So, in the little girl’s eyes, he’s just a tree-climbing machine?

No emotions?

The big guy(the title is due to his large and tall body) wasn’t pleased with this perception at all. He ground his back teeth and stayed silent, his face darkening.

The little girl, being quite the foodie, was too busy gazing at the juicy peaches hanging from the tree to notice that Ye Chenchuan’s expression had changed.

She slipped off the tree like a little koala, landing softly on the ground, and reached out her small, tender hand to tug at his sleeve:

“Brother Chenchuan, those peaches are so sweet.

Pick some for us, wash them, and I’ll treat you to some.”

Her soft, sweet voice coupled with her tender little hand, still carrying a faint fragrance, made Ye Chenchuan’s ears inexplicably turn red, despite his earlier frown.

His ears reddened and without quite knowing why, he deftly climbed the tree with the basket on his back. In no time, he had picked a full basket of juicy, sweet peaches.

“Wow, so many big peaches. Brother Chenchuan is amazing!”

The little girl was over the moon, her small hands resting on the basket, her large eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. She picked up a plump, juicy peach, washed it with spring water, and took a big, satisfying bite.

…

The peach was tangy and sweet, deliciously juicy, and utterly mouth-watering.

Song Wanyue’s little face lit up with joy. Using a small knife she always carried with her, she sliced off a piece of peach, holding it up to Ye Chenchuan’s lips:

“Brother Chenchuan, isn’t it tasty?”

Caught off guard, the big guy found his mouth filled with the sweet nectar of the peach:

“Delicious.”

But maybe you taste even better.

The big guy lowered his gaze, watching the little girl’s rosy lips move as she chewed and murmured to himself in a hoarse voice.

*Huh? What’s up with Brother Chenchuan? His ears are red, and his cheeks are too.*

The little girl was puzzled but quickly forgot all about it when she saw the basket full of peaches, her face once again lighting up with joy.

Yay, so many peaches! Enough to last the whole family a long time.

Times were tough nowadays, the adults and kids from the village had been scouring the hills all day.

Almost all the wild vegetables and fruits on the mountain had been picked clean.

It was really lucky that Brother Chenchuan was around today.

“Little sis, where are you? It’s getting late; let’s head down the mountain.”

The twins’ voices called out from a distance.

At this moment, Song Wanyue, squatting like a little miser, was gleefully dividing the peaches into two portions—one for Brother Chenchuan and Grandpa Ye and the other for herself.

Even though she hadn’t done any of the hard work picking the peaches.

But she was the one who had discovered the peach tree first.

That counts as a little contribution, right?

Hearing the call, the little girl hastily slung the small basket over her back and waved goodbye to Ye Chenchuan.

“Brother Chenchuan, this basket of peaches is for you and Grandpa Ye.

My brothers are calling me. I’ll be going now. Let’s meet again next time.”

With that, the little girl hopped away like a rabbit, disappearing into the woods with her small basket on her back.

Ye Chenchuan was left alone, gazing down at the half-basket of plump, rosy peaches, which somehow reminded him of the little girl’s tender, rosy cheeks…

For a moment, the young man was lost in thought, his dark eyes clouded and hard to read.

~

After bidding farewell to Brother Chenchuan, Song Wanyue, carrying her basket full of peaches, flitted through the woods like a little sprite. Not far ahead, her twin brothers, Song Wenzhe and Song Wenbo, along with their cousin Song Wenhao, who was as strong as a tiger cub, were waiting at their designated spot.

“Third Brother, Fourth Brother, let’s go home.”

The little girl was in high spirits, having returned with a full load.

But the three brothers looked dejected, as if they had just been beaten up.

Song Wanyue frowned, asking:

“What happened? Did someone rob you?”

Ah, they wished it was just a robbery.

Little Wenhao, who was wise beyond his years, sighed like a little adult:

“Fifth Sister, Wenbo, Wenzhe and I spent the whole afternoon wandering around the mountain and found nothing.

All the wild vegetables and fruits in the woods have been picked clean.

We won’t have any more fruit to eat from now on.”

So that’s what happened. The little girl, still smiling, put her small basket on the ground:

“Don’t worry, We still have fruit to eat.”

The three brothers craned their necks to look and were stunned.

