73 Eating Dumplings
Little sister Su quickly pulled her hand away and hid it behind her back.
Su Wen smiled, put all the wild vegetables in the basket, and brought little sister Su home. When she entered the house, she saw a pile of stones, sand, mud, and other things behind the door. They were neatly placed in a pile.
Little sister Su realized that her sister had seen it and lowered her head in embarrassment. “They tried to force their way in, so I wanted to throw a rock at them.” Other than stones and mud, she could not bear to throw away anything in the house.
“Big sister, I promise I won’t throw stones at people again.” Little sister Su looked at Su Wen in fear and nervousness. If she frowned even a little, tears would fall from her eyes.
In the past, when she was bullied by the boys in the village, she would be so angry that she would throw stones at them. Then, the parents of those boys would come to find trouble with her big sister, causing her to be embarrassed and even have to apologize to others.
In order to give those people an explanation, her big sister would beat her up in public.
At first, little sister Su was very unconvinced, because those boys hit her first. She had only resisted, and had not done anything wrong.
However, after a few times, little sister Su no longer dared to throw stones at people. The one who was bullied could only hold her head and squat on the ground. She told her second sister that she only had her try not to go out and play and that it was fine to stay at home.
Little sister Su had always remembered these things. If she had not been forced to do this today, she would not have done it.
She knew how bad her third aunt was. If they barged in, they would snatch things in the house.
She had to protect her home.
“Is it because someone in the village bullied you and I didn’t protect you well?” Su Wen’s voice was a little hoarse.
“No, no.” Little sister Su waved her hands in a panic. “Big sister, you’re very good to me. Really, we all know that it’s not easy for you.”
Su Wen felt a lump in her heart. She did not want to criticize the original character, because she also grew up in the countryside and knew that many people taught their children this way. However, she was very lucky to have a very protective grandmother.
She, Su Wen, was the most protective.
“I’m telling you, little sister Su.” Su Wen stood up straight and pointed at the stones and mud on the ground with a never-before-seen sternness. She said, “I don’t care what it was like in the past, but from now on remember, in the future, if anyone dares to bully you, you’ll pay them back double.”
Little sister Su was dumbfounded as she looked at her big sister.
“Did you hear that?” Su Wen raised her voice.
Little sister Su suddenly came back to her senses and replied in a loud and clear voice, “Yes.”
“That’s good.” Su Wen touched little sister Su’s hair affectionately. After this period of nourishment, her dry and yellow hair had slowly become lustrous. She believed that it would look better after a while.
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Now that she looked at her, she realized that little sister Su was very pretty. Red lips, white teeth, big almond-shaped eyes, and a sharp little nose. It was not in vain that she had taken so much care of her.
Su Wen nodded in satisfaction and placed her mind at ease. “In the future, when you go out to play, if anyone bullies you, just beat them up. Remember, you have to be smart when fighting. Don’t just use brute force. As long as you don’t beat them to death, it’s fine. If their parents dare to come looking for you, just have them come over to me and I’ll teach them a lesson.”
Little sister Su’s eyes sparkled as she witnessed her big sister’s fighting strength. Her admiration for her was almost overflowing.
“Let’s go and cook. Help me make dumplings at home in the afternoon. We’ll cook dumplings for dinner.”
“Oh! It’s time to eat dumplings!” Little sister Su jumped up in surprise. She was even happier than during the new year.
74 Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister
In the town middle school, school ended at 11:30 in the morning and started at 2:30 in the afternoon. It was summer, and in the winter it would be an hour later. Because there were more than a dozen brigades nearby, the village only had one middle school in town. All the children of the right age who could afford to study were studying in the town, so there were many students living in the school.
When it was mealtime, the cafeteria line could go out really far with the students holding their lunch boxes and meal tickets.
The two girls standing in the middle of the winding line were particularly eye-catching. The students in front, behind, left, and right were all secretly looking at the two girls.
The two of them were very famous in the school.
The two of them were very famous in the school.
They were Su Xue, and the fifth sister of the Su family. They were both in grade nine this year. From the first day of school, it had been almost three years. The two of them had always been tied for first place in their grade. They had firmly held this position for three years. The places behind them had changed many times, but the two of them had not changed.
The teacher said that they would definitely be able to get into the county’s first high school during the middle school examination next month.
However, there had been rumors in the school that they were going to drop out of school, so the students who were peeking at them were full of sympathy.
“Hmph!” The girl at the end of the line snorted sharply. The person beside her comforted her, but her voice was very good, so everyone around her heard it.
