"Mom, Caomei is so pitiful. Although she doesn't say it, I can see that she envies us for being able to go to school..." Erya frowned and whispered to her mother.
Du Xiaoying looked at Cao Mei who was busy working not far away, and felt very uncomfortable as if she saw Erya in the past.
In her previous life, Cao Mei's parents died early, and she and her siblings depended on their grandparents. After she got married, her in-laws were not easy to get along with, and the husband didn't care about anything. The last time I heard about this child was that she went south to work in order to support her younger siblings and the family.
He sighed and walked over with Erya in his hand, "Cao Mei."
"Aunt, what's wrong?"
Du Xiaoying took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off Cao Mei's forehead with a distressed look. "Cao Mei, I heard from Erya that you don't want to learn to read with her. Are you worried about anything?"
Cao Mei pursed her lips and lowered her eyes, "Auntie, my grandparents are not young anymore, I need to earn work points to support my younger brothers and sisters, so..."
Du Xiaoying felt very distressed, "Cao Mei, it's not easy for you at such a young age. In the future, whenever you have time, let Erya teach you how to read. When it's time to hibernate, you can come to your aunt's house and study with Erya and the others. It won't affect your work.
Girls need to read more and gain more knowledge so that they won't have to rely on others for everything in the future. No matter when, their destiny must be in their own hands, and the future will have more possibilities! "
"Right, right, right! Your destiny is in your own hands!" Erya nodded vigorously, pulling her friend's arm. "Let's work together. I've made up my mind. I want to be a police officer and catch all the bad guys!"
"Yeah!" Cao Mei sniffed and nodded heavily.
Du Xiaoying looked at the two children with a smile, her nose a little sour. She raised her hand to touch her Erya's sweaty head and scolded her, "This child."
.....
"Mom, why do we have so many eggs? Did you trade them with someone?"
Listening to Si Ya's voice, Du Xiaoying picked up five eggs from the basket and cracked two into the bowl. "Let's have tomato and dumpling soup tonight."
Erya winked at her elder sister and said, "Sister, our mother will definitely go to the county again tomorrow."
Daya frowned slightly with some worry, pursed her lips, and stepped forward to help cook.
"You guys don't need to be here. Go into the room and do your homework or read books." Du Xiaoying said, and then asked what they learned in class today.
Sanya took the notebook and sat down on the bench in front of the stove. "Mom, I have finished my homework. I will light the fire."
Si Ya glared, "Third sister, you've finished Chinese and math? When? How come I didn't know?"
Erya put her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks, "Okay, Sanya, you can do your homework secretly behind our backs!"
San Ya glanced at her second sister proudly, "It's just a few pinyin and numbers, so simple, can't it be written in a few seconds?!"
Erya's mouth twitched, "..."
Daya was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and hurriedly pulled her two younger sisters into the house to do their homework.
Du Xiaoying rubbed Sanya's little head and said, "My Sanya is so amazing. Who knows, maybe we'll even have a college student in our family in the future."
"Third sister is awesome! Wu Ya will be a college student for mom in the future~" Wu Ya's eyes sparkled as she squatted on the ground looking at the chicks.
"Oh my! What kind of fate is this for me? My daughters are prettier, more sensible and smarter than each other..." Du Xiaoying was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth. Looking at her little daughter's smiling face, her heart ached and she turned away and wiped her eyes.
San Ya lowered her head in embarrassment, her entire face and ears were red, her little chest unconsciously puffed up, and her clear eyes became even more determined.
.....
The next day, at dawn, there was movement in the Song family yard.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Erya followed her mother's gaze and looked towards the cowshed.
"It's okay, I guess I was just dazzled." Du Xiaoying shook her head, "Lock the door."
"Okay, I understand."
On the way, Du Xiaoying recalled the figure she had just seen running out of the cowshed. She always felt strange. It was still dark in the early morning, where could the people in the cowshed go?
Going up the mountain is out of the question, right? If we run into a large beast at this hour, there's no way we can stop it.
After thinking about it, the most likely thing is that they went to the river to fish. I guess they didn’t have enough food.
“Hey~”
Du Xiaoying sighed and was thinking about the sky gradually getting brighter.
black market
"Comrade, do you want eggs?"
"How much?" The man looked around vigilantly.
Du Xiaoying held up a finger. "No tickets needed, 11 cents each. Mountain products are 1 cent a bag. Fish are 65 cents a piece, about three pounds."
The man's face lit up with joy. His wife was pregnant and the period of labor was coming soon. She was in need of nutritious food. "I want 20 eggs and two fish."
"Okay." Du Xiaoying put the things into the man's basket swiftly, and gave him a small fish the size of a palm as an extra gift. She took the money note and said, "Comrade, this little fish is a gift from me. Go back and remove the internal organs. It will be delicious if you fry it in lard."
.....
"Boss, this woman is so elusive and alert. Last time I followed her, she got lost after taking many detours. I guess she's from some nearby village. How about I—"
"No need." Boss Hu put his hands behind his back and looked at the people in the yard without saying anything else.
Ermazi scratched his head, not understanding what the boss meant.
As usual, Du Xiaoying spent all the money she earned, plus the money she had on her, on buying cornmeal, sorghum rice, and five pounds of white flour. Before leaving with her things, she glanced back at the house with its doors and windows closed.
I don’t know why, but every time I come to the black market, I always feel like someone is watching my every move. I feel really uneasy and try to sell things quickly and leave early.
She couldn't help but think of the man who had always followed her secretly and protected her. If she hadn't overheard Arya mention it that time, she didn't know how long that man would have kept it a secret from her.
I don’t know whether this person is on the road or resting in the guesthouse, and I can’t help but feel a little worried.
When she was at home, she was afraid that her daughter would worry, so she didn't dare show any worry and could only pretend to be relaxed.
....
"squeak--"
The truck stopped suddenly and the people in the truck became alert and looked outside.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
The driver looked at the fallen tree in the middle of the road ahead and raised his voice, "Something's wrong. Everyone, bring your weapons and be alert."
Song Guoliang glanced at the woods on both sides of the road. This road was a must-go, and there was obviously no way to take a detour. He stretched his neck and said, "Brother Zhang, let's go down and move the things away."
"Okay." The man looked tense, holding the stick tightly, and observing his surroundings vigilantly.
"Come on. One, two, three—"
"Stop! Don't move!"
The two men had just moved the tree that was blocking the road when they heard footsteps and shouting, and then they were surrounded by a large group of people.
Song Guoliang's eyes were sharp as he swept over the dozen or so men who were coming towards him with shovels and axes. He clenched his fists calmly and took a firm step.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
