Sweet, sweet milk candy.
The taste was so good it was unbelievable.
Ruan Jiaojiao’s eyes squinted with sweetness, her little expression so full of enjoyment. She thought how wonderful it would be if she could be this happy every day.
Xiu Xi looked at the candy in his hand but couldn’t bear to eat it; he secretly slid it into his pocket, intending to save it for her. Then the thought struck him to hunt more game that evening, trade for more money, and buy her lots and lots of milk candy.
Both harbored their thoughts until the Ruanlin Family mother came out from the kitchen and asked them to call people to the village entrance.
The beginning of May was the rice planting season.
The students were on vacation, and the Ruan Family, being large in number, would work together during planting despite having separated households. They would finish the oldest brother’s fields before moving on to the second brother’s, making the work not only faster but more efficient as well.
This year was the same as always, with the sole difference that Liao Zhaoji was not there.
The Ruanlin Family mother had gotten up early to prepare a meal for the entire family. Once everyone was full, they would head to the fields to plant the rice together.
Ruan Jiaojiao was carried by Ruan Jianguo, resting her head on his shoulder as they walked, curiously looking around here and there, in a fantastically good mood.
A few middle school boys walked ahead, each carrying something. The boys in elementary school chased and horsed around behind them, laughing. Occasionally, they stepped into someone else’s field and soiled their clothes, but no one minded and merely greeted each other with smiles.
The fields were filled with laughter and cheerful voices.
As they neared their own plot of land, Ruan Jiaojiao wriggled in Ruan Jianguo’s arms. He looked at her.
"Dad, I want to walk by myself."
Ruan Jianguo frowned, reluctant to let his soft and fragrant little girl down to the muddy ridges, as if one step would sully her.
Behind them, Du Qing laughed, "Big brother, it’s fine. Let Jiaojiao come down for a walk in the mud; it will chase away the sickness."
This was an old saying, indicating that children who were always weak often had never worked in the fields. Working the land more often would make them better. Of course, Du Qing was also unwilling to let his little niece work in the paddy fields, but a little walk was deemed acceptable.
The Ruanlin Family mother also nodded, indicating to Ruan Jianguo to let Ruan Jiaojiao down to walk on her own for a bit.
Having no choice, Ruan Jianguo set Ruan Jiaojiao down but warned, "Be careful where you walk, don’t fall."
"Dad, don’t worry, I’ve got my sister," Ruan Jie said, taking Ruan Jiaojiao’s small hand and pointing to a thorny plant by the ditch, "Sis, your brother will take you to pick thorn puffs to eat."
Thorn puffs were plants covered with thorns, usually found by roadsides or ditches, with bushes bursting from the inside. When unripe, they were green; when ripe, they turned red and were about the size of a thumb, very sweet and a necessary treat for rural children every season.
However, some said this was snake food, and adults cautioned children to beware of snakes when picking them.
The moment Ruan Jianguo heard this, he frowned and said immediately, "Don’t let your sister pick them. If she does, don’t eat them straight away. Bring them home, wash them, or she’ll get a sore mouth."
The thorn puffs were indeed tasty, but they could have been crawled over by snakes and insects. Children, not caring much, wouldn’t wash them and often ate them right after picking, which could lead to sores at the corners of their mouths. Ruan Jianguo didn’t mind if a boy got sores, but he couldn’t bear to see it happen to his little girl.
"I got it," Ruan Jie replied helplessly, waving his hand. He was tired of hearing these repeated warnings; with several older brothers around, they would never let their sister do such work.
"Remember to come back early to work." Seeing his own child also following, Wu Le called out as well.