Transmigrated into a seven-year-old child, my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

Zhao Lian suddenly remembered something and quickly asked Wang Shi, "Third Aunt, have you seen my eldest and second sisters?"

Wang shook her head: "I don't know, I didn't see them today."

"I know."

Li Chunlan spoke first: "I saw them and He Yue'e and the others go to the river this morning, but I don't know if they came back."

Wang suddenly realized: "Zhaolian, you're specifically looking for your eldest and second eldest sisters?"

Zhao Lian nodded repeatedly: "Yes, it's been a long time since I've seen them. I don't know how they are doing at the He family, so I came to see them."

Chunju looked around and whispered, "Zhaolian, I saw your grandmother beating your eldest and second eldest sisters in the yard that day. I was secretly watching from outside the gate and I even heard your grandmother telling them not to cry out loud."

Zhao Lian was immediately filled with anger upon hearing this, although she had already guessed this situation, but hearing these words still made her furious.

"Zhaolian, why don't you wait here and see? We'll head back first." After saying that, Madam Wang quickly pulled Chunju and Chunlan back.

"Hey, Mother, I haven't finished speaking yet!" Chunju said loudly as her mother pulled her back.

But Wang, without saying a word, quickly pulled her towards home. These things couldn't be left to the child's hands, since the He family wasn't far away.

If these words reached the ears of the He family, Wang was worried that they would take their anger out on Chunlan and the others.

The sun gradually rose high overhead, and it was already noon. The aroma of food wafted from many homes, and Zhao Lian's stomach rumbled with hunger.

Chunlan just said that Zhaofeng and the others went to the riverbank, so they probably haven't returned yet. Let's wait a bit longer.

To get to the river, one had to pass by the He family's house. Zhao Lian walked towards the He family's gate, and as she passed through the courtyard, she heard Old Yang's shrill voice.

I vaguely heard Liang and the others cooking. Liang said that Zhao Feng and the others hadn't returned yet, and that they were eating a lot and doing little work. I didn't hear Zhao Lian clearly after that.

Zhao Lian guessed that Zhao Feng and the others probably hadn't returned yet, so she put down her basket not far from the He family's house and stopped. This was the only way back from the river.

The sun was quite strong at this time, and Zhao Lian kept wiping her sweat with her sleeve as she stood by the eaves.

Fearing that the wild vegetables would dry out, Zhao Lian quickly moved her basket in a different direction and kept glancing towards the river.

Suddenly, she noticed several people emerging from the bamboo grove by the river.

From a distance, it wasn't very clear, but you could tell there were several children. Zhao Lian guessed that it must be Zhao Feng and the others.

Sure enough, as they got closer, Zhao Lian recognized them as Zhao Feng, Zhao Di, He Yue'e, and the others.

He Yue'e and the others walked in front, while Zhao Feng and Zhao Di walked behind.

Zhao Feng and Zhao Di were starving. Grandma was only giving them one meal a day and told them to drink water if they were hungry. They were so hungry that they could barely walk.

"You two hurry up!" He Yue'e and He Fang kept turning back to urge them on.

The three of them didn't find many wild vegetables. When they got to the river, they were too busy playing in the water and taking a nap. Only Zhao Feng and Zhao Di didn't dare to rest.

They knew that every time they went home, the other girls would fight over their things, so they could only try to dig up as many wild vegetables as possible.

Otherwise, they'll have robbed everything when we get back, leaving us with nothing and only the prospect of hunger and abuse.

There were quite a few wild vegetables by the river today. Zhao Feng and Zhao Di picked more than half a basket, while He Yue'e, He Fang, and He Dong's baskets were almost empty.

They would come back carrying empty baskets, walking quickly, as always. When they were almost home, they would transfer the contents of the Zhao Feng sisters' baskets to their own.

Zhao Lian knew that this was already a common occurrence. She had told Old Yang about it before when she was scolded, but Old Yang didn't believe her.

Liang and Gao even accused themselves of sowing discord, of being bad seeds, and of fanning the flames, which led to them being beaten by Old Yang. Over time, this became a habit, and they became submissive to their fate.

As is customary, when they return here later, they will definitely put down their baskets and take Zhao Feng and the others' things.

Zhao Lian didn't want He Yue'e and the others to see her, lest any further trouble arise and they would make things difficult for Zhao Feng and Zhao Di when they returned.

Zhao Lian thought for a moment, then picked up her basket and stopped at the bend in the road. From there, they wouldn't be able to see her.

Soon, they returned. He Yue'e and the others stopped and waited for Zhao Feng and the other two.

Zhao Feng and Zhao Di were already hungry, and carrying baskets on their backs made them walk even slower. They were sweating profusely, exhausted, and thirsty.

"Hey, you two hurry up!" He Dong urged impatiently, "Hurry up, Grandma is waiting for us to take the wild vegetables back to cook."

After waiting for a while, Zhao Feng and Zhao Di finally came up from the edge of the field. He Dong quickly went up to them, took their baskets off their backs, and started putting the contents of their baskets into his own.

He Fang and He Yue'e were also afraid that they wouldn't have enough, so they quickly stepped forward to fill the boxes.

Zhao Di called out anxiously, "Leave some for us!"

But they didn't care and kept stuffing their baskets full, leaving only a little for Zhao Feng and Zhao Di.

Seeing that familiar scene before her, Zhao Lian almost couldn't resist jumping out and beating them up.

But she knew she couldn't do that. She might vent her anger, but in the end, Zhao Feng and Zhao Di would suffer. She couldn't act impulsively and drag them down with her.

Seeing that they had almost finished packing, He Yue'e and the others happily carried their baskets home, no longer worried that Zhao Feng and the others would complain.

Because no one will believe them, and no one will help them.

Zhao Feng and Zhao Di looked at the meager contents of their baskets and were on the verge of tears. They knew that going back would mean not only being scolded but also going hungry, and perhaps even being beaten.

Zhao Feng looked at Zhao Di and whispered, "Let's go, we need to hurry back, otherwise Grandma will scold us again."

Zhao Di looked at Zhao Feng and said, "Elder sister, I miss my younger sister so much. I wonder how she is now. I wish we could be together."

"Shh, keep your voice down!"

Zhao Feng nervously watched He Yue'e and the others' retreating figures and whispered, "You absolutely mustn't let them hear what you said, otherwise they'll complain and we'll get beaten up again."

Zhao Lian cautiously peeked out and saw He Yue'e and the others enter the courtyard. She quickly called out in a low voice, "Eldest sister, second sister."

"Summoning Lotus~"

Zhao Feng exclaimed in surprise, "It's Zhao Lian's voice!"

They looked back and saw Zhao Lian waving at them from around the corner. Zhao Feng and Zhao Di quickly carried their baskets over.