Qi He's face was always adorned with a smile. It was great to have the donkey cart; Grandpa Meng and Yu'er didn't have to walk, and both he and Grandpa Meng were much more relaxed.
It would be even better if this donkey cart were a bit bigger, then Sister Fu could ride on it.
Thinking back to how Sister Fu insisted on letting Fang Shi ride the donkey cart, while she herself willingly walked with them, Qi He felt a pang of envy. Sister Fu was so good to her mother, and Fang Shi was also good to them, the siblings.
If his mother were still alive, would she have treated him this way too?
But his mother was a blank in his memory; he had never seen his mother, and didn't even know what she looked like.
When he was little, he saw children in the village with both parents, and he'd cry, asking Grandma for a father and mother. Each time, his Grandma would sit on a small stool and shed tears. Gradually, he stopped asking, not wanting Grandma to cry.
As he grew older, he would occasionally hear snippets about his parents from the adults. He would secretly jot them down, slowly piecing together their story.
His parents were from the same village, growing up together like childhood sweethearts. After growing up, his mother naturally married his father. They were a loving couple after marriage, and soon after, his mother became pregnant with him.
His parents lived in blissful harmony for ten months. When his mother gave birth to him, it was a difficult labor, taking a day and a night before she finally managed to give birth to him. But she herself didn't make it.
His father couldn't bear the blow. After his mother was buried, he disappeared. Three years later, he sent word back. He had left home wandering aimlessly and coincidentally encountered a general recruiting new soldiers. He enlisted and followed the general to Liaodong.
In the blink of an eye, he was already ten years old. His father sent letters and money every year. The letters also asked his Grandma to send him to school in town.
But he didn't like studying. He wanted to go to his father, to see what he looked like, whether he resembled his uncle.
He heard from the villagers that his father was even taller and more imposing than his uncle. Sometimes, he would look at his uncle and imagine his father's appearance. Although his uncle treated him very well, his aunt...
Sigh, he shouldn't think about it.
Qi He shook his head with a hint of sadness, forcing himself to stop thinking about the past. In a short while, he would be able to see his father; he should be happy.
He also remembered that soon he would have a stick to fight wolves, and his mood naturally improved.
With nothing else to do, he leaned over and reminded Fu Xin Ci and the Meng brothers, "When we walk, we must keep an eye out for potato sprouts by the roadside. If we find any, we must dig them up."
"Yes, we won't forget this, nor can we overlook it." Thinking of the aroma of potatoes stewed with cured meat, Qi Tian felt his mouth suddenly water.
"Not only must we remember, but our eyes must be sharp. We'll watch closely, and we won't miss any." Qi He thought potatoes were delicious no matter how they were cooked. "Next time we find potatoes, I'll definitely ask Grandpa Jiang to serve us an extra bowl. I didn't eat enough."
"I didn't eat enough either," Qi Tian licked his lips, saying a little sheepishly.
"I didn't eat enough either. Potatoes stewed with cured meat were too delicious," Yu'er leaned against his grandfather, smacking his lips, and then added, "The soup was also delicious."
"Eat, eat," Bao'er, who was sitting propped up in front of Ke'er, also babbled, pointing to his stomach when food was mentioned. Bao'er understood and even patted his belly with his little hands.
"Bao'er, if you keep moving around, I won't be able to hold you. We'll both fall down." Seeing Bao'er getting restless and trying to wriggle out of her embrace, Ke'er exclaimed loudly to stop him.
"Why don't you give Bao'er to me?" Meng Qingping also knew that Bao'er would be difficult to handle when he got restless, and Ke'er couldn't hold him.
"Mm, second great-uncle, be careful. Bao'er is too rambunctious, he even wants to stand up and jump." Thinking of Bao'er's fussing along the way, Ke'er really couldn't handle it.
"Mm, second great-uncle, keep an eye on this mischievous one."
Once in his second great-uncle's arms, Bao'er sat down quietly and stopped fussing.
Ke'er: Bao'er is so little, yet he knows how to bully people. He was endlessly restless in my arms, but the moment he was with second great-uncle, he instantly transformed, becoming as well-behaved as a little girl.
Qi He, however, paid no mind to this. He was still reminding everyone about finding potatoes.
Being so nagged by him, Fu Yu, who was driving, also perked up. He kept urging Fang Shi, who was sitting on the cart shaft, to keep an eye out too.
Fang Shi didn't recognize what potato sprouts looked like, but she didn't contradict them in front of everyone. She could only reply vaguely. Then she said to Fu Yu, "I'll get down and walk for a while, so Ci'er can ride the cart and rest."
"Alright, Ci'er, hurry over."
"Okay."
After Fu Xin Ci sat on the cart shaft, she looked back and saw everyone not looking at their feet but at the roadside. She felt very guilty. However, there were some things she couldn't say, so she could only let them search the ground.
The group moved forward and finally reached an open area. Jiang Tou'er immediately shouted loudly, "Everyone stop and rest for a while before we continue."
"Alright," Wu Laoda, quick to respond, immediately agreed.
Fu Yu was the first to stop the donkey cart by the roadside. As Fu Xin Ci's feet touched the ground, she reached out and took Bao'er from her grandfather's arms.
Seeing another little aunt holding him, Bao'er happily bared his small white teeth and babbled incessantly.
His little feet also cooperated, kicking back and forth. If Fu Xin Ci hadn't been prepared, this little fellow would have tumbled to the ground.
"Sister Ci, look! Bao'er is going too far. He only knows how to bully us. He was so well-behaved in second great-uncle's arms." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Fu Xin Ci thought for a moment, and it seemed to be true. She hadn't expected someone so small to know how to be afraid of someone.
"Since he knows to fear people, why don't we try acting fierce ourselves and see how this little one reacts?"
"Mm."
Seeing both little aunts glare at him, Bao'er immediately quieted down, looked at them pleadingly, and sent them his most sincere kisses, covering Fu Xin Ci's face with saliva.
His behavior of picking on the soft and fearing the strong was displayed vividly.
Fu Xin Ci: She was truly speechless.
Ke'er: Her eyes curved with laughter.
Meng Xiao He saw this, smiled, and walked over, saying to Fu Xin Ci and Ke'er, "Let me hold Bao'er. He's very naughty and very heavy. It's very tiring for both of you to hold him."
Meng Xiao He, who was usually very shy, surprisingly spoke so much in one breath.
Fu Xin Ci wasn't very good at handling children, and she was afraid Bao'er would struggle, causing her to drop him. So, she readily handed Bao'er over to Meng Xiao He.
Once in Meng Xiao He's arms, Bao'er was as joyful as a fish swimming into the sea. His little hands clasped around Meng Xiao He's neck and refused to let go. He even pouted his little backside and wiggled coquettishly.