Chapter 82 – Agreeing to Let Yan Xiaosi Go to the Mountain to Gather Herbs
Hearing Yan Xiaosi’s words, Tian Dazhuang smiled apologetically.
“Xiaosi, it’s not that I’m stingy, you know how my mother is.”
“I know, I don’t blame you.”
Yan Xiaosi patted Tian Dazhuang’s arm reassuringly, then turned and walked towards the dilapidated grass temple with a light step. As she walked, she hummed a popular song that Tian Dazhuang didn’t know. She thought they had come down the mountain early, and Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, and Yan Shuxue should still be on the Four Sisters Mountain gathering firewood, so she wasn’t worried at all.
Little did she know, at that moment, Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, and Yan Shuxue had already returned to the grass temple with firewood on their backs.
Yan Shuyun’s leg injury hadn’t healed yet, making it difficult for her to cook. Yan Xiaosi wasn’t very good at cooking either, so Ms. Zhong worried that the two children would go hungry at noon and returned home early.
Upon returning home, Ms. Zhong only saw her third daughter, Yan Shuyun, sitting in the sun doing needlework and couldn’t find any trace of Yan Xiaosi. She asked, “Yun’er, where’s Xiaosi? Why can’t I see Xiaosi?”
Yan Shuyun stopped her needlework, raised her head, and answered Ms. Zhong, “Mother, Xiaosi went to play at Brother Dazhuang’s house.”
Ms. Zhong casually asked, “When did Xiaosi go to Dazhuang’s house?”
“Just after you left, Xiaosi went to the Tian family to find Brother Dazhuang.”
Hearing this, Ms. Zhong’s brow furrowed immediately, “Yun’er, has Xiaosi not come back since then?”
“Yeah, I’ve been at home the whole time, and I haven’t seen Xiaosi return.”
Yan Shuyun always treated Yan Xiaosi as her younger brother and temporarily forgot that Yan Xiaosi was actually a girl.
Ms. Zhong sighed and patted her thigh, then said to Yan Shuyun, “Yun’er, even though Xiaosi dresses like a boy, she’s still a girl. You should keep an eye on her.”
Yan Shuyun suddenly remembered that her mother had told her and her sisters last night that Xiaosi was actually a girl.
How could a girl like Xiaosi stay at the Tian family’s house for so long? If someone with ill intentions found out, it would definitely cause trouble for them.
“Mother, I’ll go to the Tian family right now and bring Xiaosi back.”
Yan Shuyun, looking guilty, immediately put down her needlework, quickly stood up, and limped towards the Tian family’s house.
Yan Shuqin followed, catching up with her and holding her back, “Third sister, your leg injury hasn’t healed yet. Let me go to the Tian family and bring Xiaosi back instead.”
Yan Shuqin ran to the Tian family’s house, knocked on the door, and found only Ms. Wang at home, with no trace of Yan Xiaosi or Tian Dazhuang. She immediately anxiously asked Ms. Wang, “Aunt Tian, where are Brother Dazhuang and Xiaosi?”
Ms. Wang looked at the charming Yan Shuqin and replied with a polite smile, “This morning, Xiaosi came to invite my son Dazhuang to go hunting on Four Sisters Mountain. Shuqin, didn’t you know about this?”
“What? Xiaosi and Brother Dazhuang went hunting on Four Sisters Mountain?”
Hunting usually took place on the four peaks of Four Sisters Mountain. When Yan Shuqin heard Ms. Wang’s words, she was terrified, her face turning pale. She turned and headed towards the edge of the village, eager to tell Ms. Zhong.
Upon seeing Ms. Zhong, she urgently said, “Mother, Aunt Tian said that Xiaosi invited Brother Dazhuang to go hunting in the mountains.”
“What? This child.”
Upon hearing this, Ms. Zhong nearly fainted from shock, but Yan Shuxue was there to support her.
