Jin Qianqian never once noticed that the little boy who had been quietly following her the whole way had turned and quietly left.
She unlocked and pushed open the door. "Go on, Little Donkey, go find some grass to eat. When my husband gets back, I'll have him help take that cart off your back. I can't move it alone."
"HEE—HAW—HEE-HAW—HEE-HAW—"
"It's no use, no matter how much you bray," Jin Qianqian said before closing the door. Humming a little tune, she went into the kitchen to try her hand at a few more pastries.
&
"Xiao Dongzi, how did you come back empty-handed?" Big Beard asked, squinting at the boy. "Don't you plan on eating tonight?"
Xiao Dongzi replied, "That woman ran into someone she knew. I wasn't confident I could do it alone. You wouldn't want me to get a beating and have to buy medicine for me again, would you, Uncle Hu?"
Big Beard lunged with a kick, but Xiao Dongzi agilely dodged it. "If you injure me again, we'll just starve to death together."
