The corn had already grown taller than a person. Even with Xiao Weiguo's height of over one meter eighty, once he stepped inside, his shadow vanished entirely.
The dense cornstalks blocked every breath of wind, making it sweltering and stuffy inside. Before long, the two little ones couldn't take it anymore. They sat down under the large willow tree at the edge of the field and refused to get back up.
Even Xiao Weiguo felt dizzy from the heat, and sweat poured off him like rain, soaking his clothes through long ago. He had to stop frequently to catch his breath and wipe the sweat stinging his eyes.
As the weather grew hotter, Xiao Weiguo felt that every single step was an immense struggle. He turned his head, but his younger sister was already out of sight. While each of them was supposed to clear bugs off a row of corn, Xiao Weiguo hadn't even covered half the distance, whereas his sister was already nearing the end of the field.
Xiao Weiguo sighed. Farmers in this era truly had it too hard. Without any mechanical help, everything depended entirely on a pair of hands.
What was even harder was his younger sister, Xiao Shanshan. At just seventeen years old, she was shouldering the heavy burden of supporting the entire family. How much hardship and suffering had those tender, youthful shoulders borne?
No, the younger sister of Xiao Weiguo should not live like this; this was not what she ought to endure. Soon, he would pull her out of this sea of misery so she would never have to suffer such grievances again.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Weiguo rallied his spirits and carefully searched stalk by stalk for the corn borers.
On her way back down the adjacent row, Xiao Shanshan spotted Xiao Weiguo looking unsteady. Although his movements were very slow, he was doing it earnestly, with no sign of slacking off.
"Brother, if you can't take it anymore, go over to the edge of the field and rest with Xiao Jiang and the others." Knowing that her older sister had never done this kind of farm work before, she showed her tender concern.
Xiao Weiguo's back was already drenched in sweat, and the heavy perspiration made his eyes bloodshot. He turned his head and forced a smile at his sister. "I'm fine, I'm not tired."
Looking at her brother, a warm current surged through Xiao Shanshan's heart. Was her brother really different from before?
She parted the cornstalks, stepped forward, and snatched the bottle right out of her brother's hand. "I can finish this little bit of work by myself in no time. You've never farmed before, and if you keep going like this, you'll get heatstroke."
In truth, Xiao Weiguo really was at his limit. The massive loss of fluids left him dizzy and lightheaded. He felt as though he might collapse onto the ground at any second. Without arguing further with his sister, he trudged dejectedly to the edge of the field and sat down in the willow shade with the two little ones.
Xiao Jiang and Xiao Yue were squatting on the ground playing knuckle stones, while Xiao Weiguo sat silently nearby, staring blankly at the vast expanse of cornfields. The family lacked able-bodied workers, and the farmwork relied entirely on Shanshan alone. Things couldn't go on like this; Xiao Weiguo was afraid his sister would be worked to exhaustion sooner or later.
He had to find a way to make more money as soon as possible to rescue his sister from such hardship. This moment only strengthened his resolve to make a fortune.
They went home at noon to eat. Following the custom of country folk, they wouldn't head back to the fields until three or four in the afternoon; otherwise, the midday sun could knock a person out. But by the time Xiao Weiguo, Xiao Jiang, and Xiao Yue woke up, Shanshan had already gone back to the fields alone.
Knowing he wasn't cut out for farmwork, Xiao Weiguo didn't go to the fields to cause extra trouble for his sister. He borrowed a flatbed cart from a neighbor, loaded Xiao Jiang and Xiao Yue onto it, and headed to the township supply and marketing cooperative.
Although he had said he would let his sister control all the money, the sensible Xiao Shanshan had only taken one hundred yuan for daily household expenses, leaving the rest with Xiao Weiguo.
Xiao Weiguo still had about a hundred yuan left. Since he couldn't do much to help his sister, he decided to buy some supplies at the co-op to provision the household.
There was no need to buy vegetables; at this time of year, the garden produce was more than enough. What they needed was rice, flour, grain, and oil. Last time, because of the bicycle's limited load, he could only buy a little of each. This time, since he was pulling a flatbed cart, he simply bought a large bag of each—fifty jin apiece—which would last the family a long time.
