Chapter 16

Before going to bed that day, there was a sudden knock on the door in the quiet courtyard.

The person who came was Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng arrived in a hurry, sweating all over his forehead, and anxiously told Li Fengbei something.

The amount of rice they harvested today was a full 100 kilograms less than what was recorded in the recorder’s notebook.

In the current situation in small mountain villages, every household has its own allocated private plot of land, which in a sense belongs to the villagers themselves.

Other arable land, especially the newly reclaimed arable land in the past year, belongs to the collective.

Part of the harvest from collective fields can be kept in the commune and distributed per capita.

A larger portion will be handed over to the country.

Therefore, before the summer harvest is over, no rice plant can be moved.

Now I have lost 100 pounds, which is a big deal.

No wonder Fang Cheng was so anxious that he came to look for someone after dark.

It must be an emergency and will be handled on the same day.

If we wait until tomorrow, it will be even harder to explain and we won’t be able to find out the truth.

When Li Fengbei heard this, his expression immediately became cold.

He took a coat from the house, told Qiao Anle to go to bed first and not to wait for him, and then he quickly went out.

Qiao Anle was in the house at that time, with only her tight pajamas on her body, so she did not go out.

She just vaguely saw Fang Cheng pacing back and forth through the window.

Then he watched Li Fengbei and Fang Cheng blend into the dark night under the dim light of the flashlight.

Qiao Anle and the others withdrew their gaze only after they could no longer see Li Fengbei.

In this small village nestled in the mountains, although the temperature is high during the day, there is a big temperature difference between day and night.

At night, there is a hint of coolness in the night breeze.

She half-closed the window gently.

As soon as I turned around, a little ball of flesh fell into my arms.

The third child, wearing open-crotch pants, rolled into Qiao Anle’s arms.

The little body curled up into a ball, chewing on its fingers in its mouth, with a mouthful of saliva, and happily sticking them to her belly.

The third child muttered, “Mom, I want a hug~”

Qiao Anle patted his squirming little butt, pulled over the small quilt beside him, wrapped up the little ball of flesh, and then reached out to cover it gently.

There was a smell of milk belonging to a baby that had not yet completely dissipated on the third cub’s body.

There’s also a… faint smell of ginger.

The three kids played in the water in the evening. Li Fengbei was afraid that they would have a fever at night, so he specially boiled ginger water after dinner.

Each of the three people was given a bowl, and no one could escape.

Being stared at by Li Fengbei, he drank it with a bitter face.

The third child is still sticking out his tongue and feels a spicy sensation in his mouth.

He leaned into Qiao Anle’s arms and felt a little sweeter.

“Fragrant, mother, you smell so good.”

The third child leaned against Qiao Anle contentedly, rubbing against him and sniffing his nose like a puppy.

That look is childlike and cute.

“Really?” Qiao Anle smiled and snorted, “Why didn’t I smell it?”

“Mom can’t smell it, but Sanzi can! It smells sweet, like the smell of candied haws or small flowers. Anyway, Mom smells sweet all over, and her hair smells sweet too.”

As Sanzai spoke, his eyes were twinkling with stars.

Qiao Anle pulled his little hand out of his mouth.

She answered in the same childish way.

“If I were a candied haws, wouldn’t I be eaten by Sanzai?”

After hearing this, the third cub chuckled: “Hahaha, eat it! I’ll eat my mother!”

The mother and son laughed together.

Qiao Anle didn’t think she had any fragrance on her body. After all, she didn’t have the conditions to spray perfume.

Maybe it’s because of the Lingbao space…

She often soaked her body in the Lingquan stream and ate fruits and vegetables in the Lingbao space.

The natural sweet scent of fruits and vegetables permeates into the body.

Fresh and natural.

It smells much better than any perfume.

Sanzai is a real glutton.

Ever since I smelled the fragrance on Qiao Anle, I couldn’t help but want to get close to her.

Just stick it on and smell it, it’s a happy experience.

Qiao Anle not only talked to Sanzi, but also gently rocked his little body and hummed a gentle tune.

“Baby~baby~my dear baby~”

“You are the baby God gave me~”

“Baby~baby~my dear baby…”

After a while.

Sanzai’s eyelids drooped and he fell into a drowsy sleep, his little hands still clinging to Qiao Anle’s clothes.

After Qiao Anle coaxed the third child to sleep, she gently put him down and carefully covered him with a small quilt.

Then turn slightly.

Just like that, she met the pair of bright eyes beside her.

After lying down, the second cub stayed still and obediently, with his black eyes sticking out of the quilt and his little face looking eagerly.

I bit my lips from time to time, unable to hide my envy.

Qiao Anle understood what he meant.

She lowered her head and moved closer to Ercub, and asked softly, “Ercub, do you want a hug?”

