In the Grey reds village, in the summer heat all farmer were in field removing weeds to ensure the growth of grain.
Gu lian the eldest granddaughter of the Gu family already had sneak away from the house to tend to the neighbouring field.
Every day she received half pound coarse grain for her work, she continues collecting the grain and sold them in town for 4 copper coin per pound.
Gu Ruo, Gu Niu of forth branch, Gu Cui, of third branch, Gu Tin, Gu Yin of fifth branch. All five sister, oldest being nine and youngest being four went to the mountains behind the village to collect wild vegetables and firewood.
Once they found a good place to collect wild vegetables not very deep in the mountains, after all wild beast live in the mountains.
All four of them spread into four direction leaving the four year old Gu yin in the center, if any wild beast came she will be well protected in the center.
She slowly start gathering shattered branches on the ground as firewood, her small structure and young age made her slow in gathering.
She spent half an hour collecting the firewood after she was done, she gather few flat and clean stone to use as stove.
Then take out five clean bowl out of her basket, then she dug some dirt and use water to create a muddy paste which she apply on the bottom of the bowl.
She made the coating thick so the wooden bowl will not get burnt by the fire, once the mud coating had dried she call for her sister.
They came back and fill their small bowl with wild vegetables while putting a small portion in Gu Yin bowl, she received four small portion from all of them.
Then they all again went back to collect vegetables as for her she stayed their and use water to boil the vegetables in the bowl, after cooking them for some while she call them back.
All of the girls came back and silently start eating whole making sure no one saw them sneaking food, everyday they came to the mountains to collect vegetables but half of their collected one end up in their stomach.
If they they take whatever they collect back at home they will not receive much to eat, but eating here till they are 60% - 70% fill made them happy and how they had survive without dying of starving.
After eating they all fill their bamboo tube with boiled vegetables if they don't receive much to eat at night, they will just eat them secretly.
They also fill two extra tube to give Gu ya and Gu Xiao who are responsible for fetching water from the village well.
Gu family had eleven granddaughters, one had been sold away and two didn't survive leaving them with eight granddaughters in the family.
While their are only five grandson so the boys are treated much better while girls had to do lot of household works, boys only tend to the field and help during harvest.
After eating they all gather firewood once the sun had started setting they immediately went back to their house, as soon as they arrive first they stuff the cooked wild vegetables filled bamboo tides in Gu Xiao and Gu ya hand.
After that they start start doing different work leaving Gu ya, Gu Tin and Gu yin who are too young to help them in cooking and they are five girls and four adults to cooks.
Gu Tin and Gu yin play with Gu ya till late they didn't go to their hut, since madam li their stepmother and wife of fifth branch who is currently eight month pregnant.
Since her pregnancy she had become extremely lazy not moving even an inch, only when it's time to eat will she leave the hut to the main house.
In fact none of the girls are allowed or even needed to go to the hut assigned to each branch, cause all of the girls had one single separate room.
Where all nine of them live, this room is beside woodshed and near pig pen so it's extremely smelly and stuffy during summer time when the smell is even more bad.
The room is not very big, which made everyone living their hurdle together in small, stuffy space. Just few days ago Gu Lian the eldest granddaughter had move out of the room.
One less person in the room made everyone happy, right now Gu Lian is living in the woodshed although it gets cold during winter at least she's not suffocating.
Moreover everyone know she work in other people field to earn some food, she sometime cook those grain to eat and also share with them.
As soon the dinner was ready girls start helping in setting the table in the main room where everyone eat except the granddaughters who eat in kitchen.
It's was grandmother who serve the food determining how much one is supposed to eat, she give her husband an egg, then grandsons, finally one egg was given to fifth daughter-in-law since she pregnant.
Although when she give her an egg her tongue was sharp warning her to give her grandson or else forget about getting food.
After serving them food only few spoon full of grain were left and some wild vegetables, which Gu Lian brought back to the kitchen.
The girls seat on the table waiting for her to bring food, Gu Lian stuff all of the remaining picked vegetables in the grain and mix them.
Then she equally serve them the coarse grain mixed pickled vegetables, then take out their own hidden boiled wild vegetables.
Combining both they were able to fill themselves about 50% - 60% drinking warm water to feel full, they immediately start cleaning the dishes and went back to sleep.
This is their regular routine which they had been following for an year and half.
The idea of eating wild vegetables secretly belong to Gu yin, at first everyone were scared of being catch but after experiencing the feeling being half full everyday made them forget the fear.