He never thought that his clothes would have a different effect on Meng Yunshu.

The indigo clothes made Meng Yunshu look like a different person. His temperament had changed a little. In addition, his pair of black almond eyes, which looked at him innocently, made him unconsciously want to protect him, pity him, and even want to…

Since he came to the Yu family, he had never been treated badly in terms of food. In just a few days, Meng Yunshu’s blood and qi had improved a little. In the long run, he believed that he would be able to make up for the losses in the past.

 Meng Yunshu stood in front of him. Seeing that he was just looking at him without saying anything, he tugged at his clothes and looked himself up and down. Finding nothing wrong, he asked, “Brother Huai, is it inappropriate?”

Yu Jinhuai suddenly came back to his senses. He turned his head away in panic, lowered his eyes, and said in a deep voice, “No, it’s very suitable.”

Meng Yunshu raised his lips happily when he heard it. He glanced at the backpack and small hoe placed aside, bent down to pick them up and put them on his back, and said to the man in front of him, “Brother Huai, I’m leaving now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Jinlan, who had been prepared for a long time, stood at the door and called people in a crisp voice.

“Brother, are you ready?”

“I’m here.” Meng Yunshu responded, and took Yu Zhining and Daqing, who were sitting in the yard out to meet Yu Jinlan. Behind her was a big dog, Dahua from their family.

Yu Jinlan saw that Meng Yunshu had changed his clothes, but she didn’t realize that the clothes he was wearing were her second cousin brother’s.

 It was a long way from home to the bamboo forest. Meng Yunshu was afraid that Yu Zhining would not be able to keep up and get tired, so he kept paying attention. However, he forgot that children who grew up in farming families are used to running since childhood. Although they are gers, they are no worse than men. Yu Zhining never complained of being tired all the way. Instead, he was excited and ran forward holding his hand.

Walking along the village road, a lush bamboo forest appeared in front of them after an incense stick of time. It was a bright spot in early winter, and it seemed that everyone was in a much better mood.

“Bamboo forest.” Seeing the bamboo forest, Yu Zhining’s tone became a little more cheerful. He ran forward holding Meng Yunshu’s hand.

Meng Yunshu followed suit and jogged. When they moved, Daqing and Dahua did not fall behind. The two dogs rushed out like crazy and ran back soon, following their owner, with their tails wagging quickly.

 Stepping into the bamboo forest, Meng Yunshu, who had never been here before, could only follow Yu Jinlan’s steps and walk around inside. It was noon and winter had just begun, so the land was not frozen solid. His feet stepped on the thick bamboo leaves, which was like stepping on a soft quilt, very comfortable.

After walking around for a while, Yu Jinlan stopped and pointed to the large bamboo forest in front of her, “Brother, it’s here. The bamboo shoots have not been dug yet. I think there are still many, and we can dig a lot.”

“Okay.”

The place that Yu Jinlan chose was very good. There were not many bamboo leaves, and it was easy to see the tips of the bamboo shoots popping out of the ground.

 He let go of Yu Zhining’s hand. Meng Yunshu squatted down, tucked Yu Zhining’s fallen hair behind his ear with his fingers, pinched his red cheeks again, and said softly: “Ah Ning, stay by little uncle’s side and don’t run around, okay?”

“Okay.” Yu Zhining has been well-behaved since he was a child, and he listens to whatever the adults say.

“Really well-behaved.” Meng Yunshu smiled.

When Meng Yunshu was digging bamboo shoots, he could see Yu Zhining sitting on a stone nearby and playing with the two dogs. The dogs at home are all humane, and with them watching, Meng Yunshu felt much more relieved.

The sun shifted, and before he knew it, more than half of the basket was filled. Suddenly, a dog barked not far away.

Yu Zhining, who was playing with Daqing, had a smile on his face. Hearing the familiar dog barking, he looked over and excitedly raised his right hand and shook it, “It’s Uncle and Dahei.”

Daqing under his hand jumped out with a whoosh, carrying the bamboo leaves on the ground with it.

Meng Yunshu, who was digging bamboo shoots, looked up and happened to see Dahei and Daqing running over together. Just when he was wondering why he couldn’t see Yu Jinhuai, he saw him wearing a short shirt and carrying a basket behind him. When he got closer, he noticed that Yu Jinhuai’s feet were covered with dirt and leaf residue.

