Reborn in a small mountain village in 1991

Chapter 29 A Day in the Life of My Youngest Sister

"Come on, get on, I'll take you home."

Qian Junwei twisted the accelerator and turned around on the spot, kicking up a cloud of dust. He had originally planned to show off in front of You Xiaoxia, but ended up getting both of them covered in dust.

You Xiaoxia came to her senses, helped Qian Junwei sit on the back seat, and gripped the rear frame tightly with both hands to prevent herself from being thrown off.

Even so, no matter how firmly she held on, when the vehicle bumped up or sank into a rut, You Xiaoxia would be thrown off the seat, occasionally even bouncing off her seat. She had to rely on her hands to keep steady, and her heart would rise and fall with each movement.

At that time, the road was still a gravel dirt road, full of potholes. Those who couldn't afford it had to walk, while those who could afford it rode a bicycle. There were very few people in the whole brigade like Qian Junwei who could ride a motorcycle.

But You Xiaoxia didn't say a word, because her mind was still immersed in Qian Junwei's words, and even the corners of her mouth gradually curved into a smile.

"You can walk back on your own. I have other things to do."

Qian Junwei stopped the car and dropped You Xiaoxia off at the crossroads between the two villages. He had more important things to do now.

"Mother!"

After Qian Junwei got home, before he had even parked his car, he shouted into the house, "Has dinner been cooked? I'm hungry. Hurry up and cook a couple of dishes. I have to go out later."

"Shouting, shouting, all you do is shout all day long, what good will it do you?"

Despite her impatience, Qian's mother still opened the refrigerator and took out a small piece of meat, preparing to stir-fry some slices.

"Oh, you're not going to do anything about it?"

As mentioned earlier, the Qian family was the wealthiest in the village, possessing not only complete furniture but also a considerable number of home appliances.

In Xujia Village, only the brigade office has electricity; the village itself is not electrified. The Qian family paid for their own electric poles and wires. At night, you can tell that the brightest spot is Qian Junwei's house.

So the Qian family not only had a refrigerator, but also a television. However, the television was usually locked on the second floor, so even if someone in the village wanted to come and watch TV, they couldn't.

After the meal, Qian Junwei figured the Xu family should have finished their work, so he grabbed an old popsicle from the refrigerator, put it in his mouth, and started walking towards the Xu family's house.

Qian Junwei underestimated the diligence of the Xu family. It was already past six o'clock, and Xu Yaomei was still the only one in the house.

Xu Yaomei locked the door and wouldn't let Qian Junwei into the house.

Qian Junwei had no choice but to take a stool under the eaves and sit under the persimmon tree to wait for Xu Chunsheng to return.

After sitting for only a short while, Qian Junwei couldn't stay still any longer. Although it was shady under the persimmon tree, there were also a lot of mosquitoes. Before long, Qian Junwei's exposed arms and legs were covered in big red welts from the bites.

When the Xu family members walked into their courtyard, they saw Qian Junwei wandering around aimlessly, occasionally swatting a couple of mosquitoes and scratching the bumps on his body.

Xu Chunsheng's temples throbbed, and veins bulged on his forehead. Why was this guy in his house? Was he looking for a fight?

"What are you doing here?"

Qian Junwei turned around, with a hint of sadness, as if saying, "You've finally returned." Ignoring the other members of the Xu family who were still present, he said directly, "Let me tell you, I really helped you a lot today."

After Qian Junwei finished recounting his encounter with You Xiaoxia, he licked his lips and said, "I managed to calm You Xiaoxia down for you. Aren't I a good brother? Next time you see her, speak to her properly. Even if the dowry isn't enough, you still have me!"

"Also, don't count on that Ophiopogon japonicus stuff. If that stuff could fetch a good price, I'd be the first to know!"

Xu Chunsheng finally realized that Qian Junwei was not only bad, but also stupid!

"You guys go inside first, I need to say a few words to Qian Junwei."

He then gestured for Qian Junwei to come over, and the two walked to the path beside the house. The evening breeze blew, but it couldn't extinguish the anger in Xu Chunsheng's heart.

"What I do with You Xiaoxia is none of your business. Didn't I tell you last time to stay away from my house? Are you looking for a beating?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Junwei instinctively took two steps back, saying:

"Last time we clearly said we wouldn't talk about your sister marrying me outside, and I didn't say anything then. Why are you being so unreasonable? I helped you, and you're blaming me!"

