A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

"Alright." Seeing that her third daughter-in-law wanted to continue speaking, Grandma Chen interrupted her. Her tone was calm, but her eyes were somewhat somber.

After Aunt Chen went inside, the courtyard was silent for a short while. The subtle ripples that had just occurred subsided temporarily as the curtain fell.

Grandma Chen refocused her attention on her grandson in her arms and the peanuts in her hands. Auntie San pouted and continued peeling the peanuts. Chen Wanxing also lowered her eyes and gently gathered the peeled peanuts into the bowl.

The conversation gradually returned to the previous casual chatter, but the atmosphere was a bit more subdued than before. About half an hour later, the sun gradually rose higher, approaching noon.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open with a "bang".

Chen Qinghui ran in like a little deer, her face flushed, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, and her eyes shining brightly.

She carefully held something in both hands, ran straight to Chen Wanxing, and presented it to him like a treasure.

They were three small birds, slightly larger than a fist, roasted to a golden brown and strung together on thin twigs. They were still steaming and carrying a unique aroma that was a mixture of charred fragrance and some kind of wild flavor.

"Second sister, here, eat!"

Qinghui, panting, said in a voice full of excitement and anticipation, "We just baked them, they smell so good."

Chen Wanxing was stunned, staring at the "food" she had never seen before, at a loss for words. She didn't know what kind of bird it was; its small body, charred beak, and claws made her have no desire to eat it, nor did she know where to begin.

Before she could react, Qingsui started chattering: "Second brother took us there. It was under the haystacks in the reeds and wheat field at the west end of the village. He used a sieve to dig it out."

The little girl's eyes were full of pride. "Second brother is super amazing. He caught it in one go. We all said you must have never eaten this before. It's so fragrant, it tastes just like meat. Big sister, you should try it."

Seeing her younger sister, who was clearly drooling over the food, still holding it towards her, Chen Wanxing felt a warm glow in her heart, comforted by this clumsy yet sincere gesture.

She reached out, but instead of taking the skewer of roasted sparrows, she gently touched Qinghui's sweaty hair. "Thank you, Qinghui, you guys are amazing."

Seeing that she didn't take it, Qinghui became a little anxious and pushed the sparrow forward a bit more: "Big sister, you should eat it, it's really delicious, we watched Second Brother roast it."

"Second sister has never seen this before and doesn't know how to eat it." Chen Wanxing smiled, took it from her, and said truthfully, "But I'm quite curious, how did you catch them? With a sieve? How did you catch them?"

Upon hearing that her older sister was interested in this, Qinghui immediately forgot to urge her to eat, her eyes lit up even more, and she began to gesture excitedly:

"We would first scatter some chaff, set up a sieve, prop it up with a small stick, and tie a long rope to the stick. We would hide far away and wait for the sparrows to go in to eat. Then we would pull the rope, and the sieve would fall down. It was so much fun!"

"Big sister, do you want to go see them? They're still over there; they might have detained them again."

Chen Wanxing was indeed intrigued. She had only ever heard of this primitive method of catching birds in books in modern times. She glanced at Grandma Chen.

Grandma Chen waved her hand: "Go ahead if you want to go and see. You go with Qing Sui. It's over by the wheat field, not far. Don't get too close to the reeds, there's water there, be careful not to fall in. Also, when you tell those naughty boys to light the fire, don't go near the haystacks, don't let them set fire to someone else's firewood."

"Okay," Chen Wanxing replied, stood up and said to Qinghui, "Come on, let's take Big Sister to see how you guys show off your skills."

Qing Sui cheered, carefully picked up the skewer of roasted sparrows, and then grabbed Chen Wanxing's hand and ran outside.

Watching them leave, Chen's mother shook her head and said to Grandma Chen, "Wanxing is still a child, yet she's still curious about this thing."

Grandma Chen watched her granddaughter being pulled out of the courtyard by her little granddaughter, her gaze distant, and said slowly, "Having been outside for so many years, she probably has never seen these traditional methods. It's good for her to see them; this is what life is like for children in our village."

Led by Qing Sui, Chen Wanxing walked through the quiet village road toward the threshing ground. The winter fields were empty, with several tall haystacks piled up beside the threshing ground.

Even from a distance, you can see many children gathered here, scattered in small groups.

Chen Wanxing narrowed her eyes and immediately spotted her own children crouching behind a haystack. Chen Yanche was also among them, intently staring at a sieve propped up by a wooden stick not far away.

The sunlight shone on their focused little faces, carrying a pure joy.

Chen Wanxing followed Qing Sui and quietly crouched down behind them. Chen Yanche was watching the fire when he turned around and saw her. His dark face showed some surprise, then he grinned and explained the ingenuity of the mechanism to her in a low voice. The other children also curiously stole glances at this dignified older sister.

At first, they were a little reserved. This sister who had suddenly returned home had fair skin and a pleasant voice. She was completely different from their usual playmates who rolled in the mud and the other girls in the village, as if there was an invisible distance between them.

But she simply squatted down quietly, her gaze focused on the frame set up in the center of the field, showing no sign of disdain or condescension. They gradually relaxed, and in a short while, the sense of distance dissolved.

Especially when she joined them in a soft sigh of regret because the sparrow had escaped, the children looked at each other, their eyes lighting up.

This older sister doesn't seem so different. She has a pleasant, clean scent, and smells sweet, unlike them who always smell of sweat and dust. She looks so pretty as she quietly squats there.

Children's innate affinity for beautiful things begins to stir, like chicks instinctively drawn to warmth.

So some people, especially the younger ones, started to move closer to her, as if it would be good to be closer to that pleasant scent.

Qinghui clung tightly to her, her little face beaming with pride, as if she had brought her older sister to play.

As soon as a sparrow was put into the basket, Chen Yanche gave a soft shout of "Pull!" Chen Yanxin, who was watching closely, suddenly pulled the spare rope, but unfortunately, he was a beat too slow. When the basket fell, it only caught a few tail feathers. The startled sparrows flew away with a "fluttering" sound, causing a chorus of frustrated sighs.

Chen Wanxing found it amusing, and at their urging, she also took control of the rope for a try. Seeing that she was actually willing to play, the children became even more excited, gathering around her even closer, offering suggestions all at once, as if teaching their older sister an amazing skill would be a great honor.

Especially Cong Ge'er, who was almost leaning into her arms, so Chen Wanxing simply reached out and hugged him while tightening the rope, keeping her eyes fixed on the alert little creatures and waiting patiently.

When finally a few sparrows hopped under the basket to peck at the food, she pulled hard, the basket closed, and everyone cheered.

Although only one was caught underneath and quickly escaped through the gap, Chen Wanxing was still very happy. The excitement and tension of personally participating in the capture brought a bright smile to her face.