Anti-theft label

  There isnt a father who doesnt like the adoring gaze of his own daughter. Gu Weiqiang is no exception. After drinking iced water on a hot summer day, he feels extremely comfortable in his heart. Gu Dongdong patted her chest like a little adult and said, "Ive grown up, Ill definitely be like Dad, with good relationships too."

  "Alright." Gu Wei Qiang squatted down and lifted Gu Dong Dong onto his shoulders, riding a large horse.

  Dongdong was laughed at by Lele until he couldnt stop laughing.

  When they arrived at the Gus house, eight-year-old Gu Dongdong also sensed that something was off and immediately stopped smiling. The people following behind didnt need Gu Weiqiang to say anything, everyone voluntarily went into the house.

  Listening to Gu Weiqiangs command, they moved away all the things that should be moved from the main house. Actually, after careful calculation, there was nothing in the main house that Gu Weiqiang would care about. They were basically just some tables and chairs, which he could have made at any time by asking his third brother in the county town to make them.

  Wang Da Ying was in the east room, got a good scolding. Originally sitting on the edge of the kang wiping away tears, hearing the commotion outside, immediately stood up, afraid that Gu Wei Qiang would move all the things away. She stood at the door of the main room, like a door god, whenever she saw someone moving things, she would cover her eyes.

  They say that some people only remember the good times and not the bad, and Wang Da Ying is one of them. Just then, Zhou Ai Ju, who was helping out on the side, looked over and felt unhappy in her heart, "What are you looking at? Fourth brother is moving his rightful share, cant even do that?"

  Wang Da Ying was indeed in the wrong, she muttered to herself and turned into her own room. She finally understood that with the old witch around, even if she had managed to grab something, it would still be nothing compared to what the old witch could get away with.

  Everyone ignored Wang Da Ying and just moved things.

  As he was about to leave, Gu Wei shouted, "Mom, Ive moved three chairs for now, and after a few days when Third Brother helps me fix the chairs, Ill return them."

  Zhou Aiju took down the two strings of red chili peppers hanging on the window and put them on that chair, with red eyes. "Take it away, this is what you deserve, dont mention anything else, if theres not enough chili peppers come back to get some." Old Fourth loves to eat chili peppers, cant do without them for a moment, in a family of just so many people, when Eldest moved house he took away three chairs, now Old Fourths household has only three mouths to feed, and she isnt an evil stepmother who wouldnt even spare a chair.

  He turned around and saw Wang Da Ying standing at the door of the east house, looking out. "Get out, get out, get out! Standing at the door like a door god!"

  Taking advantage of everyones help in moving things, Gu Weiqiang called his own mother to the private land.

  He patted his body and found over 70 yuan, which he handed to Zhou Aijuan. "Mom, this is all the money I have on me right now. When my salary is paid later, Ill add some more to make it a hundred for you. Dont be angry, honestly, after we split up, the burden on my shoulders has been greatly reduced and my whole body feels relaxed."

  Outside was originally all white snow, after the sun came out, it melted into a puddle of water, and the sun in the sky also shone dazzlingly.

  Zhou Aijus eyes welled up with tears as she pushed the money back, "Youve just split up and are in need of money now. If you wait until mom has no money one day, then ask you for it." Although thats what she said, given Zhou Aijus temperament, if she could get by on her own, she wouldnt ask her children for a single penny. Previously, letting the youngest son pay was when they hadnt split up yet, and everything in the family, from food to drink to daily expenses, required money. Moreover, all four sons were flesh of her flesh, and as their mother, wanting this family to live a better life, she had endured hardships for Old Fours sake for many years, how could she not feel heartache?!

  Gu Weiqiang saw that his mother really didnt want it, and he couldnt push it away anymore. He put it in his pocket instead. "Mom, do you blame me? I broke up the family and cant even provide for Gu Shus high school education."

  Zhou Aiju raised her voice, "How could that be? The one who always messed up this family was Wang Da Ying, that good-for-nothing. Its the second son and his family who dont know whats good for them. In my eyes, Wei Qiang is the most capable, he can hold up half the sky by himself. As for Gu Shu, Ive thought about it carefully, if he saves a bit, the second son can afford to send him to high school." The old lady was reasonable, and Wei Qiangs side felt better in their hearts.

