Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 280: 278: A Crouched Figure!

“You silly little thing, you’re still so young, how could you give up a whole forest for a small plant that doesn’t care about you?”

“But… I just can’t let go of him…”

Her words were muffled, laced with sobs as she burrowed deeper into her embrace.

“You’re still young, by the time you truly let go in the future and you look back at now, you’ll laugh at yourself and think how silly you were for being so infatuated with him. He is not that special, so not worth your time. So silly!” she comforted softly, patting her shoulder.

“I am silly! Sob… I feel especially silly now, sob sob sob…”

Gan Miaoruo continued to sob.

Her crying attracted the attention of all the people inside and outside the shop. Even Di Yelei and Di Cheng couldn’t help but come over twice, but when they saw Liu Sisi shake her head at them, they hastily retreated.

She buried herself deeper into Liu Sisi’s embrace, her crying gradually receding after a while.

“After the New Year, you, Ruo Ruo, will be turning ten. You’re becoming a big girl, but still crying? Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at?”

Speaking softly, Liu Sisi picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears off her face.

“Hehe, teacher, Ruo Ruo is almost ten years old. Time flies so fast.”

Gan Miaoruo let out a chuckle, a snot bubble erupting from her nose. Quickly, she rummaged for her handkerchief to wipe it off. After a while of fixing herself up, she managed to regain her composure.

Despite her reddened eyes, she looked even more energetic.

“Teacher, be honest with Ruo Ruo, did you never think that my feelings for Brother Nan would work out from the start?”

Liu Sisi sighed! Could she say that she never really had high hopes?

“Silly girl, you’re still so young. How could you understand what love is…”

“No! You and Brother Nan, you always think that because Ruo Ruo is young, she doesn’t understand love. But Ruo Ruo does understand, she knows! You never gave Ruo Ruo a chance, a chance to prove that what Ruo Ruo says is all true. You…”

Gan Miaoruo’s words were laden with sorrow, tears welling up in her eyes again.

“Ruo Ruo, when the teacher says you don’t understand love, she means that everyone’s perception of love is different. However, someone once said this! What is love? Love is when you can see through my bad temperament and shortcomings, yet still tolerate me with grace. Love is when two people fear losing each other after a quarrel, and both take a step back to apologise. Love is when your eyes can only hold me, and when you care for me by wrapping a coat around me on a chilly day. Simple yet persistent, peaceful and tender, that’s true love.”

“It’s definitely not like your persistence, chasing an illusion that never once turns around to glance at you…”

Gan Miaoruo shook her head, stubbornly refusing to let her tears fall.

“I… don’t understand…”

“So the teacher says, you don’t understand love because love needs to be based on mutual affection. What you have can at most be considered an unrequited love.”

“Unrequited love, huh… that it is…”

Gan Miaoruo became lost in her memories, still silent when evening came and it was time to leave.

In the following days, as Dahan Major Cold grew closer, the snowfall grew heavier. Gan Miaoruo gave Di Yelei some time off, asking Liu Sisi to hibernate for winter and not to go to the Gan Mansion until after the snow had stopped.

Thinking about Gan Miaoruo’s depressed look, Liu Sisi didn’t insist on working.

It was rare that both Liu Sisi and Di Yelei were at home leisurely. Di Yelei started a bonfire and added stoves to each corner of the house; the family gathered around the fire to cook some mutton soup.

This mutton was actually from a yellow goat which Di Yelei hunted some days back. Liu Sisi cleaned the meat with hot water, cut it into fist-sized pieces, and directly placed it into the stove above the bonfire.

“Mom! Don’t just add meat, YingEr wants to eat some vegetables too.”

The little Ying beside was adamantly saying so.

“Alright! I will add some vegetables…”

Liu Sisi said joyfully, turned around to pick some vegetables, only to discover that they were all eaten up.

“Ye Lei, do we have any vegetables left in the kitchen? Ye Lei…”

Liu Sisi instinctively called out.

“Mom, I saw dad went out quite a while ago, and he hasn’t come back yet.”

Xuan’er reading a book beside, said so.

“Really? Why did he go out in this heavy snow?”

Liu Sisi asked uncertainly, but without much thought, she headed towards the kitchen.

Di Xuan looked at her back, took back the words he was about to say. He had seen his dad grabbing a bow and arrow and leaving the house, probably heading to the hills to catch those silly rabbits.

In such heavy snow, the paths are difficult to tread, but the same goes for the animals. Many a time, lucky are those who find a frozen wild pheasant on the snow-covered land, and there were times when the silly rabbits running around would directly bump into people’s arms.

Therefore, hunting is best during heavy snowfall but is also the most dangerous!

One carelessness might get you buried in the accumulated snow.

Di Xuan frowned and subconsciously clenched the book in his hand. Dad will definitely return safe and sound!

Liu Sisi went to the kitchen once and found the baby bok choy was all used up. There were still some bean sprouts, but not much left. Similarly, the chinese chives were being eaten faster than they could grow. It seems she will have to go check near the stable’s roof, maybe the baby bok choy is still alive there.

She put on her coat, gloves, carried a straw coat on her back, wore a bamboo hat, picked up a bamboo basket, and went out with a sickle.

As soon as she opened the door, a wave of fierce cold wind blew directly into her mouth and nose, causing her to hold her breath instinctively. Once she adapted, she hurried towards the direction of the stable.

The stable was another warm place in the Di family house. Di Yelei had dug an underfloor heating system underneath the stable, so as soon as she stepped out, it was easy to notice how little snow was accumulated on the roof here.

She carefully stepped out of the door, and her feet sank into the snow making her shiver from the chill.

The sound of her boots pressing into the snow echoed.

The courtyard was cleaned of snow in the morning, but it seems that a thick layer had accumulated again. It was undoubtedly a heavy snowfall.

Fighting with all the difficulties, Liu Sisi finally reached the stable, where she hoped to find some baby bok choy. A cursory glance brought a smile on her face! A very few baby bok choy were still stubbornly surviving in bamboo tubes around the stable. Its green color was indeed delightful.

Liu Sisi happily harvested the baby bok choy one by one.

It seemed that the jujube red horse in the stable was very restless, restlessly snorting repeatedly. Her curious eyes cast a glance inside the stable, and she was immediately stunned.

In the dark corner of the stable, there was a curled up figure!