Chapter 9: Auntie came looking for trouble

The next morning after breakfast, Xi Qiu, with a swollen face, took out the coarse linen clothes left by her mother, Mrs. Hao, and wrapped it around Xi Chun's head. Then she grabbed Yan Qing and wrapped them both in a blanket before heading out of the house.

Xi Chun was puzzled and asked, "Sister, where are we going?"

"We're going to the mountain nest to dig for vegetables. You two can wait there," Xi Qiu replied. She looked at Xi Chun's shoes, thought for a moment, and then brought over a pair of thick grass shoes. "Wear both pairs to avoid getting the cotton shoes inside wet."

Xi Chun nodded, and after they changed their shoes, she led them towards the foot of the mountain. After some thought, she went around the windward side of the mountain and left the two of them there, while she used a pickaxe to dig through the snow on the mountainside.

Xi Chun and Yan Qing stood wrapped in a large blanket at the windward spot, peering out with their eyes, watching their elder sister working.

Mrs. Tong was being escorted by her husband to report to Mr. Tong Baichuan. She had intended to just say hello and then have her husband deal with Xi Qiu, but Tong Baichuan waved them away, saying he would handle it himself.

Mrs. Tong was frustrated and muttered as she left, "Don't forget that we are not insignificant relatives. You can't be biased."

Mrs. Liu was arranged by Tong Baichuan to deal with the matter, but she grumbled discontentedly, "It's better to drive her out of the village. Keeping her here is harmful. Now this second girl's attitude seems to have changed. I don't know if she'll follow her mother's ways!"

"What do you know? Women from the natal family have limited knowledge. Just go as you're told!" Tong Baichuan glared, and Mrs. Liu shrank back in fear, then got up and left the house, heading towards the end of the village.

When she arrived at the end of the village, she knocked on the door several times, but no one came out. She couldn't help but curse, "Are they all dead inside?"

With no response, she found it strange and guessed that the second girl had gone to find food in the mountains, but the younger one should be at home.

Thinking this, she shouted again, "Xi Chun, you sickly child, open the door for me. If you don't, I'll kick it open myself! Open the door!"

Still no response, and she couldn't help but shout, her throat hurting from the effort. Annoyed, she kicked the door open with her foot.

Xi Qiu continued to dig without stopping until past noon. Yan Qing couldn't bear it and stomped her feet, whispering to Xi Chun, "Sister, I'm so hungry. Why hasn't our elder sister come back yet? The basket is already full, and I'm so hungry I can barely stand!"

Xi Chun coughed incessantly, despite wrapping her head and covering herself with a blanket, the north wind still made her shiver. Seeing that their elder sister had dug up most of the mountain hollow and the basket was full, she gritted her teeth and shouted, "Elder sister, do you need to keep digging?"

Xi Qiu stopped and wiped the sweat from her brow. She knew they were both hungry and cold, and she was also starving, but she had her plan. It was getting dark too early, and after lunch, there would be only an hour or two before it got dark, and there would be no time to dig.

Looking at the already pointed basket, she took a deep breath of the cold air and said, "Can you wait a little longer, half an hour?"

Xi Chun coughed and nodded obediently, while Yan Qing, wrapped in a blanket, was about to squat down, causing Xi Chun to stumble.

She looked at Xi Qiu uncomfortably, "Elder sister, I'm so hungry, and my legs hurt. I feel like throwing up from standing for so long."

Xi Qiu felt sorry for them and quickly threw down the pickaxe to go over, knowing that standing for a long time was causing their discomfort.

"Come, let me hold you!"

"No need, I'll just squat for a while. Elder sister, you keep digging. I'll eat a big meal later."

Xi Qiu helplessly smiled and said, "Okay!"

Xi Chun squatted down, coughing and looking at Xi Qiu, "Elder sister, we're waiting for you."

Xi Qiu, touching her numb and swollen face, turned around and dug a few times, then heard a soft sigh from behind.

Xi Qiu was startled and turned to see tears welling up in her eyes, almost falling.

She saw Yan Qing, who had somehow grabbed a handful of snow and was eating it non-stop. Her small face was covered in snow, and her pale yellow face was now bright red from the cold.

When Yan Qing saw Xi Qiu turn around, she smiled and said, "Elder sister, I'm so thirsty. Eating some snow will help."

Xi Qiu quickly turned her back, wiped her tears, and then turned back with a smile, pulling the two of them up. "Let's go home. Elder sister is starving."

"Really!" Yan Qing's eyes lit up.

Xi Qiu nodded, turned and carried the basket, and said to the two of them, "Let's go home and cook!"

"Okay!"