Chapter 4: The First World: The Ordinary Life of Huwa (4/4)

In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed.

As far as life goes, Luo Hao's childhood was relatively comfortable.

It was the kind of life that a typical rural child would have.

However, a few years ago, Luo Hao's parents had reached an age where they could no longer work in the fields.

Furthermore, due to poor crop yields, aside from his eldest sister marrying into a neighboring village, Luo Hao's second sister was unable to find a husband because their family could not afford a dowry.

So at the age of twenty-four or twenty-five this year, she has yet to find a husband and can only work alongside Luo Hao in the fields to support their family.

"Hu wa, Ying'zi is ready to eat."

Luo Hao and his second sister, Liu Ying, who were busy in the paddy fields, heard their mother's call not far away and stopped what they were doing.

"You go back and eat first, little brother. I'll finish this and come back later."

Liu Ying glanced at Luo Hao, wiped her forehead with her muddy hand, and continued to bend down and work in the fields.

"Second sister, it's such a hot day. Let's go back and eat first."

"I'll finish it later in the afternoon."

Luo Hao looked at his second sister, Liu Ying, whose skin color was different from before, and there was a hint of pity in his eyes.

Although these years passed, Luo Hao had a relatively happy life and the childhood he deserved.

But every family has its own difficulties. Luo Hao's parents managed to gather enough dowry for his elder sister, Liu Bao, and found her a good husband in the past two years.

However, the dowry for his second sister, Liu Ying, was still uncertain, and the crops in the fields had been yielding the lowest harvest in the past decade due to the long-term drought in recent years.

It was even difficult for them to make ends meet, let alone gather enough dowry for Liu Ying.

"Okay, let's hurry back, so we won't keep Mom waiting for too long," Liu Ying said with a smile, wiping the sweat from Luo Hao's forehead with a handkerchief, and pulling him towards their home.

Unlike when he first came into this world, Luo Hao was now fifteen years old, with a height of over 1.8 meters, a dark complexion, and a sturdy body gained from working in the fields in recent years. He was already taller than his second sister.

After returning home with his second sister, their parents had already brought out the bamboo stools and chairs.

A large bowl of cold rice porridge with some pickled vegetables and fermented bean curd was the start of the lunch for the day.

During the meal, Luo Hao's mother, Mrs. Liu, brought out a plate of steamed preserved meat from the kitchen and kept adding it to Luo Hao's bowl.

"Mom, you should also eat. Don't just keep giving me meat," Luo Hao blocked the bowl with his chopsticks and distributed the piled-up meat to Liu Ying, his younger sister, and his father, Liu Laohan.

"Hu Wa is a man now; he needs to eat more meat."

"You can't grow good crops without strength, and you can't find a wife either."

After Liu Laohan finished speaking, he silently picked up the cured meat from the bowl and put it in a plate, then directly picked up the bowl and went to eat on the side.

Luo Hao had no choice but to eat his rice porridge while his younger sister and mother kept adding food to his bowl.

"By the way, dad and mom, I don't want to farm anymore," Luo Hao said, "I want to go to the city and do some small business. The harvest has not been good these years, and we even have had drought."

"When I make some money in the city, I'll come back and help my sister find a good husband and be filial to you both."

After a while, Luo Hao finished the whole bowl of white porridge.

He put down his empty bowl and looked at his family in front of him.

"We are farmers who rely on this piece of land for food. Your dad, grandpa, and great-grandpa were all the same."

"There are many cunning people in the city. How can you make it alone, Hu Wa?"

Upon hearing Luo Hao's words, Mrs. Liu immediately showed an unwilling expression and took Luo Hao's bowl to the kitchen.

Liu Ying did not express any opinion, she just ate silently. In traditional families, it is uncommon for a son not to continue the family's farming business.

Liu Ying, as an unmarried daughter of marriageable age, cannot speak on this matter.

Although she was deeply moved by Luo Hao's words, she didn't dare to go against her mother.

"Second sister, you go ahead and eat. I'll go to the fields and finish my work first,"

Luo Hao said, getting up and ignoring his mother's previous objection. He smiled and greeted his second sister before heading straight to the fields.

Liu Laohan watched Luo Hao's departing figure without knowing what he was thinking. After quietly finishing their white rice porridge, they both headed back inside the house.

Due to the drought, there was more work to be done in the fields than usual.

Luo Hao and his second sister, Liu Ying, worked tirelessly until it was getting dark before returning home.

They had a simple dinner of clear soup noodles, filled their stomachs, and then Luo Hao went back to his own room.

When Luo Hao grew up, the Liu couple built him a small house nearby.

After quickly washing his body with well water outside, Luo Hao leaned against his bed.

Just as Luo Hao was about to go to sleep, he heard footsteps outside.

"Creak."

His door was opened by someone from the outside, and by the moonlight, Luo Hao saw that it was his father. He immediately sat up.

"Father, what's wrong?"

Standing up, Luo Hao lit the candle on the small table next to him and saw the bag full of patches in his father's hand.

"Your mother doesn't want you to leave, but a man's ambitions lie beyond his hometown."

"Dad knows the situation at home. Dad won't force you to stay, and it's a good thing to go to the city and have a look."

"This is the savings your mother and I have left. You'll need some money when you go to the city."