“Why are you hitting the child? We’re the ones laughing at you. If you’ve got a problem, come at us. You only know how to bully the weak and take it out on kids. I really look down on people like you.”
Zhou Caixian curled her lip. “Alright, alright, we wouldn’t dare get involved with someone like you who only acts tough at home.
If we actually make you mad enough to have a fit, your family will be the ones suffering~”
With that, the group left together, their laughter and disdainful remarks carrying over in the air.
Qian Sancao’s eyes darted around—glancing at Er Ya, then at those who had left, then at the Xiaohe sisters digging roots on the other side.
When she saw those two little wretches grinning, she rolled her eyes back and passed out cold from sheer fury!
Lin Xiaohe felt immensely satisfied inside. “Sister Er Ya, that old hag definitely won’t let you eat tonight.
Come over to our place. You have to come. If you don’t, I’ll come find you. And if that old hag hits me, I’m blaming you.”
“Your family is already struggling so much. How could I come eat your food?”
Er Ya wasn’t about to do that. It’s not like they’d actually starve her to death—it was just one missed meal. She was used to it.
“Just listen to me, okay? You’ll understand when you get there. You have to come! If you don’t, I’ll really show up at your door.
I’ll stand outside the old house and call for you. If that old hag beats me, it’ll be your fault. Alright, now go back and get someone to carry her home. If she really dies out here, you’re the one who’ll have it rough.”
Lin Xiaohe pushed her gently.
“Fine, I’d better get going then.”
Not wanting to run into anyone else from that side, Xiaohe took her sister to a different spot to dig for roots.
“Heehee~ Sis, I feel so good inside.” Xiao Gu felt like her smile might split her face. “Hehe, if only she’d really croaked.”
“Alright, stop dreaming. Let’s focus on the work.”
They pretended to dig for roots for a while, then switched to gathering twigs.
They were young, short, and not very strong.
Thick branches were out of the question—they could only pick up small branches that had already fallen.
They gathered a small pile, carefully sorted them, and tied them up with dry grass.
One bundle each was about all they could carry—any more and they wouldn’t be able to manage.
They took a shortcut home.
“Xiaohe, is that you two back?” Hearing the noise, Liu Yuexiu called out weakly.
Her head felt heavy and foggy—she knew something was wrong.
“Yeah, Mom, what’s wrong?” The voice sounded off. Lin Xiaohe dropped the firewood with a thud in the yard and rushed inside without a second thought.
She didn’t even need to touch her—one look at her face and she could tell the fever was back.
“I boiled some potatoes. Eat a little before you take the medicine.” She handed a potato to each of them, then pried out the pills and poured water.
The only water bucket they had at home was one Aunt Wu Xiang had given them.
Her husband was a half-trained carpenter—he’d studied properly for two years as a boy but never finished his apprenticeship before coming back to farm. His work wasn’t pretty to look at, but it was sturdy and practical.
After taking the medicine, the couple fell into a deep sleep.
Lin Xiaohe frowned. “Xiao Gu, sort out those wild vegetables. We’ll make another trip this afternoon and see if we can trade them for money there. If we can, we’ll buy some anti-inflammatory medicine for Mom and Dad.”
The recurring fever might mean an infection.
She lifted the thin blanket to check the couple’s wounds, but they were wrapped in white gauze—she couldn’t see clearly.
“Okay, I’ll get them ready right away.”
Wild vegetables were quite precious. After sitting out for an afternoon, the top layer had already started to wilt slightly—that definitely couldn’t be sold, so they’d keep it for themselves.
They carefully sorted through the rest, picking out the tenderest parts.
“Let’s each have a potato too.” Lin Xiaohe pulled two potatoes from the clay pot. “We’ll cook some porridge when we get back.”
“Okay.”
They locked the door again, and hand in hand, the two sisters made their way to the familiar spot.
They walked all the way down and nervously crossed the road.
“Sis, where are we selling this time?”
Lin Xiaohe pursed her lips, a little embarrassed by her own boldness. “We’ll go ask that auntie from yesterday again.”
She was the only one who’d wanted their wild vegetables so far.
And that auntie was easy to talk to—they could also ask her where they should be selling.
“Alright, let’s hurry then.”
In the afternoon, there were a few scattered shoppers in the market, but it was nothing compared to the morning bustle.
Yuan Zhiqiang was minding the shop alone—his wife had gone out for a stroll, hoping she might run into those two sisters again.
From a distance, he spotted two familiar figures. They were very familiar—they were wearing the same clothes as yesterday. He recognized them instantly.
“Little girls! Little girls!” He waved to catch their attention. “Are you here to sell wild vegetables?”
Lin Xiaohe nodded, scratching her head awkwardly. “Yes, uncle, but we don’t know where we’re supposed to sell them.”
“I see. Did you come from that direction? That’s the back entrance—not many people pass through there. Just keep walking straight ahead all the way to the very end.
You’ll see white lines painted on the ground. The spots with white lines charge a stall fee, so if you’re not a regular vendor, it’s not worth it.
Go a little further—where there are no white lines, it’s first come, first served, and it’s free.”
Lin Xiaohe’s eyes grew brighter with every word. This trip hadn’t been a waste at all.
“But you need quite a few things to set up a stall. I see you don’t have anything prepared—plastic bags, a scale, and change.”
Yuan Zhiqiang had started out as a street vendor himself, so he knew the ropes.
Lin Xiaohe scratched her head again. “Uncle, can we not set up a stall without those things?”
“It’s not impossible—for occasional sellers like you, you can sell by the bundle or by the handful.
It’s just a bit more hassle. But you definitely need change, otherwise you won’t be able to make change.
You two don’t look like you have a payment QR code, so doing business won’t be easy. Not many people carry cash these days.
Well, except for the older folks shopping around here—some of them still use cash.”
Lin Xiaohe breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn’t strictly necessary.
“Right, we’ve been talking for so long and haven’t gotten to the main point. Are you still selling purslane today? I’ll take some more.
Your wild vegetables are really good. My son—who never touches leafy greens—ate quite a lot yesterday.
Same as yesterday—I’ll take 2.5 kilos.”
Knowing the two girls had come with nothing but the vegetables, Yuan Zhiqiang went inside, grabbed a plastic bag, and started packing the wild vegetables.
“You’ve brought more than yesterday. They’re all fresh and tender too—must’ve taken quite a bit of effort to pick these.”
He didn’t ask about their family situation. He’d already gathered a little yesterday—both parents bedridden with fractures, and the two girls looked skinny.
Their hair was dry and yellowish, their faces pale—clearly life was hard.
Who hadn’t suffered as a kid? Out on the streets, no matter how tired or bitter you felt, the hardest thing was when someone asked about home.
It was embarrassing, and hard to talk about.
“It wasn’t that much effort. We brought a little extra today because we wanted to buy some more medicine for our parents. I heard they need anti-inflammatory medicine.”
Lin Xiaohe confessed openly and honestly.
“After I take this, you’ll only have about a kilo or so left. Don’t bother going through the trouble of setting up a stall at the entrance. Let me ask my neighbors if they want any.”
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