  The two of them said some intimate words and then entered the house.

  At this time, the house had almost moved, and the temporarily set up fence yard was also more than half a person high. The west house was officially separated from the old Gus house.

  This is the real little family of Gu Jias four houses, eating without worrying, buying clothes for daughters without being criticized, wanting to buy good textbooks for younger sons will not be accused of being partial.

  To be honest, Gu Weiqiang stood at the gate of the Xiwus courtyard and looked inside, feeling extremely relieved.

  Everyone who could help in the house has left, leaving only a pair of children by themselves.

  When Gu Anan saw Gu Wei Qiang enter, her eyes lit up. She pointed to a pile of things in the corner of the wall, "Dad, this was left by Uncle Hua Zi and the uncle and aunt from next door when they came over. They said its for us to have a hot meal tonight. I told them to take it away, but they ran off quickly."

  Gu Weiqiang also saw that in the corner of the wall, there was a pile of things about half a person high, including two pumpkins, half a block of winter melon, seven or eight white radishes, and three big cabbages that had just been dug out of the snow, still with ice chips on them.

  Two or three catties of fine white rice, a pinch of salt, two handfuls of dried bean curd, and two pieces of cured meat, but mostly fatty meat. In these times, nobody wants to eat lean meat anymore, everyone likes to eat fatty meat, it can be used to make oil and also helps to ward off hunger.

  When Gu Weiguo saw these dishes, a big mans eyes turned red.

  He said, "An An, Dong Dong is coming over, remember clearly who sent what, this is kindness, well return it when the time comes." Sometimes, those outsiders are much better than ones own family.

  Gu An nodded, counting on her fingers, "The pumpkin was given by Aunt Gui Fang, the winter melon was given by Third Aunt, the radish and cabbage were dug up from the ground by Ban Xia, and the dried bean curd, bacon, and rice were secretly passed to me by Nai when no one was paying attention. Oh, and Nai also slipped me 50 yuan, which I didnt accept."

  At this point, Anan said seriously, "Dad, they are all good people," including her grandmother.

  "Alright! Wait for me to go out for a while." After finishing speaking, Gu Wei Qiang went out.

  An An and Dong Dong stared at each other, An An had never cooked before, but her original body knew how!

  Looking at these dishes, she itched! Very consciously picked up, started preparing dinner, this is their first meal after separation, must eat well, die that Wang Da Ying, huh! Also want to call the milk over.

  Lets eat together, otherwise Grandma will have a hard time eating alone. But after just a few days of getting along, Anan really integrated herself into this environment, Grandma and Dad, as well as Uncle Huazi, they are all the best people.

  An An took advantage of Dongdongs absence to secretly replace the cured meat and rice with materials from her own supermarket. The fine-grained rice that Grandma brought over was also a different type of rice, far inferior to the fragrant rice sold in the supermarket.

  There was also cured meat, two slabs of palm-sized cured meat. Although it looked good, it was too hard and more than half of it was fat. If she really had to eat it herself, An would have been a bit disgusted. She directly turned her left hand over and picked out a piece of cured meat with alternating layers of lean and fat.

  As for other foods, she didnt dare bring them out again, afraid of being exposed.

  An Ans culinary skills were learned from Aunt Jiu Xiang and Grandmother, she started working in the kitchen at the age of 8 and did it with ease.

  She looked at the things on the chopping board, planning to make a pot of bacon fried rice. You know, this is a local stove, firewood was stuffed into the stove, and the pot of bacon fried rice was simmered over high heat, smelling very fragrant.

  When Gu Weiqiang came back, Anan had already stir-fried a winter melon slice and a sour and spicy big bok choy. As for the vinegar, of course, it was taken out from the space, while the chili peppers were hung on the windowsill of the west house, strung together in a large string, picking three to five would be enough to be spicy.

  The bacon pot rice in the pot is almost done, Dongdong sits in front of the stove, the big fire in the furnace makes his small face red, and he cant stop swallowing saliva. He sticks out his neck and urges, "Sister, when will this bacon rice be ready?"

