secret
In the open space by the entrance, a group of children were drooling, staring intently at Li Guoliang as he ate the honey-glazed pastry in his hand. Several of Li Guoliang's friends asked for some food, but he refused them all, which only made the children even more eager to eat.
After all, in that era, this mixture of sugar and oil was a delicacy for children who lacked sugar and oil. They could only eat a few pieces during festivals. Children in later generations would not even glance at this old-fashioned snack. They would only be allowed to eat a bite or two if it was a big brand or imported from abroad.
One of the unfamiliar children, probably from the next village, leaned close to Li Guoliang and whispered, "Give me a lick, just one lick, and I'll tell you a secret."
Li Guoliang knows all the gossip in the village, and he even asked the neighbor's kid to tell me. He said, "What is there that I don't know that I need you to tell me?"
The child, his lips almost touching the honey-glazed pastry, whispered, "The secret to the three-candy-worth-it-is-you-only-one-candy-per-me-I've never told anyone before. I'll only ask you for one honey-glazed pastry."
Li Guoliang narrowed his eyes, just like his second brother, and said, "Tell me first, and then I'll decide whether to give it to you or not."
The child whispered, "Qian Duoduo gave me three candies so I could smear the mud on your older sister's skirt."
Li Guoliang's little brain was working very fast. He remembered all the adults' arguments these past few days, and his second sister and second brother's plans hadn't been kept from him. Good, this Qian Duoduo deliberately wanted his eldest sister to marry a mentally ill person, making his eldest sister and his family lose face. He was going to tell his second brother and extort a lot of money from his family.
He took a piece of honey-glazed pastry from the paper package and handed it to the child in front of him, instructing, "Keep an eye on the Qian family for me. If they come up with any more bad ideas, tell me. I have plenty of pastries on hand. Did you see that fashionable man just now? My brother-in-law is very rich."
The boy from the neighboring village nodded quickly. He was actually a distant relative of the Qian family, but food was more important than anything else for the Qian family. The boy carefully took a bite of the pastry, which was rare in their area. It was sweet at first, with a translucent maltose shell on the outside and the inside soaked in syrup. With a slight chew, it had the aroma of lard. The sesame seeds on the outside made it even more tempting. The texture was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, making it irresistible. He loudly declared his loyalty: "Boss, I will definitely keep a close eye on the Qian family."
Li Guoliang nodded in satisfaction, displaying the demeanor of a great general as he dismissed everyone. Back at his home, he realized he didn't have many snacks left, especially these super sweet ones, which he couldn't share with them.
In the west room, Li Guorong lay on his bed, his body trembling. Sobbing sounds came from under the thin blanket and reached Li Guolan's heart. She couldn't stop crying. Why were the women in her family so unlucky? They lost their father at the age of marriage. The men they were introduced to were all ugly and undesirable. Her younger sister finally found a good-looking man from a good family, but they broke up after only half a month of dating.
She gently nestled outside her sister's blanket and whispered, "Didn't you say that three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere? We'll definitely meet someone better in the future."
Li Guorong's first heartbreak was in her previous life when Qian Manduo suddenly stopped sending her letters and cut off contact. The most heartbreaking thing in this life was that although they seemed to be mutually in love and everything was going well, Lin Shaocheng suddenly said he wanted to break up. Where could she find another man as handsome, good-tempered, virtuous, and skilled as Lin Shaocheng? Her older sister's muttering voice kept echoing in her ears, and the air under the covers was getting thinner and thinner.
Li Guorong threw off the covers and cried out, "You don't understand anything at all. Lin Shaocheng is perfect in every way. I don't want to break up with him at all."
Li Guolan could only gently comfort him, "Then why did he break up with you? Is it because you have a bad temper? If you change your temper, maybe he will change his mind."
Li Guorong recalled Lin Shaocheng's expression, full of reluctance and longing, yet unwilling to leave. She thought of all the bizarre idol dramas she had seen in her past life. Could it be that he had a terminal illness? Thinking of this, Li Guorong's face was full of heartache. Or perhaps he actually had a wife, and she was just a temporary pastime. Thinking of this, Li Guorong clenched her fists, wishing she could beat Lin Shaocheng to death. But Lin Shaocheng had only met her once, yet he was willing to help her. This was impossible.
Seeing her younger sister's expression change, Li Guolan was terrified. Had her sister gone mad? She could only continue to comfort her, "According to you, he's a good person. Is it because the family doesn't approve, or is there some other reason?"
Li Guorong got up. She couldn't give up like this. In her past life, she had to get married hastily because she couldn't receive letters, and she was getting older. Now that she was given a second chance, she couldn't wait passively. She had to take the initiative. Her eyes shone brightly. "I'm going to Beijing!"
Li Guolan's mouth dropped open. "Little sister, are you crazy?"
Li Guorong's eyes were swollen like walnuts, and he rushed out the door, catching Li Guolan from trying to stop him.
Li Guojian and Li Guoqiang went around to the back of their house, intending to sneak in through the back door to hide something, but unexpectedly ran into Li Guorong. The two laughed awkwardly.
Li Guorong snatched a bag of snacks from the two men and hurriedly headed towards the village chief's house.
As the moon sank in the west, Li Guorong clutched the letter of introduction she had spent the entire day preparing. She wanted to buy train tickets, but she needed to do so 3-7 days in advance, and she couldn't just sit and wait for her fate.
Under the bridge, Li Guorong ate a bite of a cold steamed bun and closed her eyes to rest. When everyone was asleep at 1 or 2 a.m., Li Guorong quietly sneaked to Old Man Li's house. Lin Shaocheng's car was parked in the yard. She climbed onto the wall, and a low whistling sound interrupted her jumping rhythm. She turned her head and looked.
