They had only walked about a third of the way, and if they delayed any longer, the sun would set, and they wouldn't be able to do anything today.
Seeing that her face had been scratched by branches several times, leaving red marks on her temples, and her snow-white shoes were covered in mud, Peng Fei dared not disobey her.
"We can't rest. If we don't reach it before dark, we won't be able to set the traps, and there'll be no harvest tomorrow. If you can't walk, don't walk. I'll carry you."
They were walking uphill, steep and difficult. They already had a lot of luggage, and now he had to carry her?
Zhan Jingchun was being an absolute drama queen. She was a villain, wishing for an accident to get rid of this child. She raised an eyebrow and extended her arm.
Fang Fang, who hadn't complained about the hardship or exhaustion and even had to help Zhan Jingchun from time to time, felt sorry for her brother. "Then I'll carry your bag."
"No need. I'll put the bag in front. It's fine."
Fang Fang knew she couldn't persuade her brother, so she quickly went ahead, clearing the path for them with her bare hands.
"Then I'll walk ahead. Sister-in-law, be careful not to get caught by the branches."
Peng Fei's bag was stuffed with pots, bowls, and pans, weighing over twenty catties. He hung it in front of him, and it soon turned his neck red. Carrying a person weighing over eighty catties on his back was truly torture.
Yet, the hand supporting Zhan Jingchun's leg was strong and firm, and every step he took was steady, showing no impatience at all.
Looking at the thin but diligent Fang Fang, and then at him, sweating profusely with veins bulging from exhaustion, Zhan Jingchun felt increasingly unaccomplished.
Their willingness to bear hardship made her see her own shamelessness. Her education, after all, was now condemning her.
After walking for more than ten minutes, she cursed herself for being a bleeding heart while deliberately asking Peng Fei.
"Are you tired?"
"Not tired." Peng Fei even had time to turn back and ask about her.
"Are you tired? Is it pressing on your stomach? Are you uncomfortable? Tell me if you're uncomfortable."
Sigh.
This was truly a person who was hard to describe and even harder to face.
To prevent her bleeding heart from overflowing, Zhan Jingchun simply closed her eyes, refusing to look at them.
She told herself that this was Peng Fei's own doing. He owed her, and he deserved to be tormented.
She felt uncomfortable every day, so it was only right that he should be unhappy too.
The three of them moved forward in silence. Swaying on his broad shoulders, Zhan Jingchun gradually began to feel sleepy again.
Just as she was dozing off, she suddenly heard a scream, followed by a clatter. Peng Fei stopped.
"Fang Fang!"
Zhan Jingchun opened her eyes. Fang Fang was nowhere to be seen.
Peng Fei looked back at her, his face full of anxiety. "You get down and stand for a bit. Fang Fang fell. I'm going to get her!"
Fell? Fell where?
Zhan Jingchun quickly slid off his back.
Peng Fei untied the bag from his chest, threw it on the ground, and ran a few steps forward through the fallen leaves.
Spotting a large pit covered with fallen leaves, he didn't hesitate for a second and dove down.
"Fang Fang, are you alright? Give me your hand! I'll pull you up!"
After a struggle between the siblings, Fang Fang was pulled out by him.
Because she fell without any warning, she was injured.
Her face, arms, and legs were all scratched by dead branches, and many places were bleeding, looking shocking.
Zhan Jingchun was terrified. Regardless of whether they were enemies, she rushed forward to check on her.
"No fractures, right? Where does it hurt? Let me see."
"The injuries are quite serious. Do you have any band-aids?"
Fang Fang moved her limbs. Apart from the scratches, there were no major issues, and she smiled indifferently.
"It's fine, no fractures, I can still move. See?"
"What are band-aids? No need, they'll dry up in a while."
Zhan Jingchun: "..."
Her body was fine, but she was a girl. If such a long scratch on her face left a scar, it wouldn't be good.
"No, your face needs to be treated quickly..."
She stopped midway, assuming they wouldn't have any high-tech medicine, and held back.
Although she hadn't finished speaking, the genuine concern and care she had shown were seen by the siblings.
Peng Fei felt a little happy and a little touched.
He knew Zhan Jingchun was a good person. Although she usually didn't give him a good look, she didn't do it on purpose.
She just wasn't used to it. As long as he treated her well, she would eventually be moved and willing to stay.
"It's okay, we're mountain folk. Bumps and bruises are normal. It'll be fine in a couple of days. Let's go."
"Fang Fang, look carefully before you walk next time, don't fall again. Here, I'll carry you."
The three of them took three hours and finally reached their destination before sunset.
No wonder they insisted on walking so far; there was an old wooden house left behind in the mountains.
Fang Fang stayed to clean the house and set up the pots and pans, while Peng Fei went out to set traps.
Zhan Jingchun had nothing to do and didn't know how to do anything, so she leaned against the doorway, lost in thought.
She had loved art since she was a child and majored in fine arts in college. She loved to paint.
Her parents supported her entrepreneurial endeavors, saying they would give her a starting fund after graduation so she could open her own studio.
If nothing had happened, she probably would be now...
At this moment, the sun was setting, the mountains were layered, the trees were lush, and flocks of birds flew past the setting sun. Looking at them for a long time, she missed her paintbrush.
"Fang Fang."
"Yes, Sister-in-law."
"Do you have paper and a pen?"
"I brought a notebook and a ballpoint pen. What's up?"
"Lend them to me."
She sat by the door, painting. Fang Fang would run over to watch her from time to time, her admiration for her reaching a new peak.
"It's so beautiful! You're so good at painting! Sister-in-law, I didn't expect you to be a painter!"
Zhan Jingchun wanted to say, "There's a lot you don't know," but she didn't.
"Do you like it? If you like it, I'll give it to you."
Fang Fang was overjoyed. "Really? Thank you, Sister-in-law!"
Seeing how happy she was over such a small thing, Zhan Jingchun was moved again.
She looked at Fang Fang's scabbed face. "Do you want a sketch?"
"What's a sketch?"
"I'll draw your portrait."
Fang Fang had never had her picture taken in her life, and she immediately became shy.
"Can I? Are you tired?"
"Sit down, I'm not tired."
When Peng Fei returned, Zhan Jingchun had just finished painting. He saw the two of them painting from behind and stood at the doorway without entering.
Only after Fang Fang took the painting did he go to look.
Upon seeing it, he felt inferior again.
His wife could even paint? And so well, so vividly, that he could even see the dust on Fang Fang's face.
He didn't know what to say, so he could only lower his head to find something to do, setting up the pot and heating the steamed buns.
A sliver of the sunset remained, blood-red and romantic.
Zhan Jingchun sat in front of the sunset, looking at him busy, silent, and inferior. She quietly drew a picture for him too.
For dinner, the siblings ate steamed bun slices, while Zhan Jingchun ate the last bit of chicken soup noodles.
She didn't want to eat. Seeing that the steamed bun slices were roasted to a fragrant crisp, she wanted to give the noodles to Fang Fang, but Fang Fang refused.
"The chicken is yours. I won't eat it. If you don't want to eat it now, save it for tomorrow."
Only then did Zhan Jingchun realize that after so long, Fang Fang and Peng Fei had never eaten any meat, while she had eaten so much.