  Anan wiped the sweat and lifted the wooden lid of the pot, leaving only a small gap. She took a look and said, "We still need to wait for a few more minutes, Dongdong. The fire in the stove is slightly smaller, and its just right for cooking the rice." As soon as Anan opened a small gap, the aroma inside the pot couldnt help but waft out. Gu Wei, who was holding a chicken in his hand, smelled this fragrance and even thought that this might be more fragrant than the cured meat made by his own daughter.

  He pushed open the small door and put the cleaned chicken on the chopping board, asking, "An An! What are you doing? It smells so good, I could smell it from outside the door."

  Anan turned her head and saw the chicken in her fathers hand. Her eyes lit up, "All we need is a mother hen soup!"

  "In the evening, well have braised pork belly with rice, and then a radish stewed old hen soup, accompanied by two vegetarian dishes, its definitely delicious." Not even done yet! Gu Wei just listened to it, and he was already drooling along with Dongdong.

  He scooped a ladle of icy water from the water tank and poured it into the bucket, repeating this three times to wash everything clean. He then chopped up the chicken into pieces before handing them over to Anan.

  Anan was in charge of stewing the soup. After chasing Winter and her own dad out, she rummaged through the supermarket and found the seasoning area. She picked a bag of ingredients for clear-steamed chicken soup, which included longan, red dates, and dried tangerine peel. She also chose two large pieces of fresh ginger. This clear-steamed chicken soup was not easy to make without a fishy smell.

  With this ginger, the taste can be removed.

  The big pot cooks quickly, the stoves fierce flames, and this chicken meat is soon stewed to pieces. When its time to get up, Anan deliberately pulls out that small packet of seasonings with a string and throws it into the supermarket, destroying all evidence.

  At least from the pot, its just radish stewed chicken soup, no other ingredients, but smelling the aroma, its different from usual, so fragrant that its almost intoxicating.

  The old hen stew was done, the fragrant rice stuck to the bottom of the pot had already turned golden brown. She lifted the lid, and with a gentle stir, poured the savory sauce from cooking the crusty rice onto her meal. "Dinners ready!" she called out. Only then did she realize that the supermarket-bought ingredients shed brought were actually cheating - this little trick was really improving her life!

  Gu Wei Qiang and Dong Dong, who were stuck on the kitchen door, suddenly pushed open the kitchen door, and the smell spread into the courtyard.

  It was passed on to the next door, and it wasnt until then that they separated. The next door is different from Anans side, there are more people in the afternoon, and they were roughly collected.

  On their side, the eldest and second eldest families shared a kitchen, and since they had just split up, there wasnt much good food to eat. In the evening, they made a sour noodle dish. The noodles were made from wheat grown by themselves, ground into coarse flour, and rolled out with a rolling pin into brownish-colored noodles that felt slightly rough in the mouth.

  Wang Da Yings cooking is almost as bad as pig food. He made a sour noodle dish and then stir-fried another sour vegetable dish. He was too stingy to add oil, so he used a piece of burlap to wipe the pot rim twice, just for show.

  Apart from Zhou Aiju, the five members of the second house, plus Old Man Gu sitting around the table, smelled the fragrance coming from next door. Wang Da Ying dared to say that in this life, he had never smelled anything so fragrant.

  The bacon is so fragrant its penetrating to the bone.

  The whole family was eating the sour noodle soup, but Gu Shuang couldnt hold back, and slammed the bowl onto the table, spilling the broth everywhere. "Mom, I want to eat fragrant meat, not this disgusting sour noodle soup!"

  Wang Da Ying, who usually spoiled Xiao Er, slapped a chopstick on Gu Shuangs head, "Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eating. Is that meat for you to eat????" She deliberately raised her voice, "That was specially brought back by your fourth uncle from outside, what are you? Youre not even the son of the family, its not your turn."

  Gu Pingan curved his eyes, turned around, poked Zhao Junyan, and pointed at Gu Anan. Although he didnt say anything, Zhao Junyan knew what was going on.

  She smiled gratefully at Gu Anan and patted her own forehead, "Eat."

  Zhou Aijus eyes were bright and clear, and Gu Anans small movements couldnt escape the old ladys sharp eyes. She looked at Anans expression and shook her head, "This child..."

