This is the anti-theft ring leader Gu Weiguo took Pingan to the mountain early in the morning, saying that he would try his luck and see if he could hunt some game to improve their food. ... The house of Zhengs widow at the south end of the village couldnt withstand the heavy snow and collapsed. As the team leader, Gu Weifu naturally had to go and offer condolences and help out a bit, to show that he was a team leader who did practical things for everyone.

  So the whole Gu family was left with only Old Seconds family of three sons and Gu Anans sister and brother.

  Wang Da Ying couldnt bear to scold her own children, so An An and her siblings became the scapegoats for her mischief. Meanwhile, not a single one of the Gu family members who lived just next door came out to help.

  Gu Anan glanced at Wang Da-ying, slowly got up, picked up the quilt that was covering the kang, felt its warmth, put it on just right, and said, "Second Aunt, what did you call me for?"

  Wang Da Yings eyes were about to pop out, "You good-for-nothing, its already midday and the sun is scorching your butt, what are you yelling for? Which girl in the village 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 with the label "good-for-nothing" attached to her name, no family in Gus Village would want to marry her off.

  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 to the mountain to chop 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 have you actually 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 so dead, Im so dead. Now even young girls are starting to look down on me, Ive never seen anyone as disrespectful to their elders as you."

  An An helped Dong Dong, 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 Dong Dong in her arms. "Since Second Aunt is displeased that I and Dong Dong 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, once were out, if you see anyone, 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 Gui Fang however married Gu Xiang Qian, an accountant from Gu Jia Village.

  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 was stabbed at Wang Da Ying.

  She put down the wooden basin and wiped her hands on the cloth 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 compare to Anans good grades, quick work, and filial piety?" Zhao Gui Fang couldnt help but raise her voice when she heard the last point, "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 of years old, letting the niece who lives next door help with washing clothes,"

  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 Baos wife didnt give us anything to eat."

  After finishing, the two of them glanced around the nearby courtyard and bid farewell, "Everyone, Uncle and Auntie, Dongdong 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 Lanxi was at home and didnt see Anan being taken care of."

  "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 a 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?"