Chapter 122 The Xia Family Has No Food

When Lu Zheng entered the room, his steps were three times heavier than usual.

Seeing his expression, Xia Qianqian asked anxiously, "Did something happen?"

Lu Zheng didn't speak, but drank a glass of water first. The sound of his Adam's apple bobbing was particularly clear in the quiet room. He put down the glass: "Qianqian, don't go out these few days. Stay home and behave yourself."

"Why?" Xia Qianqian's heart jumped into her throat.

“The river is dry. The village upstream secretly built a dam and blocked all the water. Now the river in our village is just a shallow pool of muddy water, not even enough for the livestock to drink.”

He continued helplessly, "Today, the team leader took the able-bodied men to argue with them, but they said the dam was built with the approval of the commune cadres, and told us to go and make trouble at the higher-ups if we dare!"

Xia Qianqian gasped, "Then... what did the captain say?"

Lu Zheng said, "The captain is furious! He just slammed his fist on the table at the team headquarters and said he's going to take explosives and blow up the dam tonight!"

"Blow up the dam?!" Xia Qianqian dropped her needle and thread on the kang (a heated brick bed). "Won't that lead to a fight?"

“Yes.” Lu Zheng’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. “The upstream authorities have already said that if we dare to touch the dam, they will break our legs. Tonight… I’m afraid there will be bloodshed.”

Xia Qianqian had stayed in the village for some time and had heard the old folks tell stories of the two villages fighting over water, saying that if things got really bad, people could die.

She grabbed Lu Zheng's arm and pressed him, "Isn't the commune going to do anything? Are they just going to stand by and watch them fight?"

“The team leader has already sent someone to report the news.” Lu Zheng shook his head. “But what do the commune cadres care about our lives? By the time they leisurely approve the documents, the river will have dried up completely.”

He stroked Xia Qianqian's hair: "Tonight, you and Mom will lock the doors and windows tightly. No matter what noise you hear, don't open the door, understand?"

"I'll go with you!" Xia Qianqian's eyes reddened with anxiety. Suddenly remembering something, she lowered her voice, "I have 'Peach Blossom Spring,' if a fight really breaks out..."

Lu Zheng interrupted her: "This is no problem for me. You're pregnant, so staying home obediently is the biggest help you can give me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around, grabbed a sickle from the corner of the wall, and squatted on the threshold, sharpening it with a "sizzle-sizzle" sound.

Xia Qianqian looked at his tense profile and knew that there was no point in saying anything more.

Xia Qianqian turned and rushed into the kitchen. On the cutting board, the speckled chicken that had been quietly moved from "Peach Blossom Spring" was still warm.

She deftly removed the feathers and cut the chicken into pieces. The ginger slices released their aroma in the hot oil, and the chicken pieces sizzled as they were added to the pot, instantly spreading golden chicken oil across the bottom.

She needed to make sure Lu Zheng was well-fed, because he needed to have the strength to eat.

Xia Qianqian was busy here, and the rich aroma of chicken soup wafted far and wide on the wind, making people's mouths water.

The Xia family next door smelled the enticing aroma and their stomachs churned with hunger.

Back in the South City, Madam Xia was always very particular about drinking chicken soup. She would have the chicken simmered slowly and then use only the clearest broth to cook the tender shoots of bok choy.

The tender shoots of the bok choy, after being briefly dipped in the chicken soup, become incredibly tender and flavorful, carrying the rich aroma of the chicken.

As for the chicken used to make soup, she would never eat it, always saying that the essence was in the soup, and that the meat was all given to the servants in the house.

But now, after being in Xiangyang Village for several months, I haven't seen a single chicken, let alone chicken soup.

In the past few months, she had long forgotten what meat tasted like, but now, just smelling the chicken soup made her mouth water uncontrollably.

Xia Wenwen screamed, her voice full of resentment: "Mom! That bitch must have been secretly eating good food behind our backs! She said such nice things before, like 'we're family,' but what happened? We've been in Xiangyang Village for so long, and she hasn't even seen a bowl of thick porridge, let alone chicken soup!"

The Xia family is indeed having a tough time these days. Because they don't work hard, they always earn the fewest work points, and naturally, they are last in line when it comes to distributing grain.

Previously, when the team had enough food, Mr. and Mrs. Xia could barely manage to eat half full. But lately, the team has been distributing less and less food, and what's being poured out of the bags is half coarse bran that stings the throat.

The porridge I cook every day is thin and watery, and every bite scratches my throat sorely, but even so, my stomach is still growling with hunger.

Upon hearing Xia Wenwen's words, Madam Xia's eyes immediately reddened: "Isn't this heartless bastard afraid of retribution?!"

Even Mr. Xia, who is usually quite composed, couldn't help but start cursing.

"She's an ungrateful wretch!" Mr. Xia slammed his hand on the broken wooden table, causing the chipped bowl on the table to rattle and spill half a bowl of thin porridge mixed with bran.

The thought of the gold bars that Xia Qianqian had donated to the Revolutionary Committee made him feel as if a piece of flesh had been ripped out of his heart.

But he couldn't retaliate. He relied on the pretext of "donation," and he even knelt outside office number 3 overnight to kowtow until his head was broken, in order to get this opportunity to "abandon darkness and embrace light."

"Dad, don't get so angry you'll ruin your health!" Xia Wenwen's eyes lit up, and she suddenly whispered in Madam Xia's ear, "Mom! We can't just starve to death like this! Let's go ask her for food right now! If she dares not give it to us, we'll block her yard and make a scene, so the whole village can see!"

Madam Xia, already dizzy from hunger, was provoked by these words and her withered hand suddenly gripped Xia Wenwen's arm tightly: "Yes! Let's make a scene! Why should she eat and drink well while we have to eat coarse food? Let's go! Let's go now!"

Mr. Xia was panting heavily, a hint of hesitation flashing in his cloudy eyes, but the rumbling in his stomach and the burning sensation in his throat ultimately overwhelmed his reason.

He gritted his teeth: "Let's go! We'll make her give us an explanation!"

Xia Qianqian covered the fire with honeycomb briquettes and simmered it over low heat. This way, the chicken would be tender and flavorful. Just as she finished doing this, she heard a sound outside.

"Qianqian, are you home?"

The familiar voice made Xia Qianqian frown instantly.

It's Mrs. Xia!

Just as she was about to pretend no one was home, Mrs. Xia and Xia Wenwen blocked the kitchen doorway, one in front and one behind.

"Qianqian, we heard you're pregnant, so we came to see you." Madam Xia smiled insincerely. "Don't look down on your parents for coming empty-handed. You know we're not like we used to be; we're really strapped for cash and don't have much to offer..."

Before she finished speaking, Xia Wenwen's eyes were already fixed on the bubbling clay pot on the stove.

"Sister, what are you stewing? It smells amazing!" She suddenly stepped forward, looking at Xia Qianqian pitifully. "Mom and I haven't had a proper meal for two days, and our stomachs are growling. Could you... give us a bite too?"

The chicken soup in the casserole was still bubbling, its rich aroma filling the entire kitchen, making Xia Wenwen's words sound even more jarring.

Xia Qianqian subtly moved in front of the stove to block them. This mother and daughter weren't here to see her; they were clearly there to snatch the food from the aroma!