First Meeting

The next day, when it was almost noon, Du Xiao Li came to Niu Jing’s house.

“Grandpa Niu, are you home?” Du Xiao Li stood outside the bamboo fence of Niu Jing’s yard and shouted towards the house.

Niu Jing came our from the house and saw Du Xiao Li, saying with a smile, “It’s Xiao Li ah, quickly come in.”

“Alright, grandpa Niu.” Du Xiao Li sweetly replied, then opened the bamboo gate and walked in. She saw that in the central room, there was the addition of a guifei couch that wasn’t there before, and on it lied a twelve to thirteen year old boy. Next to him even stood two eighteen nineteen year old men, both dressed in all black. At a glance, she could already tell this boy’s body wasn’t normal. However, it had nothing to do with her. She looked to Niu Jing and said, “Grandpa Niu, are you busy right now?”

“Already done now. Xiao Li, aren’t you all busy with moving things? How come you’ve come?” Niu Jing had just treated Han Ming Yi’s illness and was currently resting right now.

Du Xiao Li handed the half of hare in her hands to Niu Jing and said, “This is what I caught yesterday when I entered the mountain. Big brother said the taste of wild mountain hare is pretty good, so specially came over to give grandpa Niu half. Also, at the same time, let me pay back the medicine fee we owe from before.”

Niu Jing accepted the hare that was already cleaned, and one of the men in black behind Han Ming Yi then went forward to accept it, taking it to the kitchen to the side.

Du Xiao Li took out a piece of silver and pa.s.sed it to Niu Jing. This time, Niu Jing didn’t refuse and accepted it. Afterwards, he poured Du Xiao Li a cup of water and asked, “How are things over there?”

“Majority of things are mostly taken care of, uncle Shi and uncle Shi Er are all helping us move things. Just that house in the mountains is too small, unable to fit everything.” Du Xiao Li was also thirsty, and after accepting the water cup, gulped down the water in mouthfuls. Only when she finished drinking, did she finally answer Niu Jing’s question.

Yesterday evening, because the time was too short, not everything was moved back. However, luckily there were a lot of people, and after moving back and forth twice, what remained, wasn’t much. This morning, Shi Da and Shi Er, and also a few other former neighbors, all came to help them move. Right now, it was mostly done.

Han Ming Yi laid on top the guifei couch and didn’t say anything. Hearing Du Xiao Li’s silvery voice, lifted his head to glance at her, then afterwards closed his eyes again to rest.

Relying on her acute senses from her past life, Du Xiao Li knew that Han Ming Yi had glanced at her. She returned the cup to Niu Jing and said, “Grandpa Niu, since you still have a guest, I’ll just go back first then. See you later grandpa Niu.”

After she said this, she turned and left. She then went to the old house to see if there’s anything they overlooked.

The house that Du Hai originally built can be considered relatively big in the village. At the time, he’d just came back from out of town, and still had some money in his hands. Du Xiu Heng said, Du Hai didn’t want Su Su Xin to live somewhere shabby, so he built such a house.

Today wasn’t as busy as yesterday afternoon with moving things. Du Xiao Li stood outside the house and properly studied the house’s design. As she studied, she suddenly felt this house was a bit different from the other houses in the village. Rather, it looked a bit structured like those antique houses she saw before in the past up north.

“This was personally designed by mother.” Du Xiu Heng came over to Du Xiao Li’s side and said.

Du Xiao Li looked to Du Xiu Heng and asked, “Mother is from the north?”

Du Xiu Heng’s body suddenly stiffened, then unnaturally said, “Yeah, mother is a northerner. Let’s go see if there’s still anything that needs to be moved.”

Du Xiao Li also felt Du Xiu Heng’s unnaturalness, but didn’t say anything. She followed him in searching through the courtyard once over and discovered that there was nothing that needed to be moved. The two then finally returned up the mountain.

At noon, they hastily ate a bit wild vegetable porridge. Then, in the afternoon, several villagers came to help repair the house for them.

Everyone all knew that this abandoned house on the mountain was very old, but none really ever came to look at it before. This time, while helping Du Xiu Heng and Du Xiao Li move things up here, they saw this house’s state. In the house, there were still some places even now that were still dripping wet. Recalling last time how it rained for several days in succession, and how there will be more rainy days to come, the few farmer men discussed to come over in the afternoon to repair the house for them.

