Aunt Ma was a little disappointed when she heard that she wouldn't have to take care of Rong Jiaojiao anymore. After all, ten yuan a month was almost enough for her to eat, but since Rong Jiaojiao wouldn't need her to take care of her anymore, there was nothing she could do.
But still wanting to know the reason, she asked, "Is there something I did wrong with the care? Can I find out why?"
Fu Ya quickly shook her head: "No, it's the master who used to teach Lian Hu kung fu who came yesterday. He saw my Jiaojiao's talent and decided to take her as his disciple. He wants to cultivate a relationship with her from a young age, so..."
Everyone understood what was left unsaid, so Aunt Ma didn't say anything more. She accepted Fu Yajie's wages and saw the mother and daughter off.
Seeing her unhappy expression, Hu Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Mom, Hai-ge and I can support you, so don't worry."
Aunt Ma said, "I'm not worried about money, I'm worried about food. Look at this year's harvest, I'm afraid it won't be even one-tenth of what it used to be. What's the use of having money? What kind of work will we be able to do next year?"
At this point, Hu Xiaoxiao was also worried. They were in the army, and the country couldn't let its soldiers go hungry. But she, her husband, and their family in the countryside had no harvest. They would have to ask them for help, but how could they get food? She was so worried!
When Fu Ya returned home, she heard Rong Zhigao and Rong Zhiyuan talking in the kitchen: "Mom should be back soon, let's serve the food."
"Okay, I'll serve the rice right away." Rong Zhiyuan replied as he quickly brought the food to the table.
As soon as Fu Ya entered the door, she saw Rong Zhiyuan carrying out dishes. Upon seeing Fu Ya, Rong Zhiyuan said happily, "Mom is back. Go wash your hands and eat. Today, my brother and I made stir-fried mushrooms with chili peppers and stir-fried dried loach with chili peppers."
When Rong Jiaojiao heard the word "eat," her eyes lit up. She pointed to the kitchen with both hands and made little noises, as if urging everyone to hurry up and start eating.
Fu Ya patted Rong Jiaojiao's back to calm her down, put her in the baby chair, and went to wash her hands.
When she came back from washing her hands, she saw the table full of steaming dishes, and her heart warmed. She said softly, "Thank you both, Mom is so lucky."
Rong Zhigao was very happy to hear the praise and grinned, saying, "Mom, from now on, when you're at work, my brother and I will cook for you."
Rong Zhiyuan also came over, holding a pair of chopsticks, and handed them to Fu Ya: "Mom, come and try our cooking."
Fu Ya took the chopsticks, gently poked at the stir-fried mushrooms with chili peppers on the plate, took a bite, and smiled with satisfaction: "Not bad, it's no worse than Mom's. It won't be long before your skills surpass Mom's."
She wasn't being modest; she knew her cooking skills were really terrible, barely edible.
Rong Zhigao and Rong Zhiyuan exchanged a glance, a smug smile spreading across their faces.
Rong Zhiyuan said, "We also made stir-fried dried loach with chili peppers, and Mom had a taste too."
Fu Ya picked up a piece of dried loach, put it in her mouth, and nodded slightly: "Mmm, it tastes really good. You two little ones are getting more and more capable."
When Rong Jiaojiao saw everyone eating, she became anxious and started babbling, patting the armrests of her baby chair with her little hands.
Fu Ya broke off a small piece of cornbread and put it into Rong Jiaojiao's mouth, laughing, "You really can't afford to lose out at all."
Rong Jiaojiao chewed happily, her eyes sparkling, and made satisfied gurgling sounds.
As the days went by, the drought in the north worsened. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and the sun seemed to have gone mad, relentlessly scorching the earth.
The crops in the fields have long lost their former vitality; their leaves are withered and curled, and no amount of water can save them now.
The riverbed was completely dry, with a few small fish struggling to survive in the cracked mud. Occasionally, a few dried crab shells could be seen, silently bearing witness to the cruelty of this disaster.
The town's wells were no longer able to draw water, and the troops were barely managing to maintain their daily water supply by relying on the remaining water in the reservoir, but the situation was deteriorating day by day.
Villagers from the surrounding area lined up in long queues, carrying buckets and basins, waiting to receive a small share of the precious water resources from the army's water trucks.
People's bodies and faces were covered in mud, but no one dared to wipe themselves with water, and they didn't even dare to drink water until they were completely thirsty.
In order to conserve water and food, the military had to stop the families from cooking at home and instead provide meals in a centralized manner.
While this can save a lot of resources, it also makes people's lives more inconvenient.
While others struggled to get water, Qing Xuanzi was unaffected. When the well in his courtyard dried up, he set up a water-gathering array in the courtyard, which could collect a large bucket every day. This was not only enough for his own use, but he could also bring some back to Fu Ya every day.
In a corner of the courtyard, several cucumber and cabbage plants were growing. Although they looked wilted, they were still growing slowly, and two cucumbers were hanging on the cucumber vines.
Rong Lianhu went out on a mission and was gone for more than a month. The person who said he would be back in a month at most had not been seen for a month. Although Qing Xuanzi repeatedly said that he was safe, Fu Ya was still very worried and anxious because she could not see him.
Six or seven days later, early one morning, several large trucks carrying supplies rumbled into the military camp gate, and Rong Lianhu sat in one of them.
He finished his task and still had some time to spare. When he got home, he saw his two sons with lunchboxes, about to go to the cafeteria for food. Only then did Rong Lianhu realize that it was summer vacation.
When the two brothers saw that Rong Lianhu had lost a lot of weight, they dropped their lunchboxes and ran towards him. For more than a month, not only Fu Ya was worried, but the two brothers were also worried.
The two saw Rong Lianhu almost simultaneously. They dropped their lunchboxes and dashed over like arrows, shouting, "Dad! Dad!" as they ran.
As soon as Rong Lianhu entered the yard, before he could even stand firmly, he was pounced on by his two sons.
He hugged them tightly, patted their shoulders and said, "It's alright, it's alright, Dad's back safe and sound."
Rong Zhigao looked up, his eyes red-rimmed: "Dad, are you hurt?"
Rong Lianhu gently stroked his hair and said softly, "Dad wasn't injured, but the mission didn't go smoothly, so I came back a little later than expected. I'm sorry to have worried you."
Rong Zhigao shook his head: "The person who is most worried is my mother. I have seen her sitting in the yard for several nights when she can't sleep."
Rong Lianhu didn't know what to say. Such days had happened before, and he couldn't guarantee they wouldn't happen again. He could only suppress his guilt in his heart.
She let go of the two children, took their hands, and walked back, saying as they went, "I brought you gifts, come and see them."
He opened his bag and took out two slingshots and a set of comic books.
"Wow, Dad, is this really for us?" Rong Zhiyuan's eyes sparkled. He had been envious of the slingshot in his brother Zhaohui's hand for a long time, and he reached out and took the slingshot in his hand.
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