If it were anyone else, Jiang Bin would never have made such an outrageous guess.
But this little girl in front of him had already given them too many impossibilities.
Unable to guess the outcome, Jiang Bin stopped thinking, took back his phone, and scooped up the little girl.
A girl of four or five years old was already growing taller, but she was still very light and acted so well-behaved and soft when held quietly.
"Sheng Sheng baby, Jiang Gege will take you to see other brothers and sisters playing games, okay~"
"Yay yay!"
Jian Sheng's spirits immediately lifted.
Her mommy was less than a mile away, and she would see her mommy when they went back at night!
Moreover, Uncle Hu had now relaxed his restrictions on her, allowing her to go play games with other guests nearby!
Was there anything happier than this?
If there was, it would be letting her play by herself!
Carried by Jiang Bin to where the other guests were gathered, Jian Sheng jumped down from his embrace and excitedly ran over.
They had agreed to come here to have fun, and she also wanted to understand for herself how the current era differed from twenty years ago. Of course, she needed to have some sense of participation!
In twenty years, this world was no longer what she knew.
Her understanding and knowledge were merely a glimpse through a crack in the door from her memories in this life.
This was a small courtyard with strong rural characteristics, facing south, with two rows of brick houses to the northwest. The south and east sides were separated by a gate and a wall, enclosing a courtyard of over a hundred square meters.
Jian Xiuhuan and the other four were gathered in this large courtyard, looking like they had just arrived.
A plain-clothed aunt was talking to them.
When Jian Sheng ran over, she happened to hear the aunt pointing at several sacks on the ground and saying:
"These sacks contain vegetables like potatoes, radishes, and cabbage. Tomorrow, someone in the neighboring village is having a celebration, and these need to be washed and sent over."
"And these are the firewood next to them. This is what we've saved for our own use in winter. Please help us chop it."
"You are all good children. Auntie really thanks you so much!"
The aunt wiped her hands repeatedly on her apron, then held the hand of Ke Xuan, who looked older, and shook it profusely in thanks.
Ke Xuan repeatedly said it was no trouble, smiling until his face was almost stiff.
At this moment, the group also saw Jiang Bin and Jian Sheng arriving.
The aunt's eyes lit up, she directly let go of Ke Xuan's hand, and ran back to the living room.
In no time, the aunt came out with a large fruit plate, grabbed the candies, melon seeds, peanuts, and tangerines inside, and stuffed them into Jian Sheng's arms.
Jian Sheng, caught off guard, was stuffed so full that she looked on blankly as the aunt continued to pile fruits and snacks into her arms.
"Oh my, this child is so pretty. You came with the other children, right? Eat these snacks as you please. If you finish them, Auntie still has more."
— Hahahaha, Sheng Bao looks dumbfounded.
— Looking at this scene, why am I not surprised at all?
— Lol, no need to discuss, everyone sit down. Which strange auntie’s heart can Sheng Bao not capture?
— As expected, Director Hu had the most foresight. If Sheng Bao were allowed to participate, this variety show should be renamed Sheng Bao's Group Favorite Face-Showing Daily Life.
Seeing the situation here, the others were both amused and exasperated.
However, they also knew how devastating Sheng Sheng was to women of this age who had an abundance of maternal love.
Ke Xuan pulled over a small stool.
"Teacher Jiang and Sheng Sheng are here to check on our task progress, right? Sheng Sheng, you sit here and eat something first. We'll play with you after we finish!"
Jian Sheng placed the snacks in her hands on the small stool and watched them work with curiosity.
They tacitly continued the groupings from the morning. Jian Xiuhuan and Yao Yaoyao were peeling potatoes, Xiao Yufeng was tidying and cleaning cabbage by himself, and Ke Xuan and Zhu Danni were sawing wood together.
Jian Sheng looked left and right, and finally stopped at Ke Xuan and Zhu Danni.
The saw they were using for sawing wood was the wooden hand saw Jian Sheng had seen before, with a square frame around it and a long toothed blade underneath.
The two of them had a log over two meters long and nearly twenty centimeters in diameter propped up on two wooden stakes. Ke Xuan stood on the wood, and the two of them, one at each end, pulled the saw back and forth.
Around the wood, several shorter logs, about a foot long, were placed. They were likely already sawn by the aunt.
She didn't know how much Director Hu had restricted her participation in this game. Was it that she couldn't use her advantage as a child to gather information from others, or was it that she wasn't even allowed to help directly?
She should ask Uncle Hu when she had the chance.
Hu Guangxu, whom Jian Sheng was thinking about, was currently heading back to the village.
Going to the county town for an extra meal was impossible. He had to keep an eye on the little girl's movements at all times.
Setting aside the matter of who leaked the information that he still needed to investigate, given the little girl's ability to cause big disturbances at any moment and make his heart work overtime, he had to go back and guard her strictly.
He was getting old, and his heart couldn't take such frequent scares.
Dongle Village, in a farmhouse courtyard.
Jian Sheng was picking at candies in her hand, occasionally feeding the brothers and sisters who were busy working, her eyes darting around to see if there was anything she could help with.
Feeling too much like an observer would always make her feel like she was just freeloading.
Not helping would also be ungrateful for the aunt's enthusiastic hospitality towards her!
With Jian Xiuhuan and Yao Yaoyao both there, the potatoes were peeled quickly and placed in a basin of water. Xiao Yufeng's cabbage was also almost washed.
Jian Xiuhuan said, "Yaoyao, could you please finish washing the remaining vegetables? Shall Xiao Yu and I go help Brother Xuan saw wood and chop firewood?"
Yao Yaoyao glanced at him, said nothing, but silently pulled the remaining bags of vegetables towards herself.
Jian Sheng used a wet towel to wipe the sweat from Zhu Danni and Ke Xuan's brows, then looked at them pleadingly.
"Uncle Ke, you are so tired. Sheng Sheng will help you~"
She had just gone to Jian Xiuhuan and said she wanted to help, but he had directly chased her away.
The reason was that he was worried she might cut her hand with the peeler.
It was the same with Xiao Yufeng, but he had to trim the tough parts of the cabbage with a knife, which was even less likely to be allowed for a four or five-year-old girl.
After wandering around and being rebuffed, the little girl dejectedly returned to Ke Xuan and Zhu Danni.
When Ke Xuan heard the little girl's words, he naturally refused without thinking.
However, looking at the little girl's pouting mouth and pitiful little eyes, Ke Xuan couldn't bear to waste her good intentions.
"If Sheng Sheng wants to help, then help me push all the sawn wood together. You don't have the strength to lift them, just push the logs until they roll together."
Jian Sheng glanced at the short logs, which were nearly twenty centimeters thick.
She didn't have the strength?