"Hey, are you familiar with that Song Lili? I feel like she's very interested in you. What did she say to you? Does she like you?" Li Qinghua asked with a gossipy look, leaning closer to Zhang Qinghua.
Zhang Qinghua really wanted to roll his eyes, but he had never done so before. He could only keep a blank expression, but the words he spoke were icy cold.
"She's only thirteen or fourteen, okay? I'm not like you, with a fetish for children." After saying that, she left Li Qinghua and walked towards the main group.
Li Qinghua chased after her, yelling, "Zhang Qinghua, explain yourself! Who's the child? Meimei is already fifteen years old, and she'll be sixteen next year. She's not a child anymore!"
Zhang Qinghua ignored him, but he couldn't help but think of Li Qinghua's words: that girl with the bright smile really liked him.
...
Soon, half a month passed, and it was time to harvest the highland barley. During these two weeks, Song Lili had not seen either Zhang Qinghua or Li Qinghua, and she had only seen Yang Mei once.
When the captain of the Fifth Brigade informed Song Lili that barley would be harvested the next day, she was taken aback, but then she felt happy.
That day, when she finally met the person she had been longing to see, she was so excited that she didn't say much.
This time, we must make sure that Yang Mei and Li Qinghua get even closer.
Before dawn, Song Yongren and Song Jianshe left with sickles and dry rations, leaving the two sisters to wash and clean, waiting for Yangmei to come and call them.
Song Yongren knew that Song Lili was going with Yang Mei, so he told her to take good care of Song Fang and then left. He trusted Yang Mei.
By the time Yangmei arrived, it was already broad daylight, and the eastern sky had turned orange, indicating that the sun was about to rise.
"Lili, let's go. Qinghua and the others are on the mountain between the Second and Third Battalions today. Let's go directly to them."
The entire Hongqi Village is scattered sparsely at the foot of three mountains.
The land of the First Brigade was mainly on the mountain to the south, the land in the middle belonged to the Second and Third Brigades, and the land on the mountain to the north belonged mainly to the Fourth and Fifth Brigades.
However, since the establishment of production teams, these lands have become collective, and the entire Hongqi Village operates as a unified entity.
Therefore, the people harvesting barley today are all located on the mountain in the middle.
Because barley is more suited to cold climates, the land where barley is grown is all located on the mountainside or even on the mountaintop, requiring a lot of time to climb the mountain.
Because the older children and the elderly were assigned to glean grain, everyone carried a small basket, or sometimes a small bamboo basket.
Furthermore, they had to bring their own dry food and water, and were not allowed to go home to rest at noon; they could only eat dry food.
Song Lili was already panting heavily before she even reached the halfway point of the mountain. With her hands on her hips, she looked at the remaining distance and felt completely exhausted.
She hadn't climbed a mountain in years, and suddenly having to climb to the top was more painful than killing her.
It felt like a large rock was stuffed into my chest, and another rock was pressing down on it from the outside. It was uncomfortable both inside and outside.
The combination of internal and external factors made Song Lili feel extremely uncomfortable; she couldn't breathe and was about to faint. The burning sensation on her face only exacerbated her discomfort.
Then look at Yang Mei. She doesn't blush or pant, and walks as if on flat ground. Even two girls around ten years old are much better than Song Lili.
Song Lili didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to climb mountains before, but now, compared to others, she suddenly feels ashamed.
However, no matter how ashamed she felt, her lack of resources only made her feel more ashamed.
Song Fang found it strange; why had her sister suddenly become like this? She had never felt this uncomfortable when climbing mountains before.
Song Fang was a little worried, afraid that her sister was not feeling well, but she was usually timid and didn't dare to say it even if she was concerned.
Yang Mei did ask a question, but Song Lili could only give a vague answer, inwardly cursing God once again for bringing her into these difficult times.
She wanted to cry but had no choice; she could only grit her teeth and climb upwards, powerless to stop herself! How could her body be so weak? Could it be from three years of starvation?
Fortunately, soon they saw Zhang Qinghua and Li Qinghua coming down from the mountaintop, sharing some of their weight and making things easier for Song Lili.
Li Qinghua took the belongings of Yang Mei and her sister, and Zhang Qinghua silently snatched the basket containing water and dry food from Song Lili and carried it on her back.
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