An Sancheng said, "Let's go home," and the An family followed behind him. An Guoqing deliberately walked in front of Chen Mingliang, baring his teeth to intimidate him. As expected, Chen Mingliang flinched in fear.
"Coward! You only dare to bully my second brother, you dumbass!"
'My second brother could run circles around you!'
An Guoqing shouldered the large wooden club like a triumphant general, swaggering as he brought up the rear of the An family.
Chen Mingliang's father looked at his son kneeling on the ground, his anger boiling over. He kicked him, then stormed off with his hands behind his back, fuming. Chen Mingliang's older brother and his family followed suit.
It was Chen Mingliang's own mother, however, who went to help him up, her heart aching for him.
Miao Xiaohua scrambled over to Chen Mingliang's side, distressed beyond words. Together with Chen Mingliang's mother, she helped him to his feet.
"Ming Liang, let's call the police. Assault is illegal. We can sue the An family."
SMACK! Chen Mingliang's mother slapped Miao Xiaohua on the back.
"Are you crazy? Call the police? Do you not want to live in this village anymore?!"
Chen Mingliang considered it for a moment, but with his mother watching him like a hawk, he couldn't afford to lose that much face.
For ordinary folk, calling the police was never the first option.
Miao Xiaohua endured the stinging pain from the slap on her back. 'That old hag is surprisingly strong.'
The three of them dropped the subject of calling the police and headed back to the Chen family's house together.
Meanwhile, the An family had also arrived home. There wasn't much to say about what had happened with the Chen family.
Even though they couldn't go work in the fields, no one was idle.
Lin Cuihua started tidying up the house, while An Sancheng took An Guoqing to the woodshed outside to weave willow baskets.
An Ning stood in the middle of the kitchen, unsure of what she could do. She watched Lin Cuihua sweep the floor. After sweeping, her mother took a basin of water and sprinkled a little on the ground with her hand to keep the dust down.
"What are you doing just standing there?"
"Oh... should I... lie down then?"
An Ning's bizarre train of thought almost made Lin Cuihua splash the water from the basin all over herself.
Seeing An Ning actually about to go back to her room to lie down, Lin Cuihua called out:
"Come to your room. I'll teach you how to mend clothes."
An Ning obediently turned and followed Lin Cuihua into the west room.
The room had a kang bed on the south side with a wooden lattice window, covered by a blue curtain with a bamboo pattern. Against the north wall stood a combination wardrobe and a table.
Lin Cuihua took a piece of clothing down from the wall and brought out her sewing basket.
"You could never learn this before, but now that you're better, you should try again. A girl has to learn how to do this, or people will laugh at you when you get married."
"Why do girls have to learn? Don't men need to learn? Why would they laugh? Did they not grow their own hands?"
"..."
Lin Cuihua was so taken aback by An Ning's questions that she almost pricked her hand while trying to thread the needle.
"What kind of man sews clothes?"
An Ning wanted to ask more, but Lin Cuihua cut her off.
"Stop talking and watch carefully!"
Lin Cuihua taught her step by step. Although An Ning didn't agree with her mother's words, she learned very earnestly.
'In the interstellar era, all clothing fabrics were synthetic and absurdly durable, so there was never a need for mending.'
"Did you get it?"
"I got it."
Lin Cuihua looked at An Ning, who claimed she had learned, and passed her the clothes doubtfully. "You sew a bit and let me see."
An Ning took the needle, thread, and clothing from Lin Cuihua and began to sew stitch by stitch, just as her mother had shown her.
In less than three minutes, An Ning was finished.
"Mom, is this okay?"
Lin Cuihua turned the garment over to check the work on the outside.
"It's passable."
'Passable? That won't do at all.'
An Ning had high standards for herself. She took the clothing back and was about to start pulling out the stitches.
"What are you doing? You just finished it. If you take it apart, all that work is dead and gone."
An Ning's brain worked to parse Lin Cuihua's words. Puzzled and curious, she asked, "Why is the work dead?"
Lin Cuihua ended up chasing An Ning out of the room.
Once outside, An Ning went to the shed in the courtyard, ready to learn how to weave willow baskets.
"Little Sister, don't learn that. It'll give you calluses all over your hands."
Although An Sancheng gave An Guoming a dirty look for his comment, he agreed with the sentiment.
"That's right. Daughter, you go back inside and rest. We don't need you for this."
"But I want to learn."
An Ning was curious about everything on Ancient Earth. When she spoke in her soft, pleading tone, none of the three men could refuse her.
An Ning happily sat down and observed them first.
"Little Sister, don't be hasty. This stuff takes a couple of days to learn..."
An Guoming watched as An Ning picked up a willow switch, bent it with a casual, gentle touch, and then proceeded flawlessly through every subsequent step.
'Am I even doing the same task as her?' This made An Guoming question his own existence.
"Little Sister, your strength seems to have increased."
An Ning calmly continued weaving her basket, though she felt a little nervous inside. Without looking up, she said, "Has it? I didn't notice."
Hearing her say this, the curiosity of the father and his two sons was instantly piqued.
In the end, the four of them were standing in the middle of the courtyard, where a stone roller lay.
"Daughter, can you move it?"
"I'll try."
An Ning feigned ignorance as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the stone roller.
"If you can't lift it, just put it down."
An Sancheng shouted worriedly from behind her. The moment the words left his mouth, he saw An Ning lift it with ease.
"Amazing, Little Sister!"
"Okay, okay, put it down quickly! Be careful not to drop it on your foot."
An Ning obediently set the stone roller down and stood beside it meekly, as if what had just happened was an illusion.
"It must be from when she hit her head. Our family has always been strong, not counting the second son."
An Sancheng stated his theory. An Guoqing wholeheartedly agreed. He was strong himself—the best fighter in the village—and earned the most work points year after year.
Only An Guoming pouted. It was no wonder his dad singled him out; being strong had absolutely nothing to do with him.
'But does hitting your head really have that effect? Should I give it a try? Better not. I might just knock myself out for good.'
An Ning, standing to the side, smiled faintly without a word. 'I can't keep my hands tied forever. It's good to reveal some of my abilities bit by bit.'
"Little Sister is what you call a... a heroine something-or-other."
"A heroine no less than a hero."
An Ning's sudden use of a cultured phrase stunned everyone for a moment.
"Where did you learn that?"
"I heard our little brother reciting it."
An Ning wasn't exactly lying. An Guoping often recited his lessons in the backyard after coming home from school.
"My daughter is amazing! Do you want to go to school?"
"No."
An Ning's reply was swift and firm. 'How could she waste time on studying instead of farming?'
"But I do want to learn how to read."
An Sancheng saw that An Ning wasn't pretending. Besides, it was a bit late for her to start formal schooling now. He said decisively, "Learning to read is good. After your little brother finishes his college entrance exams, we'll have him teach you."
"Your second brother can teach you, too," An Guoming offered. "Or we could go to the 'illiteracy sweeping' class at night."
An Guoming's words made An Ning turn and ask, "'Illiteracy sweeping'? Do I need to bring a broom?"