"Come on, girl, keep the money you worked so hard to earn for yourself. It's not like I'm incapable of earning money to support my family."
While smiling and comforting his sister, Shen Xiaochuan took out a few crumpled banknotes from his pocket, handed them to Zhu Lingling, nodded slightly to express his gratitude, and then turned around and strode towards the door.
Seeing her brother leave his seat so quickly, Shen Xiaoxiao panicked. She hurriedly picked up the basket beside her, stood up abruptly, and ran outside calling out, "Brother, wait for me! You're walking so fast, I can hardly keep up!"
Hearing his sister's call from behind, Shen Xiaochuan slowed his pace slightly, but did not stop until he reached the door.
He stood quietly at the doorway, waiting. A short while later, Shen Xiaoxiao came running over, panting and her face flushed.
When she finally reached Shen Xiaochuan, she took a few deep breaths, then looked up at her brother with her big, watery eyes and said coquettishly, "Brother, why did you run so fast? I almost couldn't catch up with you!"
"Time waits for no one! We need to hurry home. If we dawdle any longer, and it gets completely dark, Mom and Dad will definitely worry about us!"
Shen Xiaochuan looked up at the gradually darkening sky and said calmly.
Shen Xiaoxiao looked up at the sky and became anxious. "We'd better hurry! But I wonder if the brigade leader's oxcart has already gone back? Otherwise, we could hitch a ride."
Shen Xiaoxiao blinked her bright, lively eyes, tilted her head, and asked Shen Xiaochuan with a look of anticipation.
Shen Xiaochuan frowned and thought for a moment before replying, "I think it's so late, if they were planning to go back, they would have left long ago."
"I wonder if there are any oxcarts going to our village. We could hitch a ride." Shen Xiaoxiao looked around.
"Alright, let's hurry up and go. At this hour, there are no oxcarts going to our village anymore. It looks like we'll have to walk back on our own two feet. Consider it exercise!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Xiaochuan quickly reached out and took the empty basket from his sister's hand, then ran towards home like an arrow released from a bow.
Seeing this, Shen Xiaoxiao was not to be outdone. She took a deep breath, adjusted her breathing rhythm, and started jogging lightly behind her brother.
Over the years, the brother and sister have been busy traveling back and forth between the mountain and the foot of the mountain every day, and the long-term exercise has given them considerable physical strength.
Throughout the journey, the two maintained a steady pace, and although the journey was long, they did not feel too tired.
And so, after persistent efforts, he finally managed to jog all the way back to his familiar village from the small town.
Ma A Ning stood quietly at the doorway, her gaze anxiously fixed on the distance. The night was as dark as ink, and everything in sight was shrouded in mist. She could only vaguely make out two figures running rapidly towards her from afar.
Although the distance was still far and the light was dim, making it difficult to see the faces of the people approaching, Ma Aning, with a mother's unique intuition for her children, had already roughly guessed that they were her children whom she had been eagerly awaiting.
Finally, when the two figures drew close enough to be clearly distinguishable, Ma Aning's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down—they were indeed her beloved children.
They were panting heavily, covered in sweat, which streamed down their faces and soaked their collars.
Ma Aning quickly stepped forward with concern, firmly supporting her daughter Shen Xiaoxiao's arm. At the same time, she swiftly took out a clean handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped the large beads of sweat from Shen Xiaoxiao's forehead.
"Look at you two, you're covered in sweat! Did you run all the way back?" Ma Aning asked with concern, her eyes full of tenderness.
While panting heavily, Shen Xiaoxiao answered intermittently, "Um...we got back too late, and we were afraid you and Dad would be worried at home, so my brother and I ran all the way home."
Hearing her daughter's words, Ma Aning felt a surge of warmth in her heart and quickly urged, "Alright, alright, stop talking and come inside. I've already had your dad boil some water. Eat something to fill your stomach first, then take a relaxing bath and get some rest."
"Thank you, Mom. You understand me best and love me the most!" Shen Xiaoxiao jumped into Ma Aning's arms like a happy little bird, affectionately hugging her arm and acting coquettishly.
"Oh dear, you're such a grown woman, still acting like a child."
Although Ma Aning complained, the radiant smile on her face revealed her inner joy.
"Mom, don't argue with her, tell her to go take a shower quickly! Otherwise she'll really catch a cold!" Shen Xiaochuan urged anxiously.
Shen Xiaoxiao playfully stuck out her tongue, then, like a happy little rabbit, she quickly ran towards her room with light steps.
A short while later, she hurriedly grabbed her change of clothes and rushed to the bathroom, intending to take a hot shower to avoid catching a cold as her brother had said.
Shen Xiaoxiao's home is filled with a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.
Warm lights shone in every corner as the family sat together, chatting and laughing, enjoying a happy time.
However, in stark contrast to the Shen family, the captain was in an extremely bad mood at this moment.
It turned out that the two team leaders arrived home later than Shen Xiaoxiao's family.
During this time, not a single member of Shen Qin's family went to the town hospital to visit the injured Shen Qin. What angered the brigade leader even more was that he had paid the medical expenses in advance.
When he finally managed to get Shen Qin home, he found Shen Qin's family sitting at the dining table eating dinner as if nothing had happened.
"Miao Cuihua, look how badly your man is injured, and you haven't even bothered to ask about him! You promised me you'd come back to get money for his medical treatment, but now I haven't seen a soul in sight, and you haven't brought a single penny. What are you thinking?"
The captain, furious, questioned him, his eyes wide, his face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
“Captain, you’ve wronged me. We really have no money at home. As for why we didn’t go to town, it’s because the children were hungry and needed to eat,” Miao Cuihua said matter-of-factly.
"I won't say much to you, just get your man off the oxcart right now." The brigade leader sighed as he looked at Shen Qin, who was sitting silently on the cart.
"No way, whoever he works for gets the benefits, and whoever gets injured will be responsible for him. Anyway, he wasn't injured while working for our family," Miao Cuihua said calmly.
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