It was not considered too impolite to take a short rest at a friend's house after getting drunk to sober up, so besides Shi Song, Jiao Lianyu and others were still toasting each other at the wine table.
"An An, is this the meat you brought for me?" Not far from the house, in a small bamboo forest, a group of children surrounded An An, jumping up and down excitedly, their eyes shining as they stared at her hands.
An An nodded, secretly saved a few ribs from dinner, and distributed one to each of her little friends, putting the smallest piece into her own mouth.
Instantly, five or six children, each gnawing on a rib less than half a finger long, their eyes beaming with joy as they ate meat.
Occasionally, their families would have meat to eat, but it was only during festivals. Even if they secretly let their friends have a taste, they could at most save one piece for five or six people to share in turns. How could An An bring seven or eight ribs this time?
"Grand Uncle roasted a lot of meat, and my father and the others didn't finish it. I'll bring more for you tonight." An An was initially worried because she, her mother, and her brother ate in the kitchen, and the meat roasted by Grand Uncle was served in the main hall. Only a little bit was left at the bottom of the pot for them to taste.
But when An An came out of the main hall, she realized that not much of the large table full of meat had been eaten, with more than half of it still on the plates. However, the roasted mushrooms, dried vegetables, and leafy greens picked from the field had all been eaten. Otherwise, An An would not have been willing to bring so many ribs out.
Dou Zi, who finished his rib first, licked the meatless rib again and wiped his greasy mouth on his back. "My father said there are shrimp in the small pond. Let's go catch some, and An An, you can take them back for Grand Uncle to cook for the distinguished guests."
Immediately, five or six little friends surrounded An An and hurried towards the small pond. In fact, it was just a small puddle connected to a larger pond. It was dug by villagers to facilitate catching fish by channeling water from the pond. Later, as it was used more, a small pond formed here.
Every year, when villagers catch fish or harvest lotus roots from the large pond, they casually throw the small fish and shrimp they catch into this small pond. This has become the favorite place for village children, not only because they can catch fish but also because the water is not too deep, and falling in is not a problem.
A moment later, when Dou Zi slipped and fell into the small pond, the remaining little friends all reached out to pull him up. Even An An eagerly stretched out her hand to save him. The children, none of whom were older than ten, never expected that the small pond, which was usually only waist-deep for them, would have so much water today. Dou Zi's head was completely submerged when he fell in.
"Ah!" An An suddenly felt a sharp pain in her calf, lost her balance, and stumbled forward. The little friends who were holding hands to save him were pulled down together.
If it were a normal day, villagers might have been walking around the village. But today, after lunch, everyone gathered in twos and threes, talking about the affairs of Qi Changlin's family and the distinguished guests who arrived in carriages. No one had the leisure to wander around the village, nor did they pay attention to their children who had disappeared as soon as they put down their bowls.
When the children were discovered and pulled out of the water, they were almost breathless. Amidst the chaos, Jiao Lianyu, who rushed over, remained calm and immediately instructed his attendants to fetch the carriage and send the fallen children to the medical clinic as quickly as possible.
"What is this all about?" Watching the four carriages speed away, a woman couldn't help but shake her head. It was she who had come out to cut two bamboo stalks and saw the children floating and sinking in the water, which led her to cry out and call for people to pull An An and the others out.
"It's okay, they are still breathing after being rescued," the elder woman sighed, her heart filled with worry, but she still spoke words of comfort, as all the children had grown up under their watch.
"Why don't I see Ying Niang?" The woman suddenly remembered that besides the fallen children, Jiao Lianyu and his group had also gone with the carriages. The parents of the children were also crammed into the last two carriages. How could the parents be at ease without seeing their children safe with their own eyes?
Qi Changlin's wife's given name was Ying Niang. In the chaos, she had left with the carriages to the medical clinic. The villagers who had helped rescue the children had gone home to change their clothes. With the autumn chill, if they didn't quickly change into dry clothes after being soaked, they would catch a cold even after drinking a large bowl of ginger tea.
"Perhaps she was too tired this morning and is still at home, not knowing," the women speculated amongst themselves.
Qi Niangzi had to take care of her paralyzed mother-in-law, manage the daily needs of her two children, and also handle the work in the fields. Whenever she had any free time, she would carry a basket to the mountains to gather mushrooms and wild vegetables to supplement the household income.
Among all the families in the village, almost no wife was as busy as Qi Niangzi. In the past few years, the village women had watched her health decline. As soon as the weather turned cold, she would fall ill. Today, the Qi family had hosted so many distinguished guests, so it was normal for Qi Niangzi to be exhausted.
"They probably don't even know An An fell into the water," the elder woman agreed and took the lead in walking towards the Qi family's house. "Ying Niang's health is not good. Later, you all should be careful with your words and not startle Ying Niang."
The women nodded in agreement. They used to look down on the Qi family because they were poor. But now, Qi Changlin was a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations). Although the Qi family was still poor, seeing the carriages arriving at their house today, no one in the village dared to underestimate Qi Changlin, the scholar.