  Its not that she wasnt good to Gu Pingan, but this child has been quiet since childhood and is afraid of her. When theres food, although it wont be taken away from Gu Pingan, after all, a 10-year-old child is growing up and the portion they get is just enough for two or three mouthfuls, which isnt nearly enough!

  After finishing dinner, Gu Anan would normally take the initiative to wash the dishes, but today after eating, she wiped her mouth and said, "Mom, Im going back to my room to prepare for the entrance exam."

  Zhou Aiju nodded and pointed to Gu Shu, "Go ask your brother to get the study materials, it can save a lot of trouble." Gu Shu had been in high school in the county town for a year already. Because of the new policy this year, he could take the college entrance exam, so he came back home and begged his grandfather to let him read for another year, and then he would have a good chance to get into a good university. The family was excited about the possibility of having a college graduate in their household.

  In addition, Gu Shu is the eldest grandson of the old Gu family, obedient, good at reading, and looks most like his grandfather when he was young. He pleased the old man, and Old Man Gu patted his hand, "Go read... Who pays for the tuition? Of course, its up to the fourth and third elders.

  "Brother, Im going to your room to get some books. Lend me all the ones youre not using now."

  Gu Shu hesitated, but was interrupted by the old lady, so he could only take Gu Anan to the south kang. Because Gu Shu was going to take the college entrance exam, his family specially arranged a separate room for him, unlike the other grandsons who were crowded together. Although Gu Shus room was only over 10 square meters, the desk and wardrobe were neatly arranged, no need to look, all done by Gu Dan.

  Gu Shu pulled out a book from the bookcase with a sullen face, "An An, these are all old books, youd better be careful." In Gu Shus eyes, having one college student at home was enough, there was no need for Gu An An to come and show off, especially since she was just a girl. But it had to be said that Gu Shu had some reservations about Gu An An, unlike An Ans solid foundation, Gu Shu could only attend high school with the help of private tutors, barely scraping by in the county high school entrance exams.

  An An looked at the math textbook in front of her, smiling with deep meaning. "Isnt this a book issued by the school?", she said. It was free, yet someone still complained that it was expensive. If it were the old An An, she would have really returned the "expensive" book and not dared to borrow it.

  But An now doesnt.

  "Isnt tuition money?" Gu Shus face turned red with anger and embarrassment.

  Gu Anan gave Gu Shu a strange look, whispered "My dad paid for your tuition too", and then slammed the door shut, running away in a flash.

  Qis anger left Gu Shu breathless for a long time.

  Gu Anan, who had just received the book, was about to go to the old ladys house to ask where her father had gone. As she passed by the kitchen, she heard Wang Da Ying muttering, "Anan that dead girl, usually its her washing dishes, today she ran away quickly. Sister-in-law, you say, a little girl like her reading books, its not as good as helping with household chores, getting married early, and having her husband help support the family and several younger brothers at home, instead of wasting money on sending her to school."

  Zhao Junyan was collecting firewood, and she also took out the pickled vegetables that they would eat for dinner to soak in water, to thaw the ice. When she heard Wang Da Yings words, she originally didnt plan on speaking up, but thinking about the half piece of fish on the table, she said softly, "An An used to do less work? Moreover, An An is going to school, thats Old Fourth spending his own money, what waste is there in this? It seems like sending a nephew from another room to study isnt considered wasteful, but sending ones own daughter to study is wasteful? What kind of logic is this?"

  Zhao Junyan rarely speaks, but when she does, her words are sharp and to the point. After all, she comes from a wealthy family and has different ideas. Moreover, they have enough money for their children to attend school in the village, and every year, from New Years to the end of the year, the cost of workbooks, pens, and other expenses are all borne by Lao Si alone. Just for this reason, Zhao Junyan should thank her brother-in-law.

  Wang Da Ying wanted to retort but thought that if this got out, wouldnt it be troublesome when the time came for her younger brother-in-law to take care of her eldest sons tuition?

  In the end, he swallowed the rest of his words.

  Gu Anan listened for a moment, snorted with laughter, and turned into Zhou Aijius room.

