09/eng_cont/i_0024.txt

Chapter 24 Harvests.


The old man gave his granddaughter a meaningful look. He wasn't like Xinhua and the other kids, so easily fooled. These eggs, though similar in size to wild chicken eggs, were much paler in color. And this was right by the roadside, with people coming and going—why would a pheasant lay eggs here? It seemed Anan hadn't told the truth last night; she had a secret.

No matter how clever the old man was, he wouldn't have suspected that Tian Sisi possessed a spatial dimension. He did think Tian Sisi's story about the white ape appearing in her dream was true. That white ape must have come earlier, but it probably didn't want to see them mortals, so it gave Anan these eggs while she was alone. He didn't know what kind of eggs they were, but they must be good stuff!

Tian Sisi had no idea that the old man had imagined so much in such a short time. Although it was somewhat absurd, it saved her a lot of trouble. Afterwards, the old man intentionally or unintentionally sent Tian Xinhua and the others to chop some firewood here or cut some grass there, creating many opportunities for Tian Sisi.

Tian Sisi was so happy that she would release a rabbit here or a pheasant there. The rabbits and pheasants were all plump and strong, and they were still lively and jumping around. Tian Xinhua and the others were delighted to put the prey into their baskets one by one. There were five rabbits, two pheasants, and a nest of wild eggs. The old man looked at his granddaughter, who was a little carried away. "Sigh, she really is a child. She doesn't know how to restrain herself. She made the White Ape carry so much stuff all at once."

The old man coughed loudly a few times, looking at Tian Sisi with a meaningful gaze, and said, "We should go home. We have a long life ahead of us. We can't hunt all the wild animals at once. We always need to have a backup plan."

Tian Sisi looked into the old man's eyes, her heart skipped a beat. Had Grandpa discovered something? She glanced at him; his face remained the same as usual, except for a hint of joy. Nothing seemed amiss. Tian Sisi muttered to herself, but she was still more alert. She would have to be more careful in the future.

The old man found it amusing. Anan's behavior just now was hilarious, like a little fox. It seemed Anan really did have a secret. He would have to have a good talk with her tonight. If there was anything, he could help cover it up. Otherwise, relying on this little girl, she would inevitably slip up sooner or later. Hmph, little girl, still too green!

Tian Qinghua picked up a rabbit and weighed it in his hand, his eyes narrowing into slits with delight. "Anan, your dream is really accurate! We really did find wild rabbits and pheasants. Anan, have that dream again tonight, let's see what we find tomorrow!"

"You think this kind of good fortune happens every day? Today we were just lucky, what does it have to do with Anan? Stop thinking about free lunches all the time, work hard instead." Tian Xinhua slapped his younger brother hard on the head.

Actually, he also had a feeling that today's events were related to Anan. Although he was young, he knew that if outsiders knew about Anan's dream, she would definitely be in trouble. So he subconsciously tried to distance Anan from the matter.

"Keep your mouth shut, don't go around talking nonsense. If I find out you've been talking out of turn, you won't even get meat soup anymore." Tian Xinhua was worried and threatened his younger brother with a stern face.

Tian Qinghua felt quite wronged. He wouldn't go around telling everyone. What if others found out and came to the mountain to collect rabbits? If they collected all the rabbits, he wouldn't have any meat to eat. He wasn't that stupid. Tian Shouhua, of course, also sensed something was wrong. He thought further ahead and figured that the rabbits must have been brought by the old man. No wonder his great-grandfather insisted on coming along today!

In the eyes of the Tian family children, the old man was a mythical figure, omnipotent. So, getting a few fat rabbits during the winter famine was a simple matter for him. However, it was indeed best not to let others know about this. So, he also threatened Tian Qinghua a bit, and only after receiving repeated assurances from Tian Qinghua were he and Tian Xinhua satisfied.

