"Save it for this afternoon. Don't eat too much, you still have lunch later," Xia Qingqing said to Gou Dan.
"Okay," Gou Dan nodded haphazardly, then reached into the bamboo basket to get a watermelon, taking one for himself and remembering to give one to Da Niu as well.
Da Niu waved his hand in refusal; he had already eaten one piece and felt embarrassed to continue.
Seeing this, Xia Qingqing stuffed the watermelon into his hand and said with a smile, "Here, there's more on the table."
"Thank you, Sister Qingqing," Da Niu said with a simple and honest smile.
Da Niu and Gou Dan are very close friends. Gou Dan often goes to Da Niu's house to eat snacks. However, Da Niu is always a little reserved in front of Xia Qingqing.
After finishing their second slice of watermelon, Da Niu and Gou Dan agreed to play together again in the afternoon, and then happily ran home.
Xia Qingqing didn't say anything to spoil the mood. There was still a long summer vacation ahead, so the child could play for a couple of days if he wanted.
Xia Heping quickly ate two pieces of watermelon, wiped his mouth casually, and said, "Qingqing, you rest well at home. Dad is going to work in the fields."
He took the day off specifically to pick up his daughter. It was still early, so he planned to go back to the fields to work for a while, so his wife could go home and cook.
After Xia Heping left, Xia Qingqing couldn't sit still any longer: "Gou Dan, what do you want to eat for lunch today?"
"Sis, are you going to cook? But Mom won't let you cook," Gou Dan said, looking confused.
Xia Qingqing smiled nonchalantly: "Don't worry so much. I'll cook now, and Mom and Dad can eat as soon as they get back."
Zhang Hongyan used to forbid Xia Qingqing from cooking because Xia Qingqing used too much oil and salt, and Zhang Hongyan couldn't bear to spend that much when the family was poor.
Even though the family has enough oil and salt, Zhang Hongyan still doesn't let Xia Qingqing cook, mainly because she can't bear to see Xia Qingqing doing chores.
Dog Egg nodded obediently: "Okay, then I'll help you."
Xia Qingqing went to the kitchen and found a basket of eggs, a piece of cured pork, and vegetables that were grown in the garden.
She planned to make stir-fried green peppers with pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a loofah and egg soup.
She cooked a pot of rice, then sent Gou Dan to pick vegetables from the garden, while Xia Qingqing herself started cutting meat.
As soon as Zhang Hongyan stepped into the yard, she smelled the aroma of vegetables. She quickly went into the kitchen and immediately felt a pang of heartache when she saw her daughter's forehead covered in sweat.
"Oh dear, why aren't you resting in the room? You can wait for Mom to come back and cook."
Xia Qingqing wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled at Zhang Hongyan, "Mom, you're back! The food is almost ready, we can eat soon."
Zhang Hongyan gave her daughter a reproachful look: "Don't do it again next time. It's so hot in the kitchen in this weather."
He turned to his son and said, "Dog Egg, go to the field and call your dad back for dinner."
"I'll go right away," Gou Dan said, and dashed off as soon as he received the assignment.
Not long after, Xia Heping returned with Gou Dan. Xia Qingqing brought the last dish to the table: "Alright, Mom and Dad, you can eat now."
"Qingqing's cooking is really delicious," Xia Heping said with a smile.
He had just heard from Gou Dan that his sister had cooked today's meal.
Dog Egg's favorite food is scrambled eggs with tomatoes. It's sweet and sour, and goes perfectly with rice.
After dinner, Zhang Hongyan instructed Gou Dan to wash the dishes. Gou Dan skillfully began to tidy up the table, and Xia Heping got up to help his son.
Zhang Hongyan then chatted with Xia Qingqing, asking her about her recent situation at school. Although she had mentioned these things in her letters, she still wanted to hear her daughter tell her in person.
The two chatted casually until Gou Dan finished washing the dishes and came out, at which point Xia Qingqing began to sort through the things she had brought back from her room.
Zhang Hongyan and Xia Heping were given clothes and shoes as usual, while Gou Dan was given a new fountain pen.
"Sis, is this pen a gift for me?" Gou Dan asked, taking the pen carefully and somewhat incredulously.
For Gou Dan, who had only ever used pencils, fountain pens were something unattainable; only school teachers could use them.
“Yes, there are two more bottles of ink here. When you run out, Dad will buy you new ones from the county,” Xia Qingqing said, placing the two bottles of ink on the table.
Zhang Hongyan felt a pang of heartache: "Why did you buy him such nice things? It's such a waste."
When Gou Dan heard his mother say that, he said somewhat unconvinced, "It's not a waste at all. I will cherish this pen."
"Mom, this pen isn't that expensive. Gou Dan is getting old, so it's good for him to practice his handwriting first, so that his handwriting won't look like a dog's scratch later," Xia Qingqing joked.
The feel of writing with a pencil is completely different from that of writing with a fountain pen. You can't keep using pencils in junior high and high school, so it's good to start practicing fountain pen writing early.
Seeing that her daughter had said so, Zhang Hongyan didn't argue anymore. She just earnestly told Gou Dan to practice his calligraphy well and not to let his sister down.
Dog Egg readily agreed; he really liked the new pen and didn't want to put it down.
Zhang Hongyan suddenly slapped her thigh: "Oh dear, I almost forgot, Mom made you a new dress, but I didn't send it to school because you're about to have a holiday. I'll go get it for you to try on."
After saying that, she quickly went into the room, took out the dress from the cabinet, unfolded it, and showed it to Xia Qingqing: "Qingqing, what do you think? Do you like this pattern?"
This is a blue floral dress with a cinched waist and white ruffles at the neckline and cuffs, giving it a fresh and clean look.
"I love it, I love it so much! I'm going back to my room to try it on right now!" Xia Qingqing happily took the dress and ran back to her room.
"Mom, why do you only make new clothes for my sister and not for me?" Gou Dan looked at his mother with accusatory eyes.
Zhang Hongyan glared at him: "You little rascal, you're already being kind by having clothes to wear, and you still want new clothes? You're dreaming!"
In the summer, the boys in the village are either going up the mountain or down to the river, and there are never enough new clothes to make. Zhang Hongyan simply altered Gou Dan's clothes from last summer to make them a little bigger, and they fit him perfectly.
Dog Egg pouted, looking aggrieved: "Mom, you're being unfair. I want new clothes too."
"We'll see. We're out of cloth coupons at home. We'll figure out how to make you new clothes later," Zhang Hongyan said somewhat perfunctorily.
Dog Egg didn't care when he could wear the new clothes. Hearing his mother's promise, he immediately smiled again.
After resting for a while at noon, Xia Heping and his wife went back to work in the fields. Xia Qingqing asked Gou Dan to boil water for her. She felt like she had gone bad after not taking a bath for two days on the train.
After taking a shower, Xia Qingqing felt like she had lost two pounds. She wrapped her hair in a dry towel and went straight back to her room.
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