  I asked my old dad, and then took a pen and a notebook from the old ladys box. The expenses of this kind at home are all bought by Gu Weiqiang when he is running outside, and kept by the old lady. After all, there are many children in the family, and they are not given out, just afraid that the children will be taken away.

  After all, brushes and pens are precious things.

  These days, families that can read books are not many.

  The old Gu family suddenly had two high school students, which is also a great honor for the village.

  Gu Anan muttered, "Not even milk knows where Dad went, he doesnt even come home for meals." She turned around and returned to the west wing.

  The Gu Wei Qiang who was being nagged by Gu An An, this would be in the deepest part of Gu Jia Village, in a household that could only be described as a hut made of thatched grass. To say its a household is an exaggeration, but rather a nest-like structure cobbled together with straw. The pigpens outside were all built with cobblestones, and if one were to compare the craftsmanship, the pigpens looked more sturdy than the thatched hut by several degrees.

  Those who were allocated to live in thatched cottages were none other than the city dwellers who had committed errors and been criticized and struggled against, and then banished to Gus Village.

  Because of the remote location, people in the village have been passing down that the people living here are black five categories, bad elements, and everyone regards the thatched cottage as a plague god, no one dares to interact with the people on this side, for fear of bringing trouble upon themselves.

  To say, this grass hut was inhabited by three people, a father and son duo, and an old man.

  The old mans name is Lang Yongling, 63 years old this year. He is a native of the Imperial City in Beijing. If the Lang family counts three generations up, they are considered to be nobles of the Manchu Qing dynasty, also known as Nian Gengyaos clan. If we talk about famous people, the Qing dynastys Heshen was from this surname, but after the founding of the country, it was changed to the Lang surname.

  While Lang Yongling is actually a member of the He Shen family, even if their house was confiscated in those years, they were still considered wealthy and left with many valuable items, including antiques, porcelain, and famous paintings. This vast wealth would have been enviable in the past, but now its a deadly poison. Lang Yongling will be labeled as a bad element and exiled to Gujia Village because of these antiques. In his early years, Lang Yongling was also known as "Lang One Eye", and it was said that any cultural relics that had been appraised by him were guaranteed to be genuine.

  What a pity!

  The times were not right, and Lang Yongling, who should have been a shining example for the country and preserved historical culture, was labeled as a bad element. His home was also ransacked, and it wasnt until his adopted son from an early age made great efforts that he was exiled to Gus Village.

  Although Gus Village is remote, it has a reputation for being simple and honest. Coming here, Lang Yongling will at least not suffer the same kind of humiliation as elsewhere.

  As for the other father and son, they were famous orthopedic doctors in the provincial capital, especially the old man, Feng Xian. In his early years, he studied abroad in Britain to learn foreign orthopedic medicine. After completing his studies, he returned home and became a professor at the provincial hospital, saving countless people. However, he was labeled as a bad element by the rightists, stripped of his position, and exiled to Gus Village. Even his right hand was injured during the criticism sessions, which is ironic considering Feng Xian was an orthopedic doctor who couldnt even treat his own hand properly, rendering him half-disabled and unable to hold a scalpel again.

  As for his son Feng Qingyan, he could have been exempted after his divorce from his wife. However, Feng Qingyan was a filial son and worried that his old father would not be able to survive on his own in exile. He secretly kept a foreign medical book with him, which was discovered during the house search. After several rounds of bribery at home, the father-son duo were exiled together to Gus Village.

  He Lang Yongling became a companion, and it can be said that there is someone accompanying him now.

  These three people are also open-minded, feeding pigs and sweeping pigpens every day. Lang Yongling loves antiques research, but after coming to Guxiang Village, there is no such condition, so he retains his hobby of walking birds. The nobles on the root of the imperial city, the leisurely and arrogant air in their bones, even if they are exiled to a mountain ditch, are still engraved in their bones and blood.

  He was still holding a bamboo birdcage in his hand, which was woven by his third brother Gu Weimin at the request of Gu Weiqiang. As for the speckled pigeon inside the cage, Lang Yongling himself had set up a trap in front of the mountain and caught it. Although this pigeon was not as smart as the parrot he used to raise at home, it was still pretty good.

