Time flies, and Liu Caixia will be out of confinement in a day. Xia Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief because her temporary zookeeper job was finally coming to an end.
Captain Liu Yougen specifically came to talk to Xia Qingqing about this matter. He was afraid that Xia Qingqing would get used to doing this job and be reluctant to give it back to Liu Caixia, so as to avoid conflicts between the two later. He wanted to tell her in advance.
"Uncle Captain, don't worry, I know this job belongs to Sister-in-law Caixia, and I will definitely not hog it," Xia Qingqing made a promise, somewhat amused and exasperated.
The captain cleared his throat: "Qingqing, I know you're a good kid, but there's something else I need to tell you."
"The job of cutting pig feed that you were assigned to was because Liu Caixia was pregnant. Now that she has given birth, she's done it."
Before the captain could finish speaking, Xia Qingqing said directly, "Uncle Captain, I understand everything. When Sister-in-law Caixia comes tomorrow, I will hand over all the work to her."
The captain smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "Hey, you scholars are really more enlightened. Don't be fooled by how simple this job is. Taking care of the piglets after the sow gives birth is something most people can't do."
After the brigade leader left, Xia Qingqing couldn't help but jump up and down with joy. Yes, finally she didn't have to raise pigs anymore.
She now realizes that earning 10 work points isn't so easy. Before, she would just cut pig feed every day, and after that, she could go home to rest and even read or study in the afternoon.
Now, every day after cutting pig feed, I have to chop pig feed, then cook pig feed, and feed the pigs three times a day.
This is only because Xia's father would take time every day to help her shovel pig manure; otherwise, she would be even more tired.
Because she's been too busy, she hasn't been to the county for a while and doesn't know how Xiao An and the others are doing.
——
That evening, Xia Qingqing briefly announced during dinner that she wouldn't have to feed the pigs the next day. She thought her parents would regret losing a job that would earn them full work points.
But to my surprise, Zhang Hongyan was very happy after hearing this: "That's great, Qingqing. Mom has been wanting you to stop doing this for a long time. This job is so tiring."
"Yes, Qingqing, you should rest at home for a few days. You've lost weight from exhaustion lately," Xia Heping nodded, agreeing with his wife.
Gou Dan's eyes darted around, and he looked at Zhang Hongyan tentatively, asking, "Mom, my sister looks so tired, why don't you buy her some meat to help her recover?"
Zhang Hongyan saw through her son's wicked thoughts at a glance and scolded, "Didn't you get enough of that meat from a while ago? You ate the most of all that meat."
After saying that, she sighed again: "It's not that I'm unwilling to spend money to buy meat, it's just that I don't have meat coupons."
When Gou Dan heard that there were no meat coupons, he also sighed. How could he possibly have enough meat? He would never get tired of eating it every day.
Seeing the two of them sighing, Xia Qingqing finally spoke up: "Mom, I don't have to go to work tomorrow, so I might as well go to the county and see if my classmate has any fabric left, and I'll bring some back."
Zhang Hongyan often stayed up all night making dresses from the fabrics Xia Qingqing brought back, and during the day she also had to work in the fields. Over time, her mental state deteriorated.
Xia Qingqing couldn't stand it anymore, so she simply made an excuse that her classmate's family was short of goods recently, which made Zhang Hongyan regret it for a long time.
So when Zhang Hongyan heard Xia Qingqing say she was going to get the fabric, she immediately agreed: "Okay, Mom will give you some money, go to the county and buy yourself some good food."
"No need, I have my own money here," Xia Qingqing quickly refused, and then took out a handful of change to show Zhang Hongyan.
Zhang Hongyan then believed her: "Okay, if you run out of money, just tell Mom. Mom has money here."
Gou Dan watched the mother and daughter's intimate interaction and snorted unhappily, "Hmph~".
Seeing his furrowed brow, Xia Qingqing smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Are you jealous that Mom won't give you pocket money? Here, have some from your sister."
As she spoke, Xia Qingqing handed Gou Dan a 10-cent banknote.
Gou Dan didn't take it and angrily moved aside. This behavior puzzled Xia Qingqing. He was always happy to give her money before, so why was he reacting like this now?
"I'm not jealous at all. You yourself have lied to me so many times. Every time you say you'll take me to the county next time, and then the next time, and the next time again, how many times is there?" Gou Dan was so angry that he was forced to bring out his potential and put the poem his sister had taught him into practice.
Xia Qingqing then realized why Gou Dan was angry. It was also her fault, because every time she went to the county, she had important business to attend to, and occasionally she would also go to the black market.
So every time, she would try to trick Gou Dan into taking him again next time, thinking that she could just coax him with candy when they got home, but he always remembered it.
"Don't be angry, I promise I'll take you this time, I'll be a dog if I'm lying," Xia Qingqing ruffled Gou Dan's tuft of hair.
Dog Egg suddenly turned around and asked happily, "Really? If you lie to me again, I'll call you Sister Dog from now on."
"Really, you have to go to bed early tonight, or you won't be able to get up tomorrow."
When it was time for bed, Gou Dan still went to Xia Qingqing's room, worried: "Sister, you absolutely have to wake me up tomorrow, or I'll never talk to you again."
Xia Qingqing felt that the current situation was like "crying wolf." Gou Dan had been fooled by her too many times and had begun to distrust her.
"Don't worry, I will definitely call you, I swear," Xia Qingqing said, holding up four fingers to reaffirm her promise.
Dog Egg returned to his room with some skepticism. Children sleep well and fell asleep within minutes.
The next day, Xia Qingqing no longer needed Zhang Hongyan to call her; she had developed a biological clock during this time.
Just kidding, actually I asked Gu Yunshu to find me an alarm clock.
After getting up, Xia Qingqing saw Zhang Hongyan busy in the kitchen: "Mom, why are you angry so early? It's still early before work. Why don't you go back to sleep for a while?"
"Mom isn't sleepy, she's had enough sleep. You're going to the county, so I'll boil you an egg to tide you over."
Xia Qingqing leaned over and saw two eggs in the pot. She knew without guessing that one egg was for herself and one for Gou Dan.
She turned around and went to the cupboard, took out two more eggs, and put them in the pot: "These are for you and Dad."
"Oh dear, your mom and dad don't need to eat this good stuff. It's such a waste. You and Gou Dan are growing, so you should get some nourishment," Zhang Hongyan said, looking at the eggs in the pot with heartache.
"Why not? You work so hard every day, how can your bodies take it if you don't eat something good?"
Seeing her daughter's resolute expression, Zhang Hongyan had no choice but to give in. Fine, let her eat them. Anyway, the family doesn't need a few more eggs.
"Mom, I'm going to wake Gou Dan up."
Zhang Hongyan grabbed her hand: "Wait a minute, are you really taking him? I thought you were just trying to appease him yesterday."
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