While they were playing, the children suddenly shouted, "Hurry up, hurry up, the dung basket is coming."
Zhu Xingtong looked up and saw a barefoot little boy in patched clothes standing on the edge of a field. He held a stick in his hand and a dung basket on his back, following a cow, presumably to collect dung. He remained indifferent to the ridicule of the village children, staring down at the edge of the field, looking utterly lonely.
Seeing that she didn't move, Zhu Chunhua hurriedly pulled her away, saying, "Hurry up, Dung Basket is not only smelly, but he's also the child of a bad element. Mother told us to stay away from him."
Zhu Xingtong nodded and followed her toward the group. Not long into the walk, Tongtong started complaining about having lost his handkerchief. The child always had a runny nose, and he used to wipe it with his sleeves, which not only made them black but also difficult to wash. So Zhu Xingtong cut a piece of cloth for him to use as a handkerchief, telling him not to lose it, as cloth was a valuable commodity in those days. The little guy was getting anxious.
Zhu Xingtong comforted him and walked back, intending to search the haystack. When she found the handkerchief in the haystack, she discovered that Huang Juhua, who had been mowing with them earlier, had run to the opposite ridge and was secretly trying to slip something into the boy's hand. The boy, however, stepped back, refused to take it, and turned to follow the cows. Huang Juhua called out to him, but he ignored her.
Huang Juhua had no choice but to walk back, but she saw Zhu Xingtong running back. She didn't panic, but ran up to Zhu Xingtong and said, "Tong, I felt sorry for him, so I thought of giving him a dry bun. Please don't tell anyone else, okay? Otherwise, my mother will definitely beat me up if she finds out."
Zhu Xingtong nodded without saying anything.
Huang Juhua saw her nod, so she assumed she agreed and didn't say anything more. She didn't interact much with Zhu Xingtong, except for the past few days when she was digging for pig grass, and sometimes they would talk a few words when they ran into each other.
The two quickly caught up with the main group. Tongtong was still crying. He treasured that handkerchief very much; no other child in the village had one. Seeing Zhu Xingtong return, he immediately looked over with tears in his eyes. Only when he saw the handkerchief in her hand did he smile.
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