Yan Shuxue comforted her, “Mother, with Brother Dazhuang there, Xiaosi will be fine. Let’s wait a bit.”
Ms. Zhong was anxious and couldn’t wait. She leaned on Yan Shuxue, steadying herself, “No, I have to go to the mountain to find Xiaosi. That child is too wild. Dazhuang can’t control her.”
“Mother, my second sister and I will accompany you.”
“Mother, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault for not watching Xiaosi closely.”
Yan Shuyun cried in guilt, while Yan Shuqin and Yan Shuxue insisted on accompanying Ms. Zhong to the mountain.
Just as Ms. Zhong was about to enter the mountain to search for people, Yan Xiaosi and Tian Dazhuang arrived near the broken grass temple.
From a distance, Yan Xiaosi saw Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, and Yan Shuxue’s figures and felt a sudden pang of fear in her heart.
This was bad, her mother and sisters were already home. Now she would be scolded when she went back.
Yan Xiaosi saw Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuqin from afar.
Yan Shuqin also saw her and Tian Dazhuang from a distance.
“Mother, look, Xiaosi and Brother Dazhuang are coming back!”
Seeing Xiaosi, Yan Shuqin excitedly grabbed Ms. Zhong’s arm.
“Mother, it’s really Xiaosi and Brother Dazhuang coming back!”
Yan Shuyun’s tears turned to laughter.
The mother and daughters all breathed a sigh of relief, waiting for Yan Xiaosi to return to the broken grass temple.
Yan Xiaosi knew that she had angered Ms. Zhong, so she came back with a guilty face and said, “Mother, I’m back, I know I was wrong, please don’t scold me.” She apologized first, but Ms. Zhong wanted to scold her yet couldn’t bear to do so.
In the end, she sighed heavily and said, “Xiaosi, did you go to Big Sister Peak with Dazhuang? What did you go there for? Do you know how dangerous it is up there? What would we do if something happened to you, a child?”
“Mom, I’m sorry.” Seeing Ms. Zhong so distressed, Yan Xiaosi apologized first. However, she didn’t think she was wrong. After apologizing, she said with conviction, “Mom, I went to Big Sister Peak to gather herbs. I want to change our family’s situation. I don’t want our family to be poor anymore. I want you to have a comfortable life in your old age, and I want my older sisters to marry well.”
Hearing her words, Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuxue, Yan Shuqin, and Yan Shuyun couldn’t help but cry.
It turned out that Xiaosi took the risk of going to Big Sister Peak for them.
Yan Xiaosi hadn’t finished speaking and continued, “I was confident that I could return safely, so I dared to go to Big Sister Peak with Brother Dazhuang. Mom, sisters, you don’t have to worry about me.”
Now that Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun already knew that she went to Big Sister Peak to gather herbs, she decided to clarify the matter, “In the future, I will go to the mountains to gather herbs. Please rest assured, I won’t be in danger.”
Even if she went to the highest Four Sisters Peak now, she wouldn’t lose her life because she had a spatial tool in hand, which she could use to take refuge in case of danger.
Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun didn’t know what to say and sighed one after another.
“Aunt Yan, Shuqin, Shuxue, and Shuyun, there are no fierce beasts on Big Sister Peak. I often go there to hunt and already know the place well. In the future, when Xiaosi goes to the mountains to gather herbs, I will accompany him. You can be at ease.”
Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun looked worried and didn’t speak, so Tian Dazhuang had to comfort them.
Seeing that Yan Xiaosi was determined, Ms. Zhong couldn’t stop her and had to agree. Fortunately, Tian Dazhuang would accompany her to Big Sister Peak, which made her feel a little more at ease.
“Dazhuang, from now on, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of Xiaosi.” Ms. Zhong’s words made Yan Xiaosi’s face light up with joy. She excitedly hugged Ms. Zhong’s arm and said, “Mother, you agreed to let me gather herbs in the mountains?”
