Chapter 4: Arranging Household AffairsThe Lin family lived in a house built with blue bricks and tiled roofs. Back when Lin Dazhuang married Mrs. Su, they saved up for several years before constructing these spacious rooms. Just by looking at this house, one could tell they were among the most well-off families in the village.Truth be told, aside from his hunting skills, Lin Dazhuang had no other notable talents. He was neither adept at managing affairs nor skilled in farming. Otherwise, if the family could have purchased a few acres of land, their lives would have been much more stable. It wouldn’t have come to such a dire situation where, after his passing, the family was left struggling to survive.But dwelling on such thoughts was pointless now. Life had to move forward.She set aside the freshly chopped firewood to dry in the sun, then tidied up the firewood already stored at home, stacking it neatly and tying it securely with straw ropes. She planned to carry a load of firewood to the county town the next day to test the market."Big sister, I’ll go with you tomorrow."Lin Qinghe glanced at him—still just a child."You’re too young to endure such hardship. Stay at home. The road to the county town is too far, and you won’t be able to handle it." The journey to the county town took half a day. Taking an ox cart would be faster, but that cost money. It wouldn’t make sense to spend on travel before even selling the firewood."Big sister, please let me go. I’m not that young anymore. Look at the young master of Huang Caizhu’s family in the neighboring village—he’s not even as tall as me. By that measure, I’m practically an adult."Hearing this, Lin Qinghe couldn’t help but chuckle. "Are you in such a hurry to get married?"Of course, she was only joking. Among the four siblings in their family, except for the third child who had been frail since birth, the others were all strong and healthy. With a decent standard of living, they were taller and sturdier than most children in the village.As for the young master of Huang Caizhu’s family he mentioned, that was because the boy was weak, and there were concerns he might not live long. Marrying him off early was an attempt to secure an heir.Lin Qingsong, however, flushed red with embarrassment and annoyance at her words, shouting, "Big sister!""Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. I’ll go alone tomorrow. You stay home and chop firewood. What we have at home won’t last more than a few days for selling. We need to gather more. Once I figure out the market in the county town, I’ll take you along to broaden your horizons." She made the final decision.She had been to the county town before with Lin Dazhuang, but that was to sell game. This time, it was to sell firewood.Hearing her words, Lin Qingsong said nothing more. His big sister’s arrangement was quite reasonable."And we need to keep a closer eye on the two younger ones at home. If neither of us is around and someone bullies them, there’d be no one to stand up for them."They hadn’t needed to worry about such things before because Lin Dazhuang was there. Anyone who thought of causing trouble had to consider whether they could handle him. But now, their family’s situation was different. With their father gone and their mother remarried, there wasn’t a single adult left in the household. Those with ill intentions would surely think they were easy targets.Hearing her words, Lin Qingsong widened his eyes and clenched his fists. "Big sister, you’re right. I’ll stay home and keep a close watch on both of them.""Mm. When you go to the back mountain to chop firewood, you can take them along. They can help twist straw ropes or tidy up the firewood—they can lend a hand," Lin Qinghe said."Alright, I'll take them with me wherever I go." A trace of worry appeared on Lin Qingsong's face. He hadn't thought much about it before, but now that his eldest sister mentioned it, he vaguely began to understand. No wonder some people in the village had been looking at him strangely lately.Seeing the change in his expression, Lin Qinghe patted his shoulder and said, "Don't be afraid. Even though Father is gone, your eldest sister is still here. Father taught us martial arts from a young age, not so we could be bullied by others. Even if we can't win a fight now, there will come a day when we grow up."Hearing this, Lin Qingsong felt a sudden sense of urgency. Among children their own age, there was no such thing as being unable to win a fight. After all, they were strong and had practiced martial arts since childhood. Their skills far surpassed those of their peers. The only ones they couldn't defeat now were strong adults."Eldest Sister, starting tomorrow, I'll get up early every day to practice martial arts again." With so much happening at home recently, he hadn't been in the mood. But now, he suddenly regretted neglecting it."Good, I'll practice with you. We don't need to become exceptionally skilled—just enough to avoid being bullied." She felt quite relieved. She didn't even need to push him much; the child already knew to strive for improvement on his own.Lin Dazhuang's martial arts skills weren't particularly outstanding—just average. They were enough to deal with a few petty thieves. He had learned these skills when he was young, following the escorts of a security agency. After the agency disbanded, he settled in Zhao Family Village.Still, knowing a few moves was much better than most people in the village.As the sky grew dark, Lin Qinghe entered the kitchen to start preparing dinner. Lin Qingmiao, ever diligent, ran into the stove room to help light the fire. At five years old, she followed her eldest sister around daily, helping with whatever tasks she could manage.Glancing at her younger sister, Lin Qinghe didn't say anything but called out to the outside, "Qingsong, come in here."A moment later, Lin Qingsong came running over. "Eldest Sister, what is it?""I'll teach you how to cook. Although many men in the village never step into the kitchen, given our family's current situation, what will you eat if I'm not home?"The county town was far away. If she left in the morning, she wouldn't return until almost evening. They couldn't just go hungry waiting for her to come back and cook. Even if she prepared meals in the morning, they would still need to reheat them when it was time to eat. Although spring had arrived, there was still a lingering chill in the air. Eating cold food was not good, especially for the frail third child, who needed careful attention.Lin Qingsong hesitated for a moment before nodding. His eldest sister was right. They couldn't rely on her for everything now; they had to learn to do things themselves. If only Mother were still at home…The thought had barely surfaced before he quickly pushed it down."Alright, Eldest Sister, teach me."Lin Qinghe nodded in satisfaction. She knew that many boys in the village never learned to cook, believing it was women's work and that men entering the kitchen was shameful. Even young boys cared about their pride."Cooking isn't that difficult. You can pretty much learn it just by watching a few times. But there's one thing you must be careful about: watch the fire closely and don't burn the house down," she reminded him.Her words were a bit exaggerated, startling even Lin Qingmiao, who was tending the fire. "Eldest Sister, I'll keep an eye on Second Brother. We definitely won't burn the house down."Lin Qingsong looked up and glared at her upon hearing this: "I'm so much older than you, how could I not be more sensible? You should be careful yourself. It's kids like you who don't understand things that are most likely to make mistakes."The siblings began to bicker.The Lin family had no tradition of favoring sons over daughters, so Lin Qingmiao dared to speak loudly at home. Sometimes, when arguments grew heated, her older brothers and sisters would even give in to her.

Eldest Sister of a Farming Family: Managing the Household, Farming and Opening Shops