Erzai was slightly embarrassed, but couldn’t help but nodded silently.

Qiao Anle smiled sweetly.

Just like she had done with the third cub, she also picked up the second cub along with the quilt.

But the two cubs were bigger and she couldn’t hold them all in her arms.

She held his upper body and gently patted his back with her palm.

One by one, gently and softly.

“Baby~Baby~Kiss my baby~You are the baby God gave me~”

The same gentle tune.

Erzai closed his eyes, with half of his slightly hot little face hidden under the quilt, and the other half couldn’t help wanting to get close to Qiao Anle.

A muffled sound came out.

“Mom, Sanzai is right, you smell nice. I…I like it!”

After hearing this, Qiao Anle felt warmed.

She kissed the second child’s forehead and whispered, “Mom likes you, too.”

The second child squinted his eyes happily and closed his eyes happily.

Qiao Anle held the second child in her arms and sang the nursery rhyme twice before putting him down after a while.

Then.

Qiao Anle naturally looked at the eldest cub who was sleeping outside.

The eldest cub was neatly covered with a quilt, his small body lying straight, with his hands placed neatly on his belly.

He looked like a little soldier.

The eldest cub closed his eyes and seemed to have fallen asleep.

But the faint light from the kerosene lamp, swaying on his little face, clearly illuminated his trembling eyelashes.

Why……

Qiao Anle sighed silently.

Her heart felt sour and bitter.

Among her three children, she spent the most time with the youngest, but the one she liked the most and loved the most was actually the eldest.

Although he is the same age as Erzai, Erzai still has a childish and talkative side.

But the eldest son is exactly like a smaller version of Li Fengbei.

How can one not like it?

This time.

Qiao Anle didn’t ask any questions, but reached out and picked up the baby.

The eldest boy was startled and opened his eyes subconsciously.

There was no trace of sleepiness in the little wolf’s eyes. Instead, his gaze was trembling with uneasiness.

Qiao Anle hugged him tightly and gently touched the hair on his forehead.

Since the older ones are little adults, let them communicate in an adult way.

She smiled and said “hush” softly.

“Don’t move. Second and third cubs are already asleep. Let me hold you and talk to you.”

“My eldest child is really the best child in the world. In the past year, mother did not do well in many areas. Thanks to the eldest child, he has been taking care of the second and third children.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The eldest boy didn’t expect that he would be hugged by Qiao Anle, and he didn’t expect to hear such praise.

The little guy’s mind was completely confused.

After being stunned for a long time, he uttered something vaguely.

“I’m the older brother… I should take care of my younger brothers… That’s what Dad said.”

In Dazai’s heart, the person he admires most is Li Fengbei.

The tall man is like a god in the child’s small world.

Qiao Anle nodded gently, “Yes, our eldest son is the best. You have done everything Dad said, and you have done it very well.”

but……

Qiao Anle used the same gentle tone, patted Dazi’s back, and said something completely different from before.

“But… Big Cub, even though you are the eldest brother, you are still a child. You don’t have to be so obedient and sensible.”

The more the eldest boy listened, the more confused he became, and even more doubtful he became.

Could it be… that he did something wrong?

Qiao Anle continued slowly.

“Big cub, you can be naughty and play tricks, you can be willful and naughty, and you can be like the second and third cubs. As long as it’s not too excessive, your parents will allow you.”

“Because you are also a child, and you are also your parents’ child.”

“As a child, you shouldn’t suppress your nature. As a child, you have privileges. These are privileges that only you can have at your age. When you grow up, even if you want to be willful, you won’t have that opportunity. So…”

Qiao Anle curled the corners of her lips and smiled like a fox.

“Big cub, do you really want to miss this opportunity? What if you regret it later?”

“For example, if you want to eat white flour buns, you can just say it out loud and not give it to Sanzai.”

“For example, if you want to hold Mom’s hand or hug Mom, you can tell Mom…”

Gradually.

The eldest seemed to understand something.

Is his mother teaching him to be a… bad boy?!

Just like Erhuzi next door, he snatches all the delicious food from his younger brothers and sisters.

Can he really… do this?

No way!

Absolutely not!

The eldest boy shook his head vigorously!

His originally calm expression became extremely nervous, fear flashed in his eyes, and even his eye sockets turned red.

Transparent tears welled up and swirled in the little eye sockets.

“No…you have to be obedient…be sensible…otherwise…otherwise you will be thrown away!”

The child’s voice was suppressed, choked and trembling.

Even the whole body was trembling slightly.

Tears as big as beans fell from the corners of his eyes.

The eldest cub whimpered and muttered to himself repeatedly.

“I will be thrown away… I want to be obedient… I want to be sensible… I want to work… I am a child, it doesn’t matter if I eat less… I don’t want to… I don’t want to be thrown away…”