Qian Cai paused for a moment when he saw the eggs on the table, then looked at He Ying and asked, "Where did these eggs come from?"
He Ying said with a smile, "Duo Duo is really lucky. She went to collect firewood with Lao San and the others, and she was the one who found the pheasant's nest. Although she didn't catch the pheasant, she collected ten eggs."
After hearing He Ying's words, Qian Cai looked down at the plate and saw that there were five in total. He said, "Duo Duo is such a thoughtful child. It's worth spoiling her."
He Ying nodded, glanced at her three troublesome sons, and said, "That's why they say daughters are like warm little cotton-padded jackets."
Qian Xiang smiled and said, "I'll go get some firewood later and send it to my second uncle's house."
Qian Gui immediately looked up and said, "I left all the firewood I collected today at my second uncle's house. My second aunt said that the firewood I collected is specifically for Duo Duo's kang (heated brick bed)." Receiving a "good job" look from his mother, Qian Gui smiled happily.
Qian Xiang glanced at his troublesome younger brother and didn't want to talk to him.
Qian Cai nodded and said, "Xiao Gui did a good job."
He Ying said, "When we go to the market later, I'll buy Duo Duo two hair ties."
With the autumn harvest over, Qian Duoduo's Labor Day was also over. Back at school, Qian Duoduo saw that his classmates had all gotten a lot darker. He wanted to laugh, but luckily, he had covered his face with the little scarf his mother had made for him when the harvest started, leaving only his eyes showing. Otherwise, he would definitely have looked like a black lump of coal just like them.
Liu Chunmei noticed that Qian Duoduo's skin was still very fair after the harvest season, making her look like a peeled egg dropped into a pile of coal while sitting in the classroom. Seeing this, Liu Chunmei couldn't help but laugh. However, thinking about her own face, which she had finally managed to improve, and how the hard work of the autumn harvest hadn't made it much better, she envied the little girl's fair and clean face and really wanted to pinch it!
Winter comes early in Northeast China. Schools close in mid-October because the classrooms are too cold due to the lack of heating. Children then go on winter break. Qian Duoduo is even more free during the break. Although she doesn't run around like the boys in the village, she's definitely not a quiet child. Before it starts snowing, she decides to go up the mountain with Qian Rao and Qian Gui to gather firewood in the morning and then see if any wild fruits are ripe.
Not long after the group went up the mountain, Qian Xiang called out Qian Duoduo's name, and Qian Duoduo immediately responded, "Brother Xiang, I'm here."
Qian Xiang said, "I have a red fruit tree over here, would you like some?"
Qian Duoduo immediately said, "Yes, Brother Xiang, I want it."
Qian Xiang replied, "Okay, I'll pick some for you."
Qian Gui looked around and saw that his older brother had managed to get some red berries for Duo Duo, while he hadn't gotten anything. He started looking around and indeed found a wild crabapple tree with berries densely packed on it. He thought for a moment, then cut off a branch with his sickle and spread his clothes on the ground. He used the sickle to cut along the branch from bottom to top, and saw the wild crabapples with long stems fall onto his clothes. Soon, there were no more wild crabapples on the branch, but his clothes were covered with them. He smiled, knowing that Duo Duo would definitely enjoy them this time.
When Qian Duoduo saw that the two brothers, Qian Xiang and Qian Gui, were each carrying something in their hands with the same clothes, she wanted to laugh but didn't dare, because Qian Xiang was looking at his silly-looking younger brother with a look of disdain.
They went to Qian Sheng's house first. When Jin Jinxiu saw them return, she immediately handed each of them a bowl of water. Qian Xiang and Qian Gui took the bowls and drank them down. Then Qian Xiang took Qian Gui's bowl and took it to the kitchen to wash it. Seeing Jin Jinxiu cooking, he said, "Second Aunt, Qian Gui and I picked some wild fruits for Duo Duo. Could you prepare them for her later?"
Jin Jinxiu nodded and said, "You two brothers are very thoughtful."
Qian Xiang smiled and said, "Duo Duo is also my sister. Alright, Second Aunt, we'll go back now." After saying that, she took Qian Gui and carried the firewood back home.
After dinner, Jin Jinxiu looked at the two small baskets of red berries and wild apples on the kitchen floor and was a little worried. They couldn't possibly eat all of them. When she saw Qian Duoduo come in, she asked, "Duoduo, there's so much stuff, can't we finish it all?"
Qian Duoduo glanced around and saw that only she and her mother were in the kitchen. She whispered, "Mom, do you know about the black market?"
Jin Jinxiu was startled and immediately looked towards the door. Then she whispered, "Where did you hear that?" Duoduo is still young and is in front of her every day. She must have heard that word from someone else.
Qian Duoduo whispered, "I heard it from a teacher at school. She said our grain can be sold for money, but she doesn't have much grain herself, and the black market doesn't require coupons."
Jin Jinxiu frowned. How could such a private matter be overheard by a child? It was clear that the teacher was a fool.
Qian Duoduo whispered, "Mom, the wild apples are ripe, and the red berries are ripe too. If we sell them on the black market, we can probably make some money to buy some grain. We eat sweet potatoes every day, and I'm practically turning into a sweet potato."
Jin Jinxiu paused for a moment, then said, "Go and study. Even though you're not in school, you still need to read books."
Seeing that Jin Jinxiu didn't want to talk about it, Qian Duoduo had no choice but to leave.
However, not long after she left, Qian Sheng came over after washing his feet. Seeing Jin Jinxiu sitting by the stove in a daze, he poured himself some hot water and asked, "What's wrong with you? What are you thinking about? Is it warm sitting here so late at night?" After saying that, he walked to Jin Jinxiu's side and said, "I must say, you really know how to find a place. This leg is very warm!"
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