Chapter 50 - Two-in-One Chicken Killing

After Lin Chuntao left with the chicken, Sun and Chen Dongniang went into the kitchen to cook. Chen Dongniang said, "I only thought the sisters were too thin before, but I didn't expect their health to be so poor. It's really a tragedy."

As Sun listened to Chen Dongniang's rambling, she thought of the past days of the sisters and sighed deeply.

"If the doctor says it can be cured, that's fine. Xiao Pei's wages should be enough to cover the cost of the medicine. Otherwise, it would cost more than thirty coins a day, and it would take several months to afford the medicine. Where would we get so much money for medicine?"

Chen Dongniang sighed along with her mother-in-law, "Li Honghua was still thinking of having Chun Tao and the others move back and take care of Lin Miaomiao and the others. In this situation, it's impossible for her to die."

Sun fed two pieces of firewood into the stove, and only when she got up did she pick up where Chen Dongniang left off.

"I could tell from the day Qiao'er got married that Chun Tao harbored resentment towards your fifth uncle's family. None of your sisters-in-law were any better; they were all scheming over their own little plot of land. If Yang and Miao had just shown a little more concern, or even just said a few words, things wouldn't be like this today. It's a pity, though; they only think they're better off than these motherless children! Man proposes, God disposes."

"People are like crops in the field; you have to sow the seeds in spring to reap the harvest in autumn."

Lin Chuntao was unaware of Sun Shi and Chen Dongniang's sighs, but she could guess that it was all intentional on her part.

She didn't tell Sun or Chen that this matter couldn't be told to others. On the contrary, it would be best to talk to the other branches of the Lin family and let them know that it was wishful thinking to ask her to go back and take care of those six brats.

When she returned home, the steamer on the fire was still steaming, and Lin Chunxing and the others were still squatting on the ground washing matsutake mushrooms.

"Aren't you finished washing yet?" Lin Chuntao asked.

"Almost done." As she spoke, Lin Chunhe slowly turned around, and two large roosters came into view. Her eyes widened immediately, and she rushed over with the mushrooms in her hand.

Wow! Sister, why did you buy two?

Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "Let's eat one first, and keep the other one to tell time."

Upon hearing this, Pei Ying pursed his lips and smiled. He was more convinced that Lin Chuntao was raising her for a few days before eating her.

"Give it to me, and then lock it in the chicken coop?"

Lin Chuntao nodded and handed one to Pei Ying. The two of them went over together and threw the two roosters into the hen coop. As soon as they went in, the chickens started fighting and clucking incessantly. If they weren't going to be killed soon, Lin Chuntao wouldn't have been able to stand it for a second. It was really noisy.

After lunch, Lin Chuntao brought over the small earthenware pot she had just bought that day to wash. She then instructed Pei Ying to go outside and find some stones to make two more fires so that the four sisters could drink their medicine together. It was too slow to wait in line to brew the medicine, so they had to make more fires so that they could brew and drink it together.

The midday sun in June is the fiercest. The sisters lit the fire, started brewing the medicine, and then hid inside the house, sitting quietly by the door watching.

With nothing to do, Pei Ying got up and said to Lin Chuntao, "I'm going to Aunt Guizhi's house to buy a bigger basket. I'll also go and fetch some clay to build a stove in the yard so it'll be easier to use fire."

"Shall I go with you?" Lin Chuntao said, getting up. Pei Ying looked at the sun outside and quickly said, "No need, I'll be back soon. Are you sleepy? You can go take a nap."

Before Lin Chuntao could speak, Lin Chunxing chimed in, "Sister, go to sleep. I'll watch the medicine on the stove."

They shouldn't have said anything, because their words made her yawn, and drowsiness crept over her. Lin Chuntao nodded: "You need to keep an eye on things and remove the firewood before the water boils, otherwise it will overflow."

Lin Chunxing nodded. "Okay, go to sleep. I've got it."

After receiving the message, Lin Chuntao got up and lay down. In the sweltering summer heat, the room was cool, but it was stuffy and windless outside. Listening to the cicadas chirping, Lin Chuntao slowly drifted off to sleep.

During this season, villagers go to the fields early in the morning or late at night. In the hottest part of the afternoon, everyone rests at home after lunch.

