Chapter 156 Disaster in Beijing, Beggars Flee

"Yesterday, we had pork crackling buns, weren't they delicious? I haven't had them in ages!"

Zhou Ye stroked his hair and said softly.

"Huh? Pork cracklings? Does that mean we have to render lard? Did the village chief render lard at his house yesterday? Good heavens, with so many people eating steamed buns, they must have rendered at least two pounds, right?"

"Yes, the village chief's family is still quite wealthy!"

"Yeah...it's been so long since we've had steamed buns! We really crave them..."

Zhou smiled and explained, "Don't mention it. I bought the lard and pork bones in the county town yesterday. We're already feeling embarrassed to accept that as guests at the village chief's house!"

"How could we possibly trouble the village chief to spend money like this!"

With just a few words, he successfully drew the attention of the critics to himself.

Otherwise, everyone will be watching the village chief, which will only cause trouble for his family!

"You went to buy it? Such a big purchase? Wouldn't you be at a huge disadvantage? There are so many people in the village chief's family."

There are many children.

"Hehe... Sisters-in-law, you're overthinking it! Since we're guests at the village chief's house, it's great that we all eat together and have a lively time!"

I love children too!

The village chief's grandsons are all very obedient and well-behaved.

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

I'm just a little jealous!

Lard and pork bones—if we were eating at home, wouldn't we be able to enjoy them ourselves?

But it's not good to poach people from the village chief's side, since the village chief has always been good to everyone!

He sighed and said, "Hehe... Well, girl, you can wander around a bit, we'll be going now!"

"Okay, sisters-in-law, get back to work!"

However, things developed in a way that was far more outrageous than Zhou could have imagined!

When she returned after wandering around the foot of the mountain, she saw a large crowd gathered around the village chief's house in the distance.

Who is it?

Zhou was also somewhat puzzled!

Upon closer inspection, wow, there were quite a few people sitting not only outside the courtyard but also inside, including all sorts of relatives.

He sat on a bench in the yard, laughing and chatting with Aunt Zhang.

What are we having for lunch today?

"Yes... Sister-in-law, what are you preparing to make? Why did you wash so many eggplants? And cut them into small cubes?"

"Yes, is there meat for lunch today?"

Aunt Zhang was carrying a basin filled with eggplants, and her face looked grim.

Zhang's eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law were also in the yard, and they were clearly not happy about it.

"Aunties, it's almost noon. Aren't you going home to cook? Your men and children must be hungry."

"Let's go back quickly!"

Zhang Ersao could no longer tolerate it!

But the aunties said with a smile, "Second brother's wife, we're just curious, we're not going to do anything."

I'm just curious what your guests eat.

"We'll leave once you're done!"

"Yeah, it's the second son's family. Your mom didn't say anything, we're just looking! We're not eating..."

Looking at it, Zhou Ye thought that some people might be genuinely curious, while others might be thinking they could gain some advantage.

However, none of these are problems.

At least on the surface, they won't go too far, after all, Uncle Zhang is the village chief.

"Aunt Zhang!"

Zhou called out from the doorway.

Everyone looked at Zhou Ye, and some of the bolder ones spoke up directly.

"Oh, is this the guest from yesterday? The young lady looks quite young!"

"Yes, the couple came to pick up Grandpa?"

What are you having for lunch?

"Little girl, what would you like to eat?"

Zhou smiled and asked Aunt Zhang directly, "Auntie, what are we having for lunch? Noodles?"

Aunt Zhang nodded: "Yes, I'm planning to make eggplant with lard. The dough is already mixed, but..."

Zhou smiled and said, "Then shall I cook with my aunt in the kitchen? I'm starving."

Then, looking at the other guests in the courtyard, he said, "I'm sorry, we'll go cook now!"

I have so much to do this afternoon, I need to eat quickly!

Do as you please!

As he spoke, he pulled Aunt Zhang into the kitchen!

Before going in, I said to Sister-in-law Zhang, "Sister-in-law, is the child crying?"

Sister-in-law Zhang then realized, "Oh dear, I must go and check right away!"

He pulled Zhang Ersao into the house!

The people in the courtyard looked at each other.

