Chapter 16 Wild Eggs

　　Lian Wulang wiped the sweat from his head and handed Lian Man'er a newly woven wicker basket in his hand. Lian Man'er took it and saw that inside was half a basket of Bitter Girl's Children. 　　"You went to pick bitter girls?" Lian Man Er asked, "Why didn't you tell me, I'll go along." 　　"Next time, it's a bit far away." Lian Wulang smiled and said. 　　"It's over there in the mountains, that's quite far." Lian Zhier said, "You guys went over from the southern mountains again?" 　　Lian Wulang and Xiao Qi then both laughed. 　　"You guys are really bold." Lian Zhier said. 　　"South Mountain?" Where is it, is there anything scary? 　　"It's broad daylight, what's so scary. Even if there are ghosts, they only come out at night then." Lian Wulang said carelessly. 　　Lian Man'er remembered that when she wasn't fully awake, she heard He say that he wanted to throw her to the south mountain to be buried, it seems that the south mountain is a graveyard. 　　"Didn't pick much, just picked the biggest and reddest ones." Lian Wulang said to Lian Man'er. 　　She mentioned the bitter girl child just once, and Lian Wulang was hooked. Half a basket of bitter girls, each one seemed to be a small red lantern, very pretty. Lian Man Er picked up a bitter girl child, will outside as if the red thin skin tear open, inside the bitter girl child fruit has some red, transparent can see inside a grain of seed. 　　Lian Maner actually does not want to eat this, but thought that in her previous life, in the fall, the bitter girl child is also like other fruits on the market, and also very popular, I do not know if it is sold here. 　　Lian Man Er put one in her mouth, a little bitter, a little sweet, and a little sour. 　　"You guys eat too." Lian Man Er put her hand into the basket, "Huh, what is this?" 　　At the bottom of the basket, covered tightly by the Bitter Girl'er, was a layer of large and small eggs full of patterns. 　　Lian Wulang and Xiao Qi then both smiled cheekily as if they were offering a treasure. 　　"You guys pulled out bird eggs? And wild eggs!" Lian Zhi'er poked her head over and said joyfully. 　　"The bird eggs were pulled out from the tree by brother, and the wild eggs were picked up by me from the grass niche." Xiao Qi proudly said. 　　"Sister, let's bake the eggs for Man Er to eat." Lian Wulang said. 　　Lian Zhi'er then made a simple stove on the ground with stones, Lian Wulang and Xiao Qi split up to pick up a bunch of tree branches, Lian Wulang took out a fire sickle and flint from his pocket, lit the tree branches on fire, and then buried a few bird eggs and wild eggs. 　　"Fifth Lang, you still have the fire sickle and flint with you?" Lian Zhi'er looked at Lian Wulang. 　　Lian Wulang smiled and didn't say anything. 　　This morning, Zhang asked Zhou for eggs for Lian Man'er to eat, Zhou didn't agree and even counted Zhang out. Xiao Qi heard it and told him. At that time, he planned to take the opportunity to dig for wild vegetables to find some bird eggs for Lian Man Er to eat. 　　There were a lot of trees on the south mountain, and because it was a cemetery, few people went there. Lian Wulang was bold and took Xiao Qi with him. Lian Wulang really found a nest of bird eggs, and even more fortunate, he also found a few wild eggs. Lian Wulang remembered that Lian Man'er wanted Bitter Girl's Children, so he simply walked a little farther and picked half a basket of Bitter Girl's Children and returned to give them to his sister. 　　"Second sister, here's black tian tian, black tian tian is sweeter." Xiao Qi came over to Lian Man Er's side and took out a large tree leaf from behind her back, opening the leaf, inside was a bunch of purple and black bunches of small fruits, each as big as a small fingernail. 　　Black daily, the scientific name is called dragonflower, also called black girl child, not ripe when it is green, after ripe, it becomes purple-black, very sweet and delicious. It is very sweet and delicious. However, it is cold in nature and has a small poison, so it should not be eaten more than once. 　　Xiao Qi picked the biggest bunch and put it in Lian Man Er's hand. 　　"Second sister, you eat." Xiao Qi flashed her big eyes at Lian Man Er. 　　"You can't eat more of this stuff, and you can't eat the raw ones even more." 　　"There's no that even if you want to eat more." Lian Wulang just laughed. In the wildlands of their place, black tian dian were rare, and there were many children who wanted to eat black tian dian. These were the ones that he and Xiao Qi found with great difficulty. 　　