The whole family stocked up on supplies two years in advance, so they could live a life of luxury wh

Time flies.

Before you know it, it's already the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).

The diligent farmers have already gotten up to feed the cattle.

of course.

Not to be outdone, the village roosters crowed at set times, as if they had alarm clocks on their bodies.

"Giggle~"

After one rooster crowed, the other roosters also crowed.

The moon in the sky hasn't gone off duty yet; it's still steadfastly working to light the way for pedestrians spending the night.

Xing'er had already gotten up and dressed. Li Taohua didn't say anything, but quietly got up and took two steamed buns from the pot on the earthen stove.

She looked at her third sister earnestly and said:

"Third sister, you're going to the market so early. Second sister was worried you'd go hungry this morning. These two cornbread buns are what I hid yesterday specifically for you. Take them with you and eat them on the way."

Xing'er nodded:

"Yes, thank you, Second Sister."

"Then finish up quickly and come back early. Don't buy anything for the family today, don't waste money."

Li Taohua made no mention of her third brother and fourth sister.

Xing'er was somewhat surprised by this.

She finished her cornbread in two bites, tied the wild boar with straw rope and carried it on her back, then slung a basket full of termite mushrooms over her arm and headed towards the village entrance.

Inside the tent.

Zhang sighed silently as she watched her daughter leave alone.

She probably can't control this daughter anymore.

Hearing her sigh, Li Fusheng patted the back of her hand and comforted her:

"What are you still worried about? Xing'er has already done a great job. If it weren't for Xing'er, where would our family get the money to build a house and pay taxes? Don't blame her for being heartless."

Anyone facing a life-or-death situation will undergo a dramatic change in temperament.

Zhang wiped away her tears, "It's all my fault for not raising my children well, which is why Lanhua and Yushan hate their sister so much."

Upon hearing this, Li Fusheng continued to comfort him:

"Lanhua and Yushan are still young, we'll teach them well, now go back to sleep!"

"Um."

On the other end.

Xing'er carried the slaughtered wild boar quickly to the old locust tree at the village entrance.

Tiger Head and the dog were already prepared.

As soon as they saw her, everyone waved excitedly at her.

"Sister Xing'er!"

"Sister Xing'er is here."

"Let's go, let's go help Sister Xing'er pick wild boars."

Tiger Head and Dog prepared two large wooden sticks and a straw rope, thinking that the two of them could carry the wild boar so that Sister Xing'er wouldn't have to work so hard.

Hearing their voices, Xing'er quickened her pace and walked towards them.

"You arrived so quickly? I thought I'd have to wait for you."

"Sister Xing'er, you have no idea! Gou'er didn't sleep all night. His sleeplessness kept me awake too. He was so excited. Today is the first time the two of us brothers have gone to the market."

The dog blushed. "What? You're only talking about me. You're the same. You toss and turn all day and you still haven't slept."

"Sister Xing'er, not to mention Brother Gou'er and Brother Tiedan, I couldn't fall asleep either. My mother told me to go to sleep, but I just couldn't. I'm so curious. They all said there are lots of food for sale at the market."

They also sell hair accessories.

I bet it'll be a lot of fun!

Zhao Di looked on with anticipation, spending the whole night imagining what the town would be like.

She was thinking about it so much that her head almost went spinning.

Xing'er laughed heartily:

"Come on, today I'll show you what Qing Shi Town looks like, and see if it's what you imagined."

"Wait, Xing'er, let us help you carry the load we prepared. Otherwise, it's too heavy, and you'll have to carry it up the mountain path by yourself. You can't manage it all by yourself."

Tiger Head picked up the carrying pole, and he and Iron Egg started tying straw ropes together. As for the basket that Xing'er was carrying, Daya took it from her, saying eagerly:

"Sister Xing'er, let me help you carry the mushrooms."

Xing'er didn't speak, only smiled slightly.

She placed the 360-pound wild boar on the ground and first asked Tiger Head and Iron Egg to see if they could lift it. Unexpectedly, after struggling for a long time, the two found that they couldn't lift it at all, so they continued to work hard.

"Why...why is this wild boar so heavy?"

"Try it, try it again!"

"I'll try, I'll give it a shot."

Dog called Tie Dan aside. He lifted the front of the boar, gesturing for Tiger Head to lift the back. But when he strained, the wild boar on the ground didn't budge. Dog blushed deeply and said awkwardly:

"Sister Xing'er, this wild boar is so heavy, how did you manage to carry it?"

Xing'er didn't say anything, but directly demonstrated to them. She lifted the wild boar's head with her right hand, then nimbly put it behind her back and tied the rope around her waist.

A large wild boar landed steadily on Xing'er's back.

This series of moves left all the children present speechless with astonishment.

"Wow, Xing'er, you're amazing! Tiger Head and Dog Brother couldn't even lift it, but you carried it on your back so easily."

"Sister Xing'er is awesome!"

"Sister Xing'er's strength is incredible, even stronger than the oxen in the next village."

........

I got up very early this morning.

Ms. Wang didn't sleep well at all last night. She was very anxious because her two sons weren't around. She kept questioning her third son or waking her husband up to talk to him, but neither her son nor her husband paid any attention to her.

She had no choice but to endure it for the time being.

She just hoped her two sons would come back soon; if that didn't work, she would go to town to see them.

Seeing that she had been making such a fuss all night and hadn't slept well, Li Laojiu didn't get up until dawn and said:

"What are you making such a fuss about all night? They're all grown up, how could they possibly get lost? Since the two kids are so sensible and are going out to find work, you, as their mother, should be happy. Get up quickly today and go to Fusheng's house to work."

"Yes, yes, you're not in a hurry about anything else, but you've been very diligent in building Fusheng's new house, yet no one has given you a few extra bites to eat."

Li Laojiu was displeased upon hearing this.

"What are you saying? You just help with cooking and finding wild vegetables. You eat more than I do. How dare you criticize Fusheng? It's already a miracle that he doesn't look down on you."

Upon hearing this, Wang had no choice but to get up and fetch water, feeling rather resentful.

Half an hour later.

Li Fusheng's house became lively again.

Some were moving timber, others were chiseling mortises, and still others were ramming earth walls. The women below were using winnowing baskets to pass the prepared mud to the men on the earthen walls, which were already a meter high.

The men used specially made tampers to compact the soil.

Typically, it's a group of two men, one of whom strikes the hammer once, and then the other takes over, making it a performance of strength and rhythm.

"Heave-ho heave-ho~"

"Heave-ho heave-ho~"

"Heave-ho heave-ho~"

The men shouted slogans as they worked hard.

Just when everyone was busy.

A group of uninvited guests walked towards Li Fusheng's house.

They carried big sticks and looked fierce, like loan sharks chasing after debts. Old Man Li was the first to notice them. He nudged the people next to him with his elbow and asked, "Who are these people?"

Why do they seem to be here to cause trouble?