When the sweet malt candy entered their mouths, its rich sweetness spread quickly across their taste buds. All three of them broke into bright smiles—smiles as warm as the spring sun, as if that sweetness had melted straight into the deepest part of their hearts.
It had to be said: sweet things truly seemed to possess a magical power to heal everything.
As for this candy, it was something they had only eaten when they were little.
Back then, their father was still at home. He had secretly bought them candy twice—just a few pieces in total.
Every time they got some, they would return to their own room at night and eat it as carefully as if it were a priceless treasure. They were so reluctant to finish it in one go that a single piece of candy could last for many days.
At that moment, the three siblings seemed to think of their parents at the same time. Memories of the warm days they had spent together surged up like a tide. In the end, they clung tightly to one another and burst into tears, letting their sorrow flow freely.
Liu Qingyan recalled every detail of the original owner’s childhood. It all felt as if it had happened just yesterday, and she could deeply empathize with those feelings.
They were now completely alone in the world—orphans with no parents, no close relatives left.
Grief overwhelmed them like a rising tide, and the three of them cried in each other’s arms.
After crying for a long while, Liu Qingyan was the first to recover. She gently wiped away her tears and said to her younger siblings, “Second brother, third sister, let’s let all our sadness out with this cry. From now on, we must not cry again. We have to be strong.
Don’t be afraid. As long as your sister is here, no difficulty is impossible to solve.
Come on, follow me to the kitchen. Let’s make something delicious. I’ll render the pork fat into lard cracklings, and later we’ll stew a pot of fragrant bone and radish soup.
These big bones are treasures—they’re the best for calcium. We’re all growing right now, and if we don’t get enough calcium, we won’t grow tall! Tomorrow we’ll make dumplings.”
The two children looked at her curiously and asked, “Sister, what is calcium? And what are dumplings?”
Only then did Liu Qingyan realize she had carelessly used modern terms. Helpless, she patiently explained, “Calcium is a nutrient our bodies need. It helps us grow taller quickly.
As for dumplings—you’ll know once we make them tomorrow. I promise you’ll love them.”
The three siblings rushed into the kitchen and immediately got busy. Soon, a rich aroma filled the room, making their mouths water.
Liu Qingyan handed a few pieces of crackling pork fat to the children. Since she had bought a lot of pork fat this time, they happily ate several pieces.
After that, she put the bones into the pot, added water, and let them simmer slowly over low heat. Only in this way could the marrow be fully released, making the soup more nutritious.
Liu Qingyi stayed by the stove, adding firewood from time to time.
Liu Qingyou cooked a pot of coarse rice porridge on another small stove.
After about half an hour, the milky-white bone broth with radish was finally ready.
The rich aroma was mouthwatering. The two children eagerly scooped themselves a bowl and drank it with great satisfaction, their faces glowing with happiness.
That night, the siblings took turns heating water to bathe, preparing to wear their new clothes the next day.
Ever since Liu Qingyan had arrived, the younger siblings had not taken a proper bath. Fortunately, the weather was cool and they did not sweat much.
There was no large bathtub at home, so they could only wash themselves using a small wooden basin.
Fortunately, their mother had once taught them good hygiene habits, so even though their clothes were worn and patched, they were always kept clean.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window into the room.
The three of them woke up early and put on the long-awaited new clothes, feeling indescribably happy.
Especially Qingyou—the little girl naturally loved beauty. She stood in front of a basin of water, admiring her reflection again and again, her smile as bright as a blooming spring flower.
Liu Qingyi, being older, did not show it as openly, but Liu Qingyan still noticed him gently touching his new clothes, his eyes full of joy.
Liu Qingyan wasn’t very good at styling hair, so she simply tied her own into a neat ponytail.
Qingyou, however, was skilled with her hands and styled her hair into two cute buns, making her look even more lively and adorable.
At that moment, Xiao Yu came by to visit. As soon as she entered, she saw all three of them wearing brand-new clothes and couldn’t help but brighten up.
She praised, “Wow, you’re all wearing new clothes! You look so beautiful!”
Hearing the compliment, Qingyou was overjoyed and spun around happily several times.
Xiao Yu then smiled again and said, “Qingyou, you’re really pretty—you look like a little fairy.”
Liu Qingyan smiled and said to her, “Xiao Yu, Qingyou and I won’t go up the mountain today. We’re planning to make quilts at home. We bought some cloth and cotton before, and you know our quilts are really worn out.”
“Oh, just the two of you? You probably won’t finish in one day. How about I stay and help you?”
“I’ll go tell my mother, and have Tieniu and Qingyi go gather some firewood and dig some wild vegetables instead.”
Xiao Yu was always warm-hearted. After speaking, she rushed home, told her mother, and quickly returned.
With Xiao Yu’s help, the three of them worked much faster, and within just one day they managed to make three quilts.
In ancient times, girls were taught needlework from a very young age.
After finishing their work, Qingyi returned from the mountains with a basket of fresh shepherd’s purse.
Liu Qingyan smiled and said to Xiao Yu, “Xiao Yu, stay for dinner tonight. I’ll make something delicious—we’ll have dumplings.”
But Xiao Yu refused no matter what. Her mother had repeatedly told her that Liu Qingyan’s family lived in hardship, so how could she stay and eat there?
Last time she had taken a few wild eggs, and her mother had already scolded her for a long time.
After Xiao Yu left, Liu Qingyan began preparing to make dumplings. There was no fresh meat at home, so she used pork cracklings instead.
She finely chopped the cracklings and mixed them with cleaned shepherd’s purse. Just imagining the filling was enough to tell how delicious the dumplings would be.
After kneading the dough, she realized there was no rolling pin, no dumpling mat, and no proper board.
She went outside, picked a straight branch of suitable thickness, carefully trimmed it with a knife, and soon made a simple rolling pin.
Then she instructed her younger brother, “Qingyi, go to Grandpa Tian’s house and buy a few bamboo trays, and also a bamboo strainer.”