Lin Miaomiao and her sisters didn't encounter many people on their way to Yangjiazhuang.

It wasn't until they entered the village that they encountered several village women carrying a wooden basin of clothes, apparently on their way to wash them in the river.

Yangjiazhuang and Shuangzizhai are not far apart, and Yang would often bring her children back to her parents' home. Many people in Yangjiazhuang also recognized Lin Miaomiao and her family.

Just a few days ago, the officials made a round of processions with gongs and drums, and everyone knew that someone from the Lin family in Shuangzi Village had been caught by the government for digging up graves and stealing money, and the whole family had been demoted to slaves.

They were quite surprised to see Lin Miaomiao and the others so suddenly.

"Miaomiao, what are you doing here? Have your parents been released too?"

Lin Miaomiao saw the person who asked the question turn red-faced, so she turned her head away, pretended not to hear, and left.

The person who asked the question muttered from behind, "What's going on? Has he been released again? This kid isn't talking to anyone anymore."

The person next to him chuckled.

"You didn't listen carefully to what the official said, did you? People over seventy and under fifteen can go home. Lin Miaomiao is not yet fifteen, so she escaped this time."

"She looks to be fourteen?"

"I think so. I remember Cuizhi and I were born in the same year."

As soon as the woman finished speaking, the man next to her said, "They were really lucky. They were just one year younger than the person in question and escaped a disaster."

"None of the sisters have ever heard Yang Erbo's family mention it."

"What are you talking about? We can't even hide from something this big. You've heard that dozens of people from the Lin family were all taken to the yamen."

The woman chuckled and said, "That's true. If the officials keep an eye on you, even if you haven't done anything, you'll still end up in jail."

The group walked and talked, their voices gradually fading away with the wind.

Lin Miaomiao and her friends had visited their grandmother's house many times, always arriving with their heads held high and skipping along. But this time, they kept their heads down the whole way, as if afraid of running into acquaintances again.

Fortunately, they didn't run into any acquaintances until they reached their grandmother's house.

The gate to the Yang family's courtyard was open, and the whole family was enjoying the cool shade under the red fruit tree in the yard.

The old lady, Wu, went inside to get a needle and thread, thinking she would take advantage of this free time to make some shoes.

Just as she got up and went to the door, she suddenly sensed someone at the gate. She turned around and saw Lin Miaomiao and her two siblings peering into the courtyard.

"Miaomiao? What brings you here?"

"You child, come straight in! What are you looking at at the door for?"

As the old lady spoke, she walked towards the gate of the courtyard, and the adults and children in the courtyard all turned to look at her.

Lin Miaomiao was also pulled into the courtyard by the old lady. Looking at the adults in the courtyard, she felt familiar yet somewhat strange. Although they were all the same people, she felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

Lin Miaomiao forced a smile and sweetly called out to her uncle and aunt.

The eldest aunt beckoned to them, "Come and sit down, have you eaten yet?"

Lin Miaomiao replied with a smile, "I've already eaten."

Hearing what they said, the old lady didn't go to cook anything. Seeing the three siblings with flushed faces, she went inside, poured out three bowls of water, and brought them out to them.

"Why didn't you come earlier or later? It's so hot at this hour. You should have had some water to cool off."

Lin Miaomiao took the bowl, and she was indeed very thirsty after walking all that way. She gulped down the water and was about to get up to take the bowl back to the house when the old lady standing next to her took the bowl. "Sit down, I'll put it away."

The old lady went inside and quickly washed the dishes before coming out. As soon as she came out, she said, "Your uncle and I were planning to visit you in a few days, but we didn't expect you to come so soon. How are you? Have you settled in?"

When the old lady asked that question, Lin Miaomiao fell silent.

The uncles and aunts in the courtyard watched them quietly, their eyes not exactly filled with dislike, but also not with welcome.

Lin Miaomiao pursed her lips and sat quietly to the side. Before she could even ask for help, it seemed like the outcome was already decided. But all she could do was hope that the old lady would soften her heart and help them.

Seeing their behavior, the Yang family members began to wonder. Had the elders of the Lin family not taken care of them? Several of them frowned in unison, and the eldest aunt sitting next to them was the first to ask, "What? Is no one in the Lin family taking care of you?"