Nobody wants to leave!

"I'm just curious, what kind of meal is the village chief making that I'm not planning to eat at!"

"Me too! Look what smells so good!"

"Yeah, and they're eating noodles? With so many people, how much noodles do they have to eat!"

"Yes, what a waste! Wouldn't cornmeal porridge be better?"

At this moment, Zhou also came out with a smile and said, "Sisters, there's water in that jar, feel free to use it!"

Then I went inside!

"There's water? Are they implying we talk too much?"

"That's definitely not possible, right? They're just worried we'll get thirsty!"

Some people say it's good, and some people say it's bad!

In the kitchen, Aunt Zhang said worriedly, "These people who came today are shameless! What if they start clamoring for food after we've finished cooking?"

Zhou Ye: "No, we'll just do what we're doing. Do you think they'll still try to steal it?"

Aunt Zhang: "That's not true!"

At this point, Aunt Zhang stopped caring and said, "Forget it, why bother worrying about others? Who cares about them?"

With food so precious these days, they wouldn't dare.

"I can only watch, filled with envy!"

Once you've thought it through, you can do it freely!

Aunt Zhang isn't pretentious at all, and she's a great cook!

The sauce was ready in no time!

It contained a lot of lard, and the whole yard smelled wonderful.

Just as the noodles were being cooked, Brother Zhang and Brother Zhang Er returned! They were quite startled to see the people in the yard!

I immediately realized what was going on.

"It smells so good!"

"yes……"

Zhou Ye came out, smiled at everyone, and then called out, "Jianshe, bring in the food!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Jianshe came out of the side room, and all the aunties and older women in the courtyard looked at him.

"Hello, aunties! Sisters-in-law, you're still sitting here!"

Xie Jianshe gave a brief greeting.

Everyone chuckled, a hint of embarrassment flashing across their faces...

Then, he took two bowls of noodles from the kitchen and walked past his sisters-in-law!

No one dared to say anything in front of the guests, they just watched, and Xie Jianshe returned home without any problems!

When Zhang Ersao came out, she was quite annoyed to see so many people in the courtyard!

What's going on? Why aren't you leaving?!

Are you really going to stay for dinner?

I walked past in a huff and puff and arrived at the kitchen.

"Mom, what should we do?"

Aunt Zhang: "How about... we go a little more politely?"

"Mom, do you believe it or not? If you're polite, they'll dare to try it? Look at the ingredients we used, so many eggplants, so much lard."

This smells so good it's making my mouth water!

"Yes...yes..."

"It's alright. They said they were just curious and wanted to take a look. Let everyone see, just like we're having a feast!"

With so many people watching... it's all up to you...

Zhou also said.

Anyway, she's thick-skinned and doesn't mind!

"That's right, let's go out to eat!"

Aunt Zhang made the decision right away!

"Eldest brother, second brother, set the table!"

"Okay, sure!" The two sons set up a table in the middle of the yard as usual.

They exchanged glances again; this was for everyone to try.

That would be wonderful if you could try it!

Even just one bite would be fine; I swallowed hard just thinking about it!

The table was set up, the eldest and second eldest brothers arranged the chairs, and then each of them brought out a bowl of noodles from the kitchen.

Aunt Zhang is quite an interesting character. She came out, sat down, and looked at the neighbors in the yard, saying, "Aren't you going home to cook?"

Hey...aren't you curious? Come...take a look...take a look...

We made eggplant sauce, and the noodles were a mixture of cornmeal and wheat flour. It tasted pretty good!

Smell it!

Those shameless people's faces instantly turned ugly!

Zhou Ye suppressed a laugh. Although Aunt Zhang is usually easy to talk to, she can be quite interesting when it really matters!

"Is it tasty?"

At this moment, one of the women couldn't hold back any longer.

As Sister-in-law Zhang wolfed down her food, she replied, "It's delicious! It's so delicious!"

Those people swallowed hard. They certainly couldn't just rob it directly, or say anything unpleasant, since it was the village chief's house.

After watching for a long time, until the whole family had finished eating, I didn't even offer them a single bite!

Feeling both angry and ashamed, everyone eventually left!