  Gu Weiqiang came over this time to thank Feng Xian. He was a teacher in the transportation team, and during the heavy snowfall recently, he had to rush out to deliver goods. When he slammed on the brakes, his hand hit the steering wheel and got injured. This teacher had brought Gu Weimin into the transportation team, so Gu Weiqiang owed him a great debt of gratitude.

  Gu Weiqiang thought for a while and shifted his attention to Feng Xian. Feng Xians identity was too special, so he took advantage of the dark night to bring Feng Qingyan to the county town, specifically to show him to Teacher Fu. As it turned out, after two months of care, Teacher Fus wrist had recovered to its usual state, and his position in the transportation team was secured again. For Gu Weiqiang, these two people were great benefactors, and he still owed them a favor.

  Gu Weiqiang still held in his hand half a catty of roasted knife fish, a plate of peanuts, and half a catty of pigs ears, all of which were good dishes to go with wine.

  He went to Gu Ermaos house, took the table and chairs, and then made a detour from the back mountain, bypassing the thatched cottage. He pushed the door open and asked, "Is Old Feng in?"

  The old wooden door creaked and opened.

  Wang Da Yings eyes were about to pop out, "You good-for-nothing, its already noon and the sun is burning your butt, what are you yelling for? Which girl is as lazy as you? Are you waiting for your elders to cook for you?" In Gus Village, being called a "good-for-nothing" was one of the worst insults. It basically meant that someone was lazy and gluttonous. For a 16 or 17-year-old girl, this was a devastating insult. After all, she was almost at the age where people would start calling her an old maid, and having the label "good-for-nothing" attached to her name would make it impossible for any family in Gus Village to want to marry her.

  Gu Anan smoothed out her clothes, comforted the frightened Gu Dongdong, and then looked up, speaking slowly and deliberately, "Second Aunt, this is quite a biased statement. Have you ever even touched the firewood in our familys woodshed? I was the one who went up the mountain to gather all of it by myself."

  "The sauerkraut foam stuck to the pot brush is the snow red I brought back from the mountain when I was picking frost flowers, my hands were frozen bright red. Second Aunt, have you ever helped pick a snow red?"

  "Outside the self-retained land, there is still half an acre of radish and Chinese cabbage left. Second Aunt, did you till that land? Did you plant those radishes and cabbages?"

  Wang Da Ying wanted to refute, but was glared at by Gu An An with a cold eye, interrupting her, "Lets talk about home again. The meals at home have always been the responsibility of my elder sister-in-law to cook, Im in charge of washing dishes. As for household chores, its also me who sweeps several rooms alone. Even on cold winter days, I would carry your second aunts clothes to the riverbank, break the ice on the surface, wash them clean and bring them back. Second Aunt, when you said I was eating without contributing, didnt you feel a little guilty?"

  "Or rather, this family, Second Aunt, what exactly have you done?"

  Wang Da Ying was speechless after being scolded by Gu An An, she threw the pot brush to the ground and sat down, wailing "Im not living anymore, Im not living anymore. Now even young girls are starting to look down on me, Ive never seen anyone so disrespectful to their elders."

  Anan helped Dongdong, who had woken up from sleep, to get dressed. She gave a cold glance at Wang Da Ying, who was sprawled on the floor, and held Dongdong in her arms. "Since Second Aunt is displeased that Dongdong and I are eating for free at home, well go eat elsewhere. We dont dare trouble Second Aunt anymore."

  After finishing, taking advantage of Wang Da Yings daze, she put Gu Dong Dong on the ground and led him out. She lowered her head to Dong Dongs ear, "Dong Dong, when we go out later, if you see someone, cry and say that Second Aunt is biased against us for eating our fill."

  Gu Dongdong rolled his eyes, obviously still sleepy, but as for his sisters words, he took them as a sacred decree and had just left the Gu family courtyard.

  She met Zhao Guifang, who had just returned from washing clothes. Zhao Guifang and Wang Da Ying were from the same village and both married into Gus Village, but Wang Da Ying was married to the son of the village head.

  Zhao Guifang married the accountant of Gusi Village, Gu Xiangqian.

