After the autumn harvest, the threshing ground is the busiest place, because too much moisture in the rice will directly affect its grade. So Qian Shengyou arranged for the team leader to have people winnow the rice on the threshing ground to fully dry the moisture. At this time, Qian Duoduo had already gone up the mountain to collect firewood with his three older brothers from his uncle's family and his two older brothers.
Qian Duoduo was holding onto a tree branch when she heard a flapping sound. Looking up, she saw a pheasant flying by. She felt a pang of regret, thinking how great it would be if she could catch that little hen and have some chicken to eat. But then she remembered that a hen could have eggs. She immediately dropped the branch and ran to where the pheasant had taken off. She parted the grass and looked inside. Hehe, she was just in time! There were ten wild eggs inside. She could have a meat feast tonight.
She took off her coat, cut some grass and put it on the coat, then placed the eggs on top, covered them with grass again, stood up and called out, "Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother."
Qian Rao heard the noise and immediately ran over: "Duo Duo, what's wrong?"
Qian Duoduo said, "How's the firewood coming along? I need to go home."
Qian Gui, who was nearby, heard Qian Duoduo's shouts and ran over: "Duoduo, what's wrong? Are you alright?"
Qian Duoduo shook her head and said, "It's nothing, I just need to go home."
Qian Gui said, "I'll go back with you. I've almost finished gathering the firewood here."
Qian Rao nodded and said, "Okay, then thank you, Brother Gui."
Qian Gui saw Qian Duoduo put her clothes on top of the firewood and said, "Duoduo, why aren't you wearing your clothes? Are you afraid they'll get scratched?"
Qian Duoduo shook his head and said, "No, Brother Xiao Gui, come home with me first."
Qian Gui said, "No problem, I definitely saw you get home before I went home."
Qian Duoduo smiled. Qian Sheng only had one older brother, Qian Cai. The two brothers had a total of eight children in their family, and she was the only girl. Her uncle and aunt treated her like their own daughter. Even though their own son didn't have enough to eat, they wanted her to have her share. So Qian Duoduo wanted Qian Gui to take five eggs back to improve the family's meals.
When Qian Gui saw the five small eggs, his eyes lit up: "Duo Duo, you're amazing! You can even get eggs by going up a mountain."
Jin Jinxiu said with a smile, "There are exactly ten eggs. Five for each of our two families. We can have something good to eat tonight."
Qian Gui's eyes lit up when he saw the egg, but he said, "This egg should be given to Duo Duo."
Qian Duoduo laughed and said, "My mother would never let me go hungry. Besides, I'm still young and have a small appetite. How much can I eat?" After saying that, she took five eggs, put them in a small basket, covered them with a tattered cloth, and went out the door. Qian Gui immediately followed her out.
Jin Jinxiu grabbed him and said, "You brat, you don't even want the firewood anymore, hurry up and carry it back."
Qian Gui shook his head and said, "If Duoduo gives me some eggs, this bundle of firewood will be for Duoduo to use for heating the kang (a heated brick bed)."
Seeing Qian Gui's expression, Jin Jinxiu knew that the bundle of firewood wouldn't be carried back, so she smiled and said, "Okay, Second Aunt will use this bundle of firewood specifically for Duoduo to heat the kang (heated brick bed)."
Qian Gui chuckled and immediately followed Qian Duoduo out the door, heading towards their home.
Qian Cai's house is diagonally opposite Qian Sheng's. The two families separated when the old man was still alive, so they are not far apart, just a short walk away, which is convenient for them. Aunt He Ying came to Beian Village from another place to escape famine. She was rescued by Grandma Qian and married Qian Cai directly. Over the years, she has not been able to find her family. Anyway, she and Qian Cai are living a comfortable life, so she doesn't think too much about it.
The only regret is not having a daughter. Fortunately, the second son, Qian Sheng, has one. He Ying also gave her maternal love to Qian Duoduo. From a young age, Qian Duoduo lived in the care of two mothers, which is why she did not develop a spoiled and willful personality.
When He Ying saw Qian Duoduo and Qian Gui coming over, she immediately went up to Qian Duoduo, grabbed her hand, and said to Qian Gui, "Look at you, are you even capable of doing anything? You actually let your sister carry things. You're getting more and more eccentric as you get older."
Qian Gui then remembered the small basket in Qian Duoduo's hand. It was specially woven by her older brother for her, in case it was too big for her to carry. He had been so focused on the eggs that he forgot to get a basket for his sister. He really shouldn't have done that!
He Ying patted Qian Gui on the head, then casually took the pat herself and asked, "Duo Duo, what did you do today?"
Qian Duoduo smiled and took He Ying's arm, saying obediently, "Auntie, I went to the mountain to gather firewood with Brother Gui and Fourth Brother today, and I even saw a pheasant fly away." After saying that, she sat down on the stool by the door with He Ying and whispered, "Auntie, I found ten eggs in the pheasant's nest that flew away. My mother told me to take five to nourish Grandpa and Grandma."
He Ying was startled. She looked at the small basket at her feet, picked up the cloth on top, saw a few small eggs inside, and then put the cloth down, saying, "Why did you give me just a few eggs? You should be the one getting some."
Qian Duoduo smiled and said, "Oh dear, this isn't something we find often. I just discovered it, and I wanted to bring it to my aunt to show my filial piety."
Hearing Qian Duoduo's words, He Ying immediately smiled and touched Qian Duoduo's little hand, saying, "It's true what they say, it's better to have a daughter. She's my sweet little cotton-padded jacket, unlike those three silly boys, they're all leaky."
Qian Gui was used to his mother's inability to walk past Qian Duoduo and her constant disdain for the three of them, saying they were nothing. However, he secretly fantasized: If you're so capable, don't covet other people's girls. Have one of your own. If you can't have one, you're nothing.
When Qian Duoduo left, she took a handful of sour jujubes home. Seeing Jin Jinxiu cooking, she said, "Mom, Auntie gave me some sour jujubes, you can try them."
Jin Jinxiu laughed and said, "This is very sour, but your second brother likes it." At this point, her tone lowered, "I don't know how your eldest and second brothers are doing. They haven't sent any letters or anything."
Qian Duoduo said, "Mom, I guess my older brother and the others probably don't have time to write letters."
Jin Jinxiu glanced at her daughter and asked, "Why?"
Qian Duoduo said, "Mom, think about it. My eldest brother and second brother just joined the army. Don't they need to train for a while? I bet they'll train for at least a month or two before being assigned to their posts, then they'll need to adapt, then train again. If they want to write to us, it'll take at least three or four months."
Jin Jinxiu was startled: "So long?"
Qian Duoduo shrugged and said, "Who knows? This is just my estimate, it's not necessarily true."
Although Qian Duoduo said that, it really comforted Jin Jinxiu's anxious heart. She decided to cook. Qian Duoduo had picked up a few wild eggs today and cooked them all, one for each person, so that everyone could nourish their bodies after the autumn harvest.
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