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墨書 Inktalez
"You must be Sister Qingxi!" said the girl with a clear voice. "I'm Zhang Hongling, and this is my brother Zhang Dazhu. We're here to help you tidy up!"
With that, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work!
Liu Qingxi initially thought that Zhang Wuliang was just being polite. After all, he had already helped a lot; if it weren't for him allowing them to stay in this courtyard, they would have had to sleep outside tonight!
"Sister Hongling, Brother Dazhu, thank you for your help!"
"Don't mention it, it's what we should do!" Hongling was quite talkative and quickly became friendly with Liu Qingxi.
As for Zhang Dazhu, being the eldest son of Zhang Wuliang, he didn't inherit his father's skills (relative to the villagers) but was a simple and honest young man.
He swiftly cleared the fallen leaves from the courtyard and then went outside to find a sturdy stick. With a few strokes of a machete, he shaped it well and soon repaired the three-legged stool.
"Sister Hongling, Brother Dazhu are amazing!" Liu Qingxi was quickly won over by Hongling's enthusiasm and realized that the girl in front of her was straightforward and eager to help.
"Of course! Don't be fooled by my brother's quietness; he works fast! Sister Qingxi, if you ever need anything, just ask us for help!"
With her naturally cheerful personality and Zhang Wuliang's encouragement, Hongling treated Liu Qingxi like a good friend.
Helping out was no problem at all; she didn't hesitate one bit.
"Thank you all, and also to the Village Chief. Otherwise, we wouldn't know what to do. At least now we have a place to stay."
"Hey! It's only right for neighbors to help each other. Also, look at your roof; it's in bad shape. Let my brother go chop down a few trees on the mountain to help fix it!"
"Sure, I'll go along to help!" Liu Qingxi replied happily.
Relying on herself alone, she didn't know when she could get it fixed! If it rained suddenly, there wouldn't be much difference between the inner room and outside. Summer was already rainy; it was wise to take precautions.
With the help of Zhang Dazhu and Zhang Hongling, it took about an hour to clean up the yard and dust off the house. Since there were no blankets or bedding, Liu Qingxi asked Zhang Dazhu to help gather some straw to lay down.
Fortunately, it was summer, so this arrangement would suffice for now; at least they had a place to stay for the night!
Clapping her hands, Liu Qingxi sighed in relief, "Brother Da Zhu, Sister Hong Ling, thank you both! I'll treat you to a meal later!" This was a habit she had developed in modern times, as well as a customary way of interacting with others.
She always believed that nothing in this world came without a cost.
However, Zhang Hongling waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "Qingxi, you're being too polite; there's no need!"
In truth, she could see that the siblings were truly impoverished and had nothing. They could barely take care of their own lives, so how could they let her treat them to a meal?
It should be noted that treating guests to a meal would consume a significant amount of their limited rations.
The inarticulate Zhang Dazhu chimed in awkwardly, "We’re not looking for a meal; I have plenty of strength. Sister Qingxi, don’t be polite!"
"Alright then, I won’t keep you any longer. You’ve worked hard!" Liu Qingxi kept their help in mind.
After sending them off, Liu Qingxi locked the door with an old and barely functional lock. As for the fence, it didn’t make much difference whether it was there or not; it could be ignored for now.
"Yan, let's go up the mountain and find something to eat to get through the night. Sister Ming will take you to enjoy some good food!"
"Okay!" Liu Qingyan bounced along behind Liu Qingxi.
He felt really happy being with his sister. Although he had been very sad when they were driven out, now he thought about how Aunt and Cousin would no longer bully them.
He would no longer have to endure beatings or be punished by going hungry!
When faced with the towering mountains, Liu Qingxi felt like crying; they truly had nothing now. Even if there were wild vegetables, they had no pot to cook them in. "Yan, let's find some fruit tonight to get by!"
"Alright!" Liu Qingyan obediently followed her sister's orders.
Perhaps it was the luck of being away from the Liu Family; they hadn't even reached halfway up the slope when they spotted a tree with five bright red fruits, each the size of an apple. "Hurry up and help!"
Liu Qingxi climbed the tree and called down to Liu Qingyan.
The kid was responsible for collecting the fruits that her sister picked and putting them into her arms.
The last fruit was too high, but thanks to the tree-climbing skills Liu Qingxi had developed in her previous life while catching birds, she managed to reach it successfully!
With a swift motion, she came down from the tree. "Yan, let's go!"
The siblings each took one fruit, wiped them on their sleeves, and took a bite. The sweet and sour taste was refreshing, filling them with a sense of happiness.
As they made their way down the mountain to rest, Liu Qingxi suddenly heard a rustling sound by the roadside. "What's going on?"
Following the sound, Liu Qingxi's eyes widened in surprise!
"Yan, come look at this!" She saw a wild chicken struggling fiercely in a trap.
"Wow!!! It's a wild chicken! Sister, it's a wild chicken!" Liu Qingyan exclaimed excitedly, jumping in place.
Liu Qingxi finally remembered that this trap was one they had dug earlier when they went up the mountain. At that time, they thought they might get lucky and catch something. Who would have thought that more than half a month had passed without any results?
Afterward, she had forgotten about it. This trap wasn't a real hunter's trap but rather a method from a game she used to play in her previous life.
They had first dug a pit about two feet square and covered the opening with thin branches, then scattered leaves on top as camouflage. This way, if an animal walked over it, the branches wouldn't be able to support its weight and would fall in.
To prevent any trapped animals from escaping, she had also inserted several sharp branches inside.
"Sister, it's the trap we dug!" Liu Qingyan's eyes sparkled as he recalled the scene from back then. Without proper tools, he and his sister had to dig several times before they got it right.
"Yes, yes, let's take it back!" Liu Qingxi quickly wove a thick rope from grass and tied up the wild chicken.
The siblings carefully avoided the villagers and returned to their dwelling.
They exchanged smiles, their joy evident.
"Yan, let's not eat this wild chicken just yet; let's trade it for Copper Coins in town tomorrow!"
"Okay, I'll listen to you!" Well, this was the most Liu Qingyan had said in a while.
"Right, we don't have a pot, a bowl, or blankets; all of these cost money. Right now, we only have the Eighty-One Wen left from selling Cicada Monkeys. Let's see what we can do in town tomorrow!"
With that thought, Liu Qingxi realized they needed to buy everything for their home, and everything required money.
"Let's go quietly tomorrow!" After being driven out for the second time, Liu Qingxi wondered how the villagers would react; her heart felt uneasy.
That night, under the cover of darkness, Liu Qingxi stealthily blended into the night and slowly approached the cave.
Ah, finally finished typing today's chapter before 1 AM! Accompanied my best friend shopping today; I'm exhausted!
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