Gu Ye’s proud smile faded away. She recalled the moment in her past life as she was devoured by wild beasts. She recalled the familiar voice calling out to her, and the despondency and hopelessness on that handsome face as she took her last look at it. So it turned out that the icy-cold face was capable of showing emotions after all!
“Mei mei,” Gu Ming’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “You have not recovered yet, why don’t you go and lay back down? I can take care of the chores…. Oh, I see that you have already finished preparing lunch. Are you tired? How are you feeling?”
Gu Ye turned and smiled at him, “Ge, I am not that fragile, okay? Even Dr. Wu said that I should get up from time to time and move around a little. It’s better for me that way. Come, try my cooking!” She pleaded.
Gu Ming opened his mouth for the piece of eggplant that was fed to him. He chewed it carefully and his eyes brightened. He was not frugal with his words of praises, “Your cooking is much better than that of Mrs. Liu. Her cooking tastes like pig food comparing to yours!” Ever since that incident, Gu Ming had refused to refer to Mrs. Liu as “mom” anymore.
Gu Ye giggled and blinked at him playfully, “Ge, you are calling us pigs too when you say that!”
Gu Ming paused for a second and started laughing with his sister. After this illness, his sister’s personality had changed noticeably. She was much more outgoing and playful than before. She was so timid in the past and turned pale with just about any kind of noises. She’d shiver and want to find a place to hide. He must become stronger still so he could protect his sister and not let Mrs. Liu has her ways.
Gu Ming helped her sister to place the meals inside the basket and carried it toward the fields. Gu Ye followed slowly behind him. Gu Ye was helping with the basket at the beginning, but her brother had adamantly declined her help. Looking at the brother walking in front of him and slightly struggling with carrying the meals, Gu Ye was very touched. It was so nice to have a brother who cared for her!
“Xiao Ye, bringing lunch to your dad?”
“Xiao Ye, you feeling better? You can walk around now?”
“Xiao Ye Zi, you are too skinny. You need to eat more. If your mom won’t feed you, you come get some from my place. Just think of that as a long. Don’t ruin your body when you are so young and have to suffer the consequences from it.”
The busy villagers from the fields on both sides of the path all greeted the brother and sister passionately when they saw them. Gu Ye, who was used to the calculated kind of relationships didn’t know how to react to the simple enthusiasm of the villagers. She just smiled and nodded at them. Since the original owner had always been a timid girl, none of the villagers noticed her change.
“Oh you dang Gu Ming! Said you needed to use the bathroom and you slacked off and went home? How could you be so lazy? All you ever think about was to slack off! I am telling you, there will be no dinner for you until you finish harvesting these two acres of sorghum!” Mrs. Liu was enraged when she saw Gu Ming carrying the basket for Gu Ye from a far. She jumped way up and her spittle went way far.
Photo: sorghum field
Source: agricol.co.za
“That from the household of 7th, you don’t seem all that tired to me if you still have the energy to jump up and down. It must be nice to be young. When you are my age, I can barely talk after working all morning!” said the third grandma of the village, who had been displeased by the ways Mrs. Liu has been treating the two kids for a long time.
Third grandma’s husband was a sibling of the patriarch. When he was young he was quite a character and always won all the quarrels in the village. He had finally mellowed down some now that he had aged.
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