Chapter 7: No one likes you
The staple food is cornmeal pancakes and millet porridge, served with pickled green onions and shredded mustard greens from last fall, and a large bowl containing four peeled eggs.
Zhou Yong picked up a big pancake and took a bite, and Zhang Guifang put an egg into his bowl.
When he saw it, he was about to distribute the eggs to everyone, but was stopped by Zhang Guifang.
"Zhou Yong, you and Caiyun can eat the eggs. Mom and your dad won't eat them."
Zhou Yong's eyes fell on the two large bowls of eggs. He said, "Mom, don't do this. We are a family. We can't eat two different kinds of food."
Zhang Guifang opened her mouth, and Li Baotian took over the conversation: "What two kinds of rice? Dad and your mom don't like to eat eggs, you two should eat quickly!"
Don’t you like to eat?
That's not the case at all. They are just reluctant to eat. If there is anything delicious, they would let their daughter and son-in-law have it first.
Zhou Yong smiled and put an egg into the bowl for each of the two elders, ignoring the obstruction of Li Baotian and Zhang Guifang.
Zhang Guifang muttered: "We are all this age, what does it matter whether we eat or not? But you two are still young, you can't hurt your health..."
Life is hard nowadays. Although Li Baotian is the village chief and receives salary and food allowance every month, his family still has to live frugally.
Zhou Yong pursed his lips, feeling very sad as he listened to his mother-in-law's nagging.
Whether it is Zhang Guifang or Li Baotian, they both praise Zhou Yong as their son-in-law very highly.
Zhou Yong once thought that they wanted him to take care of them in their old age, but later he realized that Li Baotian and his wife just wanted him to be nicer to Li Caiyun.
Zhou Yong had not understood such a simple truth before. By the time he understood its deeper meaning, it was too late to make up for it.
Zhou Yong's eyes were sore that he lowered his head and took a big bite of the pancake, tears welling up in his eye sockets.
Li Caiyun noticed Zhou Yong's mood change: "Zhou Yong, what's wrong with you?"
Zhou Yong chewed a big pancake and forced back his tears.
He smiled and looked at Li Caiyun: "I was wondering if I could get anything out of the mountains today."
Last night he went up the mountain with his hunting tools and set a few traps. He wondered if any prey fell into the traps.
Li Caiyun looked away from Zhou Yong's face: "Wouldn't it be clear if we go back and take a look?"
Zhou Yong hummed, and Li Baotian frowned: "Zhou Yong, don't you have class today?"
As soon as he said this, the atmosphere at the dinner table changed subtly.
Zhang Guifang frowned and glared at her husband. Li Caiyun was not in the mood to eat and lowered her head.
Zhou Yong took in the expressions of his family members. He smiled and said, "Dad, you can leave the literacy work to others. I'll go hunting in the mountains so that our family can have a good meal..."
Li Baotian was stunned, Zhang Guifang looked suddenly at her son-in-law, and Li Caiyun widened her eyes in disbelief.
Before, no matter what Li Caiyun said or did, Zhou Yong refused to quit his teaching job. Today, no one tried to persuade him, but he actually took the initiative to resign.
Li Baotian hesitated to speak, and Zhang Guifang hurriedly took over the conversation.
"It's better not to teach literacy classes. It's a thankless job."
Zhou Yong agreed: "Mom, you are right, many people are forced to come to class, and they are all absent-minded..."
Literacy work is not easy to do, as it affects both adults and children. If you talk too much about it, you might offend people, but if you don't talk about it, those people will be very annoying.
Zhou Yong had long been fed up with the humiliation he felt. The reason he refused to resign was that he wanted to prove that he was upright and had nothing to fear.
Now when he thinks back on his childish and ridiculous decisions, Zhou Yong secretly curses himself for being stupid.
Rumors were flying everywhere, but instead of trying to avoid them, I braved them.
Zhou Yong could only say that he was courageous, and that he had good father-in-law and mother-in-law. If he were the wrong family, no one would tolerate him.
"Okay, I'll arrange for someone else to teach later."
Li Baotian muttered to himself, and Zhang Guifang smiled a little more.
Li Caiyun glanced at Zhou Yong, took a sip of millet porridge, and her mood became very good.
After breakfast, Zhou Yong went down to the fields, followed closely by Li Caiyun.
Zhang Guifang and Li Baotian were sitting on the kang, and Zhou Yong was about to clean up the dishes.
"Zhou Yong, you don't have to clean up the dishes, your mother and Caiyun are here!"
Zhou Yong looked at Li Baotian who said this: "Dad, it's just something that comes easily."
He was going outside, so he took the dishes out with him, so that Li Caiyun wouldn't have to make two trips to clean up the dishes in the room.
Li Baotian looked at Zhou Yong who was leaving the house with his bowl and chopsticks. He said to Zhang Guifang, "Mother, why do I feel like Zhou Yong has become a different person?"
Zhang Guifang also felt the changes in Zhou Yong, but she always thought positively about it.
"Is it bad to have changes? Didn't you see that Zhou Yong loves to smile now?"
Li Baotian thought for a few seconds and nodded: "Yes, and he also told me something."
Zhang Guifang lowered her voice and continued, "This is a good thing, so don't think about it."
Li Baotian scratched his head, and Zhang Guifang went downstairs with an apron tied around her waist.
Zhou Yong went to the warehouse to get a rope and found a four-pronged fork.
"Xiaoyun, come up the mountain with me?"
Li Caiyun, who was washing dishes, looked at Zhou Yong with surprise: "Really?"
Zhou Yong looked at the expression on his young wife's face. If Zhang Guifang hadn't been there, he would have gone up and kissed her no matter what.
"Of course, if we are lucky, we might be able to eat pheasant tonight..."
Zhang Guifang perked up when she heard this: "Caiyun, wash your hands and go up the mountain with Zhou Yong. Mom will clean up..."
Li Caiyun responded and washed her hands. Zhang Guifang reminded them to be careful.
"You two came back and went up the mountain like this?"
Li Caiyun slapped her forehead and said, "Mom, I remembered that I forgot to bring water."
Zhang Guifang shook her head and smiled bitterly, and Li Caiyun stumbled into the house to get a military cross-body kettle.
"Be safe and come back soon."
Zhou Yong responded, hung the rope diagonally over his shoulder and held the four-pronged fork in his right hand.
Li Caiyun carried a clay basket on her right arm and a pot of water slung across her body.
The couple walked up the mountain one after the other, keeping a distance of about one and a half meters between them. They met many acquaintances along the way.
In mid-June, many wild vegetables in the mountains can be picked, so many people go up the mountain to pick mountain products.
Arriving at the top of the mountain, Li Caiyun stopped and picked some mushrooms. Zhou Yong was not interested in these mountain products. His target was pheasants, rabbits, and wild boars…
"Zhou Yong, look over there."
Li Caiyun had sharp eyes and saw several large mushrooms under a pine tree from some distance away.
Zhou Yong smiled and stopped. Li Caiyun walked over with a basket in her arms.
"Slow down."
Li Caiyun responded and ran straight towards the mushrooms. Zhou Yong looked around.
"Zhou Yong, look how rare this mushroom is?"
The big, round pine mushrooms look delicious.
Zhou Yong glanced at him and said, "You are not as popular as me."
Li Caiyun's face turned red, and Zhou Yong smiled and pinched her cheeks.
"Don't touch me. It's not good if someone sees you."
Zhou Yong glared in displeasure. Whose business was it if he flirted with his wife?
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