Lin Miaomiao looked up at the old lady, and her eyes instantly reddened.

“Grandma, my great-grandfather asked several other families, and they originally wanted to divide us six up, but none of them wanted to help and just told us to leave it as it was. But our house was emptied by the officials, leaving only a little buckwheat flour. The government also took away our land. After we finished eating that little bit of food, we had nothing left.”

Everyone in the Yang family frowned. The eldest uncle said indignantly, "You don't want to care, so you just ignore it? Your grandfather was their own brother, and you're all members of the Lin family. How can you just ignore it?"

Lin Miaomiao looked at these indignant words and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

If they don't care, can they still stay at other people's houses?

The old lady also said somewhat unhappily, "Is Lin Cunzheng just going to leave you all like this?"

Lin Miaomiao nodded: "Grandma, they definitely don't want to take care of us anymore! Do you have any ideas or suggestions for us?"

The old woman looked at her, thinking of her daughter who had been reduced to slavery, and asked with some concern, "Do you know where your mother and the others have gone?"

Lin Miaomiao shook her head. "My mother was taken away with my father and the others. We were stopped by the officials."

With no news of her daughter, the old lady sighed deeply.

"Is it just you and your two siblings and your fifth uncle's three children left in your family?"

Lin Miaomiao wanted to nod, but then she thought of Lin Chuntao and the others.

"Only the six of us came back, but Lin Chuntao and the other three from my third uncle's family had been separated and lived separately, and they weren't demoted."

The old lady pondered for a moment and asked, "I remember your third uncle's eldest son is almost twenty? Is he married yet?"

She got married, to a stranger from another place.

The old woman asked again, "Don't they care about you either?"

Lin Miaomiao pursed her lips, "We had a fight with them..."

The old lady said, "It's not a big deal for kids to quarrel or bicker. You, girl, what's so difficult about going over to apologize?"

Lin Miaomiao shook her head slightly, "My fifth uncle, Jialang, went to apologize the day after he came back, but he wasn't even allowed to enter the house."

The Yang family members frowned upon hearing this. "Is that girl really that heartless?"

Lin Miaomiao chimed in, "She's heartless. Jia Cai fell and broke his leg at the gate of their yard before, and Lin Chuntao just came out to take a look, leaving Jia Cai lying there crying in pain."

"Such a thing is true?"

"Yeah, so she definitely won't care about us."

The people in the courtyard fell silent for a moment. If the Lin family didn't care about Lin Miaomiao and the others, did they expect them to care for them?

If these were a few girls, around the same age as Lin Miaomiao, it would be manageable to take care of them and they could be married off in a year or two. But Lin Jiacai and Lin Jialiang are only ten years old. Not only would they have to raise them for several years, but they would also have to pay for their weddings, which they simply cannot afford.

A gentle breeze blew by, and Lin Miaomiao felt a little cool.

The old lady felt sorry for them, but she was also powerless to help them.

Thinking about what Lin Miaomiao had just said, and also about Lin Chuntao and the others living alone, she asked Lin Miaomiao, "When your third uncle's family, including Lin Chuntao, moved out, were they allocated any land?"

"No."

"Nothing?" Yang's eldest aunt asked, puzzled. "Then what were they given? Just a room? They don't even have any land?"

Lin Miaomiao shook her head again, only saying, "They don't have a house either. They live in my great-grandfather's old house. It seems that because her husband is from out of town, my great-grandfather gave them a plot of land."

At this point, the old lady suddenly remembered that she had land to marry a stranger.

"I almost forgot, you can get twelve mu of land for marrying someone from another place."

Looking at Lin Miaomiao and the others, Yang's eldest aunt knew her sister-in-law's personality very well. Although Lin Miaomiao's words were somewhat vague, she could tell that the children from Lin Laosan's family had been kicked out.

Is it possible to separate the family but not the land or the house?

What kind of separation is that?

Lin Miaomiao came to them simply to ask for their help.

Following the old lady's idea, Lin Miaomiao was asked to go find Lin Chuntao. Lin Miaomiao then said that Lin Chuntao was heartless, so it was probably intended for them to help mediate.

Since that's the intention, we need to understand it more clearly.

"Miaomiao, did your third uncle's Lin Chuntao separate from the family or sever ties?"

