Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire
Chapter 446 - Chapter 446 Qian Xiaoxiao Extra Story

Chapter 446: Qian Xiaoxiao Extra Story Chapter 446: Qian Xiaoxiao Extra Story Qian Xiaoxiao shot two birds, used her own little knife to gut and clean them, then started a fire to roast them. Just as they were ready to eat, a lazy man from the village came over, offering two pieces of candy from his hand in exchange for her roasted birds.

Candy was a rare treat in the countryside, so Qian Xiaoxiao agreed instantly, “Okay, two candies for one bird.”

The Second Rascal snatched a bird and devoured it greedily. After finishing, he still wanted to eat the other one and tried to grab it when Xiaoxiao refused to give it.

Qian Xiaoxiao was not one to take things lying down. She used a clever move to throw him to the ground, then reached out for the candy. Seeing that the Second Rascal wouldn’t give it up, she whipped him with the stick that Master Qian had given her. In pain, the Second Rascal bared his teeth and finally handed over the candy.

Qian Xiaoxiao snorted coldly, “If you had given it to me earlier, you wouldn’t have been beaten.”

After taking the candy, she unwrapped one only to find a small stone inside. Damn it, even cheating a child.

She furiously threw the candy wrapper and the small stone onto the ground, picked up the stick, and chased after the Second Rascal, beating him until he howled in pain before she stopped, “If you dare to cheat again, I’ll beat you again.”

After finishing the remaining bird, Qian Xiaoxiao finally carried a basket of pig grass taller than herself back to the production team to report her work.

Such a big basket of pig grass was worth two work points, and Qian Xiaoxiao could gather three baskets a day, earning six work points. Normally, that was enough for a young girl to eat, but her appetite was almost like an adult’s. And now the food was distributed based on work points, and her family wouldn’t possibly let her eat all she wanted. With no other choice, she had to find her own food. At first, it was wild fruits, and now she fished in the water and hunted birds and collected their eggs. Her ultimate goal was to hunt in the mountains, so she would never go hungry again, but Old Master Qian said she was still too young to learn. Sigh, who knows when she could grow up.

When she got home, Qian Xiaoxiao saw her little sister Er Niu standing on tiptoes at the stove cutting vegetables. She took out two bird eggs from her chest and smiled, “Er Niu, look what tasty treat I brought for you?”

Er Niu, thrilled to see the bird eggs, jumped off the stool to take them and started peeling to eat. She ate gracefully, taking small bites as if it were the most delicious taste in the world. She was nothing like Qian Xiaoxiao who wolfed down food without even savoring the flavor.

Seeing her stop after one egg, Qian Xiaoxiao said, “I found six bird eggs this time, you eat. Brother and Mother have theirs, too!”

“Really?”

After watching Qian Xiaoxiao take out four more bird eggs, Er Niu finished the remaining one. After eating, she said, “Big Sister, go and bring brother back from Mother.”

The household had three children, with Qian Xiaoxiao being the eldest, followed by a younger brother and Er Niu. The youngest brother, Kangkang, was five this year. Since there was no one to look after him, Mother Wang Dahua took him with her whenever she went out to work.

Qian Xiaoxiao liked looking after her younger brother the least. He was too mischievous and always tattled, which would lead to their father scolding her, “I’ll go pick up some firewood.”

With that, she ran off in a flash, leaving Er Niu behind, unable to call her back. When Father Qian and Mother Qian returned and didn’t see her, they found out she had gone to collect firewood.

Father Qian wanted to go look for her, but Mother Wang Dahua stopped him, “You give Kangkang a bath and change his clothes, I’ll go look for her.”

Though Father Qian’s legs had been expensively treated, his right foot had lingering problems, making him limp when he walked, and that was why he couldn’t do heavy physical work.

When Wang Dahua found Qian Xiaoxiao, she had already gathered two large bundles of firewood, “You child, how will you carry so much firewood back home?”

Qian Xiaoxiao said cheerfully, “Mother, I knew you would come looking for me. Here, this is a bird egg I roasted today for you to eat.”

Wang Dahua couldn’t bear to eat it, wanting to save it for her son instead, but after hearing from Xiaoxiao that she had left some for Kangkang, she smiled and asked, “What about your father?”

Qian Xiaoxiao snorted coldly, saying she had none for him. She could tolerate her mischievous younger brother who tattled because he was young, but she really despised her father’s frequent scolding.

Wang Dahua couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “Your dad is just looking out for you. Xiaoxiao, a girl with too much temper will suffer once she gets married.”

