Huahua nodded. Hua Jin’er usually didn’t do much work at home, so it was really rare for her to accompany them in digging for so long.
Thinking of Jin’er’s brother, that kid was just like her brother, never at home, always running wildly with a group of half-grown boys over the hills. It wasn’t surprising if they managed to dig something to take home.
Not bothering with Jin’er anymore, she quickly dug out all the bamboo shoots around her.
Even if they couldn’t finish eating them all, it didn’t matter. They could blanch them and dry them out to make bamboo shoot slices, soak them when they wanted to eat.
Before long, the baskets on the girls’ backs were nearly full. Although it was a pity to leave some undug, they indeed couldn’t fit any more, and they also wanted to go down to take a look. They couldn’t delay too long here.
"What a pity," Xiaoxiao sighed.
Big Sister Ya grinned, "What’s there to be sorry about? We can just come back tomorrow."
"That’s true," Xiaoxiao realized with a smile.
"Let’s go, let’s quickly go down the mountain to take a look, so we can come back up sooner."
"Jin’er, I vaguely saw my brother and your brother heading down the mountain," Huahua said, not too sure.
Jin’er nodded, "I saw them too. They’ve already gone pretty far by now."
"Do you think they’re looking for us?"
"It’s possible," Big Sister Ya looked at Jin’er. Considering how much her brothers doted on her, that was too normal. Then, as if thinking of something, she averted her gaze from Jin’er, turning a bit red in the process.
This time, Jin’er didn’t say anything, just smiled.
In fact, they guessed correctly. Her brothers were indeed mumbling about her as they passed by; they just didn’t find out she was halfway up the mountain digging wild vegetables.
Her gaze lingered on Big Sister Ya’s face for a moment longer.
Big Sister Ya... seemed a bit off when talking about her brothers.
Thinking about the blush on her face, could it be what she suspected?!
Thinking about this, Jin’er couldn’t help but glance at Big Sister Ya again.
At sixteen or seventeen, she was at the age of blossoming like a flower, during the adolescent springtime.
Although it had been a year of disasters and hardships, Hua Village had a good village chief who worked tirelessly to plan ahead for everyone. Hiding in the mountains, their days weren’t actually that bad, you could indirectly say they were just spending winter in a different place.
The girls of Hua Village were healthier than before, their sun-darkened skins gradually lightened, becoming finer and much prettier.
Big Sister Ya was already quite comely, and after more than a year, she looked even better.
As for her brothers, there was no need to say, both were handsome young men.
Although they had a scholarly air, they weren’t weak at all.
In fact, forced to practice martial arts by their father, they were quite strong. Coupled with Hua family traits like height and good looks, wasn’t it natural for them to stir a young girl’s heart?
Not to mention, the more she thought about it, the stronger this feeling became.
It didn’t matter which brother it was, Jin’er wouldn’t mind if it was Big Sister Ya.
The main thing was that over these years, she’d come to understand these young ladies thoroughly.
But everyone had strengths and weaknesses, small and big flaws.
Overall, among these sisters, Jin’er liked Big Sister Ya the best, not saying others weren’t good, but because Big Sister Ya was the most hardworking.
Practicing martial arts was boring and tough. Even Little Kitten and Huahua would slack off at times, but every time Jin’er went to the Big Cave or they came to their home cave, Big Sister Ya was always the most diligent.
The same went for literacy. Compared to Little Kitten and Huahua, who weren’t too interested in literacy, Big Sister Ya was much more diligent. In just a year, she learned the entire "Thousand Character Classic" and "Hundred Family Surnames."
That was remarkable. With this perseverance and determination, Jin’er couldn’t help but favor her. Though gentle, she had her own opinions, like an older sister taking care of her despite her young age.
To be honest, if asked who in the village she liked most, it would definitely be Big Sister Ya.
Moreover, the Meng family and their family had a very good relationship. Uncle Meng and Aunt Meng were great, and their family atmosphere was positive, with no favoritism between sons and daughters.
The more she thought, the more Jin’er’s gaze lingered on Big Sister Ya with an eager look, though fortunately everyone was busy heading down the mountain, no one noticed her.
An hour later, Jin’er and Big Sister Ya got closer to the foot of the mountain, seeing a crowd far away which seemed lively and excited as if they had discovered something.
"Big Sister Ya, Jin’er, look at them over there," said Xiaoxiao, who couldn’t hold back her words, noticing the figures down the mountain excitedly.
"Let’s hurry up." They couldn’t hold back their excitement.
A group of girls sped up their descent down the mountain.
Luckily, they all kept practicing martial arts, so their stamina was good. Even at a faster pace, no one fell behind.
"Big brother," Liu Huahua was the first to wave her hand at her big brother in the distance once they got close enough.
This girl’s lungs were certainly not small even if her body wasn’t big, her voice was so loud that Jin’er’s ears buzzed, she couldn’t help but cover them briefly.
The benefit of a loud voice was that almost immediately, everyone at the foot of the mountain turned to look at them, the excitement momentarily pausing, with several people running towards them.
Liu Huahua’s big brother and Jin’er’s second brother were among them.
"Jin’er, where did you go? Big brother and I didn’t find you along the way." Second brother said, relieved now as he flicked his sister’s forehead lightly.
If not for knowing she was with Big Sister Ya and others, and not seeing her at the foot of the mountain, how could they have remained calm?
"Second brother, it hurts," Jin’er rubbed her forehead, pouting. If not for his concern, she would’ve wanted to spar with her second brother.
"Hurts?" Second brother moved Jin’er’s hand aside, feeling guilty despite not using much force when he saw the clear finger mark on her forehead.
"Sorry, I’ll be careful next time, don’t tell grandpa and dad, okay?" Second brother whispered quietly, pulling his sister aside.
He genuinely felt bad, and feared grandpa and dad would reprimand him as well.
So he quickly apologized, as long as his sister didn’t tell.
"Second brother, I’ll let it go this time, but if you flick me again, I’ll tell grandpa." Jin’er said proudly, lowering her hand.
It didn’t really hurt; she did it on purpose.
Big brother and second brother cherished her; how could they bear to use much force? The only issue was second brother always forgetting she’s a big girl now, treating her like a child with that flick of a finger.
She had to threaten, otherwise, he wouldn’t remember.
The whispered conversation between the siblings made Big Sister Ya and Little Kitten nearby chuckle quietly. Despite seeing it many times, they couldn’t help but envy the sight, especially Huahua who rolled her eyes at her big brother standing awkwardly on the side, not knowing how to express concern.
Comparisons indeed were frustrating; there was no way to compare at all!