"Did you forget everything I told you this morning?" Xu Mumu's head was throbbing; her younger brother's bad habit needed to be fixed.
"Got it, sis," Xu Minglei said, looking down.
Xu Mumu weighed the slightly rounded stone in her hand and then led a group of youngsters down the mountain.
"Mumu, did Minglei say that dead Xu Xue pushed you into the river? She's so mean." Tiedan said angrily.
"Stop talking nonsense. I slipped; she didn't catch me." Xu Mumu replied helplessly.
Not surprisingly, this talk must have come from her mother's mouth. Li Caixia is quite the gossip among the gathering of chatty wives at the brigade, always eager to discuss the ins and outs of their neighbors.
The Old Xu Family's second house always had a bad reputation, all spread by Li Caixia, and even Xu Xue's name was damaged thanks to her efforts.
Li Caixia also often made troublemakers in front of Madam Chen, making her dislike the second house even more.
Xu Mumu couldn't help but marvel at her mother's talent.
"Mumu, you're too kind. She wronged you, yet you still spoke for Xu Xue." Tiedan couldn't believe Xu Mumu's words.
Xu Mumu: ... Her mother's brainwashing was just too effective. Does everyone have such a thick filter for her?
"Exactly, my sister is just too nice, that's why she's bullied by that dead Xu Xue." Xu Minglei commented seriously to Tiedan.
Xu Tao and Xu Jiaojiao, the siblings, dared not speak. Others might not know, but they understood the situation well. They were well aware of their eldest sister's personality, and she only treated them slightly better compared to their second and third sisters.
As they walked downhill, Xu Mumu approached a place with lush grass and squinted slightly, signaling them to stop.
"Shh."
Xu Mumu focused her gaze on the moving grass over there and weighed the stone she had snatched from Xu Minglei's hand, then threw it directly toward that direction.
"Sis, what did you hit?" Xu Minglei asked, puzzled, looking at Xu Mumu.
"Go check, and you'll find out." Xu Mumu laughed.
Xu Minglei, carrying his basket, ran over, while Xu Mumu followed with the children.
"Sis, it's a wild chicken. You hit a wild chicken." The wild chicken was hit directly by Xu Mumu, killed on the spot, with a hole in its head, showcasing Xu Mumu's strength.
The wild chicken was carried out by Xu Minglei, who was very excited. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Xu Mumu, thinking she was amazing for being able to hit a wild chicken.
Xu Mumu was satisfied with the result; her strength remained, and her aim was still good.
"Wow, it's really a wild chicken." Xu Tao was almost drooling; the chicken was quite large, and he would definitely get to eat two pieces of meat later, and that was meat! Something they couldn't even eat once a month at home.
"So big, chicken meat is delicious, and chicken soup is tasty too." Xu Jiaojiao licked her lips; she admired her big sister the most right now and wanted to learn this skill herself, to be able to hit wild chickens with small stones.
"When we get back, we'll have Granny split the chicken into two halves, one for braising, and one for soup." Xu Mumu said, pinching Xu Jiaojiao's cheek. The young girl's face lacked flesh, not making for a pleasant touch.
Xu Mumu wanted to eat meat too; she almost forgot the taste of chicken looking at the wild chicken.
"Minglei, let's see if we can find a chicken nest here." Tiedan said excitedly; this chicken was hit by Xu Mumu, and he definitely wouldn't get to eat it. But if there was a nest nearby, he hoped to have one egg, just one would be enough.
"Sis, hold this, I'll go look for the nest." Xu Minglei handed the wild chicken to Xu Mumu, put his basket down, and quickly began searching the grass with Tiedan.
Soon, that lush grass was all messed up by the two children, but the result was joyous as they found a chicken nest with only five eggs inside.
"Sis, we can have eggs now." Xu Minglei was extremely excited; today was really lucky. This morning he found two bird eggs, his brother picked a wild duck egg, and in the afternoon his sister hit a wild chicken along with so many wild chicken eggs.
"I know, but Tiedan found the eggs first, so let him have the wild chicken eggs; we can eat the chicken meat." Xu Mumu looked at Tiedan, who was staring at Xu Minglei's eggs longingly.
Hearing Xu Mumu's words, Tiedan couldn't believe it, "Mumu, all for me?"
"Of course, you found them; we've got the chicken." Xu Mumu shook the dead wild chicken in her hand. If Tiedan hadn't reminded them, they wouldn't have thought of looking for a chicken nest, and it was Tiedan who found it first.
"Take it. Since my sister treats you so well, you must give my sister some good food next time." Xu Minglei was generous for once, giving the eggs directly to Tiedan while not forgetting to boost his sister's image in front of him.
"Sure, don't worry! From now on, Mumu is my sister." Tiedan said seriously.
And so, Xu Mumu earned another fan.
Xu Mumu placed the wild chicken into Xu Minglei's basket, keeping it at the bottom, out of sight.
After reaching the foot of the mountain, they parted ways with Tiedan.
When Xu Mumu and the others returned home, the whole family was back.
"Mumu, why did you run out without wearing something more?" Seeing Xu Mumu wearing only two thin layers, Madam Chen was distressed.
"Granny, I'm not cold; I'm all better now." Xu Mumu laughed.
"Granny, my sister hit a wild chicken." Xu Minglei was quick to lower his basket and quickly found the wild chicken inside.
"Mumu hit it?" As soon as the wild chicken came out, everyone's attention was drawn; even Li Caixia's eyes turned green. Watching her fool of a son pull the wild chicken out so bluntly, Li Caixia felt a heart attack coming—this brat was so stupid, not inheriting her cleverness.
Such a good thing like wild chicken should be secretly enjoyed in private; even if not eating it, isn't it better for Xu Hai to sneak it to the black market for money?
"Certainly. My sister threw a stone and hit the chicken dead." Xu Minglei said proudly, his big sister was the best.
"That's my girl, so amazing!" Xu Hai came over, looking at the chicken, feeling very pleased.
"Mumu, how should we eat the chicken? Granny will ask your second aunt to prepare it." Madam Chen looked lovingly at Xu Mumu.
"Mom, why not let me take this chicken to the black market and sell it for money?" Xu Hai's eyes twinkled; if he sold it, he could secretly stash some cash.