After crossing, I surrounded the capital from the countryside

He Anran ran to the river. She looked at her reflection in the water in silence. Time seemed to have stopped and a depressing atmosphere filled the air.

The river flowed silently, without the cheerful sound of water, only faint ripples on the water, as if the river was heavily infected by her loneliness.

The branches of the trees by the river hung in disarray. Without the breeze, they had lost their vitality, as if they were trapped in a cage of time.

The dead leaves piled up on the ground like a thick carpet, making a dull sound when stepped on. Occasionally, a few lonely birds chirped in the distance, but they were soon swallowed up by the silence, leaving only endless loneliness.

The scenery by the river seemed monotonous and dull, without vitality and energy, just like her own life.

The gray sky enveloped the entire riverbank, and the sunlight seemed to be suppressed under the clouds, unable to shine through to illuminate this desolate place. Her back looked so dark and silent, without a trace of life.

"Sister!" A clear child's voice came from a corner that He Anran couldn't see.

Although he hadn't seen the person yet, He Anran still recognized her voice.

She turned her head mechanically, and sure enough, Xu Qingqing appeared in front of her with a worried look on her face.

"Sister, can you teach me how to weave a bamboo basket? The small bamboo basket for holding fish!" Xu Qingqing shook the processed bamboo strips in her hand.

He Anran silently took the bamboo sticks from Xu Qingqing's hand. The bamboo sticks were extremely flexible and obedient in her hands. She weaved and twisted them casually, and soon a small bamboo basket appeared in her hand.

"Have you learned it?" He Anran asked with his head slightly lowered.

"Yeah!" Xu Qingqing quickly replied: "Thank you, sister!"

He Anran reluctantly raised the corners of her mouth: "Just consider it as a reward for your comfort and candy."

The candy from last time seemed to become her thought every time she couldn't hold on any longer, making her miss this world.

……

Xu Qingqing stayed with He Anran by the river for a long time. She felt relieved when she saw her emotions gradually stabilize. She was really worried that the little girl would be upset.

Seeing that it was getting dark, He Anran was in a hurry to cut grass and send it to Sister Li, so the two parted ways.

When they parted, Xu Qingqing couldn't help but say, "Sister Anran, remember to find me if you have any problems! I can help you!"

He Anran nodded, turned and left without saying a word.

……

The sky brightened and the sun rose in the east.

He Anran had just finished working in the kitchen and couldn't help but stretching. She was tired from working in the kitchen and had a sore back.

He's mother happened to come out of the house at this time. Seeing that she was still at home, she was a little surprised: "Why are you still at home?! Didn't you go to wash clothes?!"

"I quit." He Anran said lightly.

When He's mother heard this, her face turned ugly instantly: "You bastard, you quit a good job? Why did you quit it? Are you going to let the whole family starve?!"

Looking at He's mother's furious and distorted face in the sun, He Anran did not even frown and remained extremely calm.

That's right. Since he regards her as a servant in the family, why should he be hypocritical and pretend to be kind and benevolent? It only makes people sick.

Seeing that she was unmoved, He's mother was speechless for a moment, wondering if what she said yesterday had made her get stuck in a dead end.

She tried to soften her expression, speaking with a serious tone, as if she was thinking about her: "Mom knows that what I said yesterday must have hurt your heart, but think about it, a family like ours, how could a good family like you? Besides, are you willing to let our family starve to death?"

She spoke softly but He Anran remained unmoved, which made her secretly resentful.

She has been feeling weaker these days. She used to be able to wash two pieces of clothes with He Anran to supplement the family income, but now she can hardly even bend over.

Thinking about his two sons in the future, if he didn't coax He Anran to stay at home now, what would they do when she died? Who would support them?

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a little angry. This bitch actually wanted to get rid of them? Don’t even think about it! Dream on!

"Do you think you can leave this house? Do you think you have grown wings? Let me tell you, if you want to leave home, there is only one way, that old master before, you know it, right?"

"He is willing to pay twenty taels to buy you. You don't have to work if you go there, but there is one downside. The concubines who went there before didn't come out alive! Their bodies were covered with unsightly wounds. Mother is worried about you, so she wants to keep you at home. If you are so ignorant of life and death, then go!"

When He Anran heard her mother's cold and emotionless voice, she felt a chill all over her body.