  Zhao Guifang and Wang Daying, before they got married, liked to compare with each other. After getting married, Wang Daying relied on being the captains wife and often spoke sarcastically to Zhao Guifang.

  Zhao Guifang can also endure, smiling in front of someones face while stabbing them in the back.

  The appearance of Gu An and her brother gave Zhao Gui Fang a knife, which stabbed Wang Da Ying.

  She put down the wooden basin and wiped her hands on the apron around her waist, teasing Gudongdong who was crying, "Hey, why is Dongdong crying like this?"

  As soon as Gu Anan heard Zhao Gui Fangs question, her eyes turned red instantly, and she was a bit flustered. She hurriedly covered Dongdongs mouth, "Dongdong, dont say anything."

  Dongdong also understood his sisters meaning, he pried open his sisters hand, crying with sobs, "Second Aunt scolds us for eating without working, doesnt give us food to eat, and says my sister doesnt do chores."

  Zhao Guifangs heart was filled with joy, but her face showed concern, and her voice rose a few degrees, "You two are also not good things, bullying children like this."

  Winter rubbed his tear-stained eyes and asked, "Aunt Zhao, the firewood in our home was all chopped by my sister on the mountain, and the pickled vegetables at home were also picked by my sister from the snow-covered mountains. Even the self-cultivated land outside is taken care of by my sister. Just a few days ago, my sister helped Second Aunt wash clothes by the frozen river. My sister is obviously very diligent, but why did Second Aunt say that my sister is lazy and even said that shes freeloading? The words of children are always the most sincere. More and more people gathered around to listen.

  Everyone is watching the excitement without fear of being affected.

  "Anan is not lazy at all, in the whole village, Anan is a good hand at doing chores. Go ask around, which girl can be like Anan, with good grades, quick work, and filial piety to elders?" Zhao Guiying heard the last sentence and couldnt help but raise her voice, "What? Wang Da Ying that woman, even her clothes are washed by Anan at the riverbank?"

  Gu Dongdong nodded, "The ice in that river was still chiseled with the help of stones by me."

  "Wang Da Ying is really something else."

  "Its really shameless, a person in their several tens letting their niece who lives next door help with the laundry,"

  Someone asked, "Whats wrong with this? This is meal time, where are you all going?"

  Anan and Dongdong chimed in unison, "When we went to Huazi Shus house for dinner, Er Bao Niang didnt give us anything to eat."

  After finishing, the two of them glanced at each other and looked around the not-too-distant courtyard, An An bid farewell, "Everyone, uncles and aunts, Dong Dong didnt say anything, lets just pretend we didnt hear it, were going to Huazi Uncles house now."

  The onlookers felt increasingly sympathetic towards Anan and her brother, "These motherless children are easily bullied."

  "When she said this, Tang Lan Zhi was at home and didnt see An An being protected."

  "Its not okay, Anan this child is so pitiful!"

  An An led Gu Dongdong for a long time, and the two of them looked at each other, holding their stomachs in laughter. They stood under the soapberry tree, taking a break. By then, the sun had come out, and the snow on the ground had melted, making the road difficult to walk on.

  The two of them leaned against the soapberry tree, and Gu Dongdongs big eyes were filled with excitement, his whole body jumping up. He cheered, "Sister... sister, how did you become so clever!"

  The two words "changed" made Anans heart skip a beat, after all, it was her younger brother who had been with her for a long time. She remained calm and asked, "Dongdong, do you think sister has changed for the better or worse?"

  Gu Dongdong tilted his head, thought for a while, and responded with a crisp tone, "Of course its good, sister has become smarter, and Second Aunt cant bully sister anymore."

  With a relieved smile, she said with a hint of pride, "This is called killing with a borrowed knife. You see how Second Aunt always bullies us. Lets let the publics gossip kill her and see if she dares to bully us again." If Second Uncle finds out about this, hell definitely beat Second Aunt to death, given his concern for face.

  Gu Dongdong seemed to understand and yet not understand, "Sister, what are the masses?"

  An An fainted, at this age, havent the two words "masses" been popularized yet?

  "It means uncle and aunt."

  "Sister, this method is good. From now on, if anyone dares to say in front of me that Im a child without a mother, Ill tell Uncle and Auntie, and let the adults scold him severely."

