The Clumsy Older Sister

That evening, when they got home, Cong Rong had not even started dinner yet and first set about heating water so the three siblings could bathe.

In summer, their family usually simply left water out in the sun for bathing, but now the sun was no longer so fierce, and they had not thought of it when they went out that morning, so they had no choice but to boil water.

Fang Changming had feared bathing like a child fears a flood since he was young. In winter, when he went to the bathhouse with the others, he was not too resistant, and in summer, when there was no need to heat water, he would escape if he could. During this period, with Fang Chang'an coming home once a week to lecture him, he had become less resistant. After the water was boiled, he carried a basin, wearing only a pair of shorts, rinsed himself off in a hurry, then huddled into a ball and ran back into the house to change.

Fang Chang'an did the same.

Fang Yanan, meanwhile, always bathed in the west room with Cong Rong, then changed clothes and came out with her hair still damp. Her skin was not as fair as Fang Chang'an's, but among girls in the countryside she was already considered very fair, and she looked every bit as lovely.

Fang Changming changed into a long-sleeved T-shirt and long pants, shook out his hair, and asked in utter despair, "So tomorrow, after we finish picking them, do we still have to wash up too?"

Fang Chang'an gave him a thumbs-up. "Smart."

The evening glow at the horizon burned like fire. Fang Chang'an looked it over and felt reassured. After dinner, he called Shen Mo and the others one by one, deciding on their own that they would meet at half past eight the next morning at the lighthouse in the center of town, then set out together for Majiagou.

Majiagou was not a famous place, but there was a forestry station in front of it, so it counted as a fairly distinctive landmark. Fang Chang'an told them to go there and then follow the road south; once they crossed the bridge, they would arrive.

The next day was indeed another clear, bright one. Fang Lujun and Cong Rong got up early and made breakfast. After eating, Fang Lujun drove the three-wheeled cart to the field south of the river, ready to begin work.

When Fang Chang'an set out, he checked the time and saw that it was not yet eight. He figured that group could not be relied on, and after judging their fighting strength against his own, he thought that even if they did come, they probably would not be of much use.

He carried a sack made of coarse burlap and went into the corn rows. Fang Changming did the same. Having learned his lesson from the day before, Fang Yanan no longer wanted to help her two brothers. She stayed with their mother, choosing one stalk after another, trying for a long time if it would not break, then moving on to the next; if she managed to snap one off, she would take it over proudly to show her mother.

Fang Chang'an had not done much farm work in either of his lives, but after practicing the day before, he had at least worked out a few tricks. Today he was a little better at it. Just as he was learning slowly, Fang Changming suddenly shouted, "Brother, isn't that one of your classmates?"

Fang Chang'an looked toward the road and saw a group of people on bicycles heading toward the stone bridge across the river. He answered and climbed out of the corn rows, standing in the peanut field next door to wait for them to come over.

The others on that side were clearly watching this side too. From far away, Fang Chang'an saw Wang Ke point toward them. Shen Mo followed the direction she pointed, but perhaps because her riding skills were poor, the moment she was distracted she began swaying unsteadily, frightening Wang Ke and the people behind her into keeping their distance.

Fang Chang'an found it amusing to watch, when suddenly he heard Fang Dianqiu's voice from behind calling out, "What are you doing here?"

He turned around and saw Fang Dianqiu coming from the village direction with his parents. Fang Chang'an smiled and waved. "Changfeng-ge, Qin-jie." Only then did he point toward Shen Mo and the others, who had already reached the far side of the bridge, and smiled. "Waiting for my classmates."

Fang Dianqiu asked in surprise, "What are your classmates doing here?"

"Just here to have fun. I'll call you later."

Chen Yu and several other boys, who were riding at the front, had already reached them and called out, "Class rep!"

"Class rep!"

"Class rep!"

The people behind them joined in. Shen Mo and Wang Ke, caught up in the excitement, also shouted, "Class rep!" Their voices spread across the open fields, full of vigor and delight.

Shen Mo apparently had not often had such an experience. As she greeted him, she even lifted one small hand and waved at Fang Chang'an, but then her front wheel tilted and she went straight into Wang Yuwei, who was in front of her.