This is the woman she has called mother for thirteen years. During these years, she has regarded her as her only relative and believes that she has not done anything to let her down.

From childhood to adulthood, she thought about her family in everything she did, even if she had a little money, she would think about buying medicine for her. She also thought about saving enough money so that she could keep some for herself when she passed away.

Now that I think about it, I really am a joke!

How could He Anran not know that her mother didn't let her marry him because she thought that twenty taels was a one-time deal, and there was no point in keeping her at home to work like a slave?

Thinking of this, she felt a little scared. Is this the way her life will be?

No, I don't want to just accept my fate!

He Anran's mind flashed with Xu Qingqing's words, "I can help you!"

His eyes lit up, he stood there thinking for a moment, then gritted his teeth and ran towards Xu's house.

It happened that Xu Qingqing and Liu Wenshan and several other kids were eating the big steamed buns that the village chief had just given them in front of the house, when they saw He Anran walking towards them from a distance.

Before I could even say hello, I saw that He Anran, who I hadn't seen for two days, had lost a lot of weight. But his eyes were filled with hope.

Xu Qingqing waved her arms at He Anran from a distance: "Sister Anran!"

When the children nearby saw her calling for help, they also shouted, "Sister An Ran!"

Hearing the call, He Anran looked up and saw it was Xu Qingqing, she hurriedly took two steps closer.

Just as I was about to say something, I smelled the aroma of steamed buns, and immediately I heard a rumbling sound from my stomach.

He Anran was a little embarrassed. She glanced at Xu Qingqing and saw that she didn't make fun of her. Instead, she took out a big white steamed bun that was wrapped tightly from her arms. He Anran didn't expect how the situation would turn out like this.

"Sister, can you teach us how to weave bamboo baskets again?"

"Yes, sister, weave bamboo baskets!"

Although He Anran is only ten years old, she is not an ignorant little girl. On the contrary, as a girl who goes out to earn money, she has been subjected to a lot of ridicule and heard a lot of unpleasant words since she was a child.

Because of this, she understood a lot of worldly wisdom at a young age and saw through many of people's unpredictable hearts.

Being treated like this by such a young child, He Anran took a bite of the steamed bun and started to cry while chewing.

Xu Qingqing was startled and hurriedly took out a handkerchief to wipe He Anran's cheek. Perhaps because there were too many pent-up emotions during this period of time, He Anran couldn't stop crying once she started.

In the end, he simply stopped hiding his feelings, took Xu Qingqing's handkerchief, and cried silently.

No matter how strong she was, the shock and pain caused by her relatives' schemes still made her feel like a thorn in her throat and unbearable. After crying at this moment, she felt that her heart was more open and no longer oppressed.

Perhaps because her only hope had extinguished her last thoughts about this family, He Anran suddenly didn't want to accept her fate. She wanted to resist! She wanted to escape!

Seeing He Anran crying miserably, Xu Qingqing secretly took out another candy from the space and handed it to her.

He Anran looked at the crystal clear candy, which was a kind of candy she had never seen before. She thought it must be very precious and felt a little embarrassed to take it.

Seeing Xu Qingqing passing it to him again, he thought that since he had already eaten the food, there was no point in refusing, so he took it.

Putting the candy into her mouth and tasting it carefully, He Anran felt that it was the most delicious candy she had ever eaten.

She turned her head to look at Xu Qingqing again. At this moment, Xu Qingqing was like a pain pump and sedative to her, which gradually calmed her emotions.

Seeing that she was no longer crying and no longer had the numb expression as before, Xu Qingqing felt relieved and couldn't help but sigh that He Anran was really easy to coax.

She looked at He Anran with red eyes, and thought about the news about He Anran that she had recently heard from the villagers, and her eyes became fierce.

The He family is really shameless. The two young men in the family have been raised to be lazy. They do nothing and just eat and wait to die all day long. Instead, they let their youngest daughter come out to earn money to support the family. It's really a joke!

Seeing He Anran coming to her house, she must have come to seek her help.

Thinking of this, Xu Qingqing beckoned He Anran to come closer and whispered something in her ear.

He Anran's eyes gradually became round, and there was a hint of shock in his eyes.

She looked at Xu Qingqing, who was only six or seven years old, in shock, "Is this... okay?"