Gu Qingyao thought that this child had suffered since young and was always badly treated by her family, so she might be afraid that they would abandon her. But she said with unexpected maturity, “Elder Cousin, I understand. Grandma and the others have always despised me because I can’t work and said that I’m a freeloader. But I work very hard with my mother every day, and still don’t get anything to eat.
“The more you say that I can’t work but need to eat, the more they won’t want me. Then I can leave with my mother.”
At that moment, Gu Qingyao did not know what to say.
She was merely ten years old, yet she was so intelligent. Or perhaps she had such penetrating insights because she had suffered greatly and experienced great contempt.
She thought of this younger cousin who had died of an illness as a teenager in her previous life. At that time, the Gu family had not yet regained its footing and her Younger Aunt had only told the family later…
Gu Qingyao pursed her lips. This would not happen in this lifetime!
Gu Qingyao carried Gu Yunshuang and walked for another forty minutes or so before she saw her third older brother, Gu Jinlin, running swiftly towards them, pulling a small cart. Mo Beihan followed him.
When they saw Gu Qingyao, they did not waste words. “Quickly!”
Gu Jinlin turned the cart around and Mo Beihan carried Gu Yunshuang onto the cart, which was lined with straw. Mo Beihan took off his jacket and covered Gu Yunshuang, then carried Li Fangting onto the cart.
“You get on too!”
He shouted at Gu Qingyao.
Gu Qingyao shook her head. “No need…”
Before she could finish speaking, Mo Beihan had already dragged her to the cart and pushed her in. “Hurry up. You’ve walked for so far, you must be exhausted. Your older cousin and I can pull all of you.”
Mo Beihan dragged Gu Qingyao onto the cart, then Gu Jinlin pulled it and moved off.
Mo Beihan pushed from behind.
The two men sped along. Gu Qingyao, who was sitting in the cart, took two meat buns wrapped in cardboard from her interspace. She handed one to Li Fangting, then tore the other into small bits and fed them to Gu Yunshuang.
“Younger Aunt, have something to eat. You’ll get better when your stomach is full.”
Gu Yunshuang’s face was still covered with tears, but when she heard that, she opened her mouth and ate the bun that Gu Qingyao fed her.
Next to them, Li Fangting was staring dumbly at her bun. “Do such beautiful buns exist?”
The bun was made of fine white flour, and it was a snowy white color. It was steaming hot and fluffy. It was completely different from the rye buns or the sorghum bread she had seen before.
Those buns were all dark-colored. She never knew that such beautiful, soft, white buns existed.
When he heard that, Mo Beihan glanced at Gu Qingyao and saw that her eyes were red.
Gu Qingyao said, “Hurry up and eat it, or it will get cold!”
Li Fangting was just a young girl. This was the first time she had seen such a nice bun. She could not help but eat it in small bites, her face content.
After a while, they saw Gu Yunshen running towards them with a blanket and a quilted jacket. They had borrowed the cart from the brigade. Gu Jinlin and Gu Yunshen had been working outside when they heard the news. Gu Jinlin had immediately run to the brigade office, borrowed the cart and ran towards Gu Qingyao. Gu Yunshen had gone home for blankets and clothes.
Mo Beihan had run into Gu Jinlin along the way.
Mo Beihan put on his jacket again and Gu Yunshen covered Gu Yunshuang with a blanket, and wrapped the quilted jacket around Li Fangting’s scrawny form.
Jiang Xun, who had gone to get them, also appeared. He had run too fast and was now tired and hungry. He was exhausted by the time he ran back, so he had fallen behind.
“Aunt Gu, Uncle Gu, I’ll go back now.”