Chapter 9: Digging Wild Vegetables and Picking Mushrooms

Mrs. Qin hesitated. The families usually ate separately, and she was used to their simple meals. Besides, she didn't care much for greasy food.

After a moment, the old lady whispered, "Forget it. It's too much trouble to move everything. Just set the table, and I'll go call your grandfather for dinner."

She wiped her hands on her apron and headed to the vegetable garden to find Old Man Qin.

Qin Ju pulled Qin Shi aside and whispered, "Xiao Shi, wait here. When Grandpa and Grandma come out, tell them that Auntie wants them to eat in the front yard!"

"Okay!" Qin Shi nodded eagerly.

After giving her sister instructions, Qin Ju placed the stewed cabbage, pickled vegetables, and steamed cornmeal buns they had prepared onto a wooden board and carried everything to the front yard.

In the front yard, a roast chicken sat at the center of the round table, alongside a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Feng Lan was in the kitchen, scooping rice into bowls. Qin Xiaotao sat alone at the table, drooling over the feast.

Feng Lan, worried that her son might start eating before everyone was seated, called out, "Xiao Tao, don't touch that chicken yet! Wait for your father to come home, and then we'll all eat together."

Xiao Tao stared hungrily at the chicken, thinking of his father's temper. Reluctantly, he held back, swallowing his saliva.

When Qin Ju arrived, she placed all the food she had brought onto the table. She even arranged the benches in a circle and set out the bowls and chopsticks, as if they were preparing for a large family meal.

When Feng Lan came out with two bowls of rice, she was furious at the sight of Qin Ju. "What are you doing here?"

Qin Ju wasn't intimidated. She smiled and replied, "Auntie, didn't you invite us to come over for dinner? Grandpa just praised you, saying how filial you are!"

"I didn't—" Feng Lan started to protest, but she quickly fell silent. Looking up, she saw Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin walking toward them.

Feng Lan felt a wave of frustration and anger, unable to say anything more. She shot a glare at Qin Ju.

Meanwhile, Xiao Tao, seeing his father, Qin Jiqun, returning, couldn't hold back any longer. He reached out, tore off a chicken leg, and started eating.

Qin Ju acted quickly. She broke off the other chicken leg and placed it in Grandpa Qin's bowl. Then, she tore off the two chicken wings—giving one to Grandma Qin and placing the other in her sister Qin Shi's bowl.

The sternness on Mr. Qin's face softened slightly. He used his chopsticks to lift a chicken leg and placed it into Xiao Tao's bowl. "Give this to the child. I don't want any."

Old Mrs. Qin also added, "I'm not a fan of it either..."

Qin Ju quickly took the chicken wing and placed it into her sister's bowl. "Grandma, please give this chicken wing to Xiao Shi. She's so thin, and she's not even as tall as Xiao Tao."

Old Mrs. Qin glanced at her grandson's full bowl but chose not to comment. Xiao Shi, shy and hesitant, finally began to eat with a little encouragement from Qin Ju.

Qin Ju smiled gently. "Xiao Shi, please eat. Look how kind the old aunt is to us. We shouldn't disappoint her."

Feng Lan's frustration deepened, but with Old Man Qin present and her husband, Qin Jiqun, eating quietly, she had no outlet for her anger.

After the meal, Qin Ju and her sister cleared the dishes in the backyard before heading back inside. Once the door was closed, Feng Lan vented her anger to Qin Jiqun. "I'm so furious! That girl is driving me crazy!"

Qin Jiqun, picking his teeth with a thin rice stick, asked, "What's wrong? And why did you invite everyone over for dinner today? We barely got any meat from that roast chicken."

Feng Lan snapped, "I didn't invite them! Qin Ju did it on her own, and once the old man and his family were here, I couldn't exactly kick them out."

Qin Jiqun shrugged. "It's probably a one-time thing. Forget it. After I'm done with cards tonight, I'll get some donkey meat BBQ, and we'll enjoy that."

Feng Lan's mood improved slightly at this promise.

But soon, unforeseen complications arose. Whenever the family planned a special meal, Qin Ju would manage to invite the old man and his family over. While this meant Xiao Shi sometimes enjoyed delicious treats, it left Qin Jiqun and Feng Lan feeling increasingly irritated.

In the end, the trio had to sneak out to enjoy their meals in secret.

Since Qin Ju's return for the holiday, Qin Xiaotao had stopped bullying Xiao Shi. Every time he tried, he ended up suffering for it.

In addition to causing trouble for her uncle's family, Qin Ju took her sister to the mountains to forage for wild vegetables and mushrooms. The space she had could keep these fresh. While people in the countryside often overlooked such items, they were highly sought after in the county. Many city folks were eager to try fresh wild produce.

Qin Ju planned to store the wild vegetables and mushrooms in her space and return to the county town before school started to sell them in the market. She still owed Shen Yi twenty yuan and hoped to repay him soon. Furthermore, she had other plans that required additional funds.

Early one morning, the two sisters set out with bamboo baskets. The mountains near their hometown were not high or steep, and the lush vegetation was alive with the sounds of chirping birds. Occasionally, they spotted wild rabbits with their tiny, round tails.

Though Xiao Shi remained pale and thin, her eyes shone with newfound brightness. She handed Qin Ju the sweet mushrooms she had gathered with a happy smile. "Here, Sister! I picked these for us."

"Thank you, Xiao Shi. We'll enjoy these together," Qin Ju replied warmly.

"Yes!" Xiao Shi's smile widened. "I'm so happy now!"

(End of this chapter)