Chapter 626: 626: Mother-Daughter Affection
Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family
Liu Sisi stood up but didnât agree with him right away.
âWell, after all, I am a virtuous woman, so I still need to go back and discuss the specifics with my husband to see what he says. Everyone has been working hard with the recent events here,â said Liu Sisi.
The foreman was slightly stunned and hurriedly bowed with a fist greeting: âOf course, of course!â
Liu Sisi left the wharf without saying a word.
âMom, what does it mean to build a dam across a river?â Little Ying beside her asked.
âBuilding a river dam is constructing a barrier on the surface of the water, which is much more difficult than building one on the shore,â Liu Sisi replied, unsure how to explain it to YingEr.
âThen, is mom saying that they want to build a dam across the river?â
âI donât know, but if we really were to build a river dam, the silver needed for it would be impossible for your father and me to provide on our own,â she said.
âWhy?â
âSilly child, we donât have enough money,â Liu Sisi sighed.
Although the Di family had gradually become better off, their resources were still shallow, and all of their current expenses were supported by the income from several shops.
The amount of silver needed for building the river dam far exceeded what she could afford at the moment.
Fortunately, YingEr didnât continue to ask questions, but instead, she became curious about their current journey: âMom, the sun is so big, where are we going now?â
âWe are going to the mountain. There is a small hollow on the mountain here, where an academy has been built. We are going to go and check it out,â said Liu Sisi, walking somewhat out of breath.
âMom, why donât we take a cart instead of walking? Iâm so tiredâ¦â
YingEr began to feel weary after only a short distance.
Liu Sisi laughingly said: âYou naughty little thing, I never saw you complain about being tired when you used to run around on the slope every day. Now youâre starting to say youâre tired after walking just a little bit? You must practice and exercise more.â
YingEr, feeling embarrassed, stuck her tongue out: âMom, I really am tired, and Iâm also thirsty and hungry. Can we find a place to eat?â
âEat? Where can we find food in this desolate place?â Liu Sisi looked around and found no place to eat in this wild area. Other than their group of people, she didnât even see a single soul.
She held YingErâs hand: âHurry, if we get to the workersâ hut on the mountain hollow, there might be some food for us.â
âAh, how much further do we have to go? YingEr really canât walk any more.â
YingEr acted up, pouting her lips, and stopped moving forward no matter what.
Liu Sisi pointed to a cypress tree in the distance: âDo you see that cypress tree? Weâll be there once we reach it.â
This remark revived YingErâs spirits: âReally, Mom?â
âOf course, itâs true!â
Liu Sisi replied earnestly.
However, after a moment, YingEr found out she had been tricked!
âOh no, Mom! How could you deceive me? YingEr wonât accept this!â she cried.
âMom didnât deceive you; we really did arrive. Look, isnât this a place to rest? Mom meant that weâd get to a place with a shade to rest,â Liu Sisi said, employing the same method Ye Lei often used.
Poor YingEr, deceived for the first time, refused to walk regardless of what Liu Sisi said.
âYingEr, you really wonât walk anymore?â
âHmph, I wonât walk.â
âAlright, Nanny Hu, Xue Yi, letâs go on! I heard that there are quite a few wolf packs around here, and I wonder if they come out during the daytime tooâ¦â
Liu Sisi casually spoke, picking up a wooden stick as a temporary crutch and continued climbing the mountain.
Granny Hu and Snow Yi hurried to catch up, occasionally looking back with concern.
âMadam, isnât it a bad idea to leave Miss YingEr alone? What ifâ¦â
âDonât worry, sheâll catch up soon.â
Liu Sisi was brimming with confidence.
A wolf pack?
As a hunterâs daughter, YingEr not only knew about wolf packs, but also understood how dangerous they could be. She rested for a moment, and a cool breeze blew from the shade of the trees, bringing a chilly sensation to her back.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Suddenly, a wolfâs howl came from afar, startling YingEr!
She didnât care about anything else, and quickly chased after Liu Sisi and the others in the direction they had departed.
âMadam, there really are⦠wolves?â
Granny Hu was also shocked by the wolfâs howl!
âOf course there are wolves. The dense forests in this area are home to many wild chickens and rabbits, naturally attracting a considerable number of wolves to form packs. However, as long as the there is food in the mountain, these wolf packs will not easily come down.â
Liu Sisi calmly said, casually brushing away the sweat-soaked strands of hair on her forehead: âOf course, this excludes old and weak lone wolves.â
âLone wolves? Are there⦠differences between them?â
Snow Yi also felt a shiver down her spine and couldnât help but looked back frequently.
âUsually, old and weak wolves in a pack will leave the pack when food is scarce and seek food on their own. Sometimes, these lone wolves, driven by hunger, may attack humans. For example, the one that just howled, you could tell it was alone, and its howling was filled with sadness.â
âMadam⦠you must have misheard? These beasts wouldnât understand the concept of sadness.â
Granny Hu beside her couldnât help but speak up.
âThese are all things my husband told me, actually, I donât know either.â
Liu Sisi sighed as she spoke.
âMom, mom, wait for YingEr!â
As Liu Sisi predicted, YingEr quickly caught up, grabbing Liu Sisiâs clothes and refusing to let go.
âHow are you? Tired? I have some mung bean and kelp soup here, would you like some?â
This was brought along when they left home in the morning, just perfect to drink now.
âYes, YingEr wants to drink, mom, youâre the best!â
YingEr was happy now.
âDonât worry, letâs walk up to that stone platform, sit down and drink it slowly, itâs so hot here under the sun!â
She took out her handkerchief and carefully wiped the sweat from YingErâs face.
Knowing that there was mung bean and kelp soup to quench her thirst, YingEr was energized to continue walking. She took large strides up the steps and quickly climbed to the platform above.
They were almost there!
Liu Sisi let out a long sigh of relief. Walking under the tree shade, she opened the food box and took out the kelp soup.
There wasnât much kelp soup, but Liu Sisi had thought that YingEr would definitely be thirsty while climbing the mountain, and this was the best way to beat the heat.
Pouring a small bowl, she handed it to YingEr: âCome on, drink quickly! Look, the ice cubes outside havenât melted completely yet, this must also be cool, perfect for cooling down.â
âMom, you should drink first. After you drink, YingEr will drink!â YingEr handed the small bowl to Liu Sisiâs mouth.
Liu Sisi blankly stared for a moment, then her face lit up: âOur YingEr is so understanding, good girl!â