The northern hillside where they stood was still in winter’s grasp.
The wild grass was withered and yellow, with only a few green stalks interspersed.
"Pull up this dry grass and lay it on the floor of the cave, and it won’t be cold to sleep on," Li Yuzhu said.
Second Young Master Li glanced at Li Xing’an, their little sister, how was she so clever?
Li Xing’an nudged Second Young Master Li, "See, isn’t our little sister smart?"
Second Young Master Li hadn’t played much with this little sister, everyone said she was a fool, and he also thought she was a fool.
He followed them out purely to join in the fun.
Listening to Li Yuzhu’s arrangements now, he couldn’t help admiring her.
"However, there’s too little grass, it’s not enough, we must find more," Second Young Master Li looked around and said.
Li Yuzhu nodded, "Of course, the more the better."
Li Xing’an excitedly ran into the wild grass, rolled up his sleeves, and began pulling grass.
But he only managed to pull a couple of strands and hurt his hand.
He waved his sleeves in frustration, "Third sister, I can’t pull out the grass, my hand hurts, and I only managed to pull out two strands."
He looked at his pitiful handful and, in frustration, threw it away.
Second Young Master Li rested his chin on his hand, "We need to find a tool."
Li Xing’an’s eyes lit up, clapping his hands with a smile, "I know, let’s borrow tools from that kid’s house?"
Li Yuzhu gave him a sidelong glance, "He just went down the mountain, he’s not home."
Li Xing’an said, "He’s not home, but the tools are. We can take them, use them, and return them later."
Second Young Master Li nodded in agreement.
Li Yuzhu, however, said, "Taking someone’s things while they’re not home, how is that different from stealing?"
This made the two brothers pause, right, wouldn’t that be stealing?
If their prideful father found out, he would certainly give them a beating.
"But without tools, how can we pull up the grass?" The two were in a dilemma.
Li Yuzhu put her hands on her hips, looking around.
In a moment, she smiled broadly, "Isn’t this a tool?"
She picked up a stone lying among the wild grass, weighing it in her hand, "The ancients used stones as tools, why can’t we? Let’s use this to cut grass."
"Will this work?" Li Xing’an also picked up a stone. free\we\bnov(e)(l).com
He tried using it to cut the grass and, surprisingly, while not as sharp as a knife, it managed to cut the grass.
"It’ll do," Li Xing’an laughed, "Third sister is really smart."
Second Young Master Li also went to pick up a stone.
He picked up a thin stone resembling a blade, making cutting much smoother.
The three of them cheerfully began to cut grass.
When they returned to the cave, the siblings not only carried back a large pile of dry grass but also some bird eggs.
They found these while gathering grass.
The Great Princess saw them bringing grass back and laughed, "Li Yuzhu, what are you doing with all that grass? Are you telling us to live like cows and sheep, eating grass to survive?"
"Yes, do you want to eat some? Freshly cut grass," Li Xing’an laughed, offering a handful of grass to the Great Princess.
The Great Princess, exasperated, pulled on the Princess Consort’s sleeve, whining, "Mother, Third Brother is bullying me."
The unpleasant living conditions had already put the Princess Consort in a bad mood.
She said irritably, "It’s just a joke from your brother, why take it seriously?"
"I..." The Great Princess, not receiving any comfort, walked away, feeling wronged.
The Second Princess blinked, curiously asking, "Third Brother, you’re not really eating grass, right? Is it tasty?"