"Hey!"

"Wang Yuwei!"

Several people cried out at once. Wang Yuwei reacted quickly. At the same moment she glanced back and felt the bike lurch against her, she immediately pushed forward on the pedals, barely avoiding the fate of the two falling together.

Shen Mo gripped the handlebars with both hands and veered an S-shape along the roadside, then rode into the peanut field by the path. Because the soil was soft, she could not pedal. Just as her bicycle was about to tip over, she reacted with astonishing speed, sprang off it, flung the bike aside, and hurried several steps away to safety.

A burst of laughter erupted from the whole group at the ridiculous sight. Shen Mo, too, felt embarrassed and went over with a flushed face to pick up her bicycle.

"Give it to me."

Fang Chang'an had already reached them. He took the bicycle from her, carried it to the hard ground by the riverbank at the edge of the peanut field, and steadied it. "Everyone leave your bikes here. Don't park them too far out, or someone might lead them away."

There had originally been four boys confirmed, three tentative, and in the end six came. There had originally been three girls confirmed, five tentative, and in the end six came as well.

The six boys were Chen Yu, Wu Di, Wang Chuanbiao, Lu Wei, Zhou Yifei, and Kan Xi.

The six girls were Shen Mo, Wang Ke, Wang Yuwei, Zhang Jing, Zhou Xiaoyan, and Feng Yanyan.

Fang Lujun and Cong Rong had both come out of the corn rows. Fang Chang'an knew his parents were unlikely to remember so many names, and there was no need to force it, but he still led the classmates over and introduced them one by one, carefully.

At the end, Shen Mo and Wang Ke, like the others, called out, "Uncle! Auntie!"

Half the beauties in the grade were in Class Four, and among these six girls, they accounted for more than half of the beautiful girls in that class. Aside from Zhou Xiaoyan and Feng Yanyan, who were not especially pretty, the other four were all little beauties.

Among them, Shen Mo and Wang Ke stood out even more.

Fang Lujun did not care much, but Cong Rong noticed the two pretty young girls at a glance. Still, she kept herself in check and only smiled and nodded to them, just as she did to everyone else.

Fang Lujun said, "All right then, Chang'an, go play with your classmates."

Wang Yuwei smiled sweetly and said, "Uncle, we're here to help. We'll play after we're done."

Fang Lujun and Cong Rong both said, "No need, no need."

Fang Chang'an smiled. "Dad, Mom, you can just go on with your work. Don't mind us."

"You all go have fun." Fang Lujun was still being polite, while Cong Rong smiled and said, "Then go play. We'll leave you alone for now. Just don't sneak off later. Stay for lunch."

Wang Yuwei smiled. "Auntie, don't worry. We're only here to freeload a meal."

Cong Rong could not help but laugh, and she looked at the girl a little longer before going back into the corn rows with Fang Lujun to continue working.

Fang Chang'an waved at Fang Changming. "Changming, bring my sack over. And yours too. Yanan, go to the other end and bring a few more of the spare sacks. Never mind, Changming, you go."

Then he turned back to introduce them to Shen Mo and the others. "I almost forgot. This is my younger brother, Fang Changming. When he comes to our school in the future, we should be in ninth grade. Whoever catches him goofing off, feel free to beat him up. I'll take responsibility."

"I wouldn't even want to go there!" Fang Changming snorted and reluctantly bent down to pick up the sacks.

Fang Chang'an then pointed to his slightly shy younger sister. "My sister, Fang Yanan."

Wang Yuwei smiled. "Class rep, your sister is so pretty. She looks like Auntie."

Shen Mo was about to speak when she was beaten to it. She could not help glancing at Wang Yuwei. Wang Ke, meanwhile, first looked at Wang Yuwei, then at Shen Mo, and said nothing.

"The corn leaves might make you itch if they brush against you, so be careful.最好不要进去. Like this: you girls can start from the outermost rows. Can you manage that?"

Zhang Jing laughed. "Do you think we're all delicate little orchids or something?"

Wang Yuwei also said, "This is easy. We can do it ourselves. You don't need to worry about us."

