As for sympathy, Hua Jin had none at all.
The original person had even lost their life, sympathizing with someone who harmed you, isn’t that crazy?
Take them down while they’re weak, that’s the most correct approach, otherwise you’ll always worry about someone stabbing you in the back.
However, not having to see people she disliked really did improve her mood by quite a bit.
"Daughter, aren’t you cold? Come inside," Qi, working in the hall with her mother-in-law, shouted through the window seeing her daughter standing in the yard, looking up at something.
"Okay," Hua Jin quickly responded but then noticed the nice weather with warm sunshine filling the yard, and abruptly changed her mind.
It was still early, with just half the morning gone, so maybe she could try her luck in the mountains and get the cotton matter settled.
After all, the weather waits for no one.
"Mom, I want to go out for a walk," Hua Jin immediately called out as she thought.
"Alright, but don’t take too long," Qi didn’t think much of it, assuming her daughter was tired from drawing and needed some exercise.
"Okay!" Hua Jin agreed happily, quickly ran to the woodshed, abandoned her small basket, picked up a larger one nearby with a small shovel, and trotted out of the house.
With a determined goal, she headed towards Qinggu Mountain behind the village, moving so fast she didn’t hear Little Four’s voice.
"Little Four, do you think your sister is pretending not to hear us?"
Laughter of schadenfreude from his companion echoed around, Little Four glared back at him in anger.
"Li Gouzi, say that again and see if I won’t punch you."
Little Four shook his fist, scaring Li Gouzi into retracting his head; he couldn’t fight Little Four.
"I...I was just kidding," Li Gouzi gestured as if surrendering, smiling ingratiatingly.
Though they played well together, Little Four didn’t hold back when it came to hitting people.
"Even joking is not okay, I’m telling you, I don’t want to hear a single bad word about my sister from any of you, or else..." Little Four threatened seriously, with his clenched fist raised to his chest, and only when he saw them nod did he feel satisfied.
Only in that moment, as he looked back, his sister’s figure already seemed far away and was about to disappear, leaving him in such a hurry that he said, "You guys keep playing," and chased after her.
If he wasn’t mistaken, his sister seemed to head towards the mountain, and how could Little Four not be worried?
Meanwhile, Hua Jin went up the mountain, directly heading to a direction that villagers rarely visited, completely unaware that a little tail was chasing after her.
The mountain scene had changed completely from over a month ago; no longer was it lush and vibrant. Grass had mostly turned yellow, and dead leaves covered the ground. A gust of wind sent the leaves swirling around, adding a touch of desolate autumn beauty.
Little Four exhausted himself chasing up but was too late; by the foot of the mountain, his sister’s figure was long gone. Unable to bear missing her, he resorted to the simplest way: waiting at the foot of the mountain.
Hua Jin was heading up but didn’t dare go too high, just to places where people seldom ventured to.
Qinggu Mountain had too many legends, and thinking about the beasts, even with her space she felt scared.
Though she was stronger than normal people, it didn’t change the fact that she was a child. Even if she had been honing her skills, it was not something that could be done overnight; it required accumulation, so being careful was better.
Holding a small hoe in her left hand and a machete from her space in her right, she swung at the already dead plants under her feet, also trying to intimidate any small creatures that might be hidden among them, lest an unlucky one bit her.
After who knew how long, she finally chose a secluded spot where the grass was fairly lush. The most important thing was that there were no human footprints, just a few animal tracks, but no signs of human activity.
Also, the plants here, although dead, somewhat resembled cotton. If her parents wanted to come over, she could cover it up, at most stuffing hundreds of cotton flowers into it.
For these fresh plants, she could say whatever she wanted.
Of course, she could refuse too. After all, she’s just a kid, isn’t it normal to forget routes?
Moreover, with the family’s trust and affection for her, Hua Jin felt that whatever she said would be the case; her family would not overthink it.
With over a hundred pounds of cotton with seeds in her space, although she was strong and could carry it back, it was still not necessary to go overboard. Taking thirty to forty pounds was enough; by a child’s standard, she was already quite conspicuous in the village, so it was better not to stand out more.
Having seed cotton equates to having seeds, so she wasn’t worried about not being able to grow cotton. Thinking about this made Hua Jin uncontrollably happy.
Fortunately, she lacked a sense of security, liking to hoard things, otherwise, even with a space, empty space couldn’t bring forth anything!
Getting down to business, Hua Jin began to do some cover-up work, eventually taking out hundreds of cotton seeds and putting them into the plant shells.
Although she felt it was a pity and might be wasted, it was necessary to be thorough.
Then she took about forty pounds of seed cotton from her space, which was a big bunch.
It took quite a bit of effort to fill the basket she brought with her to the brim, packed tightly, and that wasn’t all. To bring it back in one go, she even took off an outer garment to wrap another ten pounds around it, carrying a large bundle in her arms and a basket on her back. Testing the weight and finding it bearable, Hua Jin didn’t delay and hurried down the mountain.
With things sorted, her mood was naturally cheerful, humming a tune as she descended quickly. Even the occasional wild chickens and rabbits peeking out appeared particularly cute. It was a pity that her space couldn’t store things remotely, otherwise, those wild chickens and rabbits would seem even cuter. Hua Jin could only look regretfully as they hid back into the grass.
With things on her back and arms, Hua Jin carefully descended the mountain, reaching the bottom with a sweaty forehead. She had never exerted herself this much since birth.
It’s true that it’s easier to climb up than to come down; one unstable step could be disastrous.
Wiping the tense sweat off her brow, she couldn’t handle it anymore and felt the need to rest. Just as she crouched to place the basket down, she heard Little Four’s voice and the sound of someone rushing over.
"Sister...where did you go? You went up the mountain without calling me... It’s so dangerous up there, how could you do without your bodyguard..."
Reaching his sister, not even catching his breath, Little Four chattered away like a nagging little old lady, full of concern, making Hua Jin decide to forgive his fussiness this time.
After a long speech, Little Four finally noticed something different. A big bundle appeared in front of his sister, looking quite familiar, as if...
Upon seeing his sister’s lower half only in cotton clothing, Little Four immediately understood. No wonder it looked familiar—it was originally his sister’s skirt.
Then, with a "can’t believe you" look, he sat down and began taking off his dirt-stained pants.
Though short, it’s better than not wearing anything, and he’s strong, not afraid of the cold.
He wasn’t afraid, but seeing his dirty clothes made Hua Jin reluctant and quickly stopped him.
Though perspiring, it wasn’t cold, and even if it were, she wouldn’t wear her brother’s clothes; they were too messy.
"Stop, I’m not cold," Hua Jin pointed at the still-visible sweat on her forehead.
Truly, especially under the sun, they were glaringly obvious. Understanding his overreaction, Little Four stopped and chuckled.