"I don't need your help, get out of here! Don't loiter around my house!"

After finishing his sentence, Xu Chunsheng ignored Qian Junwei's reaction and turned to go home.

Now that the weather has cooled down, the mosquitoes outside are more active.

In just a short while, Xu Chunsheng had two more welts on his body, and the prickly hairs on the corn leaves were stuck firmly to his body by sweat, making him feel itchy and stuffy. He didn't have the time or the desire to argue with Qian Junwei right now.

Xu Chunsheng was only thinking about waiting for the Ophiopogon japonicus in his home to grow well so that he could sell it when the price of Ophiopogon japonicus soared.

As for Qian Junwei's questioning of him, he was too lazy to defend himself.

Because he was covered in dust and small prickles from the corn leaves, Xu Chunsheng carried a bucket, scooped a bucket of water from the water vat, and prepared to take a bath under the persimmon tree.

But then, the youngest sister peeked out the window and called out to Xu Chunsheng, "Second brother, dinner's ready! I cooked cucumbers for dinner tonight!"

"Okay, you guys eat first, I'm going to take a shower."

As he spoke, Xu Chunsheng carried the bucket to the persimmon tree, stood there, and began to strip off his clothes.

He poured cool water from the bucket onto his body with a handkerchief, and the icy touch made him exclaim, "Awesome!"

He grabbed a pinch of laundry detergent, smeared it on his head, and started washing his hair. Using the foam on his head, he roughly rubbed his body, then used a towel to scoop up water and rinsed his body. When he felt he was done, he lifted the bucket with both hands and poured the remaining water over his head. Xu Chunsheng shook his head, wiped himself a couple of times with a handkerchief, and finished his bath in less than five minutes.

When Xu Chunsheng entered the house, his mother hurriedly said, "Come and eat quickly, your little sister has already prepared your food."

The reason why their family was able to have dinner soon after returning home was mainly because of Xu Yaomei.

Seeing that the adults in her family had been working until dark these past few days, Xu Yaomei would quietly cook cucumbers at home by herself while the rest of the family went to work in the fields.

She was just a six-year-old child, secretly imitating her mother and sister's cooking, removing the cucumber stems, but Xu Yaomei had no idea how much to remove.

Some cucumbers only have a tiny bit of stem removed, resulting in a bitter taste; others have only half a cucumber left after the stem is removed.

After the cucumbers were cooked, Xu Yaomei couldn't lift the pot, so she placed a stool next to the stove, stood on it, and used chopsticks to pick them up one by one. As for the remaining soup, Xu Dajie poured it into a basin after she returned.

Therefore, every "plain boiled cucumber" that Xu Chunsheng saw had two chopstick holes on it, and some lucky ones had even more. It was probably because Xu Yaomei poked them to determine whether they were ripe or not.

Xu Chunsheng picked up a cucumber, took a bite, put it in his bowl, and kept nodding, "Mmm~ Little sister's cooking is so delicious, you're amazing."

"That's right, that's right. If it weren't for Yaomei, we wouldn't even have food to eat right now."

"Little sister, you're so good, but be careful when you use the knife."

"Also, be careful when starting a fire, so you don't burn yourself."

Tonight, the Xu family finished their dinner amidst praise and concern for Xu Yaomei, making it taste especially delicious.

But not long after the meal, You Xiaoxia came to his house.

"Xu Chunsheng, I want to talk to you. Will you take me home?"

This time, You Xiaoxia spoke quite gently.

Xu's parents and eldest sister were also surprised by You Xiaoxia's sudden arrival. They were also worried that it was too late and something might happen to You Xiaoxia if she went home alone, which would be difficult to explain to the You family. So they all asked Xu Chunsheng to take You Xiaoxia home.

Xu Chunsheng didn't want to cause any more trouble, so he nodded: "Alright! I'll go get a bamboo pole (torch)."

However, after Xu Chunsheng dropped You Xiaoxia off, You Xiaoxia did not immediately go inside. Instead, she suddenly stood in front of him and said:

"Xu Chunsheng, I'm glad you're willing to work hard to earn money for me! But you don't need to deliberately distance yourself from me like this!"