At the foot of the back mountain, twenty to thirty half-grown children were squatting with their bottoms in the air, searching for wild vegetables.
Most were seven or eight years old, the oldest only around ten.
The girls each carried a bamboo basket in their hands, while most of the boys were empty-handed.
As soon as they saw Lu Ping’an and the little girl arrive, they hurried forward to greet him.
“Uncle Ping’an…”
Looking at the group of youngsters, Lu Ping’an smiled. “Not bad—you all know how to gather wild vegetables now!”
“My little sister will stay with you. I’m going to cut a moso bamboo over there.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the sturdiest boy stepped forward with a grin. “Don’t worry, Uncle Ping’an. We’ll take good care of Little Aunt!”
Lu Ping’an recognized him. His name was Tiedan, the grandson of Grandma Zhang—the one who had given the little girl a White Rabbit milk candy earlier.
“Alright, Tiedan. Uncle Ping’an will reward you with this milk candy.”
He took out the last White Rabbit candy he had and placed it in Tiedan’s hand.
The other children’s eyes filled with envy.
“Big Brother, go ahead. I’ll stay with Nephew Tiedan and won’t run around,” the little girl said, putting on a grown-up air that made Lu Ping’an burst into laughter.
In the village, seniority was taken very seriously. Though the little girl was younger than Tiedan by a few years, he had long called her “Little Aunt.”
She had gradually grown used to it, imitating adults when she spoke, sounding quite convincing.
As Lu Ping’an walked away, the other children immediately surrounded Tiedan.
“Brother Tiedan, can I lick the candy wrapper? Just once!”
“Brother Tiedan, let me smell it at least—the scent is so sweet…”
They crowded around him, swallowing hard.
Tiedan lifted his chin proudly but didn’t forget his task.
“Go, go! Help my little aunt pick wild vegetables first. Once her basket is full, I’ll let you take turns licking the wrapper!”
The children nodded eagerly and gathered around the little girl, helping her collect wild greens.
Watching from afar, Lu Ping’an felt a pang in his heart.
Shaking off the feeling, he found a bamboo stalk and chopped it down.
It wasn’t very thick—only about as wide as a baby’s fist—usually used at home for drying clothes.
He cut it for one reason only: to make traps for wild rabbits, mountain rats, and pheasants.
He had learned these skills years ago in the army from his comrades.
Looking at the bamboo, he felt one wasn’t enough and cut another.
After trimming off the branches and leaves, he slung the two stalks over his shoulder and returned to the mountain’s foot.
Seeing his little sister surrounded by the others, he felt reassured and began crafting.
Soon, he had made seven traps—four for mountain rats and rabbits.
Mountain rats usually followed fixed paths. As long as the trap was placed along their regular route, it would trigger when their heads passed through.
For rabbits, he needed to locate their burrows and set the trap nearby.
As for pheasants, that was simpler—mainly snaring their legs and suspending them midair.
Seeing the little girl having the time of her life, Lu Ping’an took the traps and began scouting around.
Yesterday, he had taken some half-chewed corn kernels from a mouse hole. Today, they would come in handy.
He set the traps for mountain rats and rabbits first.
Then he walked further up the mountain and soon reached an area where pheasants frequented.
A pheasant spotted him and immediately ran off.
Lu Ping’an chuckled and set the three pheasant traps, scattering corn kernels before leaving.
He had done all he could. The rest was up to fate.
In these times, every household struggled to fill their stomachs. There wasn’t a drop of oil in their diets. Without proper nourishment, people simply couldn’t endure.
Returning to the mountain’s foot, he noticed half a bamboo stalk left and decided to take it home later.
With nothing else to do, he found a shady spot and lay down.
Not long after, the little girl, accompanied by Tiedan and the others, came over.
“Big Brother, am I amazing? I picked a whole basket of wild vegetables!”
She looked smug as she sought praise.
Lu Ping’an couldn’t help but smile inwardly. The basket likely contained only a tiny portion she had actually picked—but of course, he had to praise her.
“My Sixth Sister is the best!”
Hearing this, her eyes curved into crescents again, and a bright smile bloomed across her face.
“Big Brother, I’ll leave the basket here. Help me watch it. I’m going to play with Nephew Tiedan and the others!”
“They helped me pick vegetables just now. I have to help them too, or they’ll get their bottoms spanked when they go home!”
After saying this, she set down the basket and ran off laughing with her companions.
Lu Ping’an watched their retreating figures, the smile on his lips widening.
He closed his eyes and, in a daze, drifted off to sleep.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when he felt something brushing against his nose. He quickly opened his eyes.
The little girl was crouching beside him, holding a foxtail grass stem and tickling his nose.
Seeing him awake, she giggled.
“Big Brother, Nephew Tiedan and the others are about to go home. Let’s go back too!”
Lu Ping’an sat up with a smile. “Alright—but wait for me a moment. Big Brother has something to check. I’ll be right back.”
After telling her to stay put, he hurried off to inspect the traps.
The four traps for mountain rats and rabbits had caught nothing. He wasn’t disappointed—those creatures were nocturnal and usually active at night.
Then he went to check the pheasant traps. Before he even got close, he heard frantic flapping.
His eyes lit up.
At the first trap, sure enough, a pheasant weighing around three jin was hanging midair.
When it saw him, it struggled even harder.
Lu Ping’an quickly grabbed it and reset the trap, a grin spreading across his face.
Today’s efforts hadn’t been in vain.
He checked the second trap—no movement.
At the third, he initially thought there was nothing either. But upon closer inspection, he found another pheasant hanging there—plumper than the first.
He swiftly collected the struggling bird, reset the trap, scattered the last of his corn kernels, and headed down the mountain.
Two pheasants.
One would be for his own family.
The other he decided to send to his grandparents—to give the two elders some nourishment.
As soon as he reached the foot of the mountain, the little girl ran up to him.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the two pheasants in his hands.
Meat.
She hadn’t eaten meat in a long time.
At that moment, the way she looked at her brother was filled with pure admiration.
Big Brother was the best.