An Ning stood in front of An Guoming like a mother hen protecting her chick, her little face set in a stern expression.
Lin Cuihua asked for confirmation, "He really didn't take it?"
"He really didn't. Second Brother just borrowed it."
That one word, "borrowed," stopped An Guoming mid-laugh. He had been touched that his little sister was protecting him. As for Lin Cuihua, who had been about to let her son off the hook, her anger flared in an instant.
"You brat!"
Lin Cuihua raised her hand to slap An Guoming, who was behind An Ning. An Guoming bolted, and An Ning blinked, standing her ground.
'Did I say something wrong?'
"You little rascal! Just you wait 'til we get home!"
An Ning met the fuming Lin Cuihua's gaze and asked studiously, "What's a 'little rascal'?"
The question made Lin Cuihua's mouth open and close. Finally, she snapped, "It's your Second Brother's nickname!"
"Oh..."
An Ning understood. She knew what a nickname was—supposedly a term of endearment from family.
She silently committed it to memory and followed the angry Lin Cuihua out of the hospital. A short while later, they saw a grinning An Guoming by the side of the road.
But Lin Cuihua shot him a glare, snorted coldly, and turned away, striding off. Out of sight, out of mind.
An Guoming, who had no say in the matter, rubbed his nose and lowered his head to follow the mother-daughter duo. 'But why are they walking so fast?'
'Does being angry help you walk faster?'
On the way back, the three of them didn't manage to catch a passing donkey cart and had to walk the entire way.
The dirt path was about two meters wide, littered with small stones and pockmarked with rutted tracks left after the rain.
Lin Cuihua was in a hurry to get back and earn work points. An Ning, thrilled at the thought of getting to work in the fields, was just as eager. The two of them walked faster and faster, leaving a miserable An Guoming behind them.
His physical fitness was average at best. There was nothing wrong with him; he was just naturally unathletic.
Behind them, An Guoming shouted, huffing and puffing:
"Mom, Little Sis, can't you two slow down!"
Lin Cuihua glanced back in disgust. "You're a grown man, have you no shame!"
An Ning watched Lin Cuihua walk even faster after saying her piece. Adhering to the principle of mutual help, she stopped to wait for An Guoming.
When An Guoming caught up, he looked at An Ning with relief. "I knew you were the best, Little Sis..."
"Don't worry, little rascal. It's not shameful for a man to be weak."
Having offered her comfort, An Ning caught up to Lin Cuihua in just a few steps, leaving An Guoming utterly bewildered.
'What did my sweet, kind little sister just say?'
'Who's a "little rascal"?'
After a short rest, the dumbfounded An Guoming quickened his pace to catch up. By the time the three of them got home, they hadn't been much slower than if they'd taken a donkey cart.
Back home, Lin Cuihua put down her cloth bag, changed her clothes, and prepared to head to the fields.
"An Ning, for lunch, just cook some sorghum rice and steam a few potatoes in the pot."
After speaking, Lin Cuihua shook out a yellow headscarf, folded it into a triangle, and tied it under her chin, ready to go out.
An Ning immediately followed her out. "I'll go to the fields. I'm not weak. I can work."
An Guoming, who had just stepped through the main gate, was hit with a second blow from his dear sister. He immediately shouted, "I'm not tired! I'm not tired at all!"
An Ning walked up to An Guoming, who was standing ramrod straight, and shouted as if confirming something:
"Mom! The little rascal says he's not tired and can work in the fields! He can come back at noon to cook."
Lin Cuihua stumbled and nearly crashed into the doorframe. 'What did my daughter just say?'
An Ning had no idea the impact her words had. Anxious to get going, she walked toward the main gate, not forgetting to turn back and shout, "Let's go, time to work in the fields!"
Lin Cuihua hurried to catch up with An Ning to explain the whole "little rascal" thing. She couldn't let her say things like that again.
In the courtyard, An Guoming completely ignored the name An Ning had called him. With a SMACK, he slapped his own mouth with his hand.
"You and your big mouth! You and your big mouth! Wouldn't it have been nice to just stay home, light the stove, and make some food!"
Meanwhile, An Ning, now outside the gate, waited for Lin Cuihua, her eyes shining and her heart pounding with excitement.
"Honey, you can't call your Second Brother a 'little rascal'."
"Why not? Isn't it his nickname?"
Looking at An Ning's sincere expression, Lin Cuihua said on some strange impulse, "That's a nickname only adults can use. You're too young to call him that."
"Oh... I see."
'So you're supposed to call people younger than you that.'
Lin Cuihua nodded, temporarily relieved. She took An Ning to the work site and first found Accountant Liu, who was in charge of recording work points.
"Accountant Liu, the three of us are here to work in the fields."
Accountant Liu, holding a small notebook, glanced at An Ning, who had never worked in the fields before. He asked Lin Cuihua, "Your An Ning is going to work too?"
Lin Cuihua glanced at An Ning. She didn't really want An Ning working in the fields. She was her only daughter, already eighteen, and wouldn't be at home for many more years.
Sensing Lin Cuihua's hesitation, An Ning, who was standing beside her, quickly spoke up. "Mom, Accountant Liu, I want to work. I want to farm with everyone."
Hearing this, Lin Cuihua decided to let her. Otherwise, when she married into another family in the future, it wouldn't be good if she didn't know how to do anything.
"Accountant Liu, just let her. Every work point counts."
Accountant Liu naturally had no objections. He wrote something in his notebook with a pen and said teasingly, "An Ning's got a great attitude! Maybe she'll be even better at this than her Second Brother!"
An Guoming, who had just walked up behind them, heard Accountant Liu's words. 'What did I do to deserve this?' he thought. 'So what if I'm a slow worker and earn fewer work points?'
Seeing that Accountant Liu had agreed, An Ning excitedly thanked him and promised, "I'll definitely work hard. I'll for sure be better than my Second Brother."
Accountant Liu chuckled at An Ning's earnestness. Beaming, An Ning followed Lin Cuihua, with a sighing An Guoming trailing behind. The three of them collected their tools and went to a cornfield.
"I'll take these three rows over here. An Ning, you start with two rows. You can do more once you get the hang of it."
An Ning didn't say a word, just nodded seriously and watched Lin Cuihua intently.
Lin Cuihua held a long-handled hoe. Facing the weeds in the cornfield, she pushed and pulled the hoe, slicing the weeds and tossing them aside.
She stood in the middle, working on three rows by herself. An Ning observed for a few minutes, then prepared to try.
She stood between two rows, sent the hoe toward the left row, extended her arm, brought the hoe down, and pulled.
"HAHAHA! Little Sis, are you digging a hole to plant a tree?"
Nearby, An Guoming pointed at the small pit An Ning had left—nearly half a hand's breadth deep—and laughed happily.
An Ning frowned slightly. She lifted the hoe again and brought it down.
"Little Sis, watch me. Second Brother will teach—"
Before An Guoming could finish, he saw An Ning make her third attempt. Down came the hoe, and this time, it was perfect. No pit.
Then, An Guoming watched, stunned, as An Ning—the very person he had just been mocking—went left, then right, her speed rapidly surpassing his, and then even surpassing Lin Cuihua's.
Behind them, An Guoming's mind was a complete blank.
'Didn't she just not know how to do it a second ago?'
'Little Sis, when you work like this, you're making your Second Brother lose a lot of face.'