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墨書 Inktalez
Opening her eyes, Liu Qingxi seemed to see a beautiful courtyard in the future and heard the sound of a boy reading aloud.
"Let's do it!" She was filled with enthusiasm and turned to Liu Qingyan, who was playing nearby. "Yan, I'm going up the mountain. Do you want to come?"
"Yes, sister! I want to go find Er Zhuzi to play!" The kid scratched his hands, looking at Liu Qingxi with eager eyes.
"Alright, but don't run off. You can't leave the village, understand?"
"Mm-hmm!" Liu Qingyan nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice and bounced off outside. "Sister, I'm going to play now!"
Since having these companions, Liu Qingyan no longer followed Liu Qingxi everywhere as he used to; he had his own space for activities.
Liu Qingxi was more than happy about this change. She didn't want Liu Qingyan to follow her all the time; it wasn't beneficial for his independence.
After tidying up her tools, she grabbed the shovel she bought in town, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and prepared to head up the mountain.
The mountains were a great mother, rich in resources that nourished many villagers nearby, bringing surprises every season.
In addition to digging for wild vegetables and searching for wild fruits, Liu Qingxi also wanted to find some easy-to-grow flowers and plants to transplant into the courtyard.
Unlike before when she only looked for food, she now carefully dug up any beautiful flowers she saw and placed them in a corner of her backpack.
After walking about half a mile, Liu Qingxi suddenly spotted a patch of tender yellow flowers. She recognized what they were!
Indeed, they were wild chrysanthemums of this season: "This is great! They're easy to care for and can be used to brew tea!"
Liu Qingxi quickly picked out a few of the prettier ones. This type of plant reproduced quickly; she believed that soon enough, they would fill the courtyard.
"La la la, la la la," she hummed an unknown tune, full of energy.
Before long, her backpack was filled with a large bundle of beautiful flowers in various colors.
Seeing some wild fruits, she would stop and treat it as a pleasant surprise.
At that moment, she faintly heard the sound of sobbing coming from nearby. Out of curiosity, she quietly picked up the basket beside her and slowly walked forward.
The sound was coming from behind a large tree. She placed the basket on the ground and saw a corner of a gray garment appear before her. From the voice, she could tell it was a girl.
Taking another step forward, she suddenly froze in place, while the girl who had been crying also stopped and stared intently at Liu Qingxi.
“Qinglian, what are you doing here? Why are you crying?”
The girl who had been crying was none other than Liu Laowu and Zhao's only daughter, Liu Qinglian, who was Liu Qingxi's nominal cousin.
“Second Sister! What are you doing here?” Liu Qinglian wiped her tears, her voice thick with nasal congestion.
“I came up the mountain to pick wild vegetables. What about you? Where is everyone else? Why are you alone?”
“It's nothing. Second Sister, you don’t need to worry about me!” Liu Qinglian pouted, trying to suppress her sadness so that Liu Qingxi wouldn’t be concerned.
The more she acted this way, the more anxious Liu Qingxi became. In her impression, this cousin was a well-behaved girl; it wasn’t safe to hide away alone on the mountain. What if it got dark and she got lost?
“After all, I am your Second Sister. If something is bothering you, just tell me; it will feel better!” Sitting down next to Liu Qinglian against the tree, she prepared to be a listener.
Liu Qinglian looked at her Second Sister, whose complexion was much better than when they were at home. Thinking about her current situation, she couldn’t help but tear up again.
“Alright, alright, don’t cry anymore; if you keep crying, it won’t look good!” Liu Qingxi had no resistance against the girl’s tears.
“Second Sister, sob sob sob~~~ I feel terrible about Aunt Er and Aunt.”
From Liu Qinglian's fragmented narration, Liu Qingxi understood what had happened.
After she was kicked out of her home, Wang lost her outlet for venting. With the Jiang Clan in the Second House, she didn't dare to act out, and with Liu Laosi from the Fourth House getting anxious, she also didn't dare to provoke them.
In the end, the Fourth House, which had the least presence and status due to not having a son, became her target for venting.
Liu Laowu and Zhao were somewhat better as adults, but Liu Qinglian was just a child. On most days, she would either be beaten or scolded, often going without food. Today, the whole family did not go up the mountain; only Liu Qinglian was sent up to work.
The girl thought about the grievances she had endured in recent days and finally couldn't help but find a place to hide and cry. Just then, she ran into Liu Qingxi, who was coming up the mountain.
Liu Qingxi had experienced Wang's methods firsthand and knew without a doubt that Liu Qinglian's treatment was no different from what they had faced as siblings back then.
No matter how sincere the comforting words might be at this moment, they all seemed pale and powerless.
As she rolled up Liu Qinglian's sleeve, Liu Qingxi clearly saw bruises in patches, obviously left behind from being twisted and pinched.
Pulling the girl into her arms, she said, "It's okay now. If she treats you like this again, just tell your parents!"
"But my parents can't do anything!" The girl had tried before, but Liu Laowu lacked confidence; not having a son was a stain he could never lift in his lifetime.
Although he felt heartbroken and sad about his daughter's abuse, he didn't dare to resist. As for Zhao, it was even worse; being called a useless hen by Wang was the worst of her insults.
How could someone as timid as her dare to confront the unreasonable and fierce Wang?
Liu Qingxi sighed. Why did the Liu Family allow Wang to act so recklessly? What reason could there be for a daughter-in-law to behave so arrogantly?
"You need to stand up for yourself too. If your parents see you hurt like this, they'll care more about you. Maybe it will make Aunt treat you less harshly!" Liu Qingxi encouraged.
In truth, there are no parents who don't love their children; it's just that in this era's context, not having a son means one cannot hold their head high.
This led to Liu Laowu and Zhao's cowardice and their daughter's inability to resist when bullied.
However, if it happens too often, even a clay figurine has its temper. She couldn't believe that Liu Laowu would just watch his daughter get beaten and scolded without saying a word.
"Alright, you should know that your parents definitely care about you. Aunt is being too much; they won't ignore you completely. If it really gets bad, quietly talk to Grandpa and Grandma!"
Liu Qinglian was in a daze, at that moment taking Liu Qingxi's words as her last lifeline.
She didn't know how much more torment she would have to endure under Wang's control. The pain made her feel worse than death, and she envied her cousin who had escaped the Liu Family.
"Sigh!" Wang shifted her target of venting to Liu Qinglian: "Alright, alright, tidy up and come down the mountain with me. Second Sister has prepared something delicious for you!"
The sound of the girl's stomach growling was incredibly clear.
Blushing, Liu Qinglian was pulled down the mountain by Liu Qingxi, feeling sweet inside!
It was just like when Liu Qingxi secretly gave her pastries; no, it was even sweeter than that!
Her cousin's frail body provided her with a sense of security and warmth stronger than that of her parents!
"If only it could always be like this!" Liu Qinglian murmured.
A gust of wind blew by, and Liu Qingxi happened to not hear clearly: "What did you just say, Qinglian?"
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