Even though everyone started digging for the three-leaf acid at the same time, the progress between the two was vastly different.
Fang Chuyue was clearly a pro, wielding his small hoe with lightning speed. With each dig and tap, the loose soil fell away, and with a strong pull, he yanked out the leaves, tossing them into the basket, which quickly filled with thumb-sized radishes.
The radishes in the basket visibly increased, forming two full layers.
Qiao Yue looked down at the few scattered radishes in front of him… and silently tossed them into the basket.
Mixed in with the radish army, it was impossible to tell which was which at a glance.
Fang Chuyue: “…”
Qiao Yue felt satisfied, clapping the dirt off his hands and saying, “I’m tired! Let’s eat something.” He sat on a small stool without moving his butt, stretched out his long arms, and pulled out an oil paper package from his backpack.
The oil paper package contained a few cornbread buns. Seeing this, Fang Chuyue took out the fried pancakes he brought and placed them together, then waved over Yang Ge’er and the others.
The four of them sat together to eat. Qiao Yue, not knowing the meaning of restraint, ate a cornbread bun and a fried pancake, then lazily stretched his legs and drank from a bamboo cup like an old man enjoying tea.
Qing Jie’er: “…” What kind of person is this? She couldn’t focus on eating, looking around at Qiao Yue’s morning achievements.
Finding nothing, Qing Jie’er wanted to ask Qiao Yue how many he had dug, but Yang Ge’er stuffed a cornbread bun into her mouth, “Mmm…” Qing Jie’er took down the bun, and with her mouth full, she had to swallow her question, looking at Yang Ge’er with a look of accusation.
Yang Ge’er, munching on his bun, looked back innocently, “Little sister, you don’t want to eat? If not, give it to me.”
The Qiao family’s cornbread buns used a lot of cornmeal, giving them a slightly sweet taste, quite nice. Though not as good as the fried pancakes, they were big in size.
Qing Jie’er was choked, “Eat, why wouldn’t I eat?”
After finishing the food they brought, Qiao Yue felt a bit lazy again, sitting on the stool and digging absentmindedly. When he dug up a slightly larger radish, he deliberately picked it and handed it to Fang Chuyue.
“Look, this one I dug is the biggest.”
Fang Chuyue seriously compared it and nodded in confirmation, “Yours is indeed much bigger than mine.”
In reality, there was no noticeable difference, but Qiao Yue was happy to hear it, gaining more enthusiasm for work, swinging his hoe energetically. Soon, his speed slowed down again.
Fang Chuyue praised him a few more times, and saw that he was energized again like he had been injected with chicken blood.
Fang Chuyue found it amusing.
As if he had eyes on his back, Qiao Yue suddenly turned around, his eyes bright, “Are you laughing at me? Tell me what you’re laughing at.”
Caught off guard by the question, Fang Chuyue held back his laughter and said, “No…”
Qiao Yue pretended to be indifferent, throwing down the hoe and crossing his arms with a cold snort, “You can deny it now.”
Hearing this, Fang Chuyue thought this guy was a real character…
“Pfft,” he burst into laughter right in front of him.
Qiao Yue snorted again, dragging out his words, “A good man doesn’t fight with a Ge’er…”
And then?
Fang Chuyue laughed so hard his stomach hurt, resting his chin on his hand, waiting for his next line.
“Seeing as you’re a good-looking Ge’er with a nice smile, I’ll let it go this time, got it?” Qiao Yue stood tall and said, giving him a light glance.
“Ah…” Fang Chuyue’s lips trembled slightly, his fair cheeks turning as red as fire. He put down his hand from his cheek, only to be burned, putting it down and raising it again.
Qiao Yue realized he had misspoken, sounding like a flirt.
He immediately admitted his mistake, “I didn’t mean it like that, you’re not… not that, anyway… no one else heard it.” Qiao Yue quickly gave up, looking up guiltily.
His mouth just couldn’t be controlled.
Luckily, no one heard him say that.
Qiao Yue thought with relief, only to look down and see Fang Chuyue’s siblings staring at him intently.
Qiao Yue: “…”
“Brother and sister, you’re not outsiders!”
