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墨書 Inktalez
"Of course we will roast it, but you mustn't..."
"You can't tell anyone. I know, I absolutely won't say a word!" Little Guy said with a grin, covering his mouth.
"You’re so clever, hurry back!" Liu Qingxi felt a sense of calm ever since she had earned this little bit of money; it was her first bucket of gold in this era.
Days passed by, and in the blink of an eye, more than ten days had gone by. Liu Qingxi and her younger brother went up the mountain with everyone else every day, then secretly slipped into town, returning quietly around noon.
They weren’t discovered by anyone, and their little treasury had accumulated a total of one hundred and three copper coins.
Every time Liu Qingxi silently counted the copper coins they had, she felt very happy.
However, she was disappointed to find that Cicada Monkeys were becoming increasingly rare until they could no longer be found.
"Sigh, are we going to be unable to sell anything in the future?" Liu Qingyan frowned and sighed deeply.
"You little brat, why are you worrying so much at such a young age? With your sister here, that's not something you should be concerned about!" Liu Qingxi couldn't help but give Little Guy a playful knock on the head.
His small face scrunched up, looking nothing like what a child his age should look like.
"But... what if we can't have steamed buns and dumplings anymore?"
This was the question that Liu Qingyan cared about the most, though he didn’t voice it out loud.
For the past half month, they had gone to town every day and enjoyed steamed buns and dumplings—something Liu Qingyan had never experienced before. He was just afraid that if they couldn’t earn money, he wouldn’t be able to eat those delicious foods anymore.
If Liu Qingxi knew what he was thinking, she would surely be speechless and wonder how she ended up with such a gluttonous brother.
In a courtyard two miles away from Ten Li Pu, a boy in his teens looked at the items laid out before him and asked the person beside him, "Is that all? Are they still selling?"
"Replying to the young master, when I went to buy today, that girl said there won't be any more in the future, and she won't come back." The speaker was about fifteen years old, clearly showing a clever demeanor.
"Well, you can go now!" The boy turned his gaze away slightly disappointed.
The young servant who was about to leave hesitated and asked, "Young master, why do you like eating this so much?"
"I don't know, it just feels strangely familiar. The taste isn't bad; you should try it," the boy said as he picked one up with his slender fingers and skillfully peeled it open.
He put it in his mouth; although there was no salt or oil, it evoked a sense of inexplicable memory.
The young servant shook his head, unable to understand why the well-fed young master liked this dark, mushy thing.
Seeing the servant's confusion, the boy didn't explain further and enjoyed the roasted Cicada Monkey by himself, letting the familiar flavor fill his body.
The boy's name was Yang Yichen. He was born in Biqi Town, which is closest to Ten Li Pu. Due to poor health, he moved to the beautiful environment of Ten Li Pu to recuperate.
Ever since he saw Liu Qingxi and Liu Qingyan secretly eating in the woods, he became curious. It wasn't until he accidentally saw the siblings selling them in town that he decided to help them by buying some. To his surprise, after tasting them, he found them quite good. Since then, he had his servant Anan buy some every day.
Suddenly hearing that the siblings were not going to continue selling them brought an inexplicable sense of loss.
At that moment, as Anan was leaving, he suddenly turned back and said, "Young master, your father and mother miss you and want you to come home for a visit in the next few days."
"Got it. You can go now!" The boy shook his head, finished eating the Cicada Monkey in his package, washed his hands, and picked up a book to study seriously.
He was preparing for a test tomorrow. He and his servant along with Master had been living in this courtyard. Master taught classes in the morning while he studied in the afternoon.
At this time, Liu Qingxi was washing dishes in front of a cave. Life at home had been relatively peaceful these past few days; perhaps because the siblings had some harvest every day, the Wang family hadn't caused any trouble.
Liu Qingxi was already quite satisfied. As long as the Wang family did not go too far, she would definitely not confront them. At this moment, she did not have the ability to protect herself, and the Liu family still served as a good shield.
Moreover, it was in her nature to quietly earn money while taking care of her younger brother.
Thanks to going up the mountain every day, the Wang family was completely unaware of their actions. Next, she needed to think of other ways to make money; having money in her pocket would ease her mind!
Liu Qingxi had no idea that her Cicada Monkey was being sold daily thanks to a certain boy. As long as someone bought it, she would be happy.
"Girl, later you all should go gather leaves together; it's time for us to fertilize our plot!" a member of the Qin family said to Liu Qingxi.
"Got it, Grandma! I'll go after I finish washing!" Liu Qingxi replied cheerfully.
"Ah, Girl, don't blame Grandma. We really have no choice; your Aunt..."
The more obedient the granddaughter was, the more sour the Qin family's hearts felt, and the more guilty they became. With only these two children left from their Third Son, they felt they could not protect them.
"Grandma, please don't say that. I'm not blaming you. Besides, if it weren't for you and Grandpa, Xiao Yan and I wouldn't be here now. Aren't we doing just fine?"
Liu Qingxi understood what the Qin family wanted to say. However, in this family, aside from the First Branch and Second House, everyone else was quite decent. She knew her grandmother wanted to care for them but felt powerless.
In fact, the Qin family often saved some of their own rations for Liu Qingxi and Liu Qingyan.
"Grandma, I'm done washing! I'm heading out now!" After saying that, Liu Qingxi picked up her basket and went outside.
The Liu family currently had only a piece of barren land about two acres in size, which was collectively decided by the villagers to be left for them in the village.
Although the land had little yield due to its poor quality, it was still the only piece of land for the entire family. Usually, Yan and the Qin family treated them like children.
This period was just right for chasing fertilizer; the villagers had their own stored manure while the Liu family had none and could only go up the mountain to gather some decayed leaves to fertilize their fields.
At this point, the family was divided into two parts. The adults continued into the mountains, bringing back wild fruits and vegetables. The ones that could be eaten immediately were consumed right away, while those that could be stored were kept for later.
Excess wild vegetables were dried for winter use, relying on these to get through the harsh season.
The siblings of Liu Qingxi's generation were responsible for collecting decaying leaves to carefully tend to their crops.
The nearest area to home was the forest, where the trees flourished. Years of fallen leaves had turned into spring mud, and the dark soil looked rich in nutrients.
“Xiao Yan, go find a thicker branch,” Liu Qingxi instructed.
There was only one iron shovel at home, used only when working in the fields. It was usually kept in the cave and not taken out often. They were not allowed to use the shovel for carrying manure; they could only use branches to scrape it up and then put it into a basket.
In the same spot again, Yang Yichen, who had come out for a stroll, saw the busy siblings once more.
It seemed that encountering them in this forest was particularly frequent.
Curiously, he approached them and asked, “What are you doing?”
Liu Qingxi and Liu Qingyan both looked up simultaneously, momentarily stunned...
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