Chapter 23: Afternoon

Liu Qian, her face flushed, hid in the small room, feeling a mix of sweetness and annoyance. The sweetness came from the fact that her secret had been guessed by someone else, and she imagined that her beloved must know as well. The annoyance came from the fact that she had only been in the family for a few days, and for them to speak like this seemed to underestimate her.

Although her face was burning and she felt a bit annoyed, Liu Qian was also puzzled. After a few days of interaction, she found her grandmother to be a very reasonable person, and it was unlikely that she would embarrass her in front of everyone. However, it wasn't impossible; after all, the elderly could sometimes be a bit confused. She could understand, but why did she have to go out and meet them now?

The people outside were also at a loss, looking at the smiling grandmother. Zhang Xiaolong was speechless. There was nothing he could do; it wasn't appropriate for him to go in at this moment. Guo Sufei thought for a moment and then pinched Zhang Xiaohua's ear, saying, "It's all your fault. Go, go and bring Liu Qian out."

Zhang Xiaohua rubbed his ear and scratched his head, muttering, "What does it have to do with me?"

Guo Sufei pushed him with a smile, saying, "If you hadn't told your grandmother about your brother and Liu Qian, how would she have known?"

Zhang Xiaohua said, "So you all knew." After saying this, he got up and walked into the room, thinking about what to do as he went.

Liu Qian was still in the room, her face flushed. When she saw Zhang Xiaohua come in, he ran up to her happily, took her hand, and said, "Sister Liu, it's boring at home. Let's go see the plot of land I've cultivated and the well we dug."

Liu Qian said, "Sure, I've heard your brother talk about the land you've cultivated. I've always wanted to see it. Let's go today."

With that, Liu Qian took Zhang Xiaohua's hand and walked out of the small room.

Zhang Xiaohua followed behind Liu Qian, shouting as soon as they stepped out, "Mom, Dad, I'm taking Sister Liu to see the plot of land on the hill. We'll be back soon."

Guo Sufei said, "Go and come back early. Make sure to be back in time for dinner, and take care of your sister, Xiaohua."

Zhang Xiaohua grinned and said, "No problem, Mom."

Liu Qian walked up to Guo Sufei and said softly, "Auntie, I'm going out."

Guo Sufei smiled and said, "Go and come back early."

Thus, Liu Qian and Zhang Xiaohua walked out of the Zhang family's courtyard.

On the small path in Guo Village, familiar villagers would often greet them. The village was small, and any minor event would quickly spread. It was even more so with the Zhang family, who were usually low-key, suddenly having a beautiful young lady. The neighbors who had gone to Balingou with Zhang Xiaohua had been instructed by Zhang Cai not to mention Liu Qian, only saying that a relative's child had come to stay for a while to take care of the sick and injured family. Of course, Zhang Cai was sick, and Xiao Long and Xiao Hu were injured from being mischievous, though they were past the age of being mischievous. However, injuries were common in the mountains, so no one suspected anything else.

It was no wonder Zhang Cai was cautious; the lesson from the neighboring village was a good example. It was better not to be too conspicuous.

Although saying they were relatives was a reasonable explanation, it was very intriguing to the villagers. A girl more beautiful than all the village's young women had come to take care of Zhang Xiaolong. Everything could only mean one secret that everyone knew but didn't speak of. When they saw Liu Qian, the way they greeted her was filled with "ambiguity." Liu Qian had come out to avoid the awkwardness, but the village path only made it more awkward.

Fortunately, the path wasn't too long, and they soon reached a small bridge. Liu Qian loved the stream, enjoying how the water flowed carefree and farther away. She asked Zhang Xiaohua, "Xiaohua, did you see the river in our village when you went to Balingou?"

Zhang Xiaohua scratched his head and said, "I didn't notice. I was too focused on finding your house and didn't have the heart to look at anything else."

Liu Qian smiled and said, "The river in Balingou is much larger than yours. There's more land by the river, and even our family has a plot of land there, though unfortunately, no one in our family cultivates it, so we rented it out."

Zhang Xiaohua said, "That's a pity. If we had that land, we wouldn't have to clear the hillside."

As they talked, they crossed the bridge, and a winding path led up the hill. It wasn't really a path, but rather a trail that had formed from people walking on the gentle slope. Liu Qian walked lightly on the path, her grace resembling a dancing note. Zhang Xiaohua couldn't help but praise her, "Sister Liu, you walk so beautifully."

Liu Qian smiled and replied, "You little rascal, hurry up."

In the winter sun, the hillside was filled with a rare warmth. As they walked, they didn't feel the cold or the desolation, and it even had a spring-like feel. The newly cultivated plot of land on the hillside lay there alone, its owner having not visited for a long time, but it still looked the same.

