Chapter 31. Scared

Chapter 31: 31. Scared"Little sister, when... did you learn to paint?" Hua Jin, who was lost in her thoughts due to Hua Cheng’s voice, was startled. Only then did she realize that her eldest and second brothers, even little brother Si, were sneaking glances at her from the side. "Look at you being so hasty, you scared our little sister." The eldest brother glared at the second brother, then quickly patted Hua Jin’s head while muttering words of comfort. "Pat, pat, don’t be scared. Pat the head, scare away the fright. Jin’er, don’t be scared, Jin’er, don’t be scared." This move stunned Hua Jin on the spot. She never imagined there would be a day when someone would worry about her being scared, calling her soul back like she was a little child. To be honest, this feeling was indeed quite novel, but more so, it was warm. "I’m okay, brother." After repeating this three times, Hua Jin quickly spoke up, grabbing her brother’s hand, worried he might do something else unexpected. "Really not scared?" The eldest brother still wasn’t assured, observing his sister’s expression. "No, I was just too focused. It’s not second brother’s fault." Seeing her guilt-ridden second brother, Hua Jin hurriedly explained. "Really okay?" Hua Jin blurted as she saw her second brother about to say something. Seeing that their sister was indeed okay, the two brothers let the matter drop. Only little Si on the side, who was writing diligently but with a mourner’s face, pouted his lips. The disparity in treatment was too obvious. If it were him, he could already imagine the attitudes of his elder and second brothers. The eldest brother would surely say disdainfully, "A real man can’t be this cowardly!" Then give him a few hard pats. Sёarch* The ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The second brother would be the same: "Little Si, you’re too weak, even less than a chick, you’d get laughed at." Then also give him a few hard pats. He couldn’t think about it; the more he thought, the more pitiful he felt. But looking at the article he was copying, he felt even more miserable. He just wanted to cry! No one noticed his inner thoughts. The attention of the eldest and second brothers was entirely on the painting done by their sister. "Jin’er is really good at painting!" It was so realistic that the eldest brother almost believed it was real. "Really?" Hua Jin looked at her brother in surprise, then smugly said, "I knew my painting wasn’t bad. Seems I do have quite a talent for it. Even scribbling on the ground turns out this well. Eldest and second brother, you have great vision." Hua Jin gave a thumbs up, causing both brothers to smile warmly and look fondly at their sister. Little sister’s unmodest, proud demeanor was truly too cute. "Yes, yes, yes, my sister is the most talented, absolutely amazing!" Remembering how his sister used to love drawing on the ground, the eldest brother didn’t doubt it, but felt a bit guilty. He felt like he hadn’t paid enough attention to his sister, having not realized her talent in painting was so good. If she practiced on paper all along, wouldn’t it be better? "It’s not just talent, it’s genius. Little sister, how did you come up with using charcoal for drawing? It’s amazing, so real. Little sister, when will you teach your second brother to draw too?" The exaggerated words of the second brother made Hua Jin giggle, proudly raising her little head. However, she did consider her second brother’s suggestion. After all, she did have formal training, so teaching her second brother was possible. Thus, she said arrogantly, "Alright then, since second brother wants to learn, I’ll reluctantly teach you." After saying this, she couldn’t help but laugh, which led to the second brother’s two-finger Zen, followed by tickling. Trapped by second brother, Hua Jin couldn’t escape and kept laughing. If the eldest brother hadn’t been worried about her laughing too hard and getting a stomachache, and thus protected her quickly, Hua Jin would have indeed had a stomachache. After horsing around for a while, the siblings turned their eyes back to the painting. The eldest brother thought more deeply, knowing their sister wouldn’t waste paper randomly, and asked, "Little sister, you drew these... for a purpose?" "Yes," Hua Jin looked at her elder brother with appreciation. The eldest brother was not only stable but also quite perceptive. She continued, "Isn’t tomorrow the day we go to town? Grandma and mother are going to sell embroidered items. You don’t know, but all they’ve been embroidering are those few simple patterns. I suddenly had a thought: if I drew new designs, maybe they could sell better. So I tried drawing them, and they turned out quite well. Eldest brother, second brother, do you think they could be sold?" So that was it, no wonder she suddenly started painting. Their sister was simply too considerate. At such a young age, she was already thinking about sharing the family’s burden. How could his sister be so wonderful? The ’Hua-filter’ immediately activated, completely forgetting that girls her age in the village were already handling almost all the household chores, sometimes even doing as much as adults. Seeing his sister seeking approval, the eldest brother felt a tinge of shame. He felt he should work harder too. If his sister at such a young age knew to share the family’s burdens, how could he be lazy? He decided to take on more transcription work at the bookshop. He quickly nodded, "Yes, they can be sold. Little sister’s drawings are very good; the embroidery shop owner will surely appreciate them." The eldest brother reassured her. Though the drawings were in charcoal, making the colors quite plain, Hua Jin captured each piece’s essence, like the peony’s grand nobility, the magnolia’s fresh elegance and clarity, the plum blossom’s resolute spirit against the cold... Each piece was vivid and varied. Unless the embroidery shop owner was blind, they would surely appreciate them. Seeing the patterns on the table, the eldest brother was very confident in his sister. The second brother also nodded in agreement. To him, if the shop owner didn’t want the sister’s patterns, it would definitely be his loss. They were indeed far superior to any embroidery patterns he had seen. Seeing both brothers providing reassuring responses, Hua Jin was completely at ease. She carefully cut out each pattern and prepared them to take for a try tomorrow. Even if it didn’t work out, it just meant losing two sheets of paper. She’d think of other ways to make money. She just didn’t believe that after so many years of studying her knowledge would go to waste. With millenniums of history’s essence in her mind, she ought to think of ways to make money. Meanwhile, her little brother had been completely forgotten by the trio of siblings. Only when she was tired did Hua Jin finally remember her little brother, and as they were escorted out by her two brothers, she gave little Si a sympathetic look, then without hesitation, returned to her room. No matter how deep the waters were for little Si that night, she slept soundly, even chuckling in her dreams. Hua Jin was awakened by a knocking sound. After a moment of confusion, she suddenly remembered today was the day to go to town, quickly agreeing and then clumsily getting dressed. Although she had gotten somewhat used to the cumbersome ancient clothing, she still felt modern clothes were more convenient. It was either cords or toggles, just too bothersome. She dressed in the dim light, then shuffled to open the door. After a round of washing up and a quick breakfast, Hua Chengtian harnessed the ox cart, loading it with two wild rabbits, some eggs collected from the hens, fresh vegetables from the backyard, and the small farm tools and furniture made over the past few days, all stacked in the cart. Fortunately, their ox cart was built bigger for carrying more items, else it wouldn’t have fit. Locking the front gate, the ox cart rolled out of Hua Village amid the thin mist, heading towards the town. "We’re here." Half-asleep, Hua Jin heard her father’s voice. Opening her eyes, she realized the sun was already almost up, and that she had slept all the way nestled against her mother. Even though Hua Jin was usually thick-skinned, she felt a bit embarrassed.