After everyone left, Aunt Zhang breathed a sigh of relief: "Next time we eat, we'll close the gate."

Let them smell it outside!

"Yeah, all the food I ate went down my back! It's so uncomfortable..."

"Haha... I feel so good."

These women were furious when they came out of the village chief's house!

"No way! They've gone too far! They won't let us taste it, they'll just let us smell it! That's outrageous!"

"Yes, and that guest, he looked so young, but he was so shameless! Eating right in front of us!"

"Pah! Just wait and see, that brat will leave eventually. Once they're gone, let's see what they'll eat."

"Exactly, don't they still have to live the same life as us, eating only coarse food and wild vegetables?"

"Hey, I have an idea..."

At that moment, a woman whispered.

"What?"

Everyone became curious!

After finishing his meal, Zhou returned to his room and exchanged a helpless glance with Xie Jianshe.

Every village has its own set of problems...

After settling their grandfather in, Zhou Ye and Xie Jianshe got up and decided to go up the mountain to take a look.

There isn't much vegetation on the mountains here; there are many rocks and clods of earth.

Even after reaching the highest point, all you could vaguely see was a large, wide area, which was probably the quarry.

No, I'll go check again tonight.

At the foot of the mountain, we encountered villagers digging for wild vegetables. Among them were the same people who had been in the village chief's courtyard at noon.

A woman with a gentle appearance came over and said with a smile, "Girl, is this your husband?"

She's so beautiful!

You two are a perfect match!

"Thank you, sister-in-law!"

Zhou Ye replied politely!

Just as I was about to leave, I was stopped again!

"Girls, your sister-in-law has something to say to you! Actually, we don't know each other, and your sister-in-law is a little embarrassed to say this!"

The main thing is, I actually cook better than Aunt Zhang!

Especially the meat dishes, they are absolutely amazing!

How about... you eat at your sister-in-law's house from now on? Our house isn't far from the village chief's. Just say you want to try something different, the village chief won't say anything!

The eldest sister-in-law looked at Zhou Ye and Xie Jianshe expectantly.

Zhou pursed his lips and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law, but I still prefer Aunt Zhang's cooking!"

"I'm not changing it!"

"Oh, don't say that! You've come all this way to our place, we should be as hospitable as possible!"

Yes or no? "

Just then, another woman came over, glared at the woman who had just spoken, and turned to Zhou Ye with a grin, saying, "Little girl, actually I've been wanting to stop watching for a while now! The village chief's family is actually doing quite well."

Even if things aren't going well right now, we can't keep eating food from guests!

Sigh... That wouldn't happen in my family!

Just give the children and the elderly a taste!

I'm happy to cook for you and serve you, hehe... How is it? My cooking is delicious too!

Zhou Ye chuckled.

"Sister-in-law, we are guests. We only stayed because of my grandfather's health! We can just eat whatever we want at the village chief's house!"

Besides, we are ordinary people, not remnants of feudalism, and we don't need to be waited on!

The woman's face instantly turned panicked: "No... young lady, that's not what I meant!"

"I know, my sister-in-law is so warm and kind in inviting us! We're really sorry, we'll just stay at the village chief's house and have a simple meal!"

No need for you to spend any money!

Thank you so much! I'm really grateful!

After saying that, he was about to leave!

The woman got impatient and tried to say something to Zhou.

Xie Jianshe pulled Zhou Ye into his arms and said with a forced smile, "Sister-in-law, it's almost time!"

We're going back!

He left after saying that!

The woman patted her chest and said, "That really scared me to death! That man's eyes were like a wolf's; he looked like he was going to eat me alive!"

Those nearby, seeing this, said with lingering fear, "That's right. Look how pretty that girl is. If she didn't have a strong man protecting her, she wouldn't dare to go out!"

"So that she won't be snatched away to be someone else's wife."

"That's true!"

"Don't go out alone anymore, it's too dangerous!"

Xie Jianshe said worriedly.

"Heh..." Zhou couldn't help but laugh.

Speaking of danger, there was one person who encountered real danger.

Zhou Tao was sitting on the street in Beijing, glaring angrily at the person in front of him: "Xiao Ma, give me back my money."