Girls like Shen Mo, from families like hers, were ultimately the exception. Though these people all lived in the town, more or less they had rural relatives, so farm work was not unfamiliar to them. Besides, doing something together with classmates was rare, and they all understood clearly that even if they came to help, there would be no heavy labor, so they did not feel resistant. They treated it as a day out to have fun.

Led by Zhang Jing and Wang Yuwei, they began arranging the groups with the sacks, starting from the four corners and the middle sections, intending to strip all the edges of these two acres of field.

Shen Mo had long heard Fang Chang'an mention Fang Yanan. Seeing that the little girl was adorable, she felt both novelty and affection, as if she were seeing the species called "a younger sister" for the first time. She took out two pieces of candy from her pocket and gave them to her.

Fang Yanan's eyes lit up, but she shook her head. "I don't want them. Sister, you keep them."

"I've already eaten mine."

Shen Mo took her hand and placed the candy in it. The little girl looked a bit at a loss, then turned to her big brother for help. Fang Chang'an smiled. "Take them."

Only then did the little girl accept the candy and smile sweetly. "Thank you, Silly Sister."

The sweet smile on Shen Mo's face froze. Wang Ke was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing until she doubled over. Zhou Xiaoyan and Feng Yanyan laughed with her as well.

Zhang Jing and Wang Yuwei were busy organizing the groups and had not noticed. Seeing them suddenly laughing so hard, they asked in confusion, "What? What happened?"

Chen Yu, Wang Chuanbiao, and the other boys were either fighting hard to hold back their laughter or quietly turning aside to snicker. In any case, none of them had the heart to laugh openly at that pretty classmate.

Fang Chang'an was also stunned for a moment before he understood. Fang Yanan had secretly nicknamed Shen Mo "Silly Sister" in her heart because Shen Mo had almost fallen off her bicycle just now. Then, when the girl gave her candy and she got happy, she accidentally blurted out what she had been thinking.

"Class rep's little sister... whew... whew... called Shen Mo... Silly Sister... hahahaha..."

Zhou Xiaoyan, suppressing laughter, explained it to Zhang Jing and Wang Yuwei. The two of them looked at Shen Mo, then realized what had happened and could not help laughing too.

The more the girls laughed, the funnier it seemed. Even Chen Yu and the other boys, who had been holding back, could not help joining in, though none of them dared laugh too loudly.

Shen Mo herself found it funny too, though she also felt a little embarrassed. She did not blame the outspoken Fang Yanan, but instead glared at Fang Chang'an with a look that was both threatening and aggrieved.

Fang Chang'an returned her a look that said, "I really want to laugh, but I am trying very hard not to." Then he turned to Fang Yanan. The little girl had already realized she had accidentally told the truth and said uneasily in a small voice, "I'm sorry, Sister. I didn't mean you were dumb."

Shen Mo was only two years older than Fang Yanan in actual age, but she had always associated with people her own grade and was already in middle school, so she had an unconscious sense of superiority, as if she were no longer a primary school child. And since she had come to know the younger siblings through Fang Chang'an, she naturally placed herself on the same level as Fang Chang'an. Not to mention that she was not angry at all; even if she truly had been, she would not have blamed such a lovely little girl.

Fang Yanan was still small and not fully grown, a head shorter than Shen Mo. Like an adult coaxing a child, Shen Mo crouched down and held her little hand, saying gently with a smile, "It's all right. It was dumb of me anyway, not riding my bike steadily. But if you think that in your heart in the future, don't say it out loud again, or Sister will lose so much face."

"Mm-hmm!"

Seeing that the beautiful older sister was not angry, Fang Yanan nodded hard with delight. "I'll only think it in my heart and won't say it anymore."

"Pfft... hahahaha..."

This time even Fang Chang'an could not help laughing out loud.

Wang Ke had already held back her laughter and was about to say something when she heard this. She covered her mouth and bent over laughing again. Her foot stepped into a soft hollow left by someone who had secretly dug away the peanuts, her body tilted, and with a cry she fell straight toward Fang Chang'an's arms.