"My dear father, please don’t break my heart ," thought Yang Chuxia silently. Giving the fish to Old Yang would be no different from giving it directly to Old Lady Hua, wouldn’t it?
Should she let her catch go to Old Lady Hua? No, that would sicken her to death.
Thankfully, Yang Qingrui and Yang Chuxia spent the afternoon together and got to know each other better, understanding Chuxia’s temperament.
Without delay, Qingrui picked up a fish and blew on it before stuffing it into Dachuan’s mouth, leaving Dachuan astonished.
Yang Chuxia couldn’t help but give Yang Qingrui a thumbs up, "Well done, kid!"
Yang Qingrui nodded without hesitation, feeling he had done the right thing. Seeing Dachuan still dumbfounded, Qingrui said, "Father, eat quickly. It won’t taste good once it gets cold. We each get one, and we’ll bring the remaining three back for mother and our siblings, ah, and also the bird eggs—our little sister loves them the most."
Seeing that neither child had any intention of bringing any fish back for Old Yang, Yang Dachuan found it hard to say anything, as the fish wasn’t caught by him after all.
After eating the fish and as the setting sun dipped below the horizon, Yang Chuxia called for Yang Dachuan to go home together, but Dachuan was reluctant. He insisted on staying behind to finish digging the field before returning.
Yang Chuxia looked at the length of the field, realizing that it would take at least two hours to finish, after which it would be completely dark. Although she hadn’t encountered any wild animals in the mountains, who knew if any were hiding deep in the woods? It would be too dangerous for Dachuan to stay alone at the foot of the mountain. Moreover, they had already used his flint, and the way back was full of narrow field paths. If Dachuan stumbled in the dark like he did earlier, it would be difficult for him to get back up.
Taking everything into consideration, Yang Chuxia didn’t want to let Dachuan stay any longer. Instead, she and Qingrui each took one of his arms and tried to drag him home, but Dachuan shrugged them off. Qingrui saw an opportunity and took his shovel away.
Yang Chuxia once again applauded her elder brother’s quick thinking. Without the proper tools, how were you supposed to work?
With no other choice, Dachuan had no choice but to go back with them.
Ever since he could work the fields, there had been very few occasions when Dachuan would return home this early, apart from during holidays. So whenever they met villagers on the way, they couldn’t help but comment on seeing Dachuan returning so early today.
Upon arriving at the Yang Family’s home, an uproar ensued.
Perhaps not noticing Yang Chuxia following behind Dachuan, Old Lady Hua immediately snapped at him when she saw him return early, "You lazy ghosts! It’s still light out and you’re already back. What did you come back for except to eat? Eat, eat, eat, aren’t you afraid of dying from overeating? You barely managed to swallow a few steamed buns at noon without working up your strength to work. Utterly useless! The whole family is counting on the earnings from the land next year, yet here you are, slacking off."
Dachuan had barely set foot in the courtyard when Old Lady Hua started berating him.
Dachuan suppressed his bitterness, thinking that he shouldn’t have come back at all. He turned to reach for the shovel in Qingrui’s hand and head back to the field.
Trailing behind Dachuan, Yang Chuxia heard every word from Old Lady Hua. Gripping her fists tightly, she thought angrily, so that’s why her father always came home so late—turns out it was because of this damned old woman who wouldn’t let him return.
Yang Chuxia pushed past Dachuan and gave Old Lady Hua a cold glance. Old Lady Hua’s heart went cold upon seeing Yang Chuxia emerge from behind Dachuan.
However, Chuxia didn’t care if her heart was cold or not. She handed her basket to Qingrui, and he quickly understood her intention and hurriedly carried the basket into the third branch of the family’s house.