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墨書 Inktalez
"Oh! Second Sister, if only I could live like you, then I wouldn't have to listen to Aunt!" Liu Qinglian longed for the life of the siblings Liu Qingxi and Liu Qinglian.
In her understanding, leaving the Liu Family was not a bad thing; at least she could eat the food she found without worry.
At nine years old, she understood everything. The work she did was no less than anyone else's, and with her honest and capable parents, life would surely be better than it was now.
Of course, this was just her own thought, one she never dared to mention to Liu Laowu.
Liu Qingxi sighed; she could understand the girl's feelings. Having such thoughts showed that Liu Qinglian was not a timid girl who was content with the status quo.
But what could she do? Her current abilities were only enough to take care of herself, and the help she could provide was limited. The key issue lay with Liu Laowu and Zhao.
They were the elders. If they did not understand how to resist and continued to retreat, no matter how much Liu Qinglian thought about it, it would be of no use. The outcome in the future might not be much better than that of Liu Laosan, her biological parents.
Gently patting Liu Qinglian's head, Liu Qingxi fell silent.
Upon returning home, Liu Qingxi first took out a piece of meat left over from lunch, diced it up, added a handful of brown rice along with some salt and dried wild vegetables, and simmered it in a pot for half an hour to make a thick meat porridge.
"Come on, Qinglian, hurry up and eat! You haven't had any food today!" It was easy to guess that Wang's method of punishment was to make one work hard without providing food.
As the rich aroma wafted through the air, a large bowl of porridge was placed in front of Liu Qinglian, making her nose twitch with anticipation.
She had never seen anything so delicious in the Liu Family, let alone eaten it.
Swallowing hard, she looked at Liu Qingxi with curiosity and longing. "Second Sister, is this really for me?"
"Yes, it's for you! Hurry up and eat! But since you haven't eaten much for a while, you can't have greasy food all at once. Eat it while it's hot!" Liu Qingxi pressed the bowl into her hands.
"Alright, you sit here and eat slowly. Second Sister has to go busy herself!"
As she brushed past, Liu Qingxi caught sight of Liu Qinglian devouring her food ravenously.
Once again, she pondered who was responsible for the current situation. Was it the arrogance of the Wang family, the cowardice of Liu Laowu and his wife, or the anger of Yan and the Qin Family that they could not express?
Perhaps it was a combination of all these factors; it was indeed the Liu Family's cowardice that had spoiled the Wang family's temperament.
Fortunately, she had distanced herself from the Liu Family, which could be considered a blessing in disguise, although it meant tough times for the Fourth and Fifth Branches of the Liu Family.
She was not a heartless person. Liu Laosi was a warm-hearted individual, and Liu Qinglian was a lovely girl. These reasons gave her a special affection for the Fourth and Fifth Branches.
Thus, when she could help them, she would not hesitate or hold back.
While thinking about this, she sorted through the items in her basket, setting aside the edible wild vegetables and quickly finding a sunny spot in the yard to dry out the inedible ones.
In the end, what remained were some flowers and plants. Liu Qingxi happily took them out and thought carefully before deciding to start planting near the Main House.
She had a compulsive nature and needed to arrange these flowers in her favorite shapes. There were many wild chrysanthemums, which were both beautiful and practical. Liu Qingxi planted them at the base of the wall.
She planted one every twenty centimeters until she reached the entrance, finishing with all the wild chrysanthemums she had dug up.
As she prepared to turn around to get more to continue planting, Liu Qinglian approached.
"Second Sister, I’m done eating! I washed my bowl and put it on the stove!" Liu Qinglian said, patting her round belly with happiness.
Seeing Liu Qingxi busy with dirt all over her hands, she quickly rolled up her sleeves. "Second Sister, I’ll help too!" She felt a bit embarrassed after eating so much.
With her rosy cheeks and crescent-shaped squinting eyes, she resembled Liu Qingyan; she truly was a sister.
"Okay, go bring that purple one over. Do you know how to plant?" Liu Qingxi wasn't sure what flowers she had dug up but thought they looked nice anyway.
Liu Qinglian found her enthusiasm and excitedly patted her chest. "Second Sister, I can plant! Don’t worry! I’ll make sure it’s done well!" With that, she dashed off toward the basket.
Liu Qingxi got up to fetch a wooden basin and said to her, "Qinglian, you keep planting here, and I'll go get some water from the back!"
"You go ahead, Second Sister. I will do well!" Fearing that Liu Qingxi wouldn't believe her, she reassured her again.
The two sisters worked diligently together, spending almost an hour planting and watering the flowers and plants.
At this time, the sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm glow, and the areas touched by sunlight gradually turned into shaded spots. In the distance, busy farmers were putting away their hoes, preparing to head home.
Meanwhile, Liu Qinglian, who had been following Liu Qingxi closely, was reluctant to leave. Finally, she had no choice but to say, "Second Sister, I'm leaving now!"
"Okay, go back! Don't confront Aunt. If you're unhappy about anything, tell your parents or come find me!"
She was worried that Liu Qinglian's strong temper would lead her to clash with Wang Shi and ultimately suffer for it.
Liu Qinglian nodded with tears in her eyes and slowly walked away, turning back three times.
Sure enough, upon returning to the Liu Family, she did not receive a warm welcome.
Wang Shi saw her come back and rolled her eyes while placing her hands on her hips. "Oh, so you know how to come back! You just know how to slack off when asked to do some work. Where have you been hiding?"
"Aunt, I didn't! I really went up the mountain to dig wild vegetables!" After saying this, Liu Qinglian cautiously placed the basket at Wang Shi's feet.
Although there weren't many wild vegetables inside, it wasn't completely empty either.
"Hmph! You only dug up this little bit after being gone for so long? I still have to support you lazy ones. Now get lost!"
Wang Shi was clearly in a bad mood like everyone else in the household.
At that moment, a sharp voice came from inside the cave: "Mom, I'm hungry! Why isn't dinner ready yet?"
A woman dressed in a pink skirt stepped out, standing out like a crane among a flock of chickens in a crowd of people wearing gray or blue. With her hair tied up in two red ribbons, she was indeed a beautiful sight.
However, her sharp and sarcastic voice, along with her pointed chin, clashed greatly with her attire.
But Wang was pleased. She immediately softened her tone, saying, "I see, you’re not supposed to be out yet. Liu Qingzhi, why are you here? Don’t get your clothes dirty!"
This girl was none other than Wang's daughter, Liu Qingzhi, who was six years old this year—just the right age for matchmaking.
"I know, Mother. I’m hungry!"
"It’ll be ready soon. Oh dear, you’re not someone who does this kind of work. I’ve saved up for so long to buy you this outfit; you mustn’t get it dirty. I’m counting on it to help you find a good match!"
The eye-rolling gesture that mirrored Wang's own completely ruined the beauty of the blossoming young girl.
Wang was determined to marry her daughter into a wealthy family and had invested heavily in this endeavor. Not only did she forbid Liu Qingzhi from working, but she also spent several coins to make this outfit that seemed luxurious to the villagers.
It remained uncertain whether her wishes would come true!
At just the right moment, Liu Qingzhi appeared and diverted Wang's attention, indirectly saving Liu Qinglian once again.
Sticking out her tongue, the girl quietly slipped away and patted her chest, which was beating wildly. She found her elder sister quite ridiculous; why did she have to dress herself up like a butterfly?
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