Qing Jie’er pulled her second brother and ran to the other side to continue working, while Qiao Yue watched Fang Chuyue’s originally flushed face return to its fair color, feeling a bit regretful.
…
At Wang Lizheng’s house.
The Wang family had been under a cloud of gloom for half a month. Lizheng’s wife sighed all day, and the newlywed Zhang Yunniang was starting to regret marrying into the Wang family due to the atmosphere.
Her parents were loving, and her siblings were harmonious, so she thought the well-reputed Wang family would be the same. But after marrying, she found it was not the case. Her father-in-law was fair but cared most about face, her mother-in-law was picky and always found fault with her, and her husband was competitive and didn’t care about the family.
Fortunately, her sister-in-law was kind and gave her many tips when she saw she was not used to it.
When Zhou Tiezhu came to find Lizheng, Zhang Yunniang was curious and had her sister-in-law quickly pull her out.
Zhou Tiezhu came this time mainly to discuss the matter of wild wolves with Lizheng.
This time, his three sons killed two wolf cubs to save their lives, and Daqing paid the price of a leg. But as an old hunter, he knew that wild wolves were vengeful creatures. Once offended, they wouldn’t care if you had legs or not, especially after killing two cubs. They would likely pursue relentlessly.
Wang Lizheng sat in his chair, feeling displeased about Zhou Tiezhu selling land without consulting him. His reputation had taken a hit recently, and Zhou’s family selling land without his help was like a slap in the face, suggesting he, Wang Ren, was not trustworthy.
But hearing Zhou Tiezhu’s purpose, he couldn’t afford to put on airs and immediately became serious, “Is this true?”
Wild wolves coming down the mountain was no joke. One or two might be manageable, but a pack could devastate Qingshan Village.
Zhou Tiezhu didn’t think about the intricacies, just like when he sold the land, he only wanted to get the money quickly, not caring about Lizheng’s face. Now, having found unusual footprints at the mountain’s base, he immediately came to inform Lizheng.
“Since spring began, I’ve noticed unusual activity in the mountains,” he said. The winter had been harsh, and the animals were more aggressive this spring. Zhou Tiezhu had warned his family and mentioned it in the village. But the villagers, lacking hunting skills, stayed away from the deep mountains, while his youngest son ignored the warnings, with his brothers joining in the recklessness.
“I saw footprints that really looked like wolf tracks, and wolves are cunning creatures. They can boldly enter the village, let alone prefer night attacks.” Zhou Tiezhu knew the village would blame his family for this.
If Zhou Daqing and the others hadn’t gone into the mountains to provoke the wolf cubs, this wouldn’t have happened. If he were selfish, he might have already taken his family and fled.
But Zhou Tiezhu couldn’t do such a thing.
Wang Lizheng quickly had his eldest son beat the drum to notify the villagers, organizing the able-bodied men to throw stones at the mountain’s base. They also needed to dig some pits nearby.
However, since people often passed by the mountain’s base, they couldn’t place arrowheads inside. Even if a child fell in, shouting for help wouldn’t be a big problem.
The village quickly sprang into action, and those near the mountain’s base, like Qiao Yue and the others, soon found out.
Qiao Yue, holding his small hoe, was forced to join, “I don’t need to, right?”
“Even the small hoe is needed!” Wang Lizheng’s eyes flashed, urging him on. With many hands, the setup at the mountain’s base was finally completed by sunset.
Qiao Yue felt like he was exhausted today, not even wanting to speak when saying goodbye to Fang Chuyue.
“I’m heading back…”
Fang Chuyue handed him a basket, “Take these radishes home.” After all, working all day and going home empty-handed wouldn’t look good.
Qiao Yue was too tired to lift his hands, “I don’t want them, you take them back.”
“Take them back, Xiaoyuan will love them. Bring them back for him to eat.” Fang Chuyue grabbed Qiao Yue’s hand, hanging the basket on it, forcing him to take it home.
Though the basket was light, Qiao Yue felt it weighed a thousand pounds.
This day was truly exhausting.
With Fang Chuyue’s earnest gaze, what could Qiao Yue do? The words of refusal were swallowed back.
“Alright, remember to block the door tightly when you get home.”
