New ink fragrance in old times

"Douzi, I'm here." Hu Zi, who was not far away, waved at Lin Mo.

Hu Zi, the Wan family's son, was about the same age as Lin Mo, but he seemed to be born with endless energy. Whenever Lin Mo was working hard, he could always hear Hu Zi's energetic call from not far away.

"Brother!" Niu Zi, who was next to Hu Zi, looked at Hu Zi with dissatisfaction.

Whenever Lin Mo looked at Hu Zi, he would always be met with a cold and hostile look from Niu Zi. He was like an old hen protecting her chicks, afraid that Lin Mo would steal his brother Hu Zi's attention.

This time, the Lin family brought a unique helper - a thresher.

It rumbled and became the loudest music in the field.

Old Master Lin and Lin Xuejin worked in perfect harmony. They took the harvested rice and skillfully operated the thresher to separate the rice grains from the rice ears.

Others were busy piling the removed rice straw neatly on the ridges of the fields, and carefully packing the golden rice into backpacks and cloth bags.

At noon, the sun blazed like a flame, illuminating the bountiful rice fields. The Lin family, having finished their morning's hard work, set off on their journey home, laden with harvest, driving their slow-moving oxcarts, carrying bulging backpacks and pushing small carts.

After returning home, the Lin family immediately started drying the millet without a break. They knew that such good weather was rare, so they had to hurry and dry the millet for storage.

In the sunshine, the yard was covered with golden millet, emitting bursts of rice fragrance.

In the afternoon, continue to repeat the morning's work.

As a member of the family, Lin Mo naturally participated in the activities, and every day was busy but fulfilling. Whenever Lin Mo put down his work for a while and took a break, he would always find Hu Zi's sharp eyes searching for him in the crowd.

As soon as Hu Zi discovered that Lin Mo was resting, he jumped over like a happy little deer, took Lin Mo's hand, and the two of them sat together on the edge of the field, sharing his little secrets and innocent dreams.

The conversation between the two was simple but full of fun, covering everything from grasshoppers in the rice fields to clouds in the sky, from tomorrow's game plans to the beautiful dreams they had last night.

In the end, the story ends with Hu Zi being forced to go back by Niu Zi.

……

Early that morning, Lin Mo accidentally caught a glimpse of the unusual glow on Hua'er's face. He walked over and jokingly asked, "Hua'er, why are you so happy today? Is there something good going on?"

Hua'er lowered her head and smiled, gently stroking the small flower on her head with her fingers. She said shyly, "It's nothing, it's just that Sister Xing'er gave me this bracelet. I thought it was pretty, so I put it on."

Lin Mo followed her gaze and saw a bracelet carefully woven with fine grass wrapped around Huaer's wrist, simple yet chic.

He nodded and smiled, "Yeah, it looks good."

What surprised Lin Mo even more was that at lunch, Huaer enjoyed a boiled egg alone, which was a rare treatment under normal circumstances, and no one else had this "privilege".

Lin Mo watched Huaer carefully peel the eggshell. Her satisfied expression made him feel envious. He muttered to himself, "What happened today? How come Huaer suddenly has eggs to eat?"

He secretly glanced at the food on the table. Apart from the extra egg, there seemed to be no difference.

For the next day, Hua'er always looked at Lin Mo with a hesitant look, which made Lin Mo feel puzzled.

Until the evening, Lin Sizhe pulled Lin Mo aside and said mysteriously: "Third brother, do you know what special day today is?"

Lin Mo shook his head, looking confused.

"Today is Sister Hua'er's birthday!" Lin Sizhe said with a smile, "We've all quietly prepared gifts. Third brother, when you mentioned Sister Hua's birthday, you said you wanted to give her big surprises. What are they?"

Lin Mo suddenly realized something and scratched his head: "Surprise, I'll give you the surprise later..."

After Lin Mo entered the house, he anxiously searched his little nest, hoping to find a suitable gift to celebrate Huaer's birthday.

However, after searching for a while, he was dismayed to find that he had nothing of value. Just as Lin Mo was lost in self-blame and helplessness, his eyes fell on a pile of useless straw in the corner. It was a "strawberry" he had woven out of boredom, and now it became his only hope.

Lin Mo suddenly had an idea and decided to transform this "strange creature" into a special gift.

He sat down, his fingers deftly moving through the straw, and after some effort, a slightly rough but sincere little rabbit-shaped gadget gradually took shape.

"Although this rabbit looks a bit rough, or even ugly in a unique way, I have no other choice now. Even a good cook cannot cook without rice. Alas~"

Holding the straw rabbit, Lin Mo mustered up the courage to walk towards Huaer.

Lin Mo noticed that although Hua'er had a smile on her face, there seemed to be a hint of subtle loss in her eyes. Perhaps she was silently expecting something in her heart, or perhaps she was worried that Lin Mo would forget her birthday.

"Hua'er," Lin Mo called softly, handing the rabbit to her, "This is the gift I prepared for you. It's a little... well, special, but I hope you like it." He paused, then solemnly promised, "Don't worry, next time, I will definitely give you a better gift."

Hua'er was stunned for a moment. She obviously didn't expect Lin Mo to give her a gift at this time, and she didn't expect that the gift would be such a straw rabbit.

Huaer took the rabbit, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Thank you, Sanlang," Huaer said, her voice full of gratitude. "I really like it. It's very special. I thought... you forgot my birthday."

Lin Mo explained guiltily, "How could it be? How could I forget your birthday? It's just that this rabbit is a bit simple, and I'm a little embarrassed to take it out."

After hearing this, Hua'er shook her head and said, "It's okay, Sanlang. I'm already very satisfied with what you said."

"Hua'er, don't worry. I will give you a better birthday gift in the future." Lin Mo said firmly, "Also, I will always remember your birthday in my heart. I will never forget it."

Huaer smiled and nodded, her eyes gleaming with trust and expectation. "I believe you, Sanlang. You have to call me Sister Huaer, otherwise Grandpa will beat you if he hears."

"Okay, Sister Huaer." Lin Mo changed his words awkwardly.

After hearing this, Huaer smiled even brighter, and the sparkling light in her eyes seemed to illuminate the entire night sky.

"It's time for dinner!" Xing'er's crisp voice rang out. She came to Hua'er and Lin Mo, interrupting the little world they were immersed in.

Hua'er will be seven years old after today and has become a little adult who knows how to take care of others. She turned to look at Lin Mo. The five-year-old brother was blinking his big eyes and looking at Xing'er with an innocent face.

The two smiled at each other, and that smile was full of the innocent understanding and happiness between children.

"Let's go, Sanlang, let's go eat." Huaer said to Lin Mo with a smile.

Then the two of them left together with Xing'er.