Lin Miaomiao felt a little guilty under her aunt's gaze.

"After she married the man from another place, she became very assertive and called on her great-grandfather to come and write a document severing ties with her."

These words made the eldest aunt raise an eyebrow, and following Lin Miaomiao's words, she said, "So she didn't take anything and left with her sisters?"

"Um."

Yang's eldest aunt was stunned.

She shrugged imperceptibly, said nothing more, yawned, and got up to walk into the house.

"I'm a little sleepy. I'll take a nap for half an hour. Call me when you get out of bed."

He went inside and closed the door. The others in the yard, thinking about the conversation, felt something was off and didn't say anything.

The old lady is my maternal grandmother; I can't avoid her.

She pondered for a long time before asking Lin Miaomiao, "Miaomiao, what are your thoughts? Why don't you tell your grandma?"

Lin Miaomiao naturally hoped that the adults would say, "It's okay, you siblings can come to our house, and we'll take care of you from now on."

But when she went to the village head's house, there was no such talk, and when she visited her maternal grandmother's house, it seemed the adults didn't have the same idea.

I always felt that when my parents were alive, these adults were all kind and friendly. Now that my parents are gone and they are in trouble, these kind and friendly adults have suddenly become indifferent and distant.

She clenched her fingers tightly and looked up at the old lady.

"Grandma, I can support my younger brothers now, but we need land and we need food."

"If we had land, I could help them farm it, but we have nothing right now, and I really don't know what to do."

Hearing this, the old lady felt both worried and relieved.

"It's a bit complicated. You're almost at the age where you can get married. If there's really no other way, how about you marry someone from another place?"

Lin Miaomiao wanted to, but the problem was that Lin Chuntao had taken their family's spot.

“Grandma, each family is supposed to get a share of land, but Lin Chuntao took it all from our family.”

Upon hearing this, the old lady looked at her sons sitting opposite her. The eldest son, Yang, seeing the old lady's gaze, tentatively asked, "Mother, do you want to adopt them? And then divide the land among them after they get married?"

Before the old lady could speak, Yang Lao Er said, "We should ask the village head if it's feasible."

"Then let's go ask and see. Boss, you go now, your third uncle and the others are probably at home right now."

Uncle Yang slowly rose from his chair, still holding onto the armrest, and asked the old lady, "Mother, under whose name should we adopt him?"

The old lady frowned slightly. "Let's say it's under your name. You don't have a daughter."

"Okay, I'm going then."

Yang Huai said something and slowly left the courtyard.

Lin Miaomiao was filled with anticipation. If possible, they would soon have their own land. With land and some borrowed seeds, they would surely be able to support themselves.

When Yang Huai finished speaking with Uncle Yang, the old man looked displeased.

"Why didn't Lin Village Chief and the others adopt their children? What's the meaning of them being adopted by you?"

Yang Huai could tell that the old man was not happy. In fact, he understood that the child's parents were criminals who had been demoted to slaves, and no one wanted to get involved with them for fear of getting into trouble. But since the child was his own sister's child, there was nothing he could do.

"Third Uncle, if they were taking care of the child over there, they wouldn't have come to us. After all, it's Cuizhi's child. I don't have a single daughter. If she adopts him, you can just pick any young man for her when outsiders come. That way, it will add to the number of children in our village."

Old Man Yang looked at Yang Huai and said that although the first batch of people received no benefits, everyone was naturally reluctant to marry outsiders. Later, the government posted a notice that if a family married someone who had moved in from elsewhere, they would receive an extra twelve mu of land and be exempt from taxes for three years. Three years! That would save a lot of grain. The dowry for marrying off a daughter might not even be that much. So the villagers were no longer so resistant.

But Yang Huai was, after all, his own nephew, and they wanted to take care of those children. He thought for a moment, sighed, and said, "Alright, I'll go and tell the village head."

Having received confirmation, Yang Huai smiled and said, "Thank you, Third Uncle. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

As Yang Huai was about to leave, the old man hurriedly called out to him, "Does that girl still have a house at home?"

"Yes, the house is still there."

"Well, I'll go ask the village head later. If it's alright, then you can adopt him."

Yang Huai returned with good news. Lin Miaomiao stood up, looked at him, and said, "Uncle, thank you! I will definitely take good care of you in the future!"

