Chapter 2: Falling into the Water

ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ

Early the next morning, Li Qingling woke up on time, as she just left up the quilt, Li Qingfeng also woke up, sat up in daze, rubbed his eyes and called her sister.

Her heart softened, Li Qingling reached out, hugged him down, and led him to the kitchen.

"Are you up?" Zhao Shi had just washed the mushrooms, and when she saw her daughter and son had woken up, she quickly poured a basin of water, "Come and wash your face!"

"Mother, leave it alone, I'll do it..."

Li Qingling pulled Zhao shi up and let her sit on the stool. She picked up the mushrooms and poured it into the pot of boiling water, added salt, and covered the lid before going to wash her face.

Zhao shi made the fire a little more vigorous, frowned, and said after thinking for a moment, "Xiao Ling, don't talk about this hairy nest, it won't be good for our family."

Li Qingling put down the cloth and whispered, "I know, I told my brother yesterday too."

Now that she has assumed this body, she has to take this responsibility and try her best to keep the family from starving, and the mushrooms on the mountain are now their only food, so she has to be selfish.

Zhao shi looked sideways at Li Qingling, feeling that her daughter had changed a lot after she woke up from the injury. Li Qingling felt Zhao shi' inquiring eyes on her, but she did not panic. In the past, Xiao Li Qingling had a stupid mouth and would only bury her head and work hard. But she bumped her head and died once, so it was understandable that she would change.

After a while, Zhao Shi also seemed to think of this, choked up and said, "It's mother's fault, I made you suffer." She turned her head, afraid that they would see the tears in her eyes.

When the family split, if she could be tougher, she might be able to get a little more food as share. In this way, her daughter would not have to beg for a little food.

Li Qingling helped Li Qingfeng washing his face, shook her head and said, "It will get better." This was said to Zhao shi and to herself. Only when she thinks this way can she have the courage to go on.

Zhao Shi quietly wiped away the tears from her eyes and hummed. At this time, the mushrooms were also fragrant. She lifted the lid and filled three bowls, one for each person.

After the three of them finished eating, she filled another bowl, covered it with a bowl, and handed it to Li Qingling, "Take it to Zhimo, we can't forget the kindness he has done to our family."

Li Qingling nodded and took the bowl. Liu Zhimo's family didn't have much rice but he still bring some to her family, and she couldn't be an ungrateful person.

"Mother, I'll go too."

"Go!" Zhao Shi smiled and patted her son's head.

Li Qingfeng cheered and was the first to run out. After he was full, he finally became a little lively as a child.

Running to the door of Liu Zhimo's house, he patted the courtyard door, "Big brother Zhimo, open the door."

Not long after, the door opened, and a head stuck out, it was Liu Zhiyan, Liu Zhimo's younger brother.

"Qingfeng, my brother has gone to the field, he is not at home."

"Zhiyan, my big sister brought you..."

Li Qingfeng's excited words were interrupted by Li Qingling's voice, "Let's go in and talk about it!" Although their home was a little far from the village, she was afraid of being heard by passers-by.

She walked in, closed the courtyard door, and looked at it. Liu Zhimo's house was a mud-brick house, much better than hers' thatched hut.

Speaking of which, Liu Zhimo's family is not a local. His parents came to Niutou Village thirteen years ago and settled down. Over the years, Father Liu had the best relationship with her father. When he and his wife contracted the plague, he asked her father to let her marry Liu Zhimo. He also asked her father to take care of his three children.

Unexpectedly, her father also died of the plague, and the three of them were driven out. As a result, not only did they fail to take care of Liu Zhimo's family, but in turn they were taken care of by Liu Zhimo.

Liu Zhiyan glanced at the bowl Li Qingling was holding, and sniffed, "Big sister Qingling, you...what are you holding?"

Before Li Qingling could speak, Li Qingfeng couldn't wait to say it, "It's the hairy nest that my sister picked up on the mountain, and it's delicious." After speaking, he took down the bowl on top, "We've all eaten it. You won't die after eating it."

"Really?" Liu Zhiyan swallowed a few saliva as he smelled the aroma of mushrooms.

Since his parents fell ill and they spent all the money in the family, he has never eaten anything delicious, it has been brown rice porridge every day.

Li Qingling hummed, took the mushrooms into the room and put it on the table, "This is an edible hairy nest, it won't kill people, don't worry."

"Second... Brother..." A thin voice came from the room.

"Coming..." Liu Zhiyan quickly ran into the room and carried his younger sister out, Li Qingling reached out and took her, asking him to eat.

He raised his head and glanced at Li Qingling, then lowered his head again, looking at the shoes with his toes exposed, and hesitantly said, "I want to wait for my big brother to come back before eating."

She knew that since the death of Liu's father and mother, their family had not been very good, but even so, it was really not easy to think about his brother under the temptation of eating.

"There is more at home, this is for you, eat it quickly!" She touched his head and said with a smile.

After listening to her words, Liu Zhiyan's eyes lit up a bit. Now he doesn't have to worry about anything, he buried his head and started to eat.

Seeing that there was something to eat, Liu Zhirou's saliva flowed down from the corner of her mouth and pointed at Liu Zhiyan, "Eat...eat..."

"Younger sister eats it too." Liu Zhiyan took a mushroom and stood up and handed it to Liu Zhirou.