So many juicy peaches?

Where did these come from?

The three brothers swallowed hard. These plump peaches looked like they would be incredibly sweet and delicious.

In these tough times, it was already fortunate for a farming family to have enough to eat. If they wanted to eat some fruit, the village kids had no choice but to search the back mountains for any wild fruit trees that still bore fruit to satisfy their cravings.

The wild fruit outside was small, not to mention the taste was mostly unremarkable.

And yet, even such fruit was treasured by the village kids, who would bring it home with pride. After all, if they didn’t pick it, they wouldn’t get to eat any at all.

The Song family’s life in Dahe Mountain was pretty good, but even so, the kids at home rarely had the chance to eat fruit throughout the year.

Now, suddenly seeing a large basket of peaches, rosy and ripe, the excitement the three brothers felt was beyond words.

“Wanyue, where did this basket of peaches come from?”

Song Wenzhe asked in amazement, his tongue tripping over itself in his surprise.

“This is what Brother Chenchuan and I picked from the mountain.”

The little girl was bursting with pride.

“Wow, Fifth Sister, you’re amazing! Brother Chenchuan is amazing too! We’ve got big peaches to eat!”

Little Wenhao cheered excitedly.

“Hehe, Wanyue must be really lucky. To be able to pick so many peaches all at once!”

The twin brothers, Song Wenzhe and Song Wenbo, were also delighted,

“It’s getting late now, so let’s hurry down the mountain. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to get down once it gets dark.”

Song Wenzhe smiled and the four siblings looked up at the darkening sky, nodding in agreement before heading down the mountain together, chatting and laughing along the way.

~

Originally, Song Wanyue planned to carry the small basket home herself, but it was quickly snatched away by the strong Song Wenbo. Song Wenbo was big and burly like a bear and looked intimidating, but he was actually a very caring big brother.

“Wanyue, you’re a girl, born to enjoy life.

Carrying baskets like this is men’s work.

Let your Fourth Brother carry it for you. You can rest.”

Song Wengang spoke in his gruff voice.

Knowing she couldn’t win against her Fourth Brother, Song Wanyue cheerfully handed over the small basket, watching him with her chin propped up and a bright smile on her face.

“Fourth Brother~”

“What is it?”

“In the future, whoever marries you will be very lucky.”

“What nonsense is this little girl talking about?”

Blushing furiously, Song Wenbo fled the scene.

Behind him, Song Wenzhe and the other siblings exchanged knowing looks.

*Did Fourth Brother just blush?*

“Haha, Fifth Sister, let me tell you a little secret.

Fourth Brother likes Haitang Sister from our village. I even saw him giving her a red hair ribbon the other day.

His face was even redder than it is now.”

Little Wenhao, in his childish voice, spilled Song Wenbo’s secret.

Song Wanyue & Song Wenzhe were both shocked: ???

Is that true?”

“It’s true, it’s true.

I saw it with my own eyes!”

Little Wenhao jumped up and down in excitement.

Hearing this, poor Song Wenbo blushed even more, his neck turning crimson as he squirmed in embarrassment, wishing he could dig a hole and crawl into it.

“N-no, I didn’t.”

Honest Song Wenbo was pitifully trying to defend himself when the previously clear sky suddenly darkened, and a strong wind started blowing. In no time, rain came pouring down.

The raindrops, as big as beans, quickly formed small puddles on the ground. Seeing this, Song Wenzhe hurriedly led his three younger siblings down the mountain.

~

The rainstorm came quickly and fiercely, and by the time the four siblings made it through the gates of the Song family home with their baskets, only Song Wanyue was mostly dry, thanks to Song Wenzhe’s protection, with just a small part of her clothing getting wet.

But as for Song Wenzhe, Song Wenbo and the six-year-old Song Wenhao, they looked like drowned chicks, soaked from head to toe.

Especially little Wenhao, who loved playing in water more than anything. He would dive into the river at every opportunity during the summer, which had earned him quite a few beatings from Song Xiangdang, only for Liu Hongmei to shield him each time.

Today’s downpour had made little Wenhao’s day and the little guy had been jumping around joyfully in the rain, impossible for Song Wanyue to pull back.

