Chapter 3 Daydreams come true!
In recent years, natural disasters have occurred frequently. Not only has every family failed to harvest any grain, but they also owe the government a lot of grain taxes.
When the government came to collect the money, some families had no choice but to sell their children, pigs, sheep, and even their wives!
Even if the wife and children were lucky enough to stay, the family would still be extremely poor.
Every year, several elderly people and babies die of starvation.
The rest of the people are able to survive only thanks to the river outside the village and the barren mountain behind the village...
Before Mr. Tai San could take the opportunity to curse a few more times about the injustice of heaven, Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue came running back with a broken wooden basin, as if they were being chased by dogs.
They kicked the door open and started shouting.
"Grandpa, Grandpa! We caught some fish! Oh, so many fish!"
"Stew fish soup, make fish soup for my sister!"
Old Master Tai and Third Master Tai were talking when they were frightened and almost slipped off their chairs.
Grandpa Tai raised his foot to kick his grandson, but he saw five or six palm-sized crucian carp seeds in the basin and was extremely happy.
Master Tai San almost accidentally pulled out half of his beard and shouted, "Did you fish this out of the river outside the village?!"
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue's cotton-padded jackets were mostly wet, but they didn't feel cold and started dancing and showing off.
"We chiseled a hole in the ice, put the colander in, and caught so much right away. We wanted to get more, but the fat guy and his gang got jealous. They took the hole and wanted to take our fish too, so we quickly brought it back!"
"That's right, the three fat guys are still lying on the ice, freeze them to death!"
As the two brothers were talking, they thought of their sister and were about to run to the west room, but the old man grabbed them by the collar and pulled them back.
"Your sister is asleep, don't disturb her."
Mr. Tai couldn't wait any longer. His waist was no longer bent, and his back was hunched. He strode out and said, "I'll go take a look."
As a result, when he arrived at the gate of the yard, he ran into a large group of villagers.
Everyone brought a wooden basin and a colander from home.
The kids were arguing so loudly just now, everyone who heard the whole story wanted to get in on the fun!
For a while, the small river outside the village was crowded with villagers digging holes and setting up sieves.
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue were so anxious that they were jumping for their feet, fearing that the villagers would catch all the remaining fish.
Even Tai Jizu and Tai Jizong picked up their sieves and wanted to follow.
But Mr. Tai stopped them and said, "Forget it, don't be greedy. We already have a few at home, let the villagers catch the rest.
"Bring some firewood and make the fish soup quickly. Zhuzhu will be hungry when she wakes up soon!"
After saying that, he looked out the door, his heart full of doubts.
Could it be that Zhuzhu woke up and their family's luck changed?
It's been a while since we've fished in the river outside the village, but these two guys actually caught fish the first time they went there...
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue still wanted to struggle, but the old man slapped them one by one and they stopped.
Tai Jizu and Tai Jizong had already followed the old man's instructions and started carrying firewood and killing fish. Liu Dongniang also quickly washed the pot and lit the fire and started to get busy.
Half an hour later, the kitchen was filled with fragrance.
Liu Dongniang filled a large bowl and asked Tai Yongan to send it to the next door to repay the favor of the egg.
Finally, everyone in the family, young and old, drank a bowl and were satisfied.
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue were anxious. They gasped from the scalding heat, but they still drank the fish soup quickly.
Besides, the villagers squatted on the river for more than half an hour.
Their feet were numb from the cold, their eyes and eyebrows were covered with frost, and they were shivering like they had the hiccups in their tattered cotton jackets.
Not to mention the fish, there wasn’t even a single fish scale to be seen!
Some people couldn't bear it anymore and returned to the village one after another. But some people were unwilling to give up. They grabbed a handful of broken ice to fill their mouths, then continued to dig holes in the ice.
When things are so chaotic, it’s natural that you can’t take care of the children.
A boy of seven or eight years old slipped and fell into an ice hole.
Fortunately, the villagers nearby were quick-witted and picked up the boy.
The boy's tattered jacket and trousers were soaked, his face was pale from the cold, his upper and lower teeth were chattering, but he was making a fuss and refused to leave.
"Woo woo, I won't leave... Hehe, I want fish soup! Fish soup!"
One man was so angry that he cursed, "Go back now! If you freeze any longer, you'll end up drinking soup with the King of Hell!"
The neighbor with children grabbed their children and left, and the others followed behind for fear of falling into the water.
When I passed by Tai's door, a faint fragrance wafted out from the yard and entered my nose.
Everyone couldn't help swallowing their saliva and hesitated for a long time, but seeing that the Tai family had no intention of opening the door, they could only walk away dejectedly.
That's right, these days it's good enough to take care of your own family so they don't go hungry, who has the energy to take care of other people's families...
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue were lying on the crack of the gate. Seeing that everyone outside had left, they quickly wiped their noses and ran back.
My sister’s fish soup was saved!
Zhuzhu woke up in her mother's arms smelling the aroma of fish soup.
Her mother's arms were warm and soft, and she rubbed them affectionately.
Yang Lihua quickly put down her needlework and hugged her daughter with a smile, "Zhuzhu, you're awake. Are you hungry? I'll feed my little pig Baoer right now. Eat well!"
As he was talking, Tai Jizu, who was lying on the other side, also came over and quickly poked open the earthen stove connected to the big kang.
The half-red wood in the stove began to burn, the earthenware pot on the stove was heated, and the aroma of the fish soup became stronger.
Zhuzhu's stomach growled and she kicked her legs excitedly, jumping higher in her mother's arms.
Tai Jizu and Yang Lihua both laughed when they saw this.
Yang Lihua filled her daughter's bowl with half a bowl of fish soup, broke off half a sorghum steamed bread, and soaked it in the fish soup.
Zhuzhu took a sip and widened her big, furry eyes in surprise.
The little fat on her face was trembling, and she kept pointing at the fish soup.
"Little Pig Bao'er likes it, doesn't he? Then eat more!" Tai Jizu was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth. He kept saying, "Tomorrow Dad will go up the mountain to get you some pheasant to make soup. That's even better."
Zhuzhu tilted her head, her mouth was full, her little brows were cutely wrinkled, and she seemed a little conflicted.
Finally, she put her little head close to her father's hand and rubbed it again and again.
Daddy touched her head and said that only by going out can we catch pheasants for the family to eat!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
