"Yuanyuan, if I hadn't eaten your buns, you wouldn't be hungry." Xiaocao felt a little embarrassed.
"What are you talking about? We're good friends! It's only natural that we share something." Zhou Yuanyuan hurried to comfort Xiaocao's hurt heart. Oh my god! Zhou Yuanyuan never thought Xiaocao would be so thoughtful. It was just a bun, but Xiaocao had been nagging about it all morning.
"Yes, Yuanyuan, next time my grandma bakes sweet potatoes, I'll send you some." Xiaocao thought for a moment and said. The sweet potatoes baked by Xiaocao's grandma are very fragrant, sweet and sticky, and Xiaocao likes them very much.
The two little girls were talking when a lunch box wrapped in an old cotton-padded jacket suddenly appeared in front of them.
Following the hand on the lunch box, Zhou Yuanyuan saw a cold face. Who else could it be but Wen Ziqing?
For me? Zhou Yuanyuan opened her eyes wide, expressing her doubt.
"Baozi." Wen Ziqing pushed the lunch box forward, making his attitude clear.
"Wow! Brother Ziqing, you're so kind!" Zhou Yuanyuan was overjoyed. Just when she was thinking how nice it would be to have something to eat, Wen Ziqing brought over some buns. Seeing how thoughtful Wen Ziqing was, Zhou Yuanyuan decided she would never bully this big ice cube again.
Watching the two little girls devouring their food, Wen Ziqing's mind still echoed with Zhou Yuanyuan's sweet "Brother Ziqing," and his ears slowly turned red. Why did this name, "Brother Ziqing," sound sweeter the more it sounded from Yuanyuan's mouth?
Zhou Yuanyuan and Xiaocao happily finished the four big buns in the lunch box. When they looked up again, Wen Ziqing was no longer there.
Hey! It seems that ice cubes are quite good at behaving. Zhou Yuanyuan sighed.
Zhou Yuanyuan guessed that Wen Ziqing had left so the two girls could have more fun. After all, while conversations between little girls might not be very informative, they would still share some little secrets. For example, Xiaocao had said that her sister often stole her things and that she disliked her, and Zhou Yuanyuan had also said that she disliked her cousins.
The two of them were playing while picking pine cones. Zhou Yuanyuan saw some wild grass and carefully picked them and put them in the basket.
Suddenly, the grass in front shook and a pheasant flew out.
A pheasant? Zhou Yuanyuan and Xiaocao's eyes widened. The pheasant looked plump. Zhou Yuanyuan estimated it weighed about 7 or 8 kilograms. The pheasant's feathers glowed with a multicolored halo in the sunlight.
Chase? Or not? Before Zhou Yuanyuan could react, Xiaocao had already rushed towards the pheasant.
The pheasant, startled by the grass, flapped its wings and changed direction.
Xiaocao continued to chase. In Xiaocao's eyes, such a plump pheasant meant a lot of meat. She hadn't seen meat on the table in her family for almost six months.
"Hey, Xiaocao, come back." Zhou Yuanyuan was anxious and had no choice but to chase after him. In her previous life, Zhou Yuanyuan had watched many TV dramas where people chased small animals like rabbits or pheasants and then got lost.
This was Daqing Mountain, and Zhou Yuanyuan was really worried that Xiaocao would get lost chasing the pheasants. However, she couldn't just leave Xiaocao alone.
Before they knew it, Zhou Yuanyuan and Xiaocao had chased the pheasant over two small hills. Somehow, the pheasant flapped its wings and fell, and Zhou Yuanyuan pounced on it. Finally, they caught the pheasant.
Zhou Yuanyuan stood up straight, looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this hill was much higher than the previous one. From here, she could still see the small hill where she and Xiaocao had picked pine cones and the houses of the villagers in Zhaojiagou.
"Xiaocao, we have chicken to eat today," Zhou Yuanyuan announced. If she didn't know Xiaocao was very proud, she would have given the whole pheasant to her.
"Yeah." Xiaocao narrowed her eyes and smiled. She had helped catch the pheasant, so Xiaocao felt that she could accept Yuanyuan's kindness.
The pheasant was still struggling, so Xiaocao pulled out a few vines and tied the pheasant's feet tightly.
"Shh!" Zhou Yuanyuan made a gesture, signaling Xiaocao to be quiet.
Zhou Yuanyuan heard the footsteps of several people not far from them, but she didn't hear any talking.
The villagers of Zhaojiagou went into the mountains to collect branches for firewood, usually in groups of two or three. While working, they would chat and laugh loudly. It didn't make sense that there were only footsteps and no laughter.
Xiaocao listened to Zhou Yuanyuan's words and remained silent. Holding hands, the two tiptoed to a bush and hid behind it. Xiaocao placed the pheasant, its legs tied, on the ground behind the bush, right at their feet.
There was a sound of footsteps coming from far away, and it sounded like there were at least three or four people.
"Brother, do you think that guy this morning will cheat us? Will he really have some wood to sell in a couple of days?" A man with a hoarse voice spoke, his tone full of doubt.
"Third brother, we'll know whether there is any or not when the time comes. We didn't give any money, so we won't suffer any loss whether we have it or not." The person who spoke was probably gentle and spoke slowly.
"Yes, we'll know when the time comes. What's the point of you saying this now, brother?" said a man with a shrill voice.
"I'm just afraid of being ripped off! That guy's a newcomer, and if he's a 'snake man' sent by the higher-ups, it'll be a real problem. Don't you agree, brother?" The third brother, with a hoarse voice, was a little unconvinced. He was only thinking about everyone else, so how could this be seen as unnecessary?
"Yeah. The third brother is right. People in our line of work need to be more vigilant. This time they need it urgently. Several people who have cooperated with us were arrested a few days ago. We have no choice but to cooperate with this guy this time." The one called Big Brother spoke, his voice a little hoarse.
A few people were talking in low voices and gradually walked away. Only then did Zhou Yuanyuan and Xiaocao come out from behind the bushes.
Judging from what they said, they seemed to be wood dealers? Zhou Yuanyuan was a little surprised.
In those days, the trees on the mountain were collectively owned. Without government approval, no one could go up the mountain and cut them down privately. Who was so audacious as to cut down trees and then sell them privately? You have to understand that when trees are first cut, they are very wet and heavy, and no one would buy such wood. After being cut, the trees are usually left in the mountains for ten to twenty days to dry out before being transported out of the mountains.
"Yuanyuan, who are those people? Why are they calling them 'wooden'?" Xiaocao pulled the silent Zhou Yuanyuan.
"Xiaocao, don't talk." Zhou Yuanyuan hurriedly warned Xiaocao.
In those days, those who dared to become wood dealers were truly ruthless. This place is quite a distance from Zhaojiagou. If the wood dealers knew that the two little girls had heard their conversation, who knows what would happen?
"Oh." Xiaocao responded obediently, took Zhou Yuanyuan's hand, and walked back silently.
Oh, right, pheasant.
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