"We might be able to do it a few more times, but where can we find so many quail eggs?"
"That's true, I know quail eggs are hard to come by."
Fu Xin Ci thought differently. She still had plenty in her space.
Yu Er was in an exceptionally good mood today. He looked at the eggs in the basket and then at the quail eggs in his hand. He was simply overjoyed.
But before he could float away on happiness, Qi He mentioned something else that made him ecstatic. "Sister Fu also bought ten salted duck eggs."
"Each one will be oily," Fu Xin Ci boasted for once.
"Sister."
"When our Yu Er wants to eat them, he can."
"Sister." The little guy leaned against his sister, nuzzling her affectionately. "Sister is the best."
"Yu Er is also the best."
"Mhm."
Qi He looked at the siblings' affectionate display and felt so envious. He wished he had brothers and sisters.
But his mother only bore him, and his father was still unwilling to remarry.
Qi He looked at the young siblings before him, still envious. No matter what, he picked up Yu Er and started walking.
Yu Er: "Hahaha, Brother Qi, hurry up!"
Fu Xin Ci: What was going on? Why was Yu Er being carried away by Brother Qi while they were talking?
Meng Qing Ping guessed some of it and didn't say anything. He urged his son and grandchildren, "No need to be surprised, we should be heading back."
"Yes." Fu Yu picked up the sack of grain and followed his father.
Fang Shi wanted to help her daughter with her carrying basket, but Fu Xin Ci stopped her. "Mom, I can carry it, it's not heavy at all." Then she pointed to the melons and basket of eggs that Qi He had put down. "Mom, we still need to take these back."
Fang Shi: ...
"Mom, put the melons in my basket."
Fang Shi looked at her daughter's small frame and couldn't bear to see her daughter get tired. She wanted to put a few melons on top of the eggs.
"Mom, you should put two in my basket. What if the eggs get crushed?"
Fang Shi thought about it and realized her daughter had a point. She picked two of the smaller melons and put them in her daughter's basket. "Alright, let's go back now."
"Mhm," Fu Xin Ci replied and walked back with Fang Shi.
When Qi He, happily carrying Yu Er, ran back to where everyone was resting, he saw Nian Zi coming towards him. "Qi He, did you bring anything good for your brother?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"I did, the melons I just bought are very sweet. But, but..." Qi He only now remembered that he had forgotten to bring the melons back.
Yu Er: "Brother Nian Zi, Brother Qi was too busy carrying me, he forgot all about the melons."
Qi He: "It means our Yu Er is more fragrant than the melons."
"Hehe." Yu Er really liked Brother Qi's words.
Nian Zi disagreed, "Even if Yu Er is fragrant, he can't be eaten." With that, Nian Zi scooped up Yu Er and threw him onto his shoulder. "Let's go get them."
"Hahaha." Yu Er sat on Nian Zi's shoulder, laughing heartily.
Qi He: He was just a tiny bit slower, and Yu Er was carried away by Brother Nian Zi.
What else could he do? He chased after them.
In the June heat, the two young men chased each other, their faces drenched in sweat, showing no signs of stopping. Passersby paid them no mind; it was common for people of similar age to joke and play around.
However, the slightly older one, wearing a dark blue uniform, was a bit more intriguing.
Some observant individuals noticed that the uniformed officer on his shoulder was carrying a child, and he was playfully looking back while running.
The child on his shoulder waved gleefully at the pursuer. The younger boy, chasing behind, pretended to be exhausted but continued with enthusiasm.
When they reached Fu Xin Ci, she observed the reactions of those around her and mused that if Qi He had been carrying Yu Er and Nian Zi had been chasing, others would likely have perceived it as a different story.
The two who had been eagerly chasing each other became somewhat shy when they actually reached Fang Shi and Fu Xin Ci.
Yu Er saw Brother Nian Zi and Brother Qi standing there. He stammered, unable to finish his sentence. Then, with great loyalty, he took all the blame. "Mom, Sister, it was Yu Er who wanted to eat melons and asked Brother Nian Zi and Brother Qi to bring me here."
"That's right," Nian Zi replied promptly. He had never cherished Yu Er so much. This boy was so understanding, the most thoughtful little fellow.
Qi He just smiled, remaining silent. He didn't want to lie to Sister Fu.
Fang Shi didn't think much of it. She handed the three melons from on top of the eggs to Qi He. Seeing the two children running, sweating profusely, she told her son, "Yu Er, get down quickly. In this heat, don't let Nian Zi carry you."
"It's alright, Auntie, Yu Er isn't heavy, I can carry him easily," Nian Zi said. Then he carried Yu Er and ran ahead. Qi He chuckled and said, "Auntie, we're going back now," and followed Nian Zi.
"Ah, truly the spirit of youth," Fang Shi said, watching the two run away. She sighed with envy. "It's good to be young. Even in this weather, they run around happily under the sun."
Fu Xin Ci: She was younger, but she disliked this scorching weather. However, after the recent heavy rain, she suspected there would be a prolonged drought ahead.
She really wanted to wear a short-sleeved shirt and sit in the shade, preferably with an ice cream in her mouth.
At the very least, she could hide in her space and not come out. But these pleasant wishes were just fantasies for now.
In this era, if she dared to show herself in a short-sleeved shirt, it would be like the God of Longevity eating poison – seeking death.
Alas, under the blazing sun, Fu Xin Ci grumbled inwardly the whole way.
It had to be said that complaining to herself, while it might not achieve anything, was better than letting the feelings fester.
So, she looked up at the bright sun in the sky and silently recited three times: "Calmness brings coolness, calmness brings coolness, calmness brings coolness."
Fang Shi also felt the heat. Fortunately, they were almost at the resting place.
However, mother and daughter were surprised by the scene ahead.
Fu Xin Ci: No wonder Grandpa Jiang told everyone to stop at this intersection to rest. He had this plan all along.
What a cunning old fox.
When mother and daughter arrived, they saw elderly women from the town, unable to bear seeing the young children crying and thirsty and hungry, had brought buckets of water to offer them.
It is said that those who understand the times are wise. After the hardships of the journey, most of the Meng clan members knew how to say thank you.
Especially the children, they were all smart. Seeing the two old women arriving with water buckets, they obediently stepped forward to greet them.
Hearing their soft voices calling out, "Thank you, grandmothers," the two old women were so pleased that they ran home again and brought back several flatbreads to share among the children.