  An An didnt have any illusions about corrupting children, she nodded her head with a look that said "children are teachable".

  "Winter is indeed very clever."

  This is the first thing Gu Dongdong learned in his life. When his combat power was not enough, he learned to use circuitous methods to defeat his enemies.

  An didnt notice that her honest younger brothers eyes were shining with an astonishing light, obviously having learned the trick inside and wanting to try it out.

  After the two of them walked far away.

  Two young men jumped down from the soapberry tree, one of them was about twenty years old, wearing a green military uniform, with a straight posture and a handsome face with clear-cut features. At this time, he had a faint smile on his face, his eyebrows and eyes were flowing, and he muttered to himself, "Its quite an interesting little black head."

  Next to him was a little black boy with a small flat head, who jumped down from the tree and patted his butt. "Hey, Im also dark-skinned, why dont you praise me?" As he said this, he stroked his chin and gazed in the direction where Anan and her brother had disappeared. "This sister is quite interesting, but isnt she afraid of spoiling the little kid?"

  "Intelligent and tight." The handsome young mans voice was extremely low, the black boy next to him dug his ear, curiously, "Head, what did you say?"

  "Nothing! Keep up."

  Anan didnt know that in the place where they had just rested, two people were hiding on the soapberry tree.

  She had already arrived at the gate of Gu Hua Zis house.

  It was already past nine in the morning, and in the countryside, every household had already eaten breakfast, but if you came to Huazai Shus home, there would definitely be some left.

  Because Hua Zis uncles family has a big lazy worm, lazier than An An, named Gu Ban Xia. This name was given when Hua Zis aunt gave birth to the child, and Hua Zis uncle brought back a basket of Chinese medicine Ban Xia from the mountain.

  Hua Zis uncle slapped his thigh and said, "Alright then, my niece will be called Ban Xia."

  Dont be fooled by Gu Banxias nice-sounding name, shes actually a chubby girl.

  In this day and age, being able to be plump despite lacking clothes and food is truly a fortunate thing.

  Gu Banxia had a weak physique since childhood, Gu Huazi hated that he couldnt pluck the stars from the sky for her. She was his only daughter, and all the good things went into Gu Banxias belly.

  When youre young, its okay to be chubby and people will call you cute.

  But if a big girl gets fat, its no longer cute.

  But Gu Banxia, who had become a big girl, couldnt lose weight no matter what, and for so many years, she was nicknamed Gu Sanbai.

  Face fat, waist fat, leg fat.

  Gu Anans pair of dark eyes stared at Gu Wanwan, making her feel limp all over. Only then did she speak up, "Wanwan, if you want this spot, you can just tell your sister directly, why bother getting mom to find me? Look, Ive been kneeling outside for half a day, and dad and grandma still dont agree, whats the point of this?"

  As soon as she said this, the faces of several people around her changed. This method of retreating in order to advance was still the unjust treatment that Gu Anan received when she was a child, and it was taught by her mother.

  Zhou Aijus eyes were scrutinizing, after all, she had been a teacher for her whole life, with ink in her belly and more thoughts.

  Tang Lan Zhi wanted to speak up for her younger daughter, but was pulled back by her own husband. Seeing that Gu Wei Qiangs face didnt look good, she finally gave in.

  "Sister, I didnt."

  The little bean beside him rolled his eyes and said, "Youre the one whos been talking to mom, trying to take big sisters spot."

  Gu Wanwans face turned even paler, as if she was the one who had been kneeling outside for several hours, not Gu Anan.

  "Xian Xian, if youre here to ask me for this quota, Ill even kowtow to Dad and Grandma, and give it up to you."

  Gu Weiqiang and Zhou Aijuan looked at Gu Anan with obvious disapproval, but the heartache in their eyes was unhidden.

  Gu Wanwan plopped down onto the wooden chair, as if all her energy had been drained away. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she forced a smile, "Sisters grades are good, it should be Sister who goes to the county town to attend high school."

  With Gu Wanwans words, todays farce has come to an end.

  As for the quota to go to the city to attend high school, it fell on Gu Anan. She let out a slight sigh of relief, this hurdle was finally over.