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After helping Wang Deshan finish planting the vegetable garden, Wang Zhenhe hurried off to work, leaving only the siblings at home. Mingcheng was going to gather grass, and the sisters decided to join him. Since there was nothing to do at home, they could also dig up some wild vegetables.
Carrying baskets and small shovels, the two followed their older brothers to the nearby ditch by the orchard. With spring here, there weren’t many weeds left, so the brothers decided to take a look.
However, Wang Qian noticed someone pruning the fruit tree branches in the orchard, and the ground was littered with branches. She recognized the person as the third son of their grandmother’s family. There was no one else in the orchard, just him pruning the branches.
“Hello, Third Uncle,” she greeted him, holding the hands of the children.
Wang Zhenli saw his fourth uncle’s grandchildren and smiled as he spoke to them. “Mingcheng, are you here to gather grass with your siblings?”
Mingcheng nodded with a smile. “Uncle, do you still need these fruit tree branches? Can we take some home for firewood?”
Wang Zhenli had a good impression of his cousin’s children, not just because of their parents’ relationship, but also because he saw them working hard for their family every day. He had planned to take the branches home for firewood as well. The orchard was so large that even if the children picked some, there would still be enough for several families.
“Sure, Mingcheng. I’ve finished pruning that area. Take your siblings there to pick. Be careful not to run into anyone on your way back. If everyone comes to pick, there won’t be enough for everyone to burn,” he said.
The children were delighted with their uncle’s permission. “Thank you, Uncle. We understand. We won’t tell anyone. We’ll go pick now. See you later, Uncle.”
Mingcheng led his siblings to the area pointed out by their uncle. Indeed, there were many pruned branches under the fruit trees.
The children split up to pick the branches and gathered them in one place. After collecting the firewood, they realized they had gathered a large pile, which they couldn’t carry.
The basket was already full, so Wang Qian asked her older brothers to untie their belts. In rural areas, belts were usually made of cloth, so it was common to see children struggling to untie them when they needed to urinate.
“Little sis, if we untie the belts, our pants will fall down. How will we walk then?”
Mingcheng didn’t understand what his little sister was thinking, but Wang Qian had a solution. “Big brothers, take off one sock and thread it through the two front belt loops. Pull it tight, and it’ll work,” she said, demonstrating with her younger brother. It effectively secured the pants without them falling down.
“Alright, you two use the belts to carry some, and my sister and I will carry the basket. We’ll go back and get some rope to bring all of this back. It’ll be enough for our family to burn for many days,” she said.
Mingcheng finally realized that his little sister wasn’t confused but rather very clever to come up with such an idea.
The siblings tied the firewood and carried some on their backs, while Wang Zhenli, pruning the fruit branches, watched his cousin’s children walk out of the woods. He couldn’t help but admire the good children Wang Zhenhe had raised.
After returning home to get some rope, they made several trips to bring all the branches back. They made sure to thank their uncle before leaving. If it weren’t for their uncle, they wouldn’t have been able to gather so many branches, which solved a big problem for their family.
After a busy afternoon, the four children were too tired to move and rested on the kang for a while. Wang Xuan got up to prepare dinner, as they didn’t want to miss the movie screening in the evening.
Wang Qian was also very tired, but since her older sister had gotten up, she had to follow suit. She helped with cooking, including starting the fire.
The sisters picked and washed the wild vegetables in the kitchen. Wang Xuan mixed the chopped vegetables with cornmeal to make pancakes and steamed the salted fish given by their grandmother. This was the family’s dinner for the evening.
After finishing dinner, their parents returned from work. They finished work earlier than usual today because the brigade had considered the movie screening and wanted the members to return home early to cook dinner and take their children to the movie.
After dinner, Mingcheng and the others hurried to check the seats they had saved. Zhang Lan was worried about the children going alone, so she asked Wang Zhenhe to accompany them.
Leaving her youngest daughter at home, Zhang Lan went to the field. She wanted to quickly plant the seeds while everyone was away. Although she didn’t know if they would grow, seeing something so magical gave her hope.
“By the way, Qianqian, you should keep the ring on your finger instead of wearing it around your neck. What if it falls off?” Zhang Lan noticed the cotton string her daughter had used to tie the ring. To be honest, that thing wasn’t very secure. Over time, the cotton thread could easily break, especially when sweating. For safety, she believed it was better to wear the ring on her finger.
“Mom, is it appropriate for me to wear a ring on my finger at this age? Will people say something about it?” Wang Qian was also worried about losing her precious ring. She had no choice but to use the cotton string. However, considering the current time and her age, wearing a ring seemed inappropriate.
Zhang Lan understood her daughter’s concerns. “Qianqian, wait a moment. I have some embroidery thread. It’s stronger. You can use it to make a necklace. It’ll be safer. You can wear it on your neck for now, and when you’re older, you can wear it on your finger.”
At this moment, Zhang Lan was quite impressed with her young daughter. She thought about more things than she had expected. Wang Qian had planned to bring the ring into the space, but it didn’t work. Only she could enter, so even if she lost it, no one else could access it.
After sending her mother into the space, Wang Qian sat on the kang and started making the necklace. Embroidery thread was more resilient than cotton thread and had a silky feel. Once she finished, she hurried into the space to help.
Zhang Lan was sweating profusely as she worked inside. Her daughter’s arrival meant she could lend a hand. “Is the necklace finished?”
Wang Qian nodded. “Yes, it probably won’t break as easily this time. I made it thicker than before. Mom, you work on the ridges, and I’ll sow the seeds behind you. It’ll be faster this way.”
And so, the mother and daughter, one in front and the other behind, like diligent little bees, began sowing their hopes in this small space.
Seeding was much easier than ridge-making, but Wang Qian still had to take care of the soil. After sowing the seeds, she had to cover them with soil using her feet. To avoid wearing out their shoes, both mother and daughter worked barefoot in the field. Otherwise, their shoes would have been worn out after a night’s work.
Fortunately, the soil at this time didn’t have any glass shards, and it was mostly soft, decomposed soil from the mountains. It felt good under their feet, and there were no sharp stones to hurt them.
Seeing Zhang Lan working ahead, making ridges, Wang Qian reminded her, “Mom, the movie has started. Shouldn’t we go and show our faces?”
Zhang Lan wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at the remaining land. “Yes, I’ll take you there later. We’ll finish planting when we come back in the evening. I don’t know when the seeds will sprout. You can water it when you have time.”
Zhang Lan now hoped more than ever that this piece of land would bring a harvest for her family, easing the undeniable fact that her children were hungry. She didn’t ask for much, just to ensure her children were well-fed.
Wang Qian lifted her head and, with a hopeful look in her eyes, said to Zhang Lan, “Mom, they will sprout. Since heaven has given me such a treasure, it will surely bless us. Then, my brothers and sisters will eat their fill and grow tall.”