"Have you forgotten everything I told you this morning?" Xu Mumu was at her wit’s end; she had to correct her little brother’s bad habit.
"Got it, sis." Xu Minglei lowered his head.
Xu Mumu weighed the rounded stone in her hand and then led the younger ones down the mountain.
"Mumu, did Minglei say that Xu Xue pushed you into the river? She’s so mean." Tiedan said indignantly.
"Don’t talk nonsense; I just slipped and she couldn’t catch me." Xu Mumu said helplessly.
It went without saying that such stories must have spread from her mother’s mouth. Li Caixia was good friends with a bunch of gossiping women in the brigade, and they loved gathering to discuss everyone.
The various bad reputations of the second family of the Old Xu Family were all spread by Li Caixia, and even Xu Xue’s reputation suffered due to her.
It was also Li Caixia who constantly sowed discord before Madam Chen, causing Madam Chen to dislike the second family even more.
Xu Mumu was now simply in awe of her mother’s ability.
"Mumu, you’re too kind. She harmed you, but you still speak well of Xu Xue." Tiedan completely didn’t believe Xu Mumu’s words.
Xu Mumu: ..... Her mother had brainwashed them too well, and the others’ perception of her was so thickly veiled?
"Exactly, my sister is just too good, so she gets bullied by Xu Xue." Xu Minglei said seriously to Tiedan.
Xu Tao and Xu Jiaojiao both dared not speak. Others might not know, but they were well aware. They knew full well what the eldest sister was like, and she only treated them slightly better than the second and third sisters.
As they walked down the mountain, suddenly, reaching a place where the grass was lush, Xu Mumu slightly squinted her eyes and motioned for them to stop.
"Shh."
Xu Mumu’s gaze fell on some grass that had rustled earlier. She weighed the stone she snatched from Xu Minglei and then threw it directly over.
"Sis, what are you hitting?" Xu Minglei asked confusedly while looking at Xu Mumu.
"Just go over and see." Xu Mumu said smilingly.
Xu Minglei, carrying a basket on his back, ran over, and Xu Mumu followed with the younger ones.
"Sis, it’s a pheasant, you hit a pheasant." The pheasant was directly killed by Xu Mumu, with a hole in its head, showing how strong Xu Mumu’s arm was.
Xu Minglei carried it by its foot and was extremely excited, looking at Xu Mumu with eyes almost shining. His sister was incredible, effortlessly catching a pheasant.
Xu Mumu was satisfied with the result; her strength was still there, and her accuracy was not bad.
"Wow, it really is a pheasant." Xu Tao was practically drooling, the pheasant was quite big. By then, he would surely get to eat a couple of pieces of meat, and that was a rarity, as they barely ate meat once a month at home.
"So big, the chicken is delicious, and the soup is tasty too." Xu Jiaojiao licked her lips. Right now, she admired her eldest sister the most and wanted to learn this skill. She desired to hit pheasants with little stones too.
"After we get back, let’s have Grandma divide the chicken in two, half to braise, and half to make soup." Xu Mumu pinched Xu Jiaojiao’s cheek and said; the little girl’s face had no meat and felt uncomfortable to pinch.
Xu Mumu also longed for meat. Looking at the pheasant, she almost couldn’t remember what chicken tasted like anymore.
"Minglei, let’s look around here for a nest." Tiedan said excitedly. The chicken was shot by Xu Mumu, so he definitely wouldn’t get to eat it. If there was a nest around here, he hoped for just one egg, just one would suffice.
"Sis, you hold this; I’m going to find the nest." Xu Minglei handed the pheasant to Xu Mumu, then placed his basket on the ground and, together with Tiedan, quickly started rifling through the grass.
Very soon, that patch of lush grass was left in a mess by the two kids, but the result was pleasing: they found a nest, with only five eggs in it.
"Sis, we get to eat eggs." Xu Minglei was extremely excited. Today had been a lucky day; in the morning, he picked two bird eggs, his brother found a wild duck egg, and in the afternoon, Sis killed a pheasant and found several wild eggs.
"Understood, but Tiedan found the eggs first, so let’s give all these wild eggs to Tiedan, we’ll eat the chicken." Xu Mumu noticed Tiedan staring longingly at the eggs in Xu Minglei’s hands.
Upon hearing Xu Mumu’s words, Tiedan looked at Xu Mumu, incredulously, "Mumu, all for me?"
"Of course, since you found them; we’ve got a chicken." Xu Mumu shook the already dead pheasant in her hand. If not for Tiedan’s vocal reminder, they wouldn’t have thought to look for a nest, plus it was Tiedan who found it first anyway.
"Here you go. See, my sister’s so good to you, next time you get something nice to eat, you must share it with my sis." With chicken to eat, Xu Minglei was unusually generous, handing the eggs over to Tiedan, while also earning favor for his sister before Tiedan.
"Mm, don’t worry; from now on, Mumu is my own sister." Tiedan said earnestly.
And so, Xu Mumu garnered another little fanboy.
Xu Mumu put the pheasant into Xu Minglei’s basket, placing it at the bottom so others wouldn’t see it.
After reaching the foot of the mountain, Xu Mumu and the others parted ways with Tiedan.
When Xu Mumu and the others got home, the whole family was back.
"Mumu, why did you run out like that, without wearing something warmer?" Madam Chen was very concerned seeing Xu Mumu wearing only two thin layers.
"Grandma, I’m not cold, really, I’m fine now." Xu Mumu replied with a smile.
"Grandma, my sister hit a pheasant." Xu Minglei quickly set down his basket and pulled out the pheasant within a few moves.
"Did Mumu hit it?" The moment the pheasant emerged, it caught everyone’s attention. Li Caixia’s eyes were turning green, staring at her silly son pulling out the pheasant so freely, Li Caixia was on the edge of a heart attack; this dumb boy was far from inheriting her shrewdness.
A good thing like a pheasant should have been secretly enjoyed within the household; even if not eaten, wouldn’t it be better for Xu Hai to take it to the black market to exchange for money?
"Of course, my sister threw a stone right at it and killed it," Xu Minglei proudly announced, proving how amazing his sister was.
"That’s my girl, truly impressive." Xu Hai came over and, seeing the pheasant, was also very pleased.
"Mumu, how do you want to eat the pheasant? Grandma will have your second aunt clean it." Madam Chen looked lovingly at Xu Mumu.
"Mom, why not have me take the chicken to sell at the black market for money?" Xu Hai’s eyes gleamed with a sly thought. If he sold it, he could secretly stash away some cash.