Qin Shi actually loved books, but she couldn't read. When she heard that her sister could help her go to school, she nodded happily.
She couldn't bring herself to eat all the snacks, so she only had a little and hid the rest in the wardrobe.
Qin Jiao's heart ached all over again when she saw this.
She stroked Xiao Shi's head. "Xiao Shi, when I make a lot of money in the future, I'll buy you all sorts of delicious things!"
"Mhm!" Though the little girl was sallow and gaunt, the smile on her face was incredibly sweet.
* * *
As evening fell, Old Mrs. Qin's voice came from outside. "Little Nine, you're back? Come out and help me with the stove."
Qin Jiao's name had a bit of a story. When her ID card was first issued, her name was officially registered as Qin Jiu. However, there happened to be another person with the exact same name, which was considered inconvenient. So the village chief of Three Families Village, trying to be clever, altered the character "Jiu" slightly by adding a component to the top of it, creating the new character "Jiao."
And so, Qin Jiu became Qin Jiao. Her family, however, still called her Qin Jiu.
Qin Jiao was scheming. She wanted to send her sister to school in the county town and perhaps use this opportunity to get her parents to propose splitting the family. But to do that, she had to make some preparations beforehand.
Hearing Old Mrs. Qin's voice, she called out in acknowledgment and left the west room.
Old Mrs. Qin was easily swayed and had a gentle temperament. On most days, she treated Qin Jiao and her sister reasonably well.
As Qin Jiao tended the fire for the stove, she made small talk with Old Mrs. Qin.
Just then, a fragrant aroma wafted over from the front courtyard. It smelled like roast chicken.
Seeing that her grandmother hadn't reacted, Qin Jiao deliberately sniffed the air. "Grandma, do you smell that? What is that? It smells amazing!"
Old Mrs. Qin finally noticed. She took a sniff. "It's probably roast chicken."
"So Uncle's family bought a roast chicken? Grandma, let's go eat in the front courtyard tonight!" Qin Jiao's voice was the picture of innocence.
Old Mrs. Qin hesitated. They usually ate separately and were used to it. Besides, she and Mr. Qin didn't much care for greasy food.
Mrs. Qin finally said in a low voice, "Let's just forget it. It's too much trouble to move everything. You set the table here, and I'll go call your grandpa for dinner."
She wiped her hands on her apron and turned to go find Mr. Qin in the vegetable garden out back.
Qin Jiao pulled Qin Shi aside and whispered, "Xiao Shi, you wait here. When Grandpa and Grandma come out, tell them Auntie asked them to come to the front courtyard for dinner!"
"Okay!"
After saying this, Qin Jiao placed the stewed cabbage they had made, the raw vegetables with dipping sauce, and the large steamed cornmeal buns onto a wooden board and carried it all to the front courtyard.
In the center of the round table in the front courtyard sat the roast chicken, with a plate of scrambled eggs and tomatoes beside it. Feng Lan was in the adjacent kitchen dishing out rice. The only person at the table was Qin Xiaotao, who was practically drooling.
Feng Lan was worried her son would start eating before everyone else, so she shouted from inside the house, "Xiao Tao, don't you dare touch that chicken! Your dad will be back any second. We'll eat together when he gets here."
Xiao Tao stared hungrily at the chicken, but the thought of his father giving him a beating made him just keep swallowing his drool.
When Qin Jiao arrived, she set down all the food she had brought. She even arranged stools in a circle around the table and laid out bowls and chopsticks.
When Feng Lan came out with two bowls of rice and saw the scene, she flew into a rage. "What do you think you're doing here?"
But Qin Jiao wasn't afraid of her. She said with a wide smile, "Auntie, weren't you the one who invited us over for dinner? Grandpa was just praising you a moment ago, saying how filial you are!"
"I did not—" Feng Lan started to say, but the words caught in her throat. She looked up and saw Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin walking over, one right behind the other.
She was instantly rendered speechless, unable to voice her frustration. Seething, she could only shoot daggers at Qin Jiao with her eyes.
Meanwhile, seeing his father, Qin Jiqun, return, Xiao Tao couldn't wait another second. He reached out, tore off a large chicken thigh, and started gnawing on it.
Without missing a beat, Qin Jiao swiftly tore off the other chicken thigh and placed it in Mr. Qin's bowl. Then she snapped off the two wings, giving one to Old Mrs. Qin and putting the other in her sister, Qin Shi's, bowl.