Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

Little Niu sat in the corner, watching the whole scene unfold, and covered his mouth, secretly laughing. He leaned closer to Jiang Xing, tugged at her sleeve, and whispered, "Sister, look at Aunt Hu and Sister Chen, they're so timid. Even poisonous snakes hibernate in the dead of winter, they wouldn't come out to bite anyone!"

After he finished speaking, he suddenly put on a pleading expression, tilted his little face up, and tugged at Jiang Xing's sleeve, shaking it: "Sister, will you take me up the mountain with you tomorrow? I promise I won't cause trouble, I'll do whatever you ask me to do. I'm very strong, I'll help you carry the medicinal herbs!"

Jiang Xing looked down into the little calf's bright eyes, hesitated for a moment with a stern face. Going up the mountain wasn't a trip for fun; if there was any real danger, she wasn't sure she could protect him. But the little calf's eyes were so bright that she couldn't bear to refuse.

"...Alright then." Jiang Xing sighed, reached out and rubbed his head, "But it's a promise, once we're up the mountain you have to listen to me and not run around."

"I promise!" Little Niu was so happy he almost jumped for joy, and then he turned around and ran to find Tie Dan and Shi Tou to show off.

The two boys were about the same age as Xiao Niu, and they had become best friends along the way. When they heard Xiao Niu say that his sister was going to take him up the mountain tomorrow, the two little ones couldn't sit still and immediately squeezed in front of Jiang Xing, looking at her expectantly.

"Sister Little Cow, we want to go too!"

"We promise we won't wander off and will stay with the calf!"

Surrounded by three little radishes, Jiang Xing had no choice but to nod and say, "Go ahead, go ahead, but if anyone disobeys, they won't be allowed to come with us next time."

The three little ones nodded vigorously, like three chicks pecking at rice.

Chen Xiaoxiao sat by the fire, watching the three boys laughing and jumping around Jiang Xing from afar, her fingers clenching the hem of her clothes. She mustered her courage, stood up, and walked to Jiang Xing, her voice timid: "Sister Jiang, I...I also want to go up the mountain with you. I know a lot of wild vegetables, and I can help carry things."

Her voice wasn't loud, but she spoke earnestly, her eyes filled with a cautious anticipation.

Before Jiang Xing could answer, Madam Hu had already heard it.

"Xiaoxiao!" Madam Hu strode over, grabbed Chen Xiaoxiao behind her, and yelled at her, "What are you doing getting involved, you brat? Your sister isn't going, but you want to go? If you go up the mountain tomorrow, who will do the chores? We just moved in, there's a huge pile of unwashed clothes, the house isn't tidy, and the yard is full of messy stuff. You're just going to pack up and go up the mountain, are you expecting me to do all this work or your grandma?!"

Chen Xiaoxiao shrank back, her shoulders slumped, and her lips pressed into a thin line, startled by her mother's yelling. She wanted to say something, but looking at Hu Shi's angry face, she didn't utter a word, only replying softly, "I understand, Mother."

Then she retreated to the fire, sat down again, and lowered her head so low it was almost buried in her knees. The firelight flickered on her face, obscuring her expression.

Zhang and Granny Chen sat in the courtyard, having witnessed the entire farce unfolding between the mother and daughter. They exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison.

It's only natural for a mother to discipline her child; no one can interfere or say anything. Granny Chen sighed and muttered to Zhang, "What a pity about Xiaoxiao." Zhang didn't reply, but simply shook her head and continued weaving the last piece of thatch.

Fortunately, the lively atmosphere around the stove quickly dispelled the momentary awkwardness.

Hu was quite frightened by Jiang Xing's words, but her enthusiasm for cooking didn't diminish. She sliced ​​the wild boar meat into thin slices, which sizzled and dripped oil into the pan. She stir-fried it with the basket of wild vegetables that Widow Sun had dug up. The fragrance of the wild vegetables and the aroma of the meat mingled together, and when the evening breeze blew, the whole yard was filled with an enticing aroma.

The brown rice porridge was also ready, much thicker than usual. This was the first meal after moving into the new house, and Madam Shen added two extra handfuls of rice as a reward for everyone's hard work throughout the day.

Everyone held their bowls and sat around in the courtyard. Some sat on benches, some squatted against the wall, and some leaned against the stone mill. The steaming porridge in their bowls, along with stir-fried wild boar meat with wild vegetables, warmed them from their throats to their stomachs and then from their stomachs to their hearts.

"This meat smells so good." Wang Laoshi held the bowl, squinted his eyes, and smacked his lips, as if he wanted to chew every bit of meat flavor before swallowing. "I've almost forgotten what meat tastes like."

Shen Dehou rarely smiled, and said while holding his bowl, "Today is the first day we've moved into our new house. Although the house isn't fully settled yet, at least we have a place to shelter from the wind and rain. No matter how hard life gets from here on out, it's still better than being on the road."

Third Uncle nodded, finished the porridge in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and slowly said, "Heaven has not been unkind to us."

These words are spoken plainly, but everyone knows that only they themselves know how much hardship and suffering they endured to make it all the way from the north, with each family surviving and settling down.

Jiang Xing, holding a bowl, leaned against the wall, looking at the faces in the courtyard, their faces glowing red in the firelight. Zhang was adding porridge to her third uncle's bowl, Doctor Gu and Wang were discussing tomorrow's herb gathering, Shen Dehou and Chen Shuisheng were discussing the details of cleaning the well, Hu was still talking about the wild boar meat while eating, and the children were squatting by the fire, eating and giggling.

She lowered her head and took a sip of porridge, inexplicably affected by the atmosphere before her, and a strange feeling arose in her heart.

After the families finished eating, the women cleared away the dishes and returned to their own courtyards.

The two rooms were cleaned up today. Xiao Niu and his third uncle shared one room, and Jiang Xing and his grandmother shared the other. Thick straw was laid on the beds, and they were covered with quilts. They were protected from wind and rain and slept soundly.

The next day, before dawn, there was commotion in the courtyard.

After tidying herself up, Zhang moved a stone and sat in the courtyard, continuing to weave with the straw sheaves in her hands.

A chilly morning breeze swept into her collar, and she shrank her neck. Her fingers were a little stiff from the cold, but she didn't slow down at all.

Jiang Caiquan has already laid the thatched roof with the thatch he wove yesterday. There's still a little bit left on the roof of this room. If we work a little harder, we can finish it today.

Widow Sun also got up early. There was nothing special to do at her house, and her two children were still asleep, so she quietly closed the door and went into Jiang Xing's courtyard.

She squatted down beside Zhang, saying little, and began to weave straw strips as Zhang did. She was clumsy and wove slowly, binding each strip tightly. Zhang watched her twice and gave her some pointers, and she gradually got the hang of it.

Shen Dehou and Chen Shuisheng arrived early in the morning and were already busy at the well. Today they needed to clean off the silt, repair the well rim, and re-level the bluestone at the wellhead to prevent slipping when drawing water in the future.

Wang Laoshi also came over to help, and the three of them gathered around the well, moving stones and mixing mud, working enthusiastically.

In the kitchen, Shen was preparing breakfast. Smoke rose crookedly from the chimneys of each kitchen, wafting upwards in the morning light.

After Jiang Xing finished breakfast, he tied Xiao Niu's collar and took him out. When they arrived at the gate of Doctor Gu's courtyard, they found that Doctor Gu was already waiting. He wasn't alone; Tie Dan and Shi Tou were also waiting at the gate.