Yang Huai smiled. He didn't expect them to be filial; he only hoped they could raise themselves, and that would be good enough.

With the matter settled, the three siblings breathed a sigh of relief.

When the sun wasn't so hot, the Yang family members would also go to the fields, and Lin Miaomiao and her younger brother would go with them to work in the fields.

The old lady said, "You don't need to do any work. You take your younger brother back first, and bring the household registration sticker tomorrow morning. Your third maternal grandfather will ask, and if there are no problems, we'll get it done for you in the next couple of days."

Lin Miaomiao nodded in agreement.

On the way back, my steps were much lighter.

Lin Jialiang looked at Lin Miaomiao and asked, "Sister, what about Jialang and the others?"

Lin Miaomiao looked at Lin Jialiang, her face darkening slightly, and her tone unfriendly: "Why do you care about them? If he wants to get land too, he can go to his maternal grandmother's house himself. It's none of our business."

Sensing his sister's displeasure, Lin Jialiang fell silent.

Lin Chuntao slept soundly. Pei Ying went to Aunt Guizhi's house to buy a large basket and then carried back two baskets of clay. The medicine on the fire was finally ready.

Lin Chunxing poured out Lin Chuntao's drink to cool it down. They had all finished their drinks, but Lin Chuntao was still asleep.

Pei Ying brought the medicine into the room and woke Lin Chuntao up so she could drink it.

She wasn't fully awake yet; she finished drinking and went back to sleep.

When she woke up again, it was almost evening, but there was still sunlight in the courtyard. Many mud bricks were drying in the courtyard, and Pei Ying was making mud bricks. Lin Chunxing and the others were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are Chunxing and the others?" Lin Chuntao asked.

"I'm going to cut pig feed." Pei Ying said, turning to look at her. She looked better after a good night's sleep. He smiled and said, "Sit down and rest for a while. I'll gather these things up and then we can boil water and kill the chickens."

Lin Chuntao stretched and yawned. She felt much more relaxed after her sleep.

"I slept too long today, and none of you even woke me up."

She walked over, muttering to herself. Pei Ying looked up at her and said, "The doctor said you need to rest more. You got up in the middle of the night to pick mushrooms. There's not much work to do in the fields these days. Sleep more and eat more, and try to get better as soon as possible."

Lin Chuntao smiled upon hearing this, looking at the bricks scattered all over the ground, which were made in a fairly standard, square shape.

"Did you build a stove?"

"Hmm." Pei Ying responded, got up and tidied up the molds, "Making them into bricks will make it easier to build chimneys."

Lin Chuntao responded and went to help. Pei Ying quickly said, "Don't get your hands dirty. Go boil the water. We'll scald the chicken feathers later."

"Okay." Lin Chuntao smiled and withdrew her hand, then jogged to the back to get some firewood to start a fire and boil water.

Pei Ying packed up quickly; he finished cleaning before the water in the pot even boiled. After washing his hands, he prepared to get the chicken to kill.

Which one do you want to keep?

"Take a look at them, and keep whichever one is lighter."

As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Ying reached into the chicken coop. He grabbed both chickens and weighed them, feeling that there wasn't much difference in weight. He touched the chicken breast and chose the one with a little more meat.

While he was picking out chickens, Lin Chuntao went back into the house to get a bowl, filled it with water and salt, and prepared to collect the chicken blood.

When she came out with a bowl, Pei Ying also came over with a chicken. "Should we kill it and leave it?" Lin Chuntao asked.

Pei Ying glanced at the water in the pot, which was almost boiling, and replied, "Let's kill them first, the water will be boiling soon."

Lin Chuntao couldn't help much with killing the chicken, so she just stood by and watched Pei Ying.

When the water boiled, Lin Chuntao took the chicken blood back into the house and put it there. Before long, the water in the pot boiled. Pei Ying scooped water to scald the chicken feathers, and Lin Chuntao helped out by scooping water and doing other things. Pei Ying did his work skillfully and efficiently, and Lin Chuntao stared at his well-defined fingers in a daze.

Pei Ying was engrossed in his work when he didn't hear Lin Chuntao's voice for a while. He slowly raised his eyes and saw Lin Chuntao staring intently at his hand.