Aunt Six looked at him in surprise. "Why are you buying a chicken out of the blue?"
Uncle Li was the only barefoot doctor in the Yangshu Brigade, and he either charged money or goods for treating people.
These goods could be meat and vegetables, or some daily necessities. Anyway, they had plenty to eat at home.
He didn't have to work in the fields, so the brigade naturally credited him with work points and distributed grain. His family's living conditions were among the best in Wujing Village.
Uncle Li wore a worried look and said with a wry face, "My old mother... is probably not going to make it. She can't eat anything, and she's completely listless."
Aunt Six paused. "That serious?"
She had heard a few days ago that Uncle Li's mother was not in good health.
"Eldest, go catch a chicken and come with me to take a look."
Uncle Li quickly waved his hand. "No, no, Auntie, you know my mother's temper. She doesn't like seeing outsiders. Just exchange a chicken for me."
Aunt Six didn't insist and asked Cheng Xianjing to catch the chicken.
After giving him the chicken, Aunt Six also handed him the oil paper packet of hawthorn.
"This stuff tastes pretty good. Eat it for novelty and sweeten your old mother's mouth."
At a time like this, Uncle Li wouldn't refuse. He thanked her repeatedly.
After Uncle Li left, Cheng Xianjing asked, "Mom, shouldn't we go to the paper shop to buy some things to prepare?"
Aunt Six lightly tapped his head. "Prepare for what? It's not a sure thing yet!"
If Old Mother Li really passed away, Cheng Tianhua would inform them, and there would still be time to prepare.
...
Cheng You had never worked in the fields before, so she didn't know it was such tiring work.
It was even hotter in the afternoon than in the morning. She broke into a sweat after walking a few steps and was out of breath.
"San Leng!" she called out, mimicking the method from the morning.
She didn't manage to call out San Leng, but she saw Qi Chengyan.
Mainly because his figure was tall and straight, making him particularly conspicuous in the mountains. She couldn't help but notice him.
"Qing Zhiqing, we meet again." Cheng You smiled.
The girl's face was delicate, and her smile was charming and endearing. Even the cold-hearted Qi Chengyan was momentarily stunned.
"That way." He tilted his chin slightly.
"What?"
Seeing her bewildered expression, Qi Chengyan turned and walked away briskly.
"San Leng."
His words were concise, his back indifferent, as if he didn't want to bother with her.
Cheng You finally understood. He meant San Leng was over there.
"Hey! Qing Zhiqing, wait!"
Cheng You ran towards him and soon saw Qi Chengyan stop.
However, she hadn't braked in time and only knew that she had bumped into his broad back.
So hard!
She rubbed her sore nose and stepped back, glaring at his back.
Qi Chengyan turned around and said calmly, "What is it?"
Cheng You came back to her senses and offered him a few candied hawthorns.
Since the hawthorn was for San Leng, she couldn't give him the oil paper.
She had no choice but to take out her handkerchief and wrap a few for him.
"The handkerchief is clean. I washed it," she emphasized specially, fearing he wouldn't accept them.
Qi Chengyan's gaze dropped, his expression unfathomable and ambiguous.
The girl's hands were small, fair, and tender, like segments of green onions.
Her delicate fingernails were pale pink, with small crescent moons appearing at the base.
In this mountainous countryside, she was like a radiant flower blooming towards the sun, bright and dazzling.
He had intended to refuse, but for some inexplicable reason, he took them.
Before he could change his mind, Cheng You smiled brightly and turned to leave.
She walked in the direction he had indicated, all the way to the riverbank, where she saw San Leng.
"Sister Cheng You!" San Leng ran over.
Cheng You: "You made me look for you. Here, this is for you."
San Leng took the oil paper and looked at it. "What is this?"
"Didn't I tell you? Candied hawthorn!"
"Sister Cheng You, you finished it so quickly?"
San Leng eagerly popped one into his mouth. The sweet taste exploded on his tongue, immediately followed by a sourness that mixed with it.
It was sour and sweet, and indeed very delicious.
"Sister, you're amazing! My grandma will definitely like it!"
Cheng You smiled and said, "Eat these yourself. I gave some to Grandma Six."
Only then did San Leng dare to eat to his heart's content, stuffing several into his mouth consecutively.
He wolfed them down.
As he ate, he said, "I was hoping to see if there were any wild ducks here."
Mainly because he had eaten wild chicken meat in the morning and was still craving it.
Cheng You shook her head with a smile. "Wild chickens in the morning and wild ducks in the afternoon. How could you be so lucky?"
Indeed, the luck wouldn't be that good, and there wouldn't be any wild ducks.
But Cheng You actually found wild duck eggs!
A nest of twelve wild duck eggs, two of which hatched right before their eyes.
San Leng was stunned. Why was the luck so good today?
"Sister, you are truly my lucky star!"
If these ducklings could be raised, they might continue to lay eggs in the future.
Even if they didn't lay eggs, they could be eaten.
These wild duck eggs were also beyond Cheng You's expectation, as if she were dreaming.
"Can these hatch into ducks?" she asked.
San Leng picked them up one by one and looked at them, then shook his head.
"No, only these two."
Cheng You became a little troubled. "There's nowhere to raise them."
She didn't want to take them home, because once taken home, the things would no longer be hers.
"Sister, why don't I go home and ask my grandma? If my grandma wants them, I'll have her buy them from you."
Cheng You was overjoyed. "What about the duck eggs? Do you want the duck eggs?"
San Leng nodded. "I'll go ask my grandma."
Cheng You was extremely happy, because for her, rather than giving these things to the Cheng Tianhua family for free, it was better to sell them for money.
At least she could hold onto this money.
However, since they found them together, Cheng You saw no reason to keep them all for herself.
She only took one wild duck and five wild duck eggs.
The two of them haggled, and finally decided that Cheng You would take two more wild duck eggs.
Cheng You picked up these two wild duck eggs and put them in her pocket. "I won't sell these two. You can take the remaining five home and ask. If Grandma Six doesn't want them, you tell me."
San Leng cheerfully carried his things home, thinking that his grandma would never refuse them.
"Grandma! Grandma!"
Aunt Six came out from the house, her face stern, but her eyes holding a smile.
"Shouting your soul out."
San Leng chuckled. "Grandma, guess what I brought back."
Aunt Six was not very interested and chided him. "You go out to gather pig fodder every day, but I haven't seen you bring back anything good."
San Leng felt unconvinced and took down his basket.
"Look!"
Aunt Six looked down and squinted, seeing two live ducks.
And wild duck eggs!
"Did you pick them up by the river?"
Although these were not great treasures, they were enough to prove that San Leng had good luck.
San Leng shook his head and scratched the back of his head with a chuckle.
"I didn't find them, it was Sister Cheng You."
"Since Cheng You found them, why did you bring them back?"
San Leng explained, "Sister Cheng You has a stepmother at home. If she brought these home, she probably wouldn't get to eat them. She wants to sell them all."
Aunt Six couldn't help but recall the time when Song Yulian had cried out that Cheng You had stolen eggs from home.
She vaguely remembered that when Cheng You's mother was still alive, the child wouldn't have had trouble getting even an egg to eat.
Especially since Cheng Tianhua was a production team leader, and the two elders didn't live with him. How could their family life be so hard?
In the end, it all came down to a stepmother in charge and an unloving father.