Chapter 2: This Brother and Sister Are Also Quite Something
“Creak.”
The door pushed open, and the sky outside was half-dark.
A half-grown lad rolled in with the sultry evening breeze.
It was her elder brother, Jiang Feng.
He was carrying a large bamboo basket in his hand.
Jiang Mianmian couldn’t help but crane her neck; was there something delicious, something good…
Her elder brother, Jiang Feng, looked exactly like Mother; he was basically a male version of a young Mother.
With thick brows, big eyes, and a round face, he looked honest and reliable.
He came in, set down the bamboo basket, and brushed aside the grass on top.
Sure enough, he pulled out a long-tailed pheasant from inside…
Jiang Mianmian’s eyes lit up, and her little eyes flickered with excitement.
“Father, Mother, I hunted a pheasant. It’s very nourishing, for Mother to eat.”
The pheasant’s tail was truly beautiful, like a little peacock, colorful and vibrant. Jiang Mianmian couldn’t help but lift her head to look.
Father, who was holding her, turned in a different direction to make it easier for her to see, and then began to scold:
“Jiang Feng, you went hunting in Huayuan Mountain again. Didn’t Father tell you last time that Huayuan Mountain belongs to Wealthy Man Zhao in town? Wealthy Man Zhao is ruthless. If you go hunting in his forest and get caught, you’ll surely be beaten to death.”
Jiang Mianmian’s heart tightened as well. This was truly the man-eating old society; even hunting a pheasant carried a risk to one’s life.
“Father, it’s fine. I dragged the Village Chief’s son and the young master from Landlord Liu’s family along with me. The young master’s family even produced a Juren scholar. Even if we get caught, they’ll take the heat, so it’ll definitely be fine.”
Jiang Feng still wore an honest and simple expression.
Jiang Mianmian:… ( ⊙ ▽ ⊙ ）???
She never expected that her thick-browed, big-eyed brother was actually a schemer. This…
“Mother, I’m going to clean the pheasant.” Fearing he would continue to be scolded, Jiang Feng took the pheasant and left.
Those colorful feathers were so beautiful. Jiang Mianmian still wanted to look; she couldn’t help but be attracted, her little head wobbling back and forth.
Father was extremely attentive; he turned her around so she could see.
Then, she saw the thick-browed, big-eyed teenage boy with a swift strike of the knife.
The lively, beautiful pheasant became a dead chicken. After plucking the feathers, it was so small, no different from a chick, just with a slightly longer neck.
While her brother was killing the chicken, her elder sister, Jiang Yu, returned.
The family members were all present.
Her elder sister also looked a lot like Mother; she was a little girl with a round face… Mother’s genes were a bit too powerful, and Jiang Mianmian felt a little worried about herself.
Her sister came hopping in.
Once her sister entered, Father went out to help, and she fell back into Mother’s embrace.
“Mother, look!”
Jiang Yu pulled a package from her chest and opened it to reveal a pile of powdery crumbs that seemed to smell quite fragrant.
Jiang Mianmian sniffed. She wasn’t sure if she had a sense of smell now, but she probably did.
“Mother, I went to help in the kitchen at Landlord Liu’s house. The steward said I was quick and efficient, so he rewarded me with osmanthus cake, and I brought it all back.”
It was osmanthus cake? Jiang Mianmian looked at the powder and had thought it was sleeping powder… Uh, her thinking was off.
Watching her sister’s throat bob as she spoke, it was obvious she was very hungry, yet she hadn’t eaten it.
This was an honest person!!
“Usually it’s A-Cui who goes; how did it come to be your turn today?” Mother asked.
Jiang Yu looked left and right, then leaned in close to Mother and whispered: “Everyone outside says that the guard at Master Liu’s house has something going on with A-Cui. A-Cui’s fiancé caused a scene at their door, and when the steward heard about it, he didn’t want A-Cui to come and work anymore.”
Jiang Mianmian also pricked up her ears to listen to the gossip; she hadn’t expected such a scandalous story in this small place.
Then she saw Mother use the index finger of the hand not holding her to poke her sister on the forehead.
“You started this gossip, didn’t you? How could you do such a thing? Spreading gossip like this ruins a person’s life.”
Jiang Yu looked unhappy and whispered in defense: “I was telling the truth. A-Cui bragged to us that Guard Wu even gave her a silver hairpin. She has a fiancé and is still messing around with others.”
Jiang Mianmian:… ( ⊙ ▽ ⊙ ）???
Her sister was a bit fierce. Workplace competition was too brutal; it was just to help out in the kitchen!! Just for a piece of osmanthus cake!!
Her mouth opened wide involuntarily. Then, a bit of powdery crumb was stuffed into her mouth. Hmm, it was a little sweet. She licked it, swallowed it, and opened her mouth again…
“You dead girl, aren’t you afraid of being found out for spreading such gossip? It’s not good for you either. If you really want to help in the kitchen, find a way to break her Mother’s leg—that troublesome woman. If she has to take care of her Mother, she definitely won’t be able to go, and then you’ll be the one to go.”
Jiang Mianmian ate the osmanthus cake and looked up in surprise at the kind-looking, round-faced Mother.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
She almost choked to death… The osmanthus cake was a bit dry!
