The heavens lowered the curtain of the night, pausing the raindrops. People returning home wouldn't have to face the darkness or brave the rain.
For dinner, Mother prepared a wild vegetable soup, a light and healthy broth without any meat, purely natural and free from pollution.
There was certainly no need to worry about getting fatty liver or high blood pressure. However, there might be a risk of anemia and calcium deficiency.
But I feel that Mother's genes are quite powerful. Both my older brother Jiang Feng and my sister Jiang Yu, among the people here, have strong and robust appearances.
Unlike today's Jiang Wan, my sister, who doesn't possess that graceful and delicate demeanor.
Only Father is slightly thin. After all, he and Mother have no blood relation. (Perfect logic, isn't it?)
From time to time in the evening, the sound of coughing could be heard. But Father couldn't be too old, definitely not even thirty. People married early during this time, probably in their twenties.
Listening to Father's coughing, it sounded like he had caught a cold when he was young and never fully recovered from it. There should be some problem with his lungs.
If it weren't for Father's good looks, a person who is exceptionally thin and coughs all the time would easily give the impression of being hunched and weak.
After my older brother finished speaking, the sound of my sister's crying came from inside the house.
A gust of wind in the courtyard stirred up Father's cough.
Jiang Mianmian, who was being held in Father's arms, felt the violent shaking of his chest.
He wanted to hold back his cough, but it only made it worse.
Father turned his face away, trying to avoid himself.
Then Father quickly put Jiang Mianmian into my older brother's arms.
I saw Father sitting on the side, coughing uncontrollably.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..."
Then his pale face turned red.
With long black hair cascading down, his fair face slightly flushed, tears streaming from his eyes due to the coughing, making them slightly wet. Sitting on a small stool, he even looked like a painting, exuding a sense of elegance.
Jiang Mianmian was somewhat dumbfounded.
But her thoughts were interrupted by the bundle thrown out by my sister.
Jiang Yu was angry, anxious, and very upset.
She was angry at herself for being so naive.
Anxious because her family was really being falsely accused of stealing.
And heartbroken over my older brother's injuries and why Jiang Wan was acting that way.
The bundle was thrown onto the ground.
Scattered all over.
A pair of beautiful embroidered shoes stained with fresh blood.
Faded clothes with vibrant patterns.
The air was filled with fragrance.
Jiang Yu's nose turned red from anger and crying.
Jiang Feng was lying on a recliner, holding his little sister.
Jiang Mianmian, being held in his arms, stared blankly at the clothes on the ground, not daring to make a sound. It wasn't her turn to voice her opinion at this moment.
Mother Qin Luoxia stepped out and raised her hand, palm brushing through the air.
Jiang Yu thought Mother was going to hit her, so she stubbornly closed her eyes, not running away, waiting to be beaten.
Although she had never been beaten before, my older brother had been hit by Mother.
Qin Luoxia raised her hand and picked up the bundle, patting it aside.
Jiang Feng sneered and said to his sister, Jiang Yu, "Jiang Xiaoyu, are you stupid? When she sent it, it became ours. It's such a waste to throw it around and damage it. That fabric, Li... whatever those sisters like the most, they would pay a good amount for it. I happen to be injured, so I can buy some delicious food to replenish myself, or else it would be in vain to endure the beating."
Jiang Yu didn't endure a beating, but she cried even louder.
During the meal, she kept her head down and occasionally shrugged her shoulders.
She was genuinely heartbroken. Those shoes were so pretty, she only wore them once and her feet started bleeding.
She should have worn them longer in the afternoon. It was a waste to bleed for nothing.
The medicine on Jiang Feng's head had dried up a bit, so he used a piece of cloth to wrap it.
Jiang Mianmian estimated... it was still her diaper.
Oh no, one diaper is missing. I don't know if there's enough time to change it.
She didn't want to be naked.
The whole family sat neatly at the dining table.
It was nice.
Even though the older brother's head was bleeding and the older sister's feet were bleeding.
Jiang Mianmian wanted to provide some spiritual spring water for her family, but as a baby, her ability to move was limited, and her mother wouldn't bring her to the pot, probably afraid she would accidentally fall in.
The whole family finished their meal.
Nothing was left.
Washing the dishes was simple.
Just rinse them with water.
Everyone finished eating, and now it was Jiang Mianmian's turn.
Jiang Mianmian held onto her mother and ate hungrily.
Her mother had been out for most of the day, and she was a bit afraid of hunger. The bowl wasn't in front of her, so she felt extremely insecure.
After feeding the baby, Qin Luoxia prepared to plant the tree she brought.
Jiang Mianmian fell into the embrace of her older brother.
Probably because her older brother was injured today and didn't have to work, he took on the relaxing task of holding the baby.
Jiang Yu, who had cried earlier, was surprisingly silent and had not made a sound all this time.
Now she obediently helped her mother pass the tools.
Her older brother held her with one hand and couldn't help but pick the red fruits from the tree with the other hand.
He picked one and put it in his mouth.
Jiang Mianmian saw her older brother eating and wanted some too.
She stretched out her hand and made a "ya ya ya" sound.
She opened her mouth, wanting to eat.
But then she saw her older brother chew, frown, and spit it out, "Peh, peh, peh!"
He didn't even have time to swallow before spitting it out.
It tasted bitter and astringent, with a sour flavor.
What was this?
Jiang Changtian looked at his eldest son and couldn't help shaking his head.
"Jiaoyu, come help pick the red fruits and leave the green ones."
Her father called her to help, and she was very efficient.
She felt guilty because she caused trouble by taking Jiang Wan's things, which led to her older brother getting hurt.
Over here, they picked a small basin of red fruits, and the pit was also dug.
Jiang Mianmian enjoyed watching her mother dig a pit; it was a stress reliever for her.
Her mother was naturally skilled at digging pits, with quick and nimble movements, digging large and round holes.
After the pit was dug, her mother carried the big tree over and put the roots into the hole.
Her father helped bury the soil together.
Her sister, Jiang Yu, also joined in the work, burying the soil and tamping it down.
Her older brother also held her and helped tamp the soil.
The whole family worked together to bury the soil, skillfully and efficiently, as if they had done it many times before... (#foggy)
And then,
Jiang Mianmian made a "ya ya ya" sound, indicating that she wanted to participate.
She wanted to join in planting the tree with the whole family.
However, no one understood what she meant.
Upon hearing her call, her older brother first patted her bottom and found it to be dry. He then turned to look at their mother, Qin Luoxia.
"You just ate, so you shouldn't be hungry," Qin Luoxia said.
Jiang Mianmian excitedly gestured and babbled.
In the end, it was surprisingly their father who understood her meaning.
He picked her up and squatted down, holding her in his arms.
Jiang Mianmian grabbed a handful of soil from the side, her little fist leaking, claiming it was a handful when it was actually just a pinch of soil.
But she still exerted force and flung it, with the soil landing on the tree roots without anyone knowing. Anyway, her hand accidentally hit her father's face.
Specks of dirt landed on her father's fair complexion.
Jiang Changtian wasn't angry, but instead gave his daughter a kiss.
"My little darling is the best!"
Jiang Changtian lifted his daughter high up in the air.
Jiang Mianmian was held above her father's head, with a newly planted tree by the family serving as the canopy. The tree was large, like a big umbrella.
She giggled uncontrollably.
