When An Guoming turned to look at An Ning, her mouth and cheeks were covered in black soot. There were even a few scorched, brittle sparrow feathers stuck to her face as she gazed at him with innocent eyes.
An Ning had already bitten halfway through the sparrow. At An Guoming's shout, she blinked and reluctantly pulled the bird from her mouth.
"There are hardly any feathers. It's fine. I think it's edible."
An Guoming suddenly felt a sting in his nose. His little sister used to be slow and couldn't speak. He and his brothers were all boisterous boys who had hardly ever played with her, let alone shared a roasted sparrow.
"Little Sis, it doesn't matter if there are only a few feathers. It's not good to eat."
"I'll catch more for you, Little Sis. I'll catch as many as you want to eat." Having said that, An Guoming reached for the sparrow in An Ning's hand.
Huh? It didn't budge.
All An Guoming got was a hand covered in soot; it was still empty.
He looked up and met An Ning's slightly angry gaze.
She had the look of a wolf cub guarding its meal, as if she were about to bare her teeth and bite. Her eyes screamed:
This is mine.
An Guoming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He lowered his hand. Based on his strength, there was no way he could take it from her.
"Little Sis, I don't want it. I'll teach you how to eat it."
An Ning asked, her eyes full of suspicion, "Really?"
"Really."
Seeing that An Guoming didn't appear to be lying, An Ning slowly loosened her grip on the sparrow, her eyes never leaving it for a second.
"See? You rub off the scorched feathers on the outside like this. This part inside is the meat. This is the breast meat—it's the best part."
An Guoming tore off a piece of the sparrow meat and handed it to An Ning. She picked it up with two fingers and popped it into her mouth.
An Guoming, who had been watching her closely, could have sworn he saw a galaxy of brilliant stars light up in her eyes. 'Little Sis is so happy.'
'I can get Eldest Brother and Youngest Brother to catch more sparrows and whatnot. As for me, I'll pass. I can't always count on finding one that's flown into a tree.'
An Ning finished the tiny sparrow in no time; it was barely more than a taste. But even after finishing one, and no matter how much she liked it, she wasn't greedy. The other one was her second brother's, and she didn't even glance at it.
"Here."
An Ning immediately shook her head. "No. One for each of us. That's fair."
"I don't like these. There's too little meat. A pheasant from the mountain would be much tastier."
A pheasant? An Ning had no idea what that was, of course. She asked again to make sure he really didn't want it. Only when An Guoming insisted he wouldn't eat it did she take the second sparrow and, using the method he had just shown her, eat it herself.
The two siblings had just finished eating when their sister-in-law entered the room. Seeing their sooty mouths, she said, "Hurry and go wash up. It's time for dinner."
"Got it, Sister-in-law."
"Okay, Sister-in-law."
The two of them got up and went to the courtyard to wash their hands. They had just drawn the water and hadn't even started washing when they saw a figure covered in mud walk through the gate.
"Lao San?"
An Guoping, who had just entered through the main gate, squinted and called out, "Second Brother." Then he immediately lowered his head and tried to hurry inside.
An Guoming immediately sensed something was wrong and blocked An Guoping's path.
"Lift your head. Let me have a look."
An Guoping was reluctant, but he was afraid of his second brother, so he slowly raised his head.
An Ning, standing to one side, had been watching closely. She saw that An Guoping had injuries on his face; it was obvious he'd been beaten up.
"Who hit you?"
An Ning asked angrily, stepping to An Guoping's side. As far as she was concerned, everyone in the An family was under her protection.
Besides, they had all fought side-by-side on her very first day here.
"Was it the Chen family?"
After An Guoming asked, An Guoping nodded, then shook his head. "It was Chen Mingyang, Miao Daniu, and Miao Erniu."
An Ning, who was standing nearby, didn't recognize those names. But with surnames like Miao and Chen, they had to be related to Miao Xiaohua and Chen Mingliang, which meant this had something to do with her.
"Where are they? I'll go with you. We'll hit them back."
An Guoping quickly tried to stop her. "Sis, a wise man knows when not to fight a losing battle. There are a bunch of them, and you're just all skin and bones."
"Don't be hasty, Little Sis," An Guoming said, a calculating glint in his eye. "Tomorrow is Sunday, so they won't be in school. They'll definitely go up the mountain. We'll deal with it then. Not a single one of them will get away."
An Guoping nodded frantically at his side.
"Right, right! Listen to Second Brother! Dad always says his head isn't cut out for studying, but he's full of cunning plans."
'Full of cunning plans? Shouldn't a belly be full of large and small intestines?' An Ning didn't get it, but she understood one thing: the beatdown would happen tomorrow.
"You have to call me when it's time."
'This was a fight she couldn't miss. There was no other reason. She simply enjoyed it.'
After saying her piece, An Ning went to wash her face and hands, ready for dinner.
An Guoping asked, confused, "Why do we need to bring Sis?"
He didn't yet know that An Ning had, in one leap, become the strongest person in the family.
An Guoming patted his shoulder. "You'll find out."
An Guoping was completely baffled, but he didn't dwell on it. He followed suit, washing his hands and changing his clothes before dinner.
Once everyone in the An family was seated, An Sancheng asked about An Guoping's injuries. Upon learning that An Guoming was handling it, he didn't inquire further.
Lin Cuihua got up to boil an egg. She planned to use it to roll over "Little Three's" bruises to help with the swelling.
Dinner was cornbread cakes. With their crispy bottoms and soft, fragrant, chewy tops, An Ning fell in love all over again.
In the two days she'd been here, she had already tried several different foods, and she found every single one new and delightful.
"Don't just eat the cakes. The glass noodles are delicious,"
Lin Cuihua said, placing a helping of glass noodles in An Ning's bowl. An Ning picked them up with her chopsticks and put them in her mouth.
They were delicate, springy, and smooth. Every strand had soaked up the broth, locking in the flavor of the cabbage. An Ning felt as if every taste bud on her tongue had burst open.
'So delicious!'
A bite of cornbread cake, followed by a mouthful of glass noodles, then some cabbage stewed until tender and some soft, starchy potatoes. By the end of the meal, An Ning was incredibly content. Even her spiritual power seemed to stretch lazily in satisfaction.
After dinner, her sister-in-law cleared the table. Lin Cuihua, enjoying a rare moment of free time, prepared to go to the Big Willow Tree at the edge of the village to chat with the others.
An Sancheng wasn't fond of village gossip; he stayed home weaving baskets with his eldest son. Meanwhile, An Guoping grabbed a book, found a quiet spot, and began to read.
For a moment, only two idle people remained: An Ning and An Guoming.
"Second Brother, when are we going to the literacy class?"
'She was still set on learning how to read.'
"Ah... right now. Let's go."
An Ning followed An Guoming out of the courtyard. They headed toward the warehouse where tools were returned; the literacy class was held right next to it.
It had just rained, so the path was a bit muddy. The first thing the two of them did when they arrived at the class was find a small stick to scrape the mud off the soles of their shoes.
"Guoming! Guoming! Over here!"
A man about An Guoming's age called him over.
"Go on, Second Brother. I'll be fine by myself."
An Ning sat down on a long bench, her back perfectly straight and her hands placed neatly on her lap. She looked exceptionally well-behaved.
An Guoming figured it would be fine since they were all in the same courtyard, so he went over to his friend.
The summer literacy classes were held in the courtyard. There were a few long benches set up in front of a simple blackboard, and one of the village's Educated Youth was the teacher.
"Hello, is this seat taken?"