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墨書 Inktalez
Sorry for the late update today; I hope those following the story can forgive me!
"Um..." With a startled exclamation from Liu Qingxi, a sound of someone turning over was heard.
The siblings jumped in surprise, fearing they might wake others, and remained still for a long time.
This cave housed a large family, with several makeshift beds scattered around, so any little movement could be heard by the others. Fortunately, the siblings were positioned near the entrance of the cave.
This was because the entrance allowed the wind to blow in, making it colder, and no one wanted to stay in that spot. Eventually, it was assigned to the siblings by the Wang family.
It was precisely because they were closer to the cave's edge that Liu Qingxi's earlier noise didn't attract much attention; only two people instinctively turned over before falling back into deep sleep.
As the inside gradually quieted down, Liu Qingxi forced herself to sit up and, together with Liu Qingyan, they quietly left the cave.
The ancient night sky was clear and pristine, with fresh air enveloping them. The moon hung high, adding a serene charm to the night.
However, Liu Qingxi had no mood to appreciate the scenery; she was very hungry. Her stomach ached with sharp pangs, as if being pricked by needles. She desperately needed something to eat.
Though life had been tough since childhood, she had never experienced such hunger before.
Liu Qingyan followed closely behind Liu Qingxi as they tiptoed forward. It wasn't until they were some distance away from the cave that they finally felt brave enough to relax.
Meanwhile, their departure went unnoticed by everyone else inside the cave.
It was just the beginning of summer, and various plants and animals were abundant. At this moment, Liu Qingxi couldn't help but feel relieved that it wasn't winter anymore, allowing for a bit of self-deprecating humor amidst the hardships.
"Xiao Yan, where are the woods?" Liu Qingxi was unfamiliar with the nearby terrain.
"I know! Follow me, sister!" Liu Qingyan was quite familiar with this area. After fleeing to this place, he had often accompanied his family to search for food.
However, people in this era were not well-off; anything edible had already been mostly dug up by everyone.
Thus, every day the Liu Family sent everyone up the mountain to look for food, but their efforts yielded little, barely allowing them to maintain two bowls of thin porridge a day.
With food already scarce, Wang wished to reserve more for her own children. After all, no one was looking out for Liu Qingxi and Liu Qingyan; she had grown accustomed to mistreating the siblings, so it was normal for her not to let them eat.
At this moment, Liu Qingxi was the pillar of support for Liu Qingyan as he led her forward, stepping carefully.
"Sister, what are we going to do?" After walking for about fifteen minutes without any sign of stopping, Liu Qingxi began to wonder.
"We're going to find something to eat!" Liu Qingxi encouraged him while patting the boy's thin shoulder.
Liu Qingyan widened his eyes in surprise. "Sister, can we really find anything? Others have already taken everything edible!" He had gone out with his family many times before and returned empty-handed each time, leading everyone to see him as a burden and unwilling to take him along anymore.
"We will! I'm sure we can find something to eat!" Since ancient times, resources on the mountains have been abundant. Even modern developed mountains are home to many unknown species; how much more so in ancient times?
At the same time, Liu Qingxi didn't believe her luck could be that bad—having just crossed over to this backward place only to meet her end again would be too unfortunate.
Although she had her doubts, Liu Qingyan kept them to himself and continued leading Liu Qingxi deeper into the woods.
The sky indicated that it had not been long since nightfall, and the lights in the distant village gradually faded away.
Liu Qingxi knew that everyone must have gone to sleep. Regardless of whether she had seen it with her own eyes, her modern knowledge told her that lighting oil was quite expensive in this era.
So as soon as it got dark, everyone went to bed, not wanting to waste oil unnecessarily.
In the dark forest, only scattered moonlight filtered through, adding an inexplicable sense of eeriness. However, at this moment, Liu Qingxi was too preoccupied to care about such things.
She was unusually bold, holding Liu Qingyan's hand as they groped through the darkness.
If it weren't for the chirping of cicadas and birds, the silence of the night could have frightened anyone.
"I got it!" The voice in her ear made Liu Qingxi's eyes light up. "Xiao Yan, I figured out what we can eat!" She laughed joyfully.
If someone happened to pass by at that moment and heard her laughter mingled with the whistling wind, they would surely feel a chill run down their spine.
"What are we eating? What are we eating?" The thought of food made Liu Qingyan drool as she eagerly looked at Liu Qingxi.
"Follow me!" Liu Qingxi slapped her forehead; it was such a simple matter. After all, it was summer! What is most abundant in summer? Just from hearing the cicadas earlier, she knew there were plenty around!
Cicadas were a great find; those that hadn't molted could be eaten and were considered one of the delicacies praised by many in modern times due to their high protein content and delicious flavor when cooked.
However, cicada is a scientific term; different places have different names for them. In Liu Qingxi's area, people referred to molted cicadas as Cicada and unmolted ones as Cicada.
She remembered that during her childhood, there would be many Cicada on the trees around her house every summer. Back then, children would take flashlights and carry plastic or glass bottles filled with water to go out and catch Cicada as soon as dusk fell.
When Liu Qingxi was about six years old, just beginning to remember things, she would go out with her friends to catch cicadas and sell them to the local shop for a dime for three or four. Each night, the cicadas they caught could be sold for over a dollar, which was a fortune for children at that time.
However, the adults would take the money they earned, claiming it was for safekeeping.
Later, due to family changes, only she and her grandmother were left at home, and life became increasingly difficult.
As people continued to catch cicadas, they became scarcer and more expensive, making them harder to catch. Liu Qingxi still went out on summer nights when school was out.
Yet, she no longer experienced the joy of outsmarting adults or secretly saving her earnings. Every time she sold cicadas, even if it was just a few dimes, she would willingly hand the money over to her grandmother for safekeeping.
At such a young age, she had never enjoyed the comfort of being pampered by her parents. Understanding the burdens of life early on, she began working hard on her own from high school until she graduated with a master's degree.
The past was behind her; what mattered now was securing enough to eat.
Although it felt like returning to a time before liberation, Liu Qingxi was confident she could move forward, step by step, creating a bright future with her own hands.
Liu Qingyan had no idea that her sister had changed so much and was unaware of the turmoil in Liu Qingxi's heart; his attention was entirely focused on what Liu Qingxi said about food.
In front of them was a small grove. Liu Qingxi walked over and leaned in closely under the moonlight to see if there were any cicadas on the trees.
Suddenly, Liu Qingxi exclaimed, "Ha! Found one! Come quickly!" She reached out to grab it and felt the familiar sensation of cicada claws tickling her palm; she knew she hadn't made a mistake.
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