Chapter 56 Killing the Chicken
He wanted to try everything, from the sugar jar and pickle jar to even the grains used to feed the chickens.
That time, when they couldn't wake him up, the whole family panicked.
Grandpa stayed by the bedside all night, Grandma burned talismans, and even the old sorceress at the village entrance was invited to pinch her fingers and chant incantations.
It was her older brother, Shen Yongcai, who was the first to discover that the paper package containing the medicine had been secretly opened.
Upon seeing this, everyone immediately understood the situation—she must have secretly taken the medicine.
The family gathered around the bed, eagerly waiting for Shen Cuifen to wake up.
She waited and waited, and as it was getting dark, she finally moved her eyelids and slowly opened her eyes.
At that moment, the whole family breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously, as if a huge burden had been lifted off their shoulders.
Shen Dashan and Song Qiaoying were both angry, but seeing their daughter wake up, they didn't want to say anything more to her.
If others ask, they just brush it off with something like, "The kids don't know any better, it's all in the past."
From that day on, medicine was no longer left lying around on the table or next to the cabinet.
After each use, I would lock it in the old wooden cabinet by the bedside, for fear that something might go wrong again.
When Shen Cuifen heard that this matter had been brought up again, her face turned red instantly.
Lu Xiuye and Lu Xiuwei couldn't help but turn their backs and laugh, their shoulders shaking.
No one would have guessed that Shen Cuifen, who is usually gentle and ladylike, was such a fierce child.
"Oh, Mom, stop talking! The child is still here, have some decency!"
Shen Cuifen raised her head and glanced at Song Qiaoying with feigned reproach, but her eyes were full of laughter.
How heartwarming that her parents can still talk about her childhood like this.
It's as if time has never taken anything away; the home is still the same home, and she is still the beloved daughter.
Song Qiaoying smiled and waved her hand.
"Alright, alright, I'll give you face, I won't say anymore! If you keep talking, you'll be crawling out of the ground!"
A bowl of sweet, herbal tea was served, the tea having a light amber hue, with a few mint leaves floating on top.
Shen Cuifen slowly finished drinking it, feeling that it not only quenched her thirst, but also gently soothed away the fatigue and grievances she had experienced along the way.
Although Shen Cuifen used to smile.
But there was always a hint of sadness and bitterness in that smile, as if it were forced out.
But upon his return this time, Shen Yongcai keenly sensed a change.
Her smile this time came from the heart; it was natural and gentle.
Seeing her happy made the elderly couple feel at ease and joyful from the bottom of their hearts.
They looked at each other and saw the same thought in each other's eyes: their daughter had finally returned.
Where is Lu Weidong?
After chatting for a while, the conversation inevitably turned to the name Lu Weidong.
The room fell silent for a moment, as if the air had frozen.
The elderly couple already felt a tightness in their chest whenever he was mentioned.
But given the current situation, decades have passed, and no matter how unwilling she was, Shen Cuifen had endured so many years in his family.
Let's just give our daughter some dignity. Let's not dwell on the past. I only hope she can live a comfortable life from now on.
"My dad got caught in a clip!"
Lu Xiuwei suddenly spoke, her face still showing lingering excitement.
She gestured with her hands, raising her voice slightly.
"A snare set in the mountains got caught on his calf, and he screamed for help in pain. It was only because Old Li next door heard the commotion that he was dragged back!"
Upon hearing this, the two elderly people were stunned for half a second, and then the corners of their mouths couldn't help but turn up.
"Oh, is that so? How did that happen?"
Song Qiaoying suppressed a laugh and asked with feigned concern, but the schadenfreude in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"Is the bone broken? Will you be able to walk again?"
She added another question, her face beaming with amusement.
Before she could finish speaking, she noticed Shen Dashan gently kicking her under the table.
Song Qiaoying looked up and saw the old man winking at her, then realized she had gone too far.
She quickly composed herself, coughed twice, and lowered her head in a serious manner, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.
Seeing Lu Xiuwei shake her head and say that it hadn't broken, she continued.
"It's not broken? That's a real shame!"
Shen Dashan coughed even more violently.
"Grandma, Dad is still..."
Lu Xiuwei opened her mouth, intending to say that Lu Weidong's buttocks were all split open!
But before she could finish speaking, Shen Cuifen subtly nodded at her.
Lu Xiuwei obediently shut her mouth with a smile and continued drinking her tea.
"Mom, who cares if he lives or dies! We won't mention him today, it's disgusting!"
Shen Cuifen said with a smile, her voice light and cheerful.
"Mom, I suddenly have a craving for your spicy stir-fried shredded potatoes. Could you make some?"
Song Qiaoying raised an eyebrow and immediately agreed.
"Okay, wait here! I'll go wash the potatoes!"
The family tacitly skipped over the topic of Lu Weidong, as if he had never existed.
When it was time to cook, all the women in the family rushed into the kitchen.
Shen Dashan then took out the prepared herbs and carefully wrapped them up one by one.
Then she went to the vegetable garden and picked a few handfuls of the small green vegetables she had grown herself, intending to have Shen Cuifen take them back to eat.
He felt a pang of sadness when he saw his daughter's sallow complexion, sunken eyes, and noticeable weight loss compared to the last time he saw her.
He turned around again and went to the backyard, where he slaughtered the fattest chicken.
He had originally planned to take it back for his daughter to eat slowly, but the thought that the mother and her two children would also have to share a bite made Shen Dashan furious.
Let's just kill him and let our daughter have a good meal at home!
If we can't finish it, we'd rather feed it to the dogs than let those ungrateful wretches have it!
Shen Cuifen came to the backyard and saw the chicken lying on the ground. She was so distressed that she stomped her feet.
"Oh, Dad! This chicken was so strong, its feathers were so shiny, how could you just kill it like that! What a waste!"
Song Qiaoying came out with a smile, carrying a bucket of hot water.
"A good chicken is one that my daughter can eat with gusto! Don't worry about the price, look in the backyard, I have a whole flock of them! They're all so fat they can barely walk!"
Shen Cuifen's eyes reddened again, and she quickly lowered her head, pretending to tidy up the vegetable leaves.
It's so nice to be loved like this by my parents.
A meal was completed thanks to everyone's hard work!
The table was full of her favorite foods.
"Let's eat. Your older brother and sister-in-law have gone far away today and won't be coming back."
Song Qiaoying wiped her hands and greeted them with a smile.
Shen Yongcai and Shen Yong'an's children have either gotten married or gone to work.
The empty house, which was originally occupied only by the elderly couple, became lively with their arrival.
Shen Cuifen wanted to leave a bowl of fragrant chicken for her elder brother and sister-in-law, but her parents stopped her as soon as she reached out to serve it.
The mother, Song Qiaoying, snatched the bowl away.
"If they want to eat, I'll kill another one! Today, it's just you three eating as much as you want!"
Father Shen Dashan nodded repeatedly.
Seeing this, Shen Cuifen had no choice but to give up, feeling a mix of emotions.
After dinner, we sat for a while. As dusk fell, the wind outside the window rustled the leaves of the trees in the yard.
She packed the prepared medicine and some freshly picked vegetables, and reluctantly led her two young daughters home.
The elderly couple stood at the door, watching the mother and her two daughters walk away into the distance, and quietly wiped away their tears.
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