Chapter 39: Chapter 39 Sister, Do You Hate Me? Chapter 39: Chapter 39 Sister, Do You Hate Me? When they reached the grain drying ground at the entrance of the village, many people had already brought their stools, and the vast ground was nearly half-filled with people.
This drying ground was a communal space for drying grain. Here, the main crops were corn and rice, so the villagers pooled their money to lay a concrete drying ground, greatly facilitating the drying process. Using the mats woven by Bai Dan significantly sped up the cleanup afterward.
Moreover, Bai Dan himself was well-liked. He was always willing to help anyone who asked, so when they saw him leading Bai Zhi to sit in the front, they made space for them quickly.
“Xingxing, did you rip your seams?”
The speaker was Aunt Niu, the queen of gossip in the village. Spotting Xingxing, she blurted out her comment loudly, turning an easily observable fact into a public announcement.
“Yes, Aunt Niu, it’s all fixed up.”
Bai Zhi replied obediently, providing a stark contrast to Aunt Niu’s boisterous declaration.
“I’ve never seen you come to a movie before. Why did you come today? And where are Bai Yu and Bai Ye? I haven’t seen them either today.”
Aunt Niu, munching on sunflower seeds, kept spitting the shells onto the ground. Bai Zhi discreetly moved a bit to the side. Aunt Niu really was too casual about manners.
“I was busy before, Aunt Niu. Whenever there was a movie showing, I was either washing dishes, feeding the pigs, or doing laundry. By the time I finished my chores, the movie had ended, so I never came over.”
A flash passed through Bai Zhi’s eyes – she hadn’t expected anyone to realize she never used to watch the movies. It wasn’t because she hadn’t finished her tasks, but because she simply didn’t know about them.
The original owner’s life was a never-ending cycle of chores: either up the mountain to cut pig grass or working at home. How could she possibly know when movies were being shown?
Her response was a subtle vindication for the original owner, insisting that she wasn’t petty or too timid to socialize – she was just too busy, nothing more.
As for why she was so busy, well, that was left to others’ imagination!
“So, why aren’t you busy now? Have you stopped doing chores?”
Aunt Niu was forthright, blurting out whatever came to mind. Naturally, she had to ask, “Weren’t people saying you were too shy and reluctant to meet others?”
This last bit came to Aunt Niu’s mind suddenly. Every time she asked Bai Yu and the others, they would say.
“Bai Zhi stays at home. She doesn’t like to come out and play; she feels there are too many people and gets scared.”
Scared my foot! Could a timid person climb mountains, trees, and streams all by herself? Who are they kidding?
Bai Zhi really had a hundred swear words ready to spill out. She kept telling herself internally to stay calm, to remain cool-headed.
She blinked her innocent, wide eyes as if she was utterly baffled by Aunt Niu’s words.
“Aunt Niu, what is there to be afraid of? Everyone is so nice; how could I be scared? Now I’m staying with my grandparents, and Grandpa always helps me with chores, so I’m free to watch movies nowadays.”
Bai Zhi still managed to respond sweetly, appearing slightly confused by Aunt Niu’s remarks but nevertheless obedient and endearing.
Who doesn’t like a well-behaved child, especially one who answers every question so truthfully?
“Xingxing, Grandpa bought you some sunflower seeds. Do you want to crack some?”
There was an old lady in the village who grew sunflower seeds to sell. They were roasted and brought to market on fair days. Available in five-spice and Sichuan pepper flavors, they were increasingly delicious the more you ate. During movie nights in the village, they were a popular purchase—only twenty cents a bag, it lasted quite some time.
Bai Zhi accepted them and slowly began cracking them open; the flavor was indeed great—these were pure, natural, organic sunflower seeds.
The movie was black and white and not very large screen-wise. It was about fighting floods, and everyone watched intently, moved by the characters on the screen risking everything to save others. So many people were moved to tears. Even Bai Zhi, knowing it was all fiction, couldn’t help but cry.
The movies of the time weren’t just the inventions of scriptwriters; they were based on real events. How could one not be moved?
The movie ended and everyone started to clean up, picking up chairs and sweeping the floor. It was at this point that the three siblings hurried over.
Bai Ye arrived the fastest, but upon seeing that the cleanup had already begun, he hung his head, feeling aggrieved and sad.
Xixi and Bai Yu arrived too, and they also felt upset upon seeing the progress.
“Brother, Sister had finished, and we’ve arrived late.”
At this thought, Bai Ye felt angry. They had been too busy, and even after dinner, there was still cleanup. Even though he and his brother had divided the tasks, one washing dishes and the other feeding the pigs, it still took a lot of time. Just preparing the pig food was time-consuming, not to mention washing dishes.
“It’s okay, Brother, we’ll just come earlier next time.”
Xixi walked over to Bai Ye, tugged at his hand, and sweetly comforted him.
“It’s all Bai Zhi’s fault. If she hadn’t taken off and shirked her chores, we wouldn’t have been late.”
At times like this, he especially despised Bai Zhi. It was clearly her household duties, but now she had it easy, following Grandpa around and indulging in the good food and life, completely ignoring the household work.
“Pfft…”
Bai Zhi, who was cleaning up nearby, let out a cold laugh and came out, broom in hand.
A few other village children followed behind her. It was always the children’s job to clean, so at this moment, several other kids were there too. Hearing Bai Ye’s words, they laughed along.
How could Bai Zhi have shirked her chores? They weren’t even part of the same household, okay?
Bai Dan and Bai Da had split the family, so they were separate households. Now that Bai Zhi was with Bai Dan, naturally, they were also separate, and it wasn’t heard of to go do chores in someone else’s home.
And yet, Bai Yu and Bai Ye disdained to play with the village children, because, well, they said that Xixi didn’t look like a village child,
But which family’s children didn’t help out at home after school, even working in the fields? They acted so precious!
“Bai Zhi. What are you doing here!”
Seeing Bai Zhi, Bai Ye grew even angrier, widening his eyes as if the larger the eyes, the stronger the argument.
“Sister, did you come to watch the movie too? Was it good?”
The little Princess looked at Bai Zhi with surprise twinkling in her eyes and quickly ran up to grab Bai Zhi’s hand, excitedly asking as if she were a little sister clinging to her older sibling.
But at that moment, the group pet was dressed in a red skirt with pretty silk flowers tied in her hair, looking every bit the city’s little princess, while Bai Zhi…
Even in new clothes, which were a bit too big and somewhat ill-fitting, the two didn’t seem like sisters at all, did they?
Bai Zhi stepped back, distancing herself from the group pet, whose eyes flashed with hurt. Incredulously, she looked at Bai Zhi.
“Sister, do you dislike me? Why?”
The corners of Bai Zhi’s mouth turned up in an almost mocking smile as she looked at the group pet, though the dim light from the grain drying ground made it unclear if the group pet could see it.
She responded indifferently,
“What do you think?”