The old man looked at his three grandnephews and nodded with satisfaction. Of the younger generation in his brother Tian Bajin's family,

apart from the eldest, Tian Jinhua, whom he didn't like—he didn't resemble a man of the Tian family in any way—the others were all quite good. Guanghua and Chaohua in the army were doing well; they were bold and meticulous, and their futures were definitely bright. The younger ones were also doing well. Shouhua, although a bit bookish, wasn't the bookworm type; he was also very adept at interpersonal relationships, so there was little to worry about. Qinghua was still a bit young, and his temperament and personality hadn't fully developed yet, but judging from his current cleverness, he probably wouldn't go astray. Actually, of all his grandchildren, he admired Xinhua the most. Although he was delicate-looking, he wasn't effeminate at all. Despite his young age, he was capable of handling all kinds of rural work, was easygoing, flexible, and quick-witted. It was just that he wasn't very good at studying, but as the old saying goes, "A scholar's rebellion won't last three years," which shows that too much studying isn't necessarily a good thing.

What the old man liked most about Xinhua was his way of making friends. He had seen Xinhua secretly meeting with Zhong Yubai's two sons several times. In those days, no one dared to associate with the sons of landlords. The old man did not object to this at all. He admired Zhong Yubai very much. He was not the kind of person who was rich but heartless. Moreover, he was very loyal and righteous. His two sons were also good young men, smart and capable.

The old man had no class prejudices; in his mind, there were only two kinds of people: good and evil. He would kill any evil person like the Japanese on sight, but why should his own compatriots be fighting to the death? Landlords weren't all bad people either. He used to work for Zhong Yubai's family when Zhong Yubai's grandfather was in charge. He was very kind to the farmhands, working alongside them and eating the same food. During busy farming seasons, he would even have the kitchen cook large pots of meat. He genuinely thought the landlords back then were quite nice; they all saved money and built their fortunes little by little. He really didn't understand why they wanted to overthrow the landlords now.

Unable to bear this atmosphere of "you kill me, I kill you," the old man sadly submitted his application to retire. Although there were various movements in Yuequan Village, because the emperor was far away and the villagers were mostly simple and honest, they wouldn't be so vicious as to think about killing anyone. Therefore, the old man felt very satisfied with this kind of rural life.

It was precisely for this reason that the old man didn't object to Tian Xinhua's association with the Zhong family's son. On the contrary, he would secretly cover for these children. In the old man's view, the dark clouds couldn't stay over forever; this movement would eventually end, and who would be in a higher position then was still unknown! Forgive and forget, consider it a good deed.

It must be said that the old man, having lived for more than half a century, truly understood life. In another four years, this momentous movement would end, and the spring breeze of reform and opening up would quickly sweep across the country, especially in Suicheng, a coastal city, where the economy developed particularly rapidly. And Zhong Yubai's two sons did indeed become very successful people later on—but that's another story, to be told later.

The old man was already calling everyone home. Tian Xinhua cut several bundles of dry grass and covered the rabbits and pheasants in the baskets to prevent anyone from seeing them. Many people in the village were envious; with the great-grandfather's family living such a high standard, many had already spoken ill of them behind their backs. However, because the great-grandfather's background was so powerful, they only dared to gossip behind his back.

"Great-grandfather, this much meat is enough for several meals! It's wonderful! If every day were like today, we could eat meat every day!" Tian Qinghua thought happily.

The old man felt a pang of sadness. Although he tried his best to take care of his younger brother's family, he couldn't let the children eat meat every day. Fortunately, there was the blessed A-Nan. At this moment, the old man was incredibly grateful that he had decided to keep A-Nan.

"When we get back, I'll have your great-aunt make braised rabbit. We'll have lunch at your great-grandfather's house. We'll eat one first, and then tonight we'll invite your grandfather, father, and uncle over so we can eat our fill." The old man patted his little nephew Yuanyuan's head and said with a smile, making Tian Qinghua jump three feet high with joy, startling a flock of sparrows in the woods, which scattered in all directions. PS: Please give this a thumbs up and add it to your favorites!