Chapter 10 This is the first time I've ever eaten so much.
The sun slowly sets.
The sunset painted the sky with golden clouds, and Dahe Village was enveloped in a beautiful scene.
The daytime heat faded, and a cool evening breeze gently caressed the faces of the mother and her three children.
When they arrived at the door, Zhao Sidan and Wu Huiniang came out to greet them anxiously.
Cheng Wanwan said calmly, "Wash your hands and get ready to eat."
Wu Huiniang quickly brought out the food that was still warm in the pot, and Zhao Dashan took out a bowl and put the half chicken he was carrying into the bowl.
On the wooden table, there were four dishes and six bowls of millet rice.
Zhao Ergou and Zhao Sanniu were stunned. They had gotten into trouble outside and thought they would be beaten when they came back, but they didn't expect to have so much delicious food. There was rabbit stew with radish, mushroom and egg soup, stir-fried green beans, plus the big hen they brought back. So much food, even more sumptuous than the New Year. Their mouths were watering.
Zhao Sidan's stomach had been growling loudly for a long time, and he couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks.
Cheng Wanwan said, "Huiniang, go and get another bowl."
Wu Huiniang immediately went to the kitchen and took out a bowl. Cheng Wanwan then took out some rabbit meat and radish, saying, "Sidan, take this to your grandpa and grandma."
Zhao Sidan licked his lips, picked up the bowl, and dashed out.
As dusk approached, the Zhao family had already finished dinner at their old house. They had some buckwheat flour cooked with wild vegetables, and each person had a cornbread with some long beans inside. It was enough to fill them up about 50-60% of their capacity, which was considered the best food in Dahe Village.
"Old man, I think I smell meat?" Old Mrs. Zhao sniffed. "Who can afford meat these days?"
Old Zhao took a puff of his pipe: "If we wait another three to five days, at least half the villagers will run out of food. What are we going to do then?"
“We survived the locust plague last year, didn’t we? The imperial court won’t abandon us,” said Old Mrs. Zhao as she mended her clothes. “Today, the village head went to town, and the magistrate said the imperial court is preparing to perform a rainmaking ritual. I hope the rain will come soon…”
Just then, someone in the courtyard shouted, "Grandma!"
Grandma Zhao hurriedly put down her needlework: "Why is Si Dan here again? Did his mother beat him up?"
The old lady pushed open the door and went out. She saw Zhao Sidan holding a bowl in his hands. From a distance, she couldn't see it clearly and thought the boy was begging for food. But when she got closer, she realized that it was a bowl of meat! The aroma of meat she had just smelled was coming from this bowl!
"Grandma, Mother asked me to bring this over. I'm going back now!"
Zhao Sidan, his mouth full of saliva, shoved the bowl into Old Mrs. Zhao's hands and ran off. He wanted to go back and eat rabbit meat!
Grandma Zhao was stunned, thinking that there must be something wrong with her ears. How could her eldest daughter-in-law, that spendthrift, actually send her a bowl of meat?
The aroma of meat filled the courtyard, and the rest of the Zhao family came out as well.
Zhao Lao Er's youngest son, Zhao Erwang, said, "I heard from Brother Tiezhu that Sidan caught a rabbit today. It must be rabbit meat, it smells so good!"
Zhao's second wife was somewhat surprised: "My sister-in-law actually brings food to Mother?"
My sister-in-law always sends food to the Cheng family. For so many years, she has only come to the Zhao family to ask for things. When has she ever given them a single grain of rice?
"The fourth egg came and took three radishes, a bunch of green beans, and an egg," Zhao San's wife said softly. "The round trip is about the same as before."
Old Mrs. Zhao, however, did not feel that it was a fair deal.
That spendthrift woman gave five cents during the day, and now she brought over a big bowl of meat soup. When has the eldest brother's wife ever been so generous?
The eldest daughter-in-law would only show goodwill suddenly when she needed help from the Zhao family. She wanted to see what the eldest daughter-in-law wanted to do.
Grandma Zhao heard her grandchildren swallowing hard. There were two grandsons and four granddaughters, and even one bite wasn't enough for each of them. It wouldn't be right to only give food to the grandsons and not the granddaughters.
She waved her hand and said, "This is a gift from your aunt to this old woman, so I won't give it to you."
She carried a bowl of rabbit meat back to the inner room, and even the old man was astonished: "When did the eldest son's wife become so filial?"
"She's planning something bad." The old lady sneered. "Since she offered it to me, I'd rather eat it than not. How can I have the energy to deal with her if I'm not full?"
The old lady took a bite and found the rabbit meat tender and delicious, and the radish soft and flavorful. She had lived for sixty years and had never eaten anything so delicious. When did the mountain wife's cooking skills become so good?
As soon as Zhao Sidan got home, Cheng Wanwan announced that dinner was ready.
The four boys were all good eaters, shoveling rice into their mouths and not forgetting to eat rabbit meat in big bites. Even Wu Huiniang, the cautious and delicate young wife, ate her fill without lifting a finger.
Cheng Wanwan thought there would be leftovers, but to her surprise, she even drank all the leftover soup.
The family of six leaned back in their chairs, burping contentedly.
"This is the first time I've ever eaten so much..." Zhao Sidan rubbed his tummy. "Mom, will I be able to eat my fill tomorrow?"
The others all looked up at the head of the household.
Cheng Wanwan took a sip of water and said, "There really is no food left at home."
Five faces fell; there really was no food left at home. Luckily, we ate our fill today, which should last for three days...
"But..." Cheng Wanwan placed the silver hairpin on the wooden table. "This was a token of love your father gave me over ten years ago. Back then, I was blinded by greed and gave it to the Cheng family. Now that the Cheng family and I have completely broken off, I don't want to keep this hairpin anymore. I'll pawn it on the street tomorrow and exchange it for some food."
When the four boys mentioned their father, their eyes suddenly became red.
Zhao Dashan was the person who remembered his father the most. He clenched his fist and said, "This is something Father gave to Mother. I can't pawn it!"
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "If we don't sell silver hairpins, we won't have money to buy food. I think your father in heaven wouldn't want to see his sons go hungry, would he?"
The four sons remained silent.
Dad was able to give Mom a silver hairpin, but they were unable to keep it.
Zhao Ergou said slowly, "One day, I will redeem this silver hairpin."
Today, for their sake, Mother broke ties with the Cheng family.
One day, he will make his mother wear a gold hairpin and dress her in fine silk and satin.
The four children were in a low mood, so Cheng Wanwan changed the subject: "Dashan, can you go ask Uncle Da if the oxcart is going to town tomorrow morning?"
It takes more than an hour to walk from Dahe Village to Taiping Town, which is farther than two Chengjia Villages combined. If she were to walk there, she would be completely exhausted.
Zhao Dashan nodded and left.
When Zhao Sidan was still in his mother's womb, his father went to the battlefield and never returned until last year when news of his death in battle came.
He had never met his biological father, and his grief over his father's death was nothing compared to the rabbit on his plate.
He collected all the rabbit bones from the wooden table, wrapped them in leaves, and buried them in the yard... It was the only thing he could do for the rabbits...
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