“Then I just won’t get married.”

Wang Dahua laughed, saying, “You silly girl. All girls grow up to get married; staying single will get you laughed at.”

Qian Xiaoxiao’s brows knitted tightly. Not getting married meant being laughed at for having no suitors, while getting married meant being bullied by the in-laws. Why was it so difficult? She would wait until her grandfather returned and ask him what she should do.

After returning home, Father Qian couldn’t help but scold her upon seeing her as dirty as a mud monkey, “Look at you, do you even resemble a young lady?”

Qian Xiaoxiao retorted, “Dad, what should a young lady look like? Like Sister Honghong next door, who doesn’t dare to talk back when insulted or fight back when hit, and only knows how to cry?”

Father Qian was at a loss for words. If he had to choose, he’d rather have his daughter be fierce, so at least she wouldn’t be bullied. However, that was something he could never admit, otherwise, it would only encourage her impetuous behavior.

Wang Dahua quickly changed the subject, “The food is getting cold, let’s eat quickly. We’re all tired from the day, let’s sleep after eating.”

That evening, there were three dishes on the table: a plate of garlic chives fried with eggs, a pumpkin, and stir-fried spicy snails. These snails had been found by Qian Xiaoxiao in the river a couple of days ago.

Qian Xiaoxiao lived in a house at the foot of the mountain with Old Master Qian. Even when her grandfather wasn’t there, she didn’t want to move back in. Firstly, because it wasn’t spacious enough, and secondly, she couldn’t stand her father’s nagging. So as soon as dinner was over and the dishes were washed, Xiaoxiao would take off,

Father Qian said with a worried face, “With such a temperamental child, which family would dare accept her in the future?”

Wang Dahua thought having a fierce temper was a good thing, so that she wouldn’t have to put up with mistreatment when she married into another family. But with Qian Xiaoxiao currently eating almost as much as her husband, she was only going to consume more in the future. A girl with such an appetite, no matter how capable, might scare away suitors.

Two days later, Qian Xiaoxiao’s birth mother came to see her, proposing that Xiaoxiao move in with her. Xiaoxiao had refused at first, but when her mother returned some time later, Xiaoxiao agreed.

How could Wang Dahua agree to that? That woman was no good, surely having ulterior motives for taking Xiaoxiao away. Yet Xiaoxiao had shockingly agreed and even told the woman to wait outside while she packed her clothes before leaving with her.

Wang Dahua’s heart ached unbearably. Although Qian Xiaoxiao wasn’t her biological child, she had loved her dearly ever since Xiaoxiao arrived looking like a little kitten. Over the years, she treated all three children equally, often favoring Xiaoxiao. Now, to think her birth mother showed up and Xiaoxiao was ready to leave, her heart felt as though it had been sliced with a knife.

Seeing Wang Dahua’s eyes turn red, Qian Xiaoxiao said with a smile, “Mom, doesn’t dad always say that we don’t have enough food at home? I’ll go stay with her for three to five months and eat all their food, then I’ll come back.”

Wang Dahua was stunned, “You’re leaving with her just to help the family save on food?”

Qian Xiaoxiao laughed, “What else did you think? If they could abandon me when I was so little, they definitely aren’t up to any good now. The village women once said she wanted to coax me into working for them. I want to see if that’s true, and meanwhile, I can save a few meals for the family.”

Wang Dahua felt guilty, “Xiaoxiao, it’s because your dad and I are no good, that we can’t even provide enough food.”

Qian Xiaoxiao shook her head, “Mom, it’s not your fault, nor dad’s. You already work so hard. The problem is that we don’t have enough land and food. Don’t worry, when I grow up, I can go hunting in the mountains. Then we’ll have enough to eat.”

Wang Dahua didn’t find her words fanciful at all. Her father was famous for his hunting skills in the commune, and it was only a matter of time before Xiaoxiao learned from him. Even if the collective farm claimed a large share of the hunt, they would still have enough to fill their bellies.

Initially, Wang Dahua thought Qian Xiaoxiao might stay with her birth mother for ten days to half a month, but she returned after just five days, not empty-handed but carrying a bag of grain. Upon asking, she learned that Xiaoxiao had lazed around every day at her birth mother’s place, unwilling to work and waiting only for meals. When her stepfather tried to beat her, he ended up being the one severely beaten by Xiaoxiao.

Wang Dahua was both amused and relieved, and with this incident, that woman probably wouldn’t dare scheme against Xiaoxiao again.