugly monster." Actually, Wang Erniu meant that she wasn't as good-looking as herself, but as the story spread, Fu Man'er eventually became known as an ugly monster.
The Xu family, who were originally not particularly noticeable in the village, became the subject of curiosity for many villagers because of a little girl, and some busybodies even went to inquire about her.
Instead of meeting the person in question, I ran into a relative of hers. "Hey, I heard your sister-in-law has a girl visiting. How did she get here?"
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The woman being questioned, surnamed Yang, was Old Man Xu's sister-in-law. Although the two families were brothers, their relationship was lukewarm. Especially after Xu Genshan injured his leg, Yang's family avoided seeing the eldest branch of the Xu family, fearing that the eldest branch would ask their second branch for money.
"What girl? What's going on?" Madam Yang looked completely bewildered, having no idea what was happening. She chased after the person asking, but couldn't get any answers.
Her curiosity was immediately piqued. What tricks was the eldest son playing? Originally intending to go home, she turned around and swayed her plump body toward the back mountain.
As they walked, they complained, "What a lousy place! I can live here, it's not even as nice as my yard."
Yang didn't visit the second branch of the family often, but every time she did, she would say a few words of criticism.
She was too late; the wooden gate to the courtyard was locked. "It's all broken and tattered, why lock it? It's like nobody cares about your old bowls and pots. I wouldn't even take them if you gave them to me."
Feeling very uncomfortable about having made a wasted trip, Ms. Yang kicked the door hard, the clanking of the chains startling the neighbors.
Someone poked their head out, recognizing them as members of the second branch of the Xu family, and greeted them, "The Xu family has all gone out. What do you need them for?"
The people living at the foot of the back mountain were all quite poor, and Yang had always looked down on them, so naturally she ignored what they said.
She didn't even look at the person directly, rolled her eyes, and left with a look of disgust, which made the neighbor who asked her question spit on her, "What a jerk, isn't she afraid of hurting her fat back?"
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Meanwhile, Fu Man'er, who was the subject of much discussion, was climbing up the mountain with the Xu brothers. This time, they weren't going to the back mountain, but rather the front mountain at the village entrance.
After the rain, the mountains are full of mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Adults and children in the village carry small bamboo baskets and hoes as they walk up the mountain.
When Xu Yi and his group arrived, they saw many people leaving with their bags full of goods. "Brother, do you think we can still get anything if we go up there?"
The front mountain is different from the back mountain. Before they even reached the halfway point, there were people everywhere, squatting here and there. Xu Mao was afraid they wouldn't get anything.
“There are many people down here, but few up there. There must be some up there.” The mountains are muddy, and many people give up halfway up. Xu Yi was determined to go to the very top.
The Xu brothers were like monkeys, climbing trees and mountains was no problem for them. Everyone turned to look at Fu Man'er, who was halfway down the road.
Fu Man'er walked very carefully, afraid that she might slip and fall if she wasn't careful. Just now, someone slipped and fell flat on their face, which scared her heart so much that it was pounding.
"You guys go first, don't let the others get there first." After saying that, Xu Yi turned back.
"Heave-ho, heave-ho." Only when you get closer can you hear Fu Man'er encouraging herself as she walks.
"Brother." Fu Man'er stopped to rest and saw Xu Yi standing in front of her. She opened her arms as if she knew that Xu Yi had come back to hug her.
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Bah! Who said Fu Man'er is a little fool? She's very smart.
Xu Yi held Fu Man'er in his arms with a sour face. Did he pick up a little sister? No, he picked up a little tyrant.
The spiritual energy on the mountain was very rich, and Fu Man'er wasn't very tired, but she was just lazy. It was so comfortable to have someone hold her and let her absorb the spiritual energy. Fu Man'er's eyes were so happy that they turned into crescent moons.
Xu Yi quickly caught up. Before they reached the top of the mountain, everyone wanted to go up. Fu Man'er wrinkled her nose and lifted her head from Xu Yi's shoulder.
Pointing to the side and behind, she said, "Brother, there's food over there."
It was a flat piece of land with a few sparse, crooked bamboo stalks growing on it, covered with fallen leaves and weeds. It was a place that no dog would bother with.
"Sister, it's all grass there. We have to go to the top to find food." He glanced back, but didn't stop walking. He heard someone talking up there. If he didn't hurry, the food would be all taken by others.
Xu Yi thought so too. Although there were a few bamboo stalks, the bamboo shoots were small and few, so it wasn't worth spending time there.
Fu Man'er struggled to get down from her arms, "No, I want to go, I want to go, there's something delicious." She could clearly smell a fragrant aroma there.
Despite the girl's slender and frail appearance, Xu Yi was momentarily stunned when she started moving, realizing he couldn't hold her down.
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In that moment of distraction, Fu Man'er slid down Xu Yi's body. By the time Xu Yi realized what was happening, they had already run towards the flat ground, and she no longer found the mountain path difficult to walk.
"Fu Man'er!" Xu Yi really wanted to grab her and slap her bottom twice, then she would behave.
This is how he usually disciplines his younger brothers: if they disobey, he beats them, and they behave after being beaten.
Xu Yi took long strides, and Fu Man'er caught up with him as soon as she squatted down. "Brother, there really is something delicious."
With her small hands, she parted the rotten leaves, and a cluster of plump mushrooms appeared before Xu Yi's eyes. He then released his grip on Fu Man'er's collar.
As more and more decaying leaves are peeled away, more and more mushrooms are revealed.
"Second brother, third brother, fourth brother, come quickly!" Fu Man'er shouted, waving to them.
Seeing that Xu Yi hadn't moved, the others ran over. They were stunned by the mushrooms scattered all over the ground—they were huge, plump, and plentiful.
They had picked mushrooms in the mountains before, but they had never seen so many mushrooms on one patch of ground. It would take them quite a walk to fill a basket with them.
"Little sister, you're amazing!" Xu Wu squatted down next to Fu Man'er, looking at her with admiration.
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"Yes, there are so many mushrooms, and none of us knew about them except Man'er." Xu Mao remembered that he had just said there was no food here, how embarrassing.
"Sister Man'er is really amazing, the most amazing sister in the world."
The three of them surrounded Fu Man'er, chatting away and successfully making her feel quite flattered. Her little face was all warm and she seemed a little embarrassed.
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