"Mumu, Minghui, you guys are here." Seeing Xu Mumu, Tiedan's eyes immediately lit up.
"Of course we're home, if not, where would we be?" Xu Minghui gave Tiedan a sideways glance—this guy doesn't know how to talk.
"Minghui, that's not what I meant, I'm here to give something to Mumu, here you go, sis." Tiedan carefully took out a boiled egg from his bag.
It's a wild egg he found yesterday, and Xu Mumu recognized it immediately. Wild eggs are slightly smaller than those laid by domestic chickens.
"You should eat it, why give it to me?" Xu Mumu asked helplessly. In this era, eggs were absolutely valuable, yet this kid just handed one over like that—doesn't his family mind?
In her memory, Tiedan's mom, Liu Cuixia, had a good relationship with Xu Mumu's mom, Li Caixia, frequently getting together to gossip.
"If it weren't for Mumu, I wouldn't have found the wild egg. My mom asked me to give it to you." Tiedan said with a cheeky grin; his mom always wanted to be Mumu's godmother and even hoped to matchmake Xu Mumu with his cousin.
Because of Xu Mumu's 'lucky destiny,' Li Caixia, the big mouth, almost announced it to the world. Anyway, people from all around knew that Xu Mumu was a blessing to her family and future husband. Now at sixteen, she's not bad looking either, so many have their eyes set on her.
Unfortunately, Li Caixia turned her nose up at all of them. She thought her daughter should go to the city to enjoy life, not be with these country bumpkins.
Recalling her mother's demeanor, Xu Mumu felt a headache again.
Li Caixia would never say in front of those people that she wants to go to the city to enjoy life. When people tried to match Xu Mumu with their sons, nephews, whatever, Li Caixia had a knack for coaxing them, taking the benefits, and then turning them down.
Li Caixia, slightly plump, had received quite a few perks over these past couple of years from those wanting to marry Xu Mumu.
"You eat it; I've already had breakfast." Xu Mumu really didn't want to take the egg. Tiedan's mom's intentions were clear to her. Li Caixia had long since figured out Liu Cuixia's thoughts.
She had met Tiedan's cousin twice; he's a temp worker at the county's cotton mill, earning a small salary, with conditions slightly better than Old Xu Family.
This was why Tiedan's cousin made it onto Li Caixia's backup list. If Tiedan's cousin did well, Li Caixia might consider him since at least he's familiar.
Besides Xu Mumu, no one knew any of this; Li Caixia had analyzed everything for her.
Liu Cuixia was unaware of all this, so she treated Xu Mumu exceptionally well, always sending her delicious food.
Liu Cuixia hoped her nephew could marry Xu Mumu; her conditions were still quite good, and their families could be considered a good match. Xu Mumu was still in high school, and once she graduated, she'd surely find work in the city. Moreover, in terms of looks, among girls in the surrounding area who are stick-thin, Xu Mumu was well-fed, fair, and pretty.
"I've already eaten too, Sis, you eat. If my mom knew I ate the egg meant for you, she'd be chasing me with a bamboo stick from one end of the village to the other." Tiedan smiled cheekily.
"She's my sis, not yours. Sis, you just eat it. After all, yesterday they gave Tiedan's family so many eggs." Xu Minglei just repaired his slingshot, eyeing the egg in Xu Mumu's hand hungrily. He hadn't had breakfast and wanted some; if his sister ate, she'd surely share some with him.
However, he was very unhappy with Tiedan trying to steal his sister.
Even though Tiedan had brought an egg, he decided not to talk to Tiedan for ten minutes.
"Your Aunt Cuihua gave it, so eat without worry." Li Caixia walked out of the room, nibbling on a small handful of pumpkin seeds. Tiedan was quite thoughtful—she was very satisfied.
"Brother, you and Minglei share it." Xu Mumu said helplessly; since the brothers hadn't eaten breakfast, she should give it to them. She at least had sweet potato porridge with some wild vegetable soup for breakfast.
The brothers weren't shy and quickly finished the egg.
"So good!" After eating, Xu Minglei licked his lips, still wanting more.
Li Caixia quietly looked away, regretting they couldn't provide a better life for their children.
"Sis, are you still going to gather firewood with us this afternoon?" Tiedan looked expectantly at Xu Mumu.
"I'll go in the afternoon too." Xu Minghui lazily replied.
"If Minghui comes, he'll definitely catch some birds." Tiedan's eyes shone even brighter; Xu Minghui had caught wild chickens, rabbits, and birds before, and the village trusted in his skills.
"Sis, if I catch a bird, I'll roast it for you." Xu Minghui said, looking at his sister.
"Sounds great." Xu Mumu beamed brightly.
Xu Xue and her sister were out digging wild vegetables, leaving only Xu Mumu and the others at home.
In the afternoon, Tiedan came early, bringing his cousin along. That girl was about Xu Mumu's age but had stopped studying early and was starting to date.
"Mumu, I'll be gathering firewood later, joining you guys." Zhao Qian said, looking at Xu Mumu with a gentle smile.
"No problem, though the place we're heading is a bit far." Xu Mumu told Zhao Qian; in her memory, the girl had a soft temperament and seemed to have a good relationship with Xu Xue.
She forgot many details from the book, but remembered the major events; not much was written about Zhao Qian, as she married early, and that was pretty much it.
"I know, Tiedan told me." Zhao Qian nodded, her gaze resting on Xu Minghui for two seconds.
"Minghui, make sure to keep an eye on your sister and don't let her fall." Before leaving, Li Caixia reminded her son; her daughter was finally healthy, and she didn't want any accidents.
"Got it, Mom." Xu Minghui waved his hand indifferently; he'd watch over her even without her saying so.
As they left home, this time heading in a different direction with Xu Minghui leading the way.
At the village entrance, Xu Mumu saw someone walking towards them, someone she instantly recognized from when she first woke up.
Memories of this person also surfaced in her mind. Two years ago, he was a sent-down youth named Yin Yang; since coming to the countryside, he worked hard, was reliable, and looked good. Well-regarded in the village, he had many girls interested in him.