"Second sister, don't worry, I'll pick the ones that are ripe like this, those green ones are not ripe, they're astringent and not tasty, I'm not going to eat that." Xiao Qi said. 　　Lian Man Er nodded, and instructed again, "The raw ones are poisonous, remember never eat them." 　　Xiao Qi nodded, "I remember, second sister." 　　Lian Man'er saw Xiao Qi only looking at her eating, but not eating herself, Lian Zhi'er and Lian Wulang didn't eat either, guessing that black tian tian was a rare delicacy in their eyes, so she grabbed two bunches, handed them to Xiao Qi, and grabbed two more bunches for Lian Zhi'er and Lian Wulang. 　　"Eat together." Lian Man'er said. 　　The tree branches were crackling with fire, and there was very little black tian, so the several children all ate slowly, talking and laughing as they ate. Lian Man Er's eyes also incorporated a smile. 　　When the branches were finished burning and the ashes slowly cooled down, Lian Wulang used the branches to pull a few wild eggs and bird eggs out of the ashes. 　　"Cooked." Lian Wulang said as he cracked open a wild egg. 　　The egg was still hot, Lian Wulang inhaled while switching hands and peeled the shell of one wild egg first, and Lian Zhi'er peeled two bird eggs as well, both of which were handed to Lian Man'er. 　　Lian Man'er took it, the shelled egg was still a little hot, that heat little by little from her hand, penetrated into her body. 　　"Everyone eat together." Lian Man Er said. 　　"Man'er you eat first." 　　Lian Man'er thought about it, compared to Black Tiantian, this wild egg and bird egg should be more precious. These kids were treating her like a sick person. 　　"Eat together, if you guys don't eat, I won't eat either." Lian Man'er said. 　　Several of the Wulangs were all laughing cheekily again. 　　"I told you, second sister is still the same second sister, it won't change ......" Xiao Qi grinned and laughed. 　　"I ...... have I changed?" Lian Maner. 　　"No ......," Lian Wulang scratched his head and stammered, "Man Er, that ...... I don't want to borrow the light of the eldest uncle, I don't want to go to study ." 　　Why did Lian Wulang suddenly say this, Lian Man'er listened with some confusion. 　　"Second sister, I also don't want to study, I don't want to be a young master." Xiao Qi also put away her smile and said. 　　"Man Er, I am a big foot, in the future, marrying ...... a crofter will be enough." Lian Zhi Er whispered with a red face. 　　"What are you guys talking ...... about?" 　　"I don't know that is to sell you ......" Lian Zhi Er, Lian Wulang and Xiao Qi said, and handed all the peeled eggs in his hand to Lian Man Er. 　　Lian Man'er was a bit surprised and pondered for a while before she realized. Perhaps Lian Zhi'er and the others had heard the conversation between Zhang and Lian Shouxin that night just like her, or perhaps these days, they knew the truth of the matter from the mouths of the rest of the Lian family. 　　In doing so, they were apologizing to Lian Man'er in their own way. 　　Lian Man'er sucked in a breath, her matter had nothing to do with these children, the instigators were a few people from the Lian family's big house. In her heart, she blamed Zhang and Lian Shouxin for being confused and weak, but in no way would she blame Lian Zhi'er, Wulang and Xiao Qi. 　　"I know, I didn't blame you guys." Lian Man'er thought for a moment and spoke. These few children, like her, were not yet able to decide their own individual fates. 　　"Father and Mother, didn't mean it either, they regret it." After all, Lian Zhi'er was a few years older, a girl's mind was a bit more delicate, and spoke for Zhang and Lian Shouxin again. 　　This time, Lian Man'er didn't nod her head, but just distributed the eggs and bird eggs in her hand to Lian Zhi'er, Wulang and Xiao Qi. 　　The several children ate in silence. 　　"If father and mother don't nod their heads, not to mention elder uncle and elder aunt, even master and milk can't sell me." Lian Man'er said. 　　The several children were silent, this truth they also understood. 　　"I also know that father and mother didn't mean it," Lian Man'er said this somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but she knew the feelings of the three children in front of her towards Zhang and Lian Shouxin, so she had to say this, "But, father and mother, especially mother, are too soft-natured, and that's why they were tricked and bullied. " 　　Lian Zhi'er, Lian Wulang and Xiao Qi all nodded their heads, although they were young, they weren't stupid, and they all saw what was going on in the family. 　　