“He Xiaomei, don’t be angry. I guess they stole your peach crisps because they were too hungry.” At first, Zhao Yuan seemed to be trying to ease her, but in reality, the words she said did not sound right.
Sure enough, those who did not know the situation turned around and asked curiously, “Who’s stealing?”
“It’s all because of Su Xue and fifth sister Su.” Zhao Yuan raised her voice, attracting everyone’s attention. “He Xiaomei’s peach crisps in the dormitory cabinet are gone. It was Su Xue and fifth sister Su who ate it.”
There was an uproar in the surroundings. Someone directly refuted, “Impossible! Su Xue and the others would never steal.”
That’s right. The teacher said that Su Xue and fifth sister Su not only have good academic results, but they also have good moral character. They would never steal.” Some of Su Xue’s classmates who were close to her retorted.
He Xiaomei’s face was cold and arrogant. The big bag of peach crisps that her brother had given her was gone in the cabinet. Someone must have stolen it. It was impossible for anyone else to be in the dormitory other than Su Xue and fifth sister Su.
She did not care that her food had been stolen.
She was angry at their attitude, as if they did not care about it, as if it was only right. The more she looked at them, the angrier she got. She only watched coldly when everyone else was looking for trouble with the Su sisters.
“Xiaomei, did someone really steal your peach crisps?”
He Xiaomei nodded. “That’s right, my brother just sent it over. It was really expensive to buy a big bag!”
He Xiaomei came from a well-to-do family and was popular in school. Although she was a little arrogant, she never lied. Everyone believed her. Immediately, everyone looked at the Su sisters in the middle of the line with condemnation.
It was as if they could not believe that these two people with good character and academic performance would actually steal their classmate’s things.
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In this day and age, if one were to bear the infamy of being a thief, they would be finished. Not only would one not be able to study, even if one were to get married in the future, no one would dare to want the person.
“So you really are a thief. I feel sorry for teacher’s cultivation.”
“I don’t believe it. Su Xue even lent me her notes!”
“Tsk! She was deliberately trying to win people’s hearts. Her true face has been exposed.”
One of the sisters had her head lowered, while the other stood upright. They looked forward calmly, and their thin shoulders seemed to be able to be blown away by a gust of wind.
75 Stealing
The one with a straight back was the Su family’s fourth daughter, Su Xue. She was only a year older than her fifth sister, and the two of them had the best relationship among the seven sisters. They had been inseparable since they were young, herding cattle and cutting pig grass together. They even went to school together. The fourth sister was obviously one year older than the fifth sister, but in order to be with her fifth sister, she had to wait for a year.
Su Xue’s expression was cold to the point of despair. One of her hands naturally hung down and held her fifth sister’s hand tightly. She was completely unmoved by the criticism, disappointment, and anger of the people around her. The two sisters just stood there silently, moving forward with the crowd little by little.
The two sisters had no regrets about being accused of stealing, and they did not care about it anymore. Big sister had said that they were not allowed to study anymore. According to the time big sister had told them last time, she should have been here long ago. It was a good thing that she had not come yet.
Compared to not being able to study, what was the infamy of stealing?
Someone was anxious. “Su Xue, explain yourselves. Did you steal it?”
Su Xue shook her head after a long while. “We didn’t.” They were poor and hungry, but they would never steal from others.
The students who were close to the two of them immediately regained their confidence when they heard Su Xue’s words. They loudly questioned the round-faced girl, “Did you hear that? Su Xue said that she did not steal anything. Hmph! It could also be one of you who stole it and deliberately framed Su Xue and fifth sister Su.”
“That’s right.” Someone chimed in.
He Xiaomei crossed her arms and scoffed coldly. She looked at Su Xue with eyes full of ridicule.
She just could not stand Su Xue’s look. She was so hungry that she had to steal, but she still had to act so proud.
Who was she straightening her back for?
“Who else could it be? Other people didn’t need to steal things. Everyone in our dormitory can eat their fill, but they don’t even have a bowl of cornbread now. Humans, once forced into a corner, would do anything. Who knows what they’ll do when they’re starving?” Zhao Yuan said with conviction.
These words stirred up many people.
Everyone had starved when they were young. If delicious peach crisps appeared in front of them when they were the most hungry, no matter how good a person was, they would not be able to control themselves.
After thinking it through, the people who were originally speaking up for the sisters lowered their heads and kept quiet. Some of the more emotional girls had reddened eyes and were secretly wiping away their tears.