Li Qingling quickly stopped her. Liu Zhirou was only over two years old. She was afraid that she would choke on such a large mushroom, so she turned around and asked Li Qingfeng to fetch a knife, chop it up a little, and feed it to her.

Liu Zhirou kept reaching for the bowl on the table, and in a hurry she kept saying eat...eat...

"Wait, it's alright." Li Qingling scooped a little with a spoon, and then fed it into Liu Zhirou's open mouth after blowing it cold.

After eating a few mouthfuls in a hurry, Liu Zhirou's mouth opening slowed down. She patted her small palms, and smiled with her eyebrows curved, "It's good... eat..." She reached out and pushed the spoon, signaling Li Qingling to eat too.

Li Qingling pretended to eat it and fed the mushrooms back to her mouth, she laughed even more happily.

Li Qingfeng watched from the side, swallowing continuously, and asked Liu Zhiyan if it was delicious? Is it fragrant?

Liu Zhiyan nodded straight, looked up at Li Qingfeng, and gave him a piece, but Li Qingfeng shook his head, saying that he had eaten and can't eat any more.

Li Qingling felt sour and relieved when she saw it, for such a sensible younger brother, no matter how difficult it is, she will work hard to find a way to survive.

When Liu Zhiyan and Liu Zhirou finished eating, she told them not to talk about it, and when they all nodded, she took Li Qingfeng home with confidence.

Seeing that Zhao shi was carrying a hoe and was about to go to the field, Li Qingling quickly pushed Li Qingfeng and asked him to go with Zhao shi to help with some work.

Without his father, as the only man in the family, he must know what he should know, so that he can support his family in the future.

Li Qingfeng patted his little chest, "Big sister, don't worry, I won't let mother get tired."

"Good boy..." She patted his head gently, then looked at Zhao shi again, "Mother, I'll find you after I go to the mountain to pick up the hair nest and come back."

"No, no, take a rest when you come back, don't be tired, the work in the fields is not difficult for mother." Zhao Shi waved her hand violently, she was afraid that her daughter's health would not be in good shape, and if she got tired again, what would she do?

Li Qingling smiled, but did not listen to her words, bowed her head and told Li Qingfeng a few more words, and went up the mountain with the basket on her back.

This time, she only concentrated on picking up mushrooms, and she quickly filled up a basket. When she got home, she didn't care about resting, and rushed to the fields again. She wanted to lighten Zhao shi burden so that she could rest.

By searching and following her memories, she walked to her own field, and when she saw Zhao shi, just as she called out mother.

 Er Gouzi in the village ran and shouted out to them, "It's not good, Aunt Zhao, Qingfeng has fallen into the river."

Zhao Shi stumbled and almost fell. Li Qingling was frightened when she saw her, "Mother, don't worry, I'll go take a look first." Then she asked Er Gouzi, who was stooping and panting, and said, "Gouzi, please help me support my mother, she is pregnant with a child and can't be in a hurry."

Seeing Er Gouzi nodding, Li Qingling ran away. If something happened to Qingfeng, her weak mother probably won't be able to live anymore. She can't let this happen.

When she ran to the river, there were already a bunch of people around, all saying, it's too late, he is out of breath.

Her heart sank, pushed the crowd aside, and saw Li Qingfeng lying on the ground, wet and pale, her eyes instantly turned red.

"Hey, Qingling is here?" Someone called out.

Li Qingling pinched her palm fiercely, calming herself down, ignoring those pitying eyes, she quickly knelt down beside Li Qingfeng, and began to help him do artificial respiration according to the techniques she had learned in her previous life.

Hopefully it's not too late.

"What is Qingling doing? Did she gone mad from fright?" The villagers saw that Li Qingling was pressing Li Qingfeng's chest again, and blowing into his mouth using her mouth again and again. Immediately, there was a lot of discussion.

Holding her stomach, Zhao shi walked quickly. When she saw the villagers in a circle, she became even more anxious. Er Gouzi trotted to follow her footsteps, "Aunt Zhao, please slow down."

When the villagers saw her coming, they all moved out of the way, and asked her to take care of herself and not be too sad.

Zhao Shi's heart skipped a beat, and when she saw the lifeless Qingfeng lying on the ground, she screamed, "My son!"

She fell headfirst, but fortunately the villagers picked her up quickly so she didn't fall to the ground.

Li Qingling couldn't care about the fainted Zhao shi, she continued to help Li Qingfeng with artificial respiration. She didn't know how long she had been doing this, but she felt that she was about to be deprived of oxygen, and Li Qingfeng was still motionless.

"Girl, stop tossing, take Qingfeng back and prepare for the funeral!" Grandmother Wuzu, the oldest grandmother in the village, whom even the village chief respects, called Li Qingling with red eyes.

Is it really too late?

She pinched Li Qingfeng's nose and reluctantly blew into his mouth again, but tears flowed down her chin and into Li Qingfeng's mouth.

Soon she heard a cough, and saw Li Qingfeng moving.

She rejoiced, turned Li Qingfeng over and pressed her knees against his stomach.

With a 'wowo', Li Qingfeng spit out a lot of water. After a while, he grabbed Li Qingling's sleeve and called big sister.

"Alive, alive, saved." The villagers sighed.

Li Qingling's face was cold, and slapped Li Qingfeng, "How many times have I told you, don't play by the river, you just don't listen." Turning his head, she pointed at the still unconscious Zhao Shi, "You want mother to die before you can listen, right?"