Auntie Li sat at home, feeling too restless to sit still. Worrying that Fang Yi was plowing the fields under the blazing sun, she asked Fang Mei to take some food and water to Xigua Ridge.
Fang Mei put on a small straw hat, placed the food and water in a small bamboo basket, and carefully carried it as she hurried toward Xigua Ridge. When she learned from her mother that Fang Yi had been expelled from school and had suddenly returned home, she was deeply shocked and saddened, yet had no idea how to help. Right now, she was especially worried that Fang Yi would exhaust himself while working in such a depressed mood, so she quickly picked up her pace.
However, when she arrived at Xigua Ridge, Fang Mei did not see Fang Yi or the old ox. She called out several times, but no one answered, leaving her with no choice but to put down the small bamboo basket and search for them. Standing on a grassy slope and looking around, the scene below made her feel as though she were suffocating.
Chapter 26