Du Xiaoying smiled and pinched Xiao Wuya's face, "Your father went up the mountain early this morning."
"Wu Ya, come and wash your face and have dinner." San Ya called to her younger sister.
"egg?!"
"Mom, eggs are delicious!"
Wu Ya shook her little head and wiggled her little feet while eating. "No wonder my brothers always said eggs were delicious. They wouldn't even give me a sniff. They're so stingy."
"Mom, just boil eggs for my sisters next time. I don't like eggs." Daya said as she was about to put the eggs away to eat in the evening.
Du Xiaoying's heart ached. "Hurry up and eat, Daya. Your father is back. Our family will have a share of eggs. Your father and I will eat too."
Daya then ate the fragrant, soft and smooth eggs in small bites and squinted her eyes in satisfaction.
The eggs are so delicious!
After eating and drinking their fill, the mother and her six children locked the door of their old and weather-beaten home before heading up the mountain.
"Da Ya and Er Ya, you take your sisters to pick wild vegetables here. Mom will go inside to see if there are any dry goods." Du Xiaoying reminded the children not to run around.
"I know, Mom."
Du Xiaoying didn't dare go too deep into the mountains. After all, there were big creatures in the deep mountains. If she encountered wild boars, blind bears, long-necked insects and other big creatures, she would be in trouble.
During the famine a few years ago, wild boars came down the mountain and destroyed crops, and even caused loss of life. The older generation is still scared when they talk about the scene, and they always warn their children not to go into the mountains.
Except for the time before the heavy snow in winter every year when the mountains are closed, the team will organize strong laborers to go into the mountains to hunt and store supplies for the winter. On weekdays, no one dares to go in, except for some brave and skilled old hunters.
She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that she was lucky today. She didn't walk too far before she came across mushrooms, wood ears, and a clump of wolfberries full of bright red fruits.
Du Xiaoying carefully avoided the sharp thorns on the wolfberry tree and put the plump, red wolfberries into her backpack.
The scorching sun hangs high in the blue sky above our heads, making people feel extremely hot.
A thin layer of sweat gradually appeared on Du Xiaoying's forehead. Looking at the full basket of mountain products, she was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth. If she could be so lucky every day, the children would not be afraid of going hungry during the winter.
......
"Bitch, if you don't let go, I'll let my grandparents beat you up."
Wu Ya pursed her lips tightly, her face tense, "I picked it up, why should I give it to you?"
"Money-losing stuff, grandma said, all your things belong to us boys."
The chubby seven-year-old Song Zishan not only snatched the vegetables but also waved his fist fiercely. "If you don't give it to me, I'll beat you up."
Wu Ya was pushed to the ground and instinctively covered her head to protect it. This was the result of her experience of being beaten since she was a child.
Du Xiaoying, who was returning home happily with a basket on her back, saw this scene from afar and her eyes were bloodshot.
"Song——"
Before Du Xiaoying could roar angrily, she saw Erya, who was several meters away, throwing the stone in her hand and hitting Song Zilong on the head as ferociously as a little beast.
"roll!"
"You two, you loser, just wait for me, I will take care of you two bitches." Song Zishan was so scared that he ran away.
"My Erya is so amazing, she can hit the target from such a long distance!" Glancing at her ungrateful nephew, Du Xiaoying praised him generously, dragging two thick branches in each hand.
Erya raised her chin and said, "Mom, when I learn Kung Fu, Dad and I will protect our family together."
"Mom believes it." Du Xiaoying couldn't free her hands and raised her chin, "Da Ya, come quickly and see what's in Mom's backpack."
“Goji berries!”
The sisters exclaimed in surprise, their eyes sparkling.
In those days, people were short of food and clothing, and it was common to suffer from hunger and cold. When the years were bad, people had to rely on mountain products to barely survive. The various wild game and fruits in the mountains became snacks for the children to satisfy their cravings.
Daya sensibly gave each of her sisters a few wolfberries and then helped to drag the thick branches.
The laughter and joyful cheers drifted far away along the foot of the mountain.
"Mom, goji berries are delicious! So sweet!"
"Even if it tastes good, you can't eat too much. It can cause internal heat."
"Hehe, I get it. Mom eats it too. It's delicious."
......
Song Guoliang pulled a cart of thick timber down the mountain and saw from afar the blue brick house at the foot of the mountain with wisps of smoke rising from it.
An image of a haggard-faced woman dying with her eyes open flashed through his mind, and a sharp, cold light flashed in his eyes.
"You must be tired. Wash your hands and have dinner."
"Um."
Looking at his wife and daughters gathered around the stove surrounded by heat, Song Guoliang's silent and cold heart began to beat heavily and powerfully again.
On the kang was a plate of scrambled eggs with leeks, cold wild vegetables and black fungus, fried potato chips, and a bowl of fist-sized steamed buns made of two-grain flour.
The sisters kept swallowing their saliva, but Da Ya and Er Ya had wrinkled faces, obviously they were very worried.
"Eat it quickly. This pheasant egg may be a little small, but it tastes delicious."
"Mom, if we continue to eat the rations we have, we probably won't make it until the autumn harvest." Daya pinched her fingers, lowered her head and whispered.
Without waiting for Du Xiaoying to speak, Song Guoliang spoke first, "Don't worry, Dad has a fixed amount of food every month since he started working."
Du Xiaoying touched her eldest daughter's skinny and bony body and said, "Don't worry, we have enough money. Oh, and I want to go to the county scrap yard tomorrow. There are so many things we need at home."
"Okay, I'll go with you tomorrow." Song Guoliang nodded.
"I want to take the children with me. They have never been to the county town."
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