When Qiao Yue returned home, Qiao Xiaoyuan ran over excitedly, seeing the radishes in the basket, “Wow,” he exclaimed, trying to climb up by grabbing his pants.
Xia He quickly stopped Xiaoyuan, “Big brother is tired, don’t climb. Go wash the radishes and eat them yourself.”
Qiao Xiaoyuan obediently listened, hugging the basket bigger than his head and running to Qiao Xiaomei. Qiao Xiaomei, holding a handkerchief, looked down at him, “What is it?”
“Sister Mei, my brother brought me radishes. Look, they’re so big and sweet!” Qiao Xiaoyuan remembered how Qiao Xiaomei ate eggs in front of him a few days ago, deliberately saying it in front of her.
Qiao Xiaomei forced a stiff smile, “Really? They’re just radishes, they’re everywhere.”
Qiao Xiaoyuan, puffing up in anger, said, “There are many radishes, but not many given by my brother!”
Qiao Xiaomei rolled her eyes.
Whether the radishes were from his brother or not, they tasted the same, only the headgear was different… Qiao Xiaomei was about to speak when she saw Qiao Yue watching intently, as if afraid she’d bully his little brother.
Qiao Xiaomei didn’t dare provoke Qiao Yue, who never let her off since childhood. If she really angered him, he could make her cry.
Seeing Qiao Xiaomei silent, Qiao Xiaoyuan felt he had won, “Yay!” He happily ran to Qiao Yue, giving a mischievous smile.
Qiao Yue was speechless, patting his butt, “Why do you always compare with your sister Mei?”
Xia He was also curious. Recently, these two seemed obsessed with comparing everything. Qiao Xiaoyuan, being much younger, always ended up losing, crying when he did.
After much coaxing, he’d forget the lesson and continue to provoke Qiao Xiaomei next time.
Qiao Xiaoyuan: “Hmph, Sister Mei says her brother is the best, but my brother is the best.” With that, he ran off to wash the radishes.
Qiao Xiaomei had been talking to Qiao Lei, and Qiao Xiaoyuan overheard. Unconvinced, he found opportunities to show off in front of Qiao Xiaomei. Qiao Xiaomei, finding him annoying, would show off back.
And so it went on.
Xia He watched Qiao Xiaoyuan, asking, “Are the traps at the mountain’s base ready? Why are there wild wolves coming down? Don’t go there for now.”
After speaking, he realized something was off. The Fang family was at the village’s end, quite close to the mountain’s base.
Qiao Yue hadn’t thought that far, nodding, “It’s fine, Xiaopa. Lizheng has arranged for people to patrol at night, and traps are set at the mountain’s base. If there’s any movement, women, husbands, and children shouldn’t go out. We’ll just guard our own homes.”
Qiao Yue didn’t voice his inner worries.
Xia He: “Hmm.”
He and Xiaoyuan definitely wouldn’t go out and cause trouble, but Shanzi not going out was unlikely. Even with courtyard walls, if a wolf got in, there’d be no escape.
But in a few days, Shanzi would be getting married, and Xia He was really worried, his brows furrowing.
Qiao Xiaoyuan washed a handful of radishes and handed them to Qiao Yue, “Xiaopa, eat. Big brother, you too.”
His small hand could only hold two or three, and Qiao Yue took them without hesitation, while Xia He’s furrowed brows relaxed a bit.
Qiao Xiaomei saw this: “…” This big brother is something else.
But Qiao Xiaoyuan was happy, seeing both his big brother and Xiaopa take them, his face beamed with joy. He washed another handful and ran to Qiao Xiaomei.
The radishes were translucent and shiny, water droplets dripping onto the ground. Qiao Xiaomei turned her gaze to Qiao Xiaoyuan, and under those sincere, straightforward eyes without a hint of shadow, Qiao Xiaomei’s lips moved, uttering, “…Thank you, Yuan Ge’er.”
“I’m Xiaoyuan, not Yuan Ge’er.” Qiao Xiaoyuan’s already bright eyes shone even more.
“Xiaoyuan is so nice, Sister Mei should thank Xiaoyuan, hahaha~”
Qiao Xiaomei: “…………”
Qiao Yue facepalmed, “You little mimic, stop secretly copying how others talk!”