Font Size:
Although Zhang Lan worked late into the night, she didn’t feel uncomfortable the next day and continued to work with high spirits.
Wang Qian and her eldest sister had agreed to pick locust flowers. Mingcheng borrowed an iron hook from a neighbor, as it was necessary to use a hook to pick the flowers from the branches, which were covered in thorns. Yesterday, they had only seen the flower buds, but today they were in full bloom.
Mingcheng hooked the branches, while Mingyuan and the eldest sister pulled them down to pick the locust flowers. Wang Qian stood by with a basket to collect them. The four siblings worked together and soon filled two baskets with locust flowers, enough for a meal. The children weren’t greedy and planned to pack up and head back. However, when they saw the small shrimp in the river, Wang Qian remembered something she hadn’t done.
“Bro, you guys go back to gather grass. I’ll catch some small shrimp here. We can make shrimp paste for lunch,” she said.
The grass for cooking hadn’t been gathered yet, and Mingcheng was eager to return. However, he wasn’t entirely at ease leaving his little sister alone. “Eldest sister, you help little sister. We’ll take the basket back first. You both come back soon.”
The sisters split up. Wang Qian went downstream to catch shrimp, while her eldest sister went upstream. Being downstream had its advantages, as she could use the opportunity to collect stream water into the space without being noticed by her eldest sister.
She took off the ring from her neck and placed it in the water. The flowing river water reached her, and she continuously collected it into the space. After checking the space, she found that the river water had moistened the dry soil. When the space’s ground was sufficiently moistened, she began catching the shrimp.
The shrimp were very small and were usually not considered suitable for the dining table. However, today, they were making good use of them. There were many small shrimp in the river, and they caught quite a few by lifting the stones.
They placed the caught shrimp in a small water pool by the river and didn’t worry about them escaping. When the pool was filled with enough shrimp, Wang Qian called out to her sister, who was still focused on catching shrimp in the distance, “Sis, how’s it going over there? I have enough to make a sauce here.”
Wang Xuan estimated that she had caught enough shrimp, similar to her sister’s catch. “Sis, wait for me. I’ll go get something to hold the shrimp.”
She climbed up the hillside and soon returned with a few large leaves. Wang Qian had never seen such large leaves before. “Sis, what kind of leaves are these? They’re so big and have a pleasant fragrance,” she asked.
Wang Xuan, the curious one, explained, “These are glass leaves. Our grandmother used to steam bean buns with these, but now we use corn leaves.”
As she spoke, she deftly scooped out the small shrimp from the pit and placed them into a funnel made of leaves. Some of the shrimp jumped out, and Wang Qian helped pick them up. The two sisters packed the shrimp they had caught, and it seemed that they had enough for a dish.
Having completed their mission for the day, their steps felt particularly light on the way back.
At this moment, the loudspeaker at the mountaintop began broadcasting a message again, “Attention, all community members. We are now broadcasting an announcement. Tonight, there will be a movie screening at the brigade’s courtyard, featuring ‘Female Basketball Player No. 5’ and ‘The Red Detachment of Women’.” The announcement was repeated several times. Excitedly, Wang Xuan pulled her sister and ran home upon hearing the news.
Wang Qian didn’t understand why her sister was so excited. It was just a movie screening. Was it really necessary to be in such a hurry?
“Sis, why are you running? The movie is in the evening. There’s no need to rush, right?”
What she didn’t know was that in those days, there were few entertainment activities. There was no television or newspapers, and movies were only shown occasionally to provide some entertainment. So, it was natural for the children to be eager.
As she ran, Wang Xuan explained, “Little sis, let’s hurry back and tell our brothers to save us a spot. If we’re late, we won’t have a good place to sit. It’ll be too crowded, and we won’t be able to see anything. Hurry up.”
Wang Qian was much shorter than her older sister and couldn’t keep up with her. She was also getting tired and out of breath. “Sis, I’ll walk slowly at the back with the stuff. You go ahead and tell the brothers. I’ll catch up later.”
If Wang Xuan kept dragging her along, she would have been completely exhausted. There was no need for her to run along with her sister.
Wang Xuan hesitated, but her desire to watch the movie finally won out. “Alright, I’ll carry the stuff. You walk slowly behind and go straight home. Don’t wander around,” she reminded before running out.
With her sister taking the items, Wang Qian felt relieved and walked back leisurely, taking in the sights along the embankment. Some families’ ducks and geese were swimming in the river, occasionally dipping their heads to forage for food.
Walking along the embankment covered with locust branches, Wang Qian felt the full embrace of spring. She felt content at that moment, cherishing the blue sky and clear water, which might not be seen in the future. She decided to appreciate the present.
Before she could finish her thoughts, she unexpectedly found two goose eggs in a grass nest among the locust branches. It was quite unexpected. She wondered which family’s goose had secretly laid the eggs here, unbeknownst to the owners. Seeing the blood vessels on the eggs, she guessed that the goose had just laid them, and the family members were unaware.
She put the two goose eggs in her pocket. Since she found them, she decided to keep them. They would be perfect for frying with the small shrimp at noon.
With this discovery, she was more focused on searching for more eggs than admiring the scenery. She didn’t know if it was her lucky day or if all the poultry had laid eggs collectively, but she found eight duck eggs by the riverbank. It was an exhilarating find, and she stored the eggs in the space since she couldn’t carry them all.
She smiled all the way back, feeling that she had encountered nothing but good fortune that day. She thought that she should visit the riverbank more often in the future, as she might find more treasures.
Although she felt a little guilty, she believed that filling her stomach was the most important thing. After all, the eggs were ownerless. She consoled herself and returned home contentedly.
Upon arriving home, she found the door unlocked, but no one was there. She assumed her eldest sister was in the restroom. She took out the goose and duck eggs from her pocket and the space, placing them on the stove. Soon, Wang Xuan returned and was surprised to see the items on the stove. She asked, “Little sis, where did you get these from?”
Wang Qian nonchalantly replied, “Sis, I found them by the river. I don’t know whose eggs they are, so I brought them back. They can add variety to our meals.”
Wang Xuan struggled with the situation. She felt that it wasn’t right to eat things that didn’t belong to them. Wang Qian noticed her sister’s internal struggle and said with a smile, “Sis, I actually want to return them to the owners, but there are so many geese and ducks by the river. You don’t know whose they are. If we do return them, it might cause trouble. Eating them could help resolve any disputes between neighbors. Isn’t that a good thing?”