A large yellow dog with thick limbs, piercing eyes, and a fierce look on its face bared its full set of sharp white teeth and growled a menacing warning.
Li Guorong's face turned pale. Da Huang was so docile during the day. She could only try. Would Da Huang still recognize her?
She reached out her hand, which trembled slightly, holding a chicken leg. She called out softly, "Big Yellow, it's me."
Dahuang withdrew its attack posture, initially wary, then sniffed carefully. It was a familiar face. The aroma of the big chicken leg kept wafting into the dog's nose, and it couldn't help but wag its tail and go over, whimpering affectionately. Li Guorong also landed lightly.
"Shh," she gestured for the dog to be quiet.
The door creaked open, and Li Xiangxi rubbed his eyes as he came out of the inner room, asking, "Dahuang, what are you making a fuss about?"
Big Yellow didn't go back to its burrow; it lay in the moonlight, with the shadow cast by the wall beside it.
Li Xiangxi touched his head, went to the toilet, and went back to sleep. He had to get up early tomorrow.
Li Guorong got up, stroked Da Huang's head, and whispered, "Good dog, good dog."
Big Yellow also sat up and kept wagging its tail.
Li Guorong lifted the back of the truck, which was full of medicinal herbs. She found an empty frame, crawled inside, covered the truck bed again with a waterproof tarpaulin, and placed a piece of cloth on her own frame.
The big yellow dog paced back and forth a few times beside the truck, then lifted its hind leg and peed on the truck wheel.
Li Guorong curled up in the bicycle basket, unable to suppress a smile. This scene reminded her of the time she was locked in the car by poachers. This time, it was her own choice. She hugged the bundle in her arms and put on the blanket. She had always been reluctant to spend money in the village and had wanted to go to Beijing but hadn't been able to. Even if she was discovered this time and kicked off the car by Lin Shaocheng, she would still buy a ticket to Beijing herself. She wanted to see the capital city now, a capital city without skyscrapers. She was determined to make a name for herself.
Woo-hoo-hoo～～～～～～
The rooster's crow shattered the sweet dreams of early morning.
The sleeping village came to life. Wu Cuihua woke up her two sons and packed their things to go to the fields. Today they were going to harvest grain, which was related to paying the grain tax and feeding the family, so they couldn't be careless.
Li Guolan's eyes were red and she hadn't slept all night. On the table were sweet potato porridge and steamed buns. People who do physical labor should eat something a little drier.
Wu Cuihua asked softly, "Is my little sister still not awake? Was she crying all day yesterday?" Li Guolan didn't dare to answer, her face pale and her eyes darting around.
Wu Cuihua's fine lines deepened as she asked, "What's wrong, little sister? Do you have a fever?" She put down the steamed bun in her hand, opened the door to the west room, and walked with a brisk pace. Inside the west room, the bedding on her little sister's bed was in disarray, and no one was there.
Wu Cuihua called out, "Guolan, where's your little sister?"
The loud question made Li Guolan tremble. She looked at Wu Cuihua's gloomy face and couldn't speak for a moment.
Li Guoqiang and Li Guojian thought about how their little sister had hurriedly left home with some snacks yesterday. They assumed she was going to find her friends to share her sadness, but she hadn't returned all night. The two of them didn't dare to look up at their mother's expression.
Where's your little sister?
Li Guolan couldn't bear the pressure. She kept her head down, not daring to look at her family, and said, "My younger sister said she was going to Beijing. She packed her things and left yesterday."
Wu Cuihua slammed her hand on the table. "Your little sister just turned 18, and you just turned 18 too. She's just a little girl, going to Beijing by herself. What if something happens to her? Wouldn't that kill me?" Tears streamed down her face, and the nasolabial folds around her mouth showed that this woman was no longer young. Sometimes, an elderly widow with several adult children, each with their own agendas, is more worrying than a young widow with underage children.
Wu Cuihua slumped to the ground, regretting that she had never been willing to discipline her younger children, which was always done by her husband. The eldest children were always beaten when they were young, and now they are well-behaved. But her youngest daughter was born frail, and every time her husband tried to discipline her, she couldn't help but protect her. She was the one who had harmed her youngest daughter.
Li Guoqiang quickly helped his mother up and said, "The most important thing now is to find our little sister."
Wu Cuihua stood up abruptly. She couldn't panic now. She rubbed her right hand hard against her eldest son's arm, her short nails digging into Li Guoqiang's arm. She ordered, "Big sister, take little brother and search the village. Ask who has seen her. Ask all the families of those she's close to. Guoqiang and Guojian, go to town and ask if any girls have gone to the train station alone. Buy the train tickets in advance. If you find your little sister, bring her back to me immediately. Oh, and first go to that young man's house to see if your little sister is there."
The family set out, and Wu Cuihua went out alone, searching every pond and stream in the surrounding villages. She found no shoes by the river and heard no one jump into the river. The water shimmered, and she knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face. Where had her daughter gone?
The sky was dark and there was no moonlight. The whole village was dark and quiet, with only a cluster of faint light flickering among the mountains.
The atmosphere inside the house was somber. The two brothers had not found their younger sister, and the older sister had searched all the relatives' and friends' homes with her younger brother, but there was still no news. Lin Shaocheng's car in town had already left at 4 o'clock, and the station said that someone had asked for a ticket, but no one had bought one.
Wu Cuihua said, "Tomorrow, the eldest and second eldest will continue searching. Guolan will help me harvest the crops. We need to know whether she's alive or dead." Li Guojian stood up and said, "I'll check if my younger sister left anything in her room and tell us where she went."
The room had already been searched thoroughly. He groped around on Li Guorong's bed and found a book under the pillow. He took it out and looked at it by the candlelight. There were several pictures of herbs inside. His eyes lit up, and he hid the book in his pocket.
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