"We're all older," Lian Man'er saw that her words had resonated amongst several children, so she struck while the iron was hot, "In the future, we're going to help father and mother, so that they don't get cheated or bullied again. And then, also make sure that no one dares to sell us again." 　　"Man'er is right." Lian Wulang said. 　　"Second sister, I'll listen to you on everything." Xiao Qi said. 　　Lian Zhi'er and Lian Wulang both nodded. 　　"Mang'er, in the past two days, you're like a different person, no, not completely changed, just changed some ...... quite well." Lian Wulang couldn't find the right words to express himself, but his words, Lian Man'er still understood. 　　Lian Man'er's defiance opened a brand new door in front of several children, letting them realize for the first time that they didn't have to be that way, they could do this, and things could turn out to be like this. 　　Lian Man Er looked at Lian Zhi Er, Lian Wulang and Xiao Qi. She wanted to remodel Zhang and Lian Shouxin, the two big buns, but she forgot about these little buns. Under Zhang's and Lian Shouxin's influence, the little buns were very likely to develop into big buns. However, now that she was here, and it seemed that these few small buns hadn't been poisoned too deeply. 　　She had to unite the few little buns first, bring them out of the sea of suffering, and come together to reform the big buns. Lian Maner shook her fist. 　　After finishing the baked eggs, the few children cleaned up and planned to go home. Lian Man Er saw that Lian Zhi Er's wild egg wasn't eaten, but was carefully placed in her arms. 　　"Take it back for Mother to eat." Lian Zhi'er said, "When father and eldest uncle go out, they can still eat a little bit of good food, but mother can't eat anything at home." 　　Wulang and Xiao Qi both scratched their heads, they weren't as thoughtful as Lian Zhi Er. 　　"Big sister you didn't say so earlier, those two bird eggs should also be saved for mother." Wulang and Xiao Qi said. 　　"This one is enough, more than that mother won't want it, it's better to give it to you guys to eat." Lian Zhier stroked Xiao Qi's head and laughed. 　　Also fourteen years old, although Lian Zhi Er was thin and weak, but she had already begun to emanate a motherly glow all over her body, very much like an elder sister, Lian Xiu Er and Lian Zhi Er couldn't be compared. Lian Man Er thought, Zhang's children are really well educated. 　　The day is still early, they are not in a hurry, walking slowly on the field road, Xiao Qi is even walking while catching grasshoppers in the grass by the side of the road. 　　A few girls, all about the same age as Lian Zhi'er, came up to them, one of them with a red skirt, walking in a swaying manner, was the most conspicuous. 　　"Yo, Lian Zhi Er, you guys are really early, you're all back from digging vegetables." Several girls greeted Lian Zhi Er, but their eyes went straight to Lian Man Er, especially the one with the red skirt, when she staggered past, she also stared hard at Lian Man Er for a few moments. 　　"Yingzi, didn't you say Lian Man'er died? I see that people are alive and well." Several girls whispered and walked away. 　　Lian Man'er twisted her head to look at the girl in the red dress walking around, her sleeves knocked up slightly, revealing a golden bracelet on her wrist. 　　Gold bracelet hey, the same is digging wild vegetables, even there are rich people. 　　"Who is that one in red, still wearing a gold bracelet?" Lian Man Er asked Lian Zhi Er. 　　"It's Aunt Liu's fourth family's Yingzi sister, a few days ago she often came to the house to look for Sister Hua'er, but these two days she didn't come." Lian Zhier said. 　　Could it be that Lian Hua'er's bosom friend, then is it also witnessed the matter of Lian Hua'er breaking the jade pendant, Lian Man'er gossiped. 　　Lian Zhi'er gave Lian Man'er an affirmative reply. 　　"Sister, were you present that day?" 　　Lian Zhier shook her head, Lian Hua'er was only good with Lian Xiu'er in the family, except for her own sister Lian Duo'er, and she didn't answer to several of them. What happened that day, she only learned about it later. 　　Before she even walked into the village entrance, there was a carriage running out from the village. 　　Lian Man Er was busy with a few children walking towards the road. That carriage walked up to Lian Man'er, but stopped. 　　"Man'er, are you feeling better?" A teenager lifted the curtain of the carriage and smiled at Lian Man'er.