Liu Qian looked at it and said in surprise, "Xiaohua, did you clear this land by yourself? It's a large plot."

Zhang Xiaohua raised his head proudly and said, "Yes, Sister Liu, I did it all. Big Brother and Second Brother helped a little."

Liu Qian praised him, "You're not just any ordinary kid. You're really impressive."

Then she naturally noticed the large stone under the big tree, which looked like a bed. She asked in surprise, "Such a stone is rare. It's so neat and large. I've never seen anything like it on our side of the mountain."

Zhang Xiaohua asked Liu Qian, "Sister Liu, can you guess where this stone came from?"

Liu Qian laughed and said, "How can I guess? Did you dig it up when you were clearing the land? Did you carry it from the river?"

Liu Qian walked up to the large stone and sat down, resting her hand on it. She realized it wasn't as cold as she had imagined. If it weren't for the ugly color, she might have thought it was a large piece of jade. She thought to herself, "Strange."

Zhang Xiaohua hadn't paid much attention to the details of the stone. When they had moved it, he was so exhausted that he didn't notice if it was smooth. Besides, it had been left there, and no one had paid much attention to it. Even when sitting on it, he just assumed it was warm from the sun.

Zhang Xiaohua laughed and said, "Since Sister can't guess, I'll show you something."

Then, he led Liu Qian down the hill to the well at the foot of the slope. Liu Qian looked at the large well opening and laughed, realizing that the stone must have been dug out from there. She had never seen a well with such a large opening.

Zhang Xiaohua said, "Sister, that stone was dug out from this well. It took a lot of effort, and we almost didn't finish the well."

Then, he used the tools by the well to draw some water and handed it to Liu Qian, saying, "Sister, try it. The water is really sweet, sweeter than the river water."

Liu Qian took it and sipped a little. Her eyebrows raised; Xiaohua was right. The water was indeed sweet, even sweeter than the spring water she used to carry from the hillside. If it were used for tea, her father would definitely like it. She thought to herself that if her father knew, he would probably stay at the Zhangs' and drink fresh spring water every day, or at the very least, bring a few buckets home.

Liu Qian asked, "Is the spring water here always this sweet?"

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head and said, "No, the spring water on the mountain isn't this sweet."

Liu Qian said, "Is it because the well was dug from the bottom of the mountain?"

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head again and said, "The neighboring village dug a well on the south slope, but no one knows if the water is good. Besides, no one cares about it anymore."

Liu Qian asked curiously, "Why?"

Zhang Xiaohua then told her about what happened to Mr. Wu in the neighboring village. Liu Qian listened with a somber expression.

After a while, Liu Qian looked at the setting sun on the hillside and said, "Xiaohua, draw some water. We'll make tea with it tonight."

Zhang Xiaohua said happily, "Is it the same tea I had at your house? It wasn't very bitter, right? I tried the tea from the Lao Gu family in the east of the village, and it was too bitter."

Liu Qian said, "The tea you had, I didn't see, but it should be the same. I brought some this time and haven't taken it out yet. Let's try it today."

Zhang Xiaohua enthusiastically drew a bucket of water from the well and carried it up the hill, following Liu Qian back home.

As they walked, Liu Qian asked, "Xiaohua, why did Mr. Wu in the neighboring village, who had such good luck, end up with a bad outcome?"

Zhang Xiaohua thought for a moment and said, "He got something good, but the bad people found out, and he didn't have the ability to protect it."

Liu Qian seriously told Zhang Xiaohua, "Yes, Xiaohua, remember, a man without virtue is not guilty, but a man with virtue is guilty."

Zhang Xiaohua, puzzled, said, "Sister, what does that mean?"

Liu Qian said, "It means that a person who lives a good life, if they have a precious gem, will invite disaster. Xiaohua, you're young, and you might not understand, but the hardest thing to predict is human nature. You can't guarantee that no one will be envious of your gem. Mr. Wu's mistake was that although he found treasure, others found out about it. Envious people would come to take it. If he had found it without anyone seeing, no one would know he had the treasure, and they wouldn't come to take it."

Then, Liu Qian joked, "In the future, if you find something rare, keep it a secret. Don't let anyone know. Only then can it truly be your treasure."

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said, "I will, Sister. If I find something rare, I won't tell anyone, just you, okay?"

Liu Qian said, "No, secrets are like that. If you tell me, you might think it's fine for only me to know, but I might inadvertently tell someone else, and they might think it's fine to tell someone else. Before you know it, many people will know."

Zhang Xiaohua nodded and said, "Yes, Sister, you're right. If one person tells another, everyone will know."

Zhang Xiaohua then asked, "Sister, if the one who found the treasure was Weng Daxia, would it be different?"

Liu Qian said, "That would be a different situation."

Zhang Xiaohua asked curiously, "How would it be different?"