Yu Jinhuai came over and touched Yu Zhining’s head. He stretched out his hand to pick off the bamboo leaves that fell on his head, and rubbed the dust off his face with his thumb, thinking that he was really a playful little cat.

 Yu Jinlan patted the dirt off her hands and stood up. Seeing Yu Jinhuai, she smiled and said, “Second cousin brother, brother-in-law and I have dug most of the bamboo shoots.”

Yu Jinhuai walked closer and took a look. The two people’s backpacks were almost full. This afternoon’s work was not in vain.

“Brother Huai.” Meng Yunshu squatted on the ground. He held the freshly dug bamboo shoots in his hands, and looked up to greet him.

Yu Jinhuai hummed, put down the backpack on his body, pulled up his pants and squatted down. He reached into the backpack and took out a bamboo shoot, and peeled the bamboo shoot on the spot.

“I will carry the bamboo shoots when we go home, and you can carry the bamboo shoot skin.”

Hearing his words, Meng Yunshu realized what he meant. The bamboo shoots with the skin peeled off are lighter than the intact bamboo shoots, but even so, a basket of bamboo shoots still has weight.

 Farmers are reluctant to throw away bamboo shoots. After drying, they can be used for burning. In winter, bamboo shoots are the most wasteful firewood. Although bamboo shoots are not as good as dry firewood, they can still be used.

Hearing this, Meng Yunshu and Yu Jinlan stopped digging bamboo shoots and peeled bamboo shoots with Yu Jinhuai.

Yu Jinlan kept moving her hands. She looked up at Yu Jinhuai and asked in confusion, “Second cousin brother, where did you go with the basket?”

“I went to the mountain to see the traps I set a few days ago.”

Hearing that he went to the mountain, Yu Jinlan became interested and excited, “Did you get anything?”

Yu Jinhuai watched her grow up, so how could he not know what she was thinking? In the end, she was just greedy for meat.

In fact, he didn’t send many wild animals to his cousins’ homes. First, he was afraid that they would be burdened, and second, he was afraid that the villagers would gossip. Sometimes he would let them come home to eat a rabbit he caught. Occasionally, he would take Yu Jinyue to the mountains to teach him how to hunt. Unfortunately, the boy’s talent was not very good, but he was lucky enough to get some small gains.

“Two rabbits and a pheasant. You can take one later.” As if afraid that Meng Yunshu would think too much, Yu Jinhuai deliberately glanced at him after he finished speaking. Seeing that he was concentrating on his work and didn’t pay attention to their conversation, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

 Yu Jinlan hesitated for a long time, and the smile on her lips could not be suppressed, “Okay.”

This time, taking the rabbit from her second cousin brother would inevitably be criticized by her brother. Yu Jinlan’s eyes rolled around, thinking about what to give to her second cousin brother? She knew that if the relationship between relatives wanted to last long, the favors between them were indispensable, but she couldn’t just take advantage of them. It was okay for a short time, but if it lasted for a long time, it would not only destroy the accumulated affection between the two families, but also be criticized by the villagers.

After peeling the bamboo shoots in the two backpacks, it was still early, and several people dug some more in the bamboo forest. This time, the bamboo shoots were not peeled, but were put in the backpacks intact until the backpacks were filled up.

Yu Jinhuai carried a full basket of bamboo shoots, Meng Yunshu also carried half a basket, and as for the backpack that Yu Jinhuai brought, it was Yu Jinlan who carried it. The caught animals were covered with bamboo shoots.

 On the way home, they met villagers. Everyone looked at Meng Yunshu next to Yu Jinhuai with curiosity until they reached the corner.

The first place they went to was Yu Jinlan’s house. The door of the house was wide open. Yu Jinyue was chopping wood in the yard.

They left half a basket of peeled bamboo shoots, some unpeeled ones, and a rabbit as he said before leaving.

When they left, they could still hear Yu Jinyue nagging his sister. Yu Jinlan would occasionally retort a few words, and Yu Jinyue’s voice became louder. They really deserved to be siblings.

As soon as he stepped over the threshold, Meng Yunshu heard the crisp sound of wind chimes. His eyes suddenly lit up, and business came.