They were both Su Xue and fifth sister Su’s classmates. They had been together for three years. They still had some feelings for each other. Now that the Su sisters were going to drop out of school and were bearing the infamy of stealing, they would never be able to lift their heads in the future.
A boy who could not stand it stepped forward. “He Xiaomei, how many peach crisps did you lose? Name a price and I’ll compensate you on their behalf.”
The boy who spoke was called Cao Jun. Although he was only 16 years old, he was tall, handsome, and had good grades. Most importantly, he lived in town. His family was very well-off, and all the boys in town followed him.
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He was very influential among the students, and his words were final.
When He Xiaomei heard Cao Jun speaking up for Su Xue, she was so angry that her nose almost became crooked. This made her even more unhappy with Su Xue. She wondered if Cao Jun was blind to speak up for her all the time.
“No need. I’ll just treat it as feeding it to the dogs,” He Xiaomei said unhappily.
Tears welled up in fifth sister Su’s eyes as she bit her lip hard. She was about to rush back when she heard He Xiaomei’s words, but she was caught by Su Xue.
“Where are you going?” The fourth sister berated her in a low voice.
76 Timely Help
“Fourth sister, we didn’t steal anything.”
Su Xue’s face had an additional touch of sorrow. She looked at her fifth sister, and muttered in a low voice, “Fifth sister, is this important? The truth is not important. If others say we stole it, then we did.”
“But we didn’t steal it. We didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Our poverty and suffering is the original fault.” If they did not have to worry about food and clothing, would He Xiaomei and the others still frame them?”
Fifth sister Su quickly understood. “Just like how no one will say that Cao Jun stole things!”
Su Xue did not say a word, but tightly clutched the last food ticket in her hand. These days, the two of them had been scrimping and eating only one meal a day. They were afraid that their big sister would not let them study immediately if she remembered, so they did not even dare to go home.
The last food ticket was about to be used up, and she had to go home.
“Fifth sister, let’s pack up and go home after school in the afternoon!” Su Xue’s tone was sorrowful and desperate.
“Okay, I’ll listen to you, fourth sister.”
The tears in fifth sister Su’s eyes finally gushed out. She lowered her head, not daring to let others see her weak and crying appearance. She tried her best to hide it, not even daring to cry out loud.
Only the tall young man standing in front of the line could hear the conversation between the sisters clearly.
At this time, fifth sister Su’s cries made the young man feel as if a knife was cutting into his heart. Those tears seemed to be dripping on his heart, each drop carrying a burning heat.
“Sheng Nian.”
Cao Jun, who was in the other line, shouted at the young man. The young man’s body was stiff, and he stood still without turning his head.
Just as Zhao Yuan was instigating He Xiaomei to report the incident to the teacher, the class teacher, Mr. Liu, strode over with a smile on his face. The students who were lining up and eating in the cafeteria looked over curiously.
Behind Mr. Liu was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. Her bright smile and overly beautiful eyes left a deep impression on people. They might even subconsciously ignore her simple clothes.
Su Xue, fifth sister Su, your family is here to see you.” Mr. Liu was happy from the bottom of his heart.
Ever since he heard that Su Xue and fifth sister Su’s family did not allow them to study, he had been so worried that he could not sleep well. These two students were too talented in studying. It would be a pity if they did not study.
He was preparing to make a home visit when their family came.
On the way there, Mr. Liu had said a lot of things and was surprised to find out that their family had changed their minds. She supported Su Xue and fifth sister Su to continue studying and get into university.
When Su Xue heard that someone had come, she knew that it must be her big sister. She did not hide and pulled her fifth sister out of the crowd. When she saw that the person who came was actually her third sister, she was suddenly stunned.
“Third sister? How do you have time to come over?” It was the busiest time in the village.
Fifth sister Su sniffled and pretended to be strong as she asked, “Third sister, are you here to take us home?”
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Su Xiu was all smiles. “No, I’m here to bring you some food.”
She remembered her big sister’s instructions that she had to pass the things to her sister when there was someone around, so she immediately took out the cake and wheat milk essence from the basket. As soon as the cake was taken out, everyone’s nose was filled with its sweet taste.
The brown rice and cornbread in the cafeteria could not compare to the cake and immediately made people lose their appetite.
Not to mention, there were also many people who could not afford to eat wheat milk essence. That was a good thing, and only during the new year and other festivals would they get some from the relatives. However, only the elderly or children had the chance to eat such good food.
They were already half-grown adults and rarely had the chance to eat it.