“Aww, Fifth Sister, I love the rain!

If it rains tomorrow, I’m going to play outside again!”

Little Wenhao shouted in excitement, raising his soaked little arms.

“What are you yelling about in broad daylight, you rascal?”

Hearing this, Chen Juhua, who was stitching shoes in the main room, poked her head out of the house.

Seeing her three grandsons drenched from head to toe, she squinted her old eyes, ready to give them a good scolding.

But the next moment, her eyes caught sight of her precious little granddaughter standing there, shivering in the cold wind and rain, her face pale. Instantly, she jumped out of the house, fussing over her precious little one.

“My dear, what happened to you?

Why are your little hands so cold?

Were you chilled by the wind?

Song Wenzhe, Song Wenbo, what kind of brothers are you?

What happened to your little sister?!”

The old lady shouted at her three grandsons, but honest Song Wenbo answered.

“Grandma, we just went up the mountain…”

Before he could finish, the little girl cut him off anxiously.

“Grandma, It’s nothing serious. Today, our family had a big harvest. Wenzhe Brother and the others picked a big basket of peaches from the mountain. They’re so sweet.

Grandma, you work the hardest. These peaches are very sweet. Let me wash them for you and you can have the first taste.”

Song Wanyue’s sweet words and thoughtful gestures warmed Chen Juhua’s heart.

On the side, Song Wenbo whispered to Song Wenzhe:

“Brother, Wanyue didn’t pick these peaches, did she?”

Song Wenzhe replied:

“You idiot, Wanyue is covering for us.

If Grandma finds out we took her into the mountains, we’re dead!

What, do you want to get smacked?”

No, no.

“I definitely don’t!”

Song Wenbo shook his big head like a rattle.

See, see!

Their little sister was so thoughtful.

Look at the bunch of brats in the house, all busy stuffing their faces with peaches—did any of them care whether their old grandma got one?

The old lady glanced disdainfully at the three silly boys standing under the eaves, grinning and saying, “These peaches are really good,” and snorted:

“You three blockheads, why are you just standing there? Hurry up and bring the basket of peaches into the house.

What, you want your old grandma to do it?”

No way.

Seeing his grandma’s displeasure, sharp-witted Song Wenzhe laughed awkwardly, grabbed the basket and quickly pulled the silly-smiling Song Wenbo and the still-hyped little Wenhao away.

That night, after dinner, the whole Song family was surprised to find a plate of plump, juicy peaches on the table in the main room.

Everyone’s eyes lit up at the sight of the sweet and tangy peaches. Even the usually nonchalant Song Old Man couldn’t help but ask Chen Juhua:

“Old woman, where did these peaches come from?”

“Where did they come from? Weren’t they brought down from the mountain by our precious Wanyue?”

Although earlier, Song Wanyue had claimed that the peaches were picked by the Song brothers.

But smart old Chen Juhua saw right through the simple-minded Song Wenbo’s awkward expression. After coaxing her little darling to change clothes in the room.

The old lady’s face darkened and she caught the simpleton Song Wenbo, scolding him until he confessed the truth.

She knew it. 

Those three blockheads of hers were useless for anything but eating. There was no way they’d have the luck to stumble upon and pick such a large basket of peaches from the mountain.

Of course, not.

So, the old lady figured out where the peaches really came from.

But instead of getting angry, she felt a sense of pride.

What was she proud of?

Naturally, it was her precious Wanyue’s innate good fortune.

Chen Juhua was quite pleased with herself.

Next to her, Liu Hongmei was practically drooling.

Goodness, if only she could take some of these big peaches home for her parents and little nephew.

The Song family, however, didn’t care what Liu Hongmei was thinking. The whole family enjoyed the peaches with great enthusiasm.

While the Song family was happily eating peaches, over at the Qin family, things were grim. Half-starved and dizzy, Qin Rongrong, lying on the bed, suddenly sprang up like a fish.

She just remembered—during this famine,the only household in Dahe Mountain with food was the Song family!

The Song family had food!

Song Wanyue could eat her fill and not starve!

Why?

Why should that little brat get to eat her fill while she starved?!

A thought flashed through her mind and Qin Rongrong licked her cracked lips, her dry eyes flashing with a twisted madness.
————