That's my money!

Xiao Ma looked at him with disdain: "What? Your money? Didn't you give it to me yourself? You asked me to find out for you!"

"But you're lying to me! You never contacted me!"

Zhou Tao shouted.

Xiao Ma scoffed, "Nonsense! This is Beijing, not your Hongqi Village! You think you can do whatever you want here? I told you before, you don't know anyone here, don't trust people blindly!"

But you just won't listen!

Who made you believe me?

I said I'd find someone for you, and I meant I'd find someone for you. It's not that I'm mean any harm, it's just that you're stupid!

Zhou Tao looked at Xiao Ma in shock: "You weren't like this before. You were so enthusiastic towards me, and you said we were good brothers!"

You even took me to eat all sorts of delicious food.

Was it all a lie?

"No, of course it's true! Why would I take you? Because I've never been before, and I don't have the money!"

If you don't go, who will pay?

"Pah! It's just a few hundred yuan, and you're wasting my time. Get lost!"

Xiao Ma wanted to leave, but Zhou Tao held him back!

The two started pulling at each other!

Zhou Tao finally burst into tears: "Fine, I'll accept that you're a liar! But you have to leave me some money for the bus fare, how am I going to get back?"

You have to let me go home, right?

Aren't you also a sent-down youth? You have to go back too, right?

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Ma chuckled and said, "You really are naive. You think you can just believe whatever I say?"

Let me tell you, I'm not some educated youth sent to the countryside. Just consider me a fraud!

"Ahhh... Little Ma, how could you lie to me? I trusted you so much! What am I supposed to do now?"

I have no money, I'll starve to death!

However, no matter how much Zhou Tao shouted, she couldn't awaken Xiao Ma's conscience.

Zhou Tao deserved to end up like this!

He looked at the road in the distance, not knowing which way to go!

"Waaah... Mom, I regret it! I want to go home! I'll never do it again! Mom... I want to go home!"

I'm not looking for anyone anymore!

Being alone in an unfamiliar place, where you know no one, is really tough!

Three days later, a man dressed in tattered clothes lay curled up at the intersection...

"I want to go home...I want to go home..."

"Hey...who are you? Why are you here alone? Comrade, what's wrong?" Zhou Tao was lucky to be spotted by a patrolling policeman.

When Zhou Tao saw the police, he thought they were going to arrest him and was so scared that he tried to run away: "No, don't arrest me!"

I'm not a bad person!

I'm broke, and I'm not a bad person!

I want to run, but I can't!

They were eventually taken to the police station and questioned carefully before they learned the location of their home.

"Alright, stop hiding in the corner. We'll buy you a ticket, you can go home by yourself!"

Zhou Tao looked up in disbelief: "Really?"

"real!"

He sniffed, feeling wronged and on the verge of tears!

"Okay... thank you, thank you!"

Three days later, Zhou Tao stepped into a familiar place!

As soon as I got off the train, I burst into tears!

"I'm finally home... I'm finally home... Mom... I'm home!"

She cried for a long time, surrounded by curious and strange looks.

Zhou Tao looked just like a beggar at that moment!

Covered in dirt, he walked home!

In the Zhou family home, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou are talking...

"I don't know if my son has found Xie Yanli yet. My heart is pounding with anxiety, and I don't know why."

"Mother Zhou said, pressing her hand to her chest!"

Mr. Zhou sighed: "You're overthinking it. Your son took several hundred yuan with him when he left!"

That's a lot!

Even if you ate the best food every day in Beijing, you still wouldn't be able to spend it all!

Don't worry!

Moreover, my daughter-in-law is kind and righteous; she'll definitely give the job to my son!

"I'm just worried! I even dreamt yesterday that my son was saying he wasn't getting enough to eat or wear! Oh my god!"

I thought to myself, "Has something happened to my son?"

You're overthinking it!

The words had barely left his mouth...

"mom!"

A piercing scream startled everyone in the room!

"Oh my god, who is this?"

Zhou's mother was so frightened that she took a few steps back!

"Mom, it's your son! I'm in big trouble! Mom..."

