In the end, most of the pig grass they had cut with great effort was thrown away because there was too much to carry.
Sanhu was carrying the heaviest bunch of peaches, weighing five or six pounds, and holding a bundle of pig grass in his arms. Little Hu was carrying a basket of strawberries, taking turns with Gu Nian to carry the tied-up rabbit, and they walked home with lively steps.
Fortunately, under Gu Nian's reminder, they covered the backpacks with pig grass, so they weren't exposed under others' eyes.
However, there was no way to hide the rabbit in their arms.
Just as they reached the house, they ran into Little Niu who was coming back with his sisters.
Little Niu immediately spotted the rabbit in Gu Nian's arms and darted over, "Hey, you stinky girl, where did you get that rabbit?"
No one noticed that a smile suddenly appeared on Sanhu's face as he whispered a few words to Little Hu.
Little Hu was stunned for a moment, not understanding, but he still stepped in front of Gu Nian, snorted, and said, "I won't tell you, this rabbit was given to me by Grandpa Tree because I was craving meat and kowtowed to him for a long time!"
After speaking, Little Hu pulled Gu Nian, "Come on, sister, let's go home and have mom make braised rabbit for us tonight."
Behind them, Little Niu stared wide-eyed at their departing figures, looking thoughtful.
Little Niu's two sisters were beside him, just finding it amusing.
Kowtowing to a tree for a rabbit, anyone could tell that was nonsense.
They just didn't expect that the usually domineering Little Niu actually believed it.
When they got home, Little Hu impatiently asked Sanhu, "Third brother, why did you ask me to say that to Little Niu?"
It felt rather odd.
Gu Nian suddenly burst into laughter.
As a soul with an adult's mind, she easily understood Sanhu's intention.
However, she was curious if Little Niu, who always looked down on girls, would fall for it!
Gu Nian went to check her snails; the water had turned muddy, so she quickly changed it for clean water to let them continue spitting out sand.
Sanhu poked his head out of the kitchen, "You two hurry up and wash your hands, mom left some food for us in the pot."
It was cool in the morning so Lin Sanshui and Mrs. Jiang had gone to the fields before dawn. They must have not seen them come home, so they left food in the pot for them to eat later.
For breakfast, they had stir-fried old cucumber, quite a flavorful meal. After eating, Gu Nian used a stool to wash the pots and bowls clean before heading out.
There's no such thing as child abuse here; country kids aren't raised so delicately.
Once they're old enough to understand, they go out to catch bugs to feed the chickens, and when they get a bit older, they help with chores, growing up freely like ducks.
The midday sun was scorching. The three siblings squatted under the sycamore tree in the yard, continuing to clean fish. Not long after, Lin Sanshui and Mrs. Jiang returned, drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked through.
Mrs. Jiang washed her face, took the cleaned fish to the kitchen, and Gu Nian quickly followed, tugging at Mrs. Jiang's sleeve, "Mom, let me cook lunch today, okay?"
Although Mrs. Jiang was visibly tired, she still smiled gently, lightly tapping Gu Nian's forehead with her finger, "You little girl, I know you want to help mom with more work, but you're still young. Cooking is better left to mom."
Gu Nian swung her arm playfully, "Mom, I can cook, let me do it just once, okay? I've done it before. This time, you can watch me, and if it doesn't taste good, I'll never bother you again, okay?"
"Alright, alright, I'm really scared of you now." Mrs. Jiang relented, giving in to Gu Nian's pleas.