Chapter 194 Why are egg pancakes yellow?
"When my third uncle and aunt were in a good mood, they called me a bastard; when they were in a bad mood, they called me a jinx or a debt collector. I also have a cousin, who is my third aunt's child. I sleep in the stove pit at night, and my cousin would secretly pee on me. For a while, I smelled terrible."
Mancang, his face full of worry, looked like a child, but he sighed deeply: "I thought most people were doing pretty much the same as me, except my cousin was lucky to be pampered by his family. But in the fall, when I went to the market with my third uncle carrying a sack of cabbages, I realized that many children were just like my cousin. Their parents would buy them delicious food, and carry them when they couldn't walk anymore, even though they were about the same height as me..."
At this point, Mancang choked up a little: "I think Uncle San is right. I am a debt collector, born to suffer."
Mancang's story was similar to what I had guessed, but hearing him recount it in person still made me feel sorry for him. I sat down on the edge of the kang and gently stroked his head: "No, you are not a jinx."
Mancang continued, "Later, it got cold again, and my third uncle and aunt asked me to go up the mountain to chop firewood. I had to carry back 20 bundles of firewood a day. One night when I got back, I smelled a very delicious aroma. My cousin was gnawing on a big chicken leg. I had never eaten chicken before, and it smelled so good. I thought to myself, if I could eat a bite of chicken, it would be worth dying for."
Mancang chuckled and continued recounting his past: "My third aunt served me half a bowl of leftover rice and made me squat by the stove to eat it. I mustered up my courage and said I wanted to make some chicken soup, but my third uncle and aunt beat me for a long time. I begged them to stop hitting me, that I wouldn't eat it anymore, and that I would never dare to be greedy again, but they didn't stop. Later, I fainted from the pain, and when I woke up, it was late at night."
Mancang paused here, and I couldn't help but ask, "And then what happened?"
"When I woke up, my whole body ached, but I had been beaten many times before, so I could bear the pain. But I had to eat this chicken. I got up and quietly broke open the locked cupboard. There were still a few pieces of meat left inside. I grabbed them and ate them right away. The chicken was so delicious. Chewing it with the bone in was more and more fragrant."
"The chicken smelled so good that I couldn't help but cry. The tears flowed faster and faster. I knew I couldn't stay in this house anymore. I ate all the chicken and ran away."
Mancang, lying on the kang, looked at me and smiled: "I dared not stop for a moment, for fear that my third uncle and aunt would catch me and hang me up to beat me. I had been hung up many times before. My vision went black and I couldn't see anything. I don't know how long I ran until it was dawn. I started to get colder and colder, and later I lost all feeling in my hands and feet. When I thought I was going to die, I met you, Aunt Cheng."
After hearing Mancang's story, I finally had a general understanding of him.
Having lost both parents at a young age, and living in a post-apocalyptic world just as she was becoming aware of the world, she was also abused by her third uncle's family, leading a very difficult life.
However, the child's personality subtly carries a ruthless streak, which is a good thing for those surviving the apocalypse.
I haven't decided whether to keep him by my side or not. I'll observe him for a while longer before making a decision.
Seeing that I remained silent, Mancang asked nervously, "Aunt Cheng, do you look down on me? You also think I shouldn't have stolen the chicken, right?"
"No, you have suffered, child."
I turned around and grabbed some frostbite ointment and iodine; it was time to apply the medicine today.
The blisters have mostly subsided today, so it looks like I can use iodine solution now.
First, disinfect all the frostbite and blisters with iodine solution, then apply frostbite cream. Mancang's body is recovering quite quickly, and it is estimated that he will be fully healed in a short time.
"Aunt Cheng, what if my third uncle and the others come looking for us?"
As the medicine was being applied, Mancang asked with concern.
I hadn't really thought about this. Footprints would be left in the snow. If his third uncle and aunt really wanted to find him, it was only a matter of time before they came looking for him.
If they treated Mancang as a burden, they probably wouldn't look for him if he got lost. But judging from Mancang's complaints about having to do so much work, his third uncle and aunt might already be using him as free labor, so they probably wouldn't want to get rid of him.
I reassured Mancang, not wanting him to worry too much about it: "Just focus on recovering. Even if they really come, Aunt Cheng isn't afraid."
Mancang, her face filled with unease, gripped the corner of the blanket tightly with her bandaged hand: "If they want to take me away, will you hand me over?"
I reassured Mancang: "No, if they really treat you that badly, I won't let you fall into their clutches again."
Mancang smiled with relief and loosened his grip on the corner of the blanket.
After applying the medicine to Mancang, the aroma of cured meat porridge filled the entire room.
Place the porridge with cured meat on the ground, put a frying pan on the stove, pour a ring of oil around it, and pour the egg and flour batter that you just mixed into the center of the pan.
A delicate sizzling sound filled the room, accompanied by the irresistible aroma of fried eggs and scallions.
Mancang, lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), stretched his neck to look at the stove, probably drooling with envy.
I fried four golden egg pancakes, then picked out some delicious soy sauce pickles from the pickle jar, and brought them all to the kang table for dinner.
Unlike yesterday, which felt awkward and unfamiliar, I ate with Mancang today.
Each person is served a bowl of sticky rice porridge, paired with a fragrant egg pancake, and some pickled vegetables to cleanse the palate, which greatly whets the appetite.
"Eat up!"
As soon as I gave the order, Mancang sprang into action.
The sounds of slurping porridge filled the air, making the four dogs and Tie Dan'er dart around in a frenzy.
Tiedan didn't dare to sit on the table, and kept crawling back and forth under the kang table, its tail held high, almost falling into my bowl.
Helpless, I forcefully pressed its tail under the table and whispered a warning not to bring it up again.
"Aunt Cheng, what kind of porridge is this? It smells so good! And this pancake is delicious too, so soft. Why is it so yellow?"
Unlike yesterday, Mancang ate slowly, carefully studying the preserved meat porridge and egg pancakes as he ate.
"The rice porridge has cured meat in it, and this pancake has an egg in it, so it's yellow."
It's unusual if you've never seen an egg pancake before; that's how people in Montreal eat them.
"Haven't you ever had an egg pancake? Don't your third uncle and aunt make them?"
I picked up the egg pancake with my chopsticks and asked Mancang.
Mancang shook his head: "I've never eaten it. They usually make buckwheat pancakes, but there aren't many buckwheat pancakes. I just watch them eat them."
It seems that the third uncle and aunt mentioned by Mancang are not doing so well, and they can't even afford an egg pancake.
I curled my lip in disdain. He's not doing well and he's abusing his child. He deserves it!
Mancang never eats pickled vegetables. Doesn't he find his taste bland?
He picked up a piece of pickled vegetables with soy sauce and threw it into the full bowl: "I pickled these vegetables myself, they're so fragrant."
Mancang stared at me blankly, picked up a piece and took a small bite: "Delicious! But salt is a rare thing, I don't usually eat pickled vegetables."
Like a normal person having a casual chat, Mancang spoke calmly about his tastes.
But this isn't a preference of his; it's because he can't eat it because it's rare.
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