Zhou Tao cried out and immediately threw herself into her mother's arms.

Upon closer inspection, Zhou's mother burst into tears, exclaiming, "Oh dear, what on earth happened to that heartless bastard?"

My son...

My poor son...

Waaah...

What happened? Where are your clothes? Oh, how did you get back?

Zhou's father also looked at Zhou Tao in shock!

"I'm hungry... Mom... I'm so hungry..."

No matter what you ask, it's always the same answer!

Zhou's mother wiped away her tears: "Okay, Mom will do it right away! Immediately..."

After saying that, she went to the kitchen and quickly made a bowl of boiled noodles. Before the noodles had even cooled down, Zhou Tao grabbed the bowl and started slurping them down!

He ate a whole bowlful in just a few bites, and Zhou's mother quickly scooped over another big bowlful!

Watching her son eat, Zhou's mother sobbed, "What happened? My son, how pitiful you are!"

Did that damn bitch bully you?

Did Xie Yanli bully you?

Won't you get a job?

ah"

After Zhou Tao finished eating three bowls, he finally had the strength to speak: "Mom... I've never even met Xie Yanli!"

I've been scammed!

They cheated me out of my money... Waaah...

I'm so miserable!

"What? You got scammed? Then... how did you get back?"

Zhou Tao recounted the whole story of how he got back!

Zhou's mother cried even harder: "This...this damned swindler, why did he only deceive my son? My son has suffered so much!"

My poor child!

It's good to be home, it's good to be home! We won't go out anymore!

OK?

At home, Mom takes care of me!

My poor child!

Suddenly, Zhou's father asked, "What about work?"

Zhou's mother said fiercely, "No, I must know where Xie Yanli is, and her job must be my son's."

snort!

We'll go with our son then!

It's all that ungrateful wretch's fault, otherwise my son wouldn't have suffered like this.

I'm so angry!

What's more, she brought my grandson with her! I will absolutely not let her get away with this.

After eating and taking a shower, Zhou Tao was so tired that she lay down to rest!

Zhou's mother was heartbroken.

She kept crying and cursing... cursing Xie Yanli, cursing the Xie family, cursing liars, saying there wasn't a single good person in the world.

Everyone let her down.

Suddenly, Zhou's mother remembered something and said to Zhou's father, "Old man, go to Xiaohong's house and ask her if she still has any money."

Take out 100 yuan to use first!

My son suffered a lot this time and needs to be well-fed. He took a lot of leave and hasn't received any pay this month!

Mr. Zhou nodded: "Okay, I'll go get the money!"

The couple didn't realize they had done anything wrong.

Asking his daughter for money seems to have become a habit!

"Little Red... Little Red..."

When Zhou's father saw his daughter watering the flowers in the garden, he called out softly.

Zhou Hong was startled when she saw this, her heart skipped a beat. She glanced into the house, but no one had noticed. Luckily, there was a tree blocking the view of where her father was. She took a deep breath, pretended to water the plants, and slowly walked over!

"Dad, why are you here again? Has my brother found a job? Did he call you?"

Mr. Zhou looked displeased and said directly, "Give me a hundred yuan!"

"What? You want money again for a hundred dollars? Where am I supposed to get that kind of money? I gave you gold last time!"

Where do I have any more?

Zhou Hong was speechless when she heard that money was required.

She glanced around the room anxiously, afraid of being discovered. Her in-laws had said she would sever ties with her parents' family.

Zhou's father snorted: "You have no idea how much your brother suffered. Beijing is such a big city, and he was unfamiliar with the place and people. He even encountered bad people!"

I was scammed out of every single penny!

How pitiful!

When I came back, my clothes were all torn. I don't know how much suffering I endured on the way back...

It's so heartbreaking!

"Hurry up and get the money, I'll go back and treat your brother!"

When Zhou Hong heard this, she felt sorry for the girl, but she also felt bad about the money!

So much money, just gone like that?

But seeing her father's troubled expression, she felt really sad!

With her head down, she explained in a low voice, "Dad, I really have no money left! All I have is the five yuan my mother-in-law gave me for groceries!"

That's not enough!

Zhou's father glared angrily at Zhou Hong...