After being busy all afternoon, those holes in the roof were all finally covered up using rice straws. In order to make it a bit st.u.r.dier, before spreading on the rice straw, coa.r.s.e bamboo was used to tie the framework first. Afterwards, had the framework fastened onto the roof on all sides. Lastly, the rice straws were then spread on top.

The rice straws that were originally in the house were all cleared out. Now, there were furnitures everywhere.

After exhausting a whole day, she felt her bones were about to fall apart. But luckily, now there was a bed to sleep in. Du Xiao Li laid in bed and thought to herself.

This house has two rooms. Previously, that other one, because the roof was completely open, wasn’t able to be used. Now that the roof is fixed, Du Xiu Heng moved a bed over, and the two siblings each get a room.

Du Xiao Li laid in bed for a while when Du Xiu Heng entered. Seeing Du Xiao Li motionlessly lying in bed, he said, “I’ll go cook some porridge. Put up with it for tonight and eat some, okay?”

Last night, after the hare was taken care of, because it was already too late, they only cooked a bit of wild vegetable porridge to eat. Fortunately, yesterday they were able to get back their seasonings and whatnot. Although it was still porridge, at least there were a bit of other flavors now.

Thinking how, with this kind of slightly warm weather, it won’t be good for the hare meat to be put out for too long, Du Xiao Li got up and said to Du Xiu Heng, “Big brother, that hare meat, if we don’t eat it soon, it will spoil. The mushrooms with also go bad. How about we cook them for tonight?”

“Alright.” Du Xiu Heng turned around and went out. By the time Du Xiao Li went out, he’d already taken out the soaked mushrooms from the water jar. After a day of soaking, those previously perfectly bloomed mushrooms were already a bit too bloomed, and that one that hadn’t bloomed yesterday was now in perfect bloom.

The wild hare was also taken out and put to the side.

“Big brother, how about let me do?” Du Xiao Li, seeing Du Xiu Heng not knowing what to do, said.

“You know what to do?” Du Xiu Heng knew that his own little sister also didn’t enter the kitchen much, so she shouldn’t know how to either.

Du Xiao Li took the knife from him and said, “Based of feeling.”

With that said, she used the knife to have the wild hare cut into small pieces. Because her current body’s strength was rather small, she had no choice but to find the joints between the bones to chop down on. When she finished cutting the meat, she saw a dumbstruck Du Xiu Heng to the side.

She sighed inside. Yesterday, when he saw her kill the wild hare, skin it, then afterwards clean it out, he also had this kind of expression. She looked to the sky, guess it was about to be dark soon. She considered moving a bit faster, otherwise, before the meal is done, the sky will already be dark. Then it would be like yesterday, where they had to light a fire in the courtyard for light. When that time comes, it will be troublesome.

Knowing they will be making stew, after he came back to his sense, Du Xiu Heng went to go start the fire, then placed the pot on the fire, filling it half way with water. And after Du Xiao Li finished cutting the wild hare, she then placed it into the pot.

After which, Du Xiao Li had the mushrooms torn into small piece, and when the wild hare was almost done stewing, had the mushrooms all placed into the pot to cook. Lastly, she added some salt.

“Big brother, it’s done.” About an hour later, Du Xiao Li said as she picked up a piece of hare meat and tasted it.

Du Xiu Heng had the fire completely extinguished and afterwards asked, “How is it, is it good?”

“It’s alright.” Du Xiao Li said, using the spoon to fill a big bowl of meat and soup for Du Xiu Heng. Afterwards, she filled another bowl for herself. Although they didn’t have any fresh ginger, but with salt, this flavor was much better, especially since they also added mushroom to raise the flavor. The taste was worlds apart from the previous wild vegetable porridge they were eating.

Du Xiu Heng took a bite and was immediately drawn in by the taste. He finished all the meat in his bowl, and even drank all the broth too. Afterwards, he even happily ate a second bowl.

Seeing Du Xiu Heng eating that happily despite scalding his mouth, Du Xiu Li couldn’t help smiling. This kind of warm and peaceful life was the kind of life she wanted!

T/N: I feel so much heartache for her brother; but I guess it’s good thing he’s still young and doesn’t ask too many questions.

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