He also bought a large chunk of pork belly, five jin of eggs, and various seasonings. Of course, Xiao Weiguo didn't skimp on the snacks the two little ones had set their eyes on, buying plenty of them. Xiao Jiang and Xiao Yue were jumping with joy; for the very first time in their lives, they felt care and affection from their eldest brother.
When they got home, it wasn't dark yet, and Shanshan hadn't returned from the fields.
After unloading everything from the cart, Xiao Weiguo dove straight into the kitchen. Having lived alone for so many years in his past life, his cooking skills had long since reached perfection. Today, he planned to make a batch of braised pork belly. He had eaten it at a state-run restaurant a few days ago, and the flavor had truly left much to be desired.
Seeing their big brother cooking, the two little ones scrambled to help feed the firewood and stoke the flame.
After just one day of effort, their eldest brother's image in their hearts had changed significantly. He was no longer the demon who would beat and scold them at the slightest provocation. A set of clothes and a few treats had completely changed their perspective. Perhaps this was humanity's original nature—always yearning for good things, with children listening more closely to their own hearts.
The three siblings bustled about the kitchen happily.
He cut the pork belly into large chunks, blanched them in water, and let them dry. Then he caramelized sugar, tossed the pork belly back into the wok to coat them in the sugar glaze, and added scallions, ginger, garlic, and star anise to remove the gamey smell and enhance the aroma. He poured in boiling water to submerge the meat, simmered it on low heat, and added soy sauce for color. Tossing in a few boiled eggs, he plastered a ring of large corn flatbreads around the edge of the wok, covered it, and let it simmer on low heat for forty minutes.
Before long, a rich aroma of meat drifted all over the small courtyard.
The two little ones hovered by the stove, drooling with hunger. Their bright, sparkling eyes kept darting toward their eldest brother, hoping dinner would be served sooner.
"Go on, go play in the main room for a bit. We'll eat together when the big sister gets back." Xiao Weiguo chuckled as he tugged the two little ones and shooed them into the main room, afraid they might lift the lid and fish out the meat themselves.
The moment Xiao Shanshan stepped through the gate, she was drawn in by the fragrance wafting from the kitchen. "Brother, what are you making?"
The two little ones rushed out to report to their eldest sister. "Elder Sister, Big Brother made braised pork belly, and it smells so good!"
Xiao Weiguo said with a smile, "Go wash your hands and faces, we're eating right away."
By the time Xiao Shanshan finished washing up, a large basin of braised pork belly—appealing in color, aroma, and taste—was already served on the dining table.
"Shanshan, try your big brother's cooking." Xiao Weiguo handed the chopsticks to his sister, signaling her to take a bite.
Xiao Shanshan reached out, picked up a piece, and popped it into her mouth. The rich, melt-in-your-mouth flavor instantly conquered her taste buds.
Her eyes lit up. It was truly delicious! She never expected her brother to have such culinary skills.
How many years had it been since someone last prepared such a delicious meal for her after a grueling day of labor? In the past, she always had to drag her exhausted body back from the fields to cook dinner for the whole family.
"It smells so good... and it tastes amazing." Xiao Shanshan's eyes grew slightly misted.
Seeing his sister's approval, Xiao Weiguo felt immensely excited. "Eat up, everyone. Braised pork belly doesn't taste as good when it gets cold."
With their eldest brother's permission, the two little ones dug right in, eating bite after sweet bite with immense relish.
After finishing the meal, the siblings cleaned up the table together. Suddenly, someone called from outside the gate.
"Xiao Weiguo, are you home?"
Recognizing Liu Ye's voice, Xiao Weiguo hurried over to open the gate. Hearing the commotion, Xiao Shanshan followed him out. Upon seeing who was outside, she greeted her as well.
"Oh, it's Sister Liu Ye. Are you here for something? Come on inside and sit."
"Shanshan, I'm here to talk to your brother about something. I'll be leaving right away, so I won't go in."
"Is there news about the socks?" Xiao Weiguo didn't stand on ceremony with her and asked straight to the point.
Liu Ye nodded excitedly, her expression full of vigor. "The situation in my dad's factory is just as you predicted. Every worker's family has a